Cheerleading is an underrated sport because there is so much more to it than just pom-poms and sparkles. Cheerleaders need as much physical and mental training as any other sport. “All of our girls push themselves every day. They try everything and work to do new things like stunts and tumbling,” states cheer captain assistant Catilin Garrison.
Every day can be a struggle for the average cheerleader; there are some people who do not appreciate or understand how much hard work cheer takes. Freshman cheerleader, Eliza Lauritzen, shared her thoughts on her cheer experience: “Getting up at 5:00 a.m. and doing backflips for an hour takes effort, also the mental game on how cheerleaders are treated because not everyone likes them.” The dedication that is shown in this quote is incredible. Having to wake up at that time in the morning and do practice stunts for hours can be frustrating when it is underappreciated by the school’s community. Lexi Higginson, freshman, also expressed, “The cheer concept that cheerleaders get is unbelievable. I know it was really hard for the cheerleaders last year so fighting through that is difficult.”
Many people are biased against cheerleaders, although it seems as though support comes from those who are willing to share: “The cheerleaders spend a lot of time practicing and doing crazy tricks that they spend a lot of time training, pushing their bodies to a limit just like any other sport,” says Chris Daum, junior from Coronado High School.
One would think football and basketball are some of the most physically demanding sports, but cheer should be recognized as a demanding sport as well. Catilin Garrison explained, “They have to be able to dance, cheer, perform gymnastics, be coordinated, memorize all the moves, and be strong enough to lift other girls all the way up in the air and to do it all with a smile.”
People need to rethink their view on cheer and how it is seen because if speed walking is a sport (at the Olympics), then cheer absolutely is.