CheerSoundsA is for Athlete
“Cheerleaders aren’t athletes! All you guys do is walk around and shout to the crowd!” Sound familiar? Well, maybe that was true in 1898, but today’s cheerleading requires significantly more skills on multiple platforms. These skills need to be practiced and perfected. The only way to do that is to be an athlete.
Cheer has grown significantly over the past century. It wasn’t until almost 100 years after cheerleading began that the term “all-star cheer” started becoming a common term. The very first all-star competition aired on ESPN in 1982. The Cheerleading World’s Competition wasn’t even around until 2004. Cheer has become increasingly 
more competitive all around. Cheerleaders are now required to be physically able to hit elite stunts gracefully, build complex pyramids and tumble perfectly. The demands of cheerleading increase every season, earning cheerleaders everywhere the title of athlete. So the next time someone tells you cheerleading shouldn’t be a sport, remind them of these main points:
Physical strength? Covered. Cheerleaders lift each other during stunts, baskets and tumbling also is quite dependent on physical strength. A tumbler must be able to propel themselves in various directions in a very precise way in order to land their passes.
- Agility? Absolutely. Agility is a given when it comes to cheer. The precision of every movement must be fluid and sharp. (It’s what makes everything look awesome and attainable, even
though it is nowhere near as easy at seems!)
- Stamina? Got it. Cheerleading is like a full time job in constant motion.. They spend countless hours are spent a week perfecting a routine. Cheerleaders time in the gym doesn’t end there either. Add tumbling
classes, private lessons, coaching and strength and conditioning classes to an already stacked athletic schedule.
Cheer demands athletic ability. The amount of time, dedication, preparation and energy it takes to participate in all elements of cheer takes 
serious hard work.The athleticism involved in cheer has evolved to a new level and continues to climb. Cheerleaders are athletes!
