Varsity Cheerleading - It is a sport!

My daughter, Rachel, a Walton High
varsity competition cheerleader

When I was a cheerleader in the late 70s, cheerleading was really an activity based on popularity, beauty, and who was the most limber. What I mean by most limber, is that one needed to be able to master a cartwheel, round-off and finish it off with a split all the way to the floor with no bent knee. Then there were the jumps that followed each cheer - a spread eagle and a hurkie at the very least, following by a winning smile. Only one girl on our squad could do a back handspring and that was because she taught herself on the trampoline. The rest of us didn't have the courage to even try - it seemed almost impossible!

But now, in order to be a varsity cheerleader at many large high schools, gymnastic tumbling is obligatory. The cartwheel split is passe and the hurkie is no more (it has actually been altered to a front jump that looks a bit strange to my mind). Back handsprings are nothing to the varsity cheerleader these days, and the tuck (standing back flip) has become standard. Now, ambitious cheerleaders work toward their front-punch (running front flip), lay-out (back flip in an extended position), and full (full twist in the air).

Wow, how times have changed! "What in the world has happened?" many mothers of wannabe cheerleaders say. "It isn't fair! My child can't do those flips in the air, etc.!"

Well "hello," my child couldn't either, but with the dawn of competitive cheerleading, good coaches can teach ANYONE to tumble. My daughter isn't the most limber girl on her team and has had back issues to work through (not to mention a broken finger, sprained wrist, and sprained shoulder!), but she has worked her little behind off on her tumbling skills. Not to mention, mom and dad have driven her many times (and far away when gas prices were at their peak!) to tumbling and cheer classes where she worked on her skills week after week. It isn't easy and takes time and hard work, and then there is the financial commitment, all of which go with the territory. Why? Because cheerleading has become a sport!

Yes, there are big, flirty smiles, dance moves, pom poms, shorts skirts, ponytails and bows, and drama of course (from both moms and girls), but the athleticism required for the modern cheerleader requires much more today than when I was young. First, there is strength (lifting girls above the head!), endurance, great cardio durability, tenacity, and perseverance. Then there is the element of fear that one must get over. Falling and being dropped and having a pulled muscle, etc., are part of the game, but if a girl loves cheerleading, it will all be worth it. Personally, I have seen how the sport has built my daughter's confidence level and has brought with it great friendships and the ability to be part of an athletic team.

As a mother, and not just a former high school cheerleader, I absolutely love everything about cheerleading. In particular, I have really enjoyed seeing it develop into a full-fledged sport that is team building, fun, and entertaining for the spectator. There are some who want to bring it back down to the popularity/beauty contest/activity of the past, but I sure hope these people aren't successful. The girls who work hard and hone their skills should be rewarded for their efforts every bit as much as a quarterback or point guard is rewarded for their hard work and ability on the football field and basketball court.

So here's to cheerleading! Yay team! As we say at Walton High, "Go Raiders!"