Is cheerleading a legitimate sport or not? I think it deserves genuine support

[TheQuirkyMaker]

Here:

Luckily all the athletes, coaches and spectators I’ve come across at competitions are supportive and encouraging. I really hope my dd’s aren’t ever made to feel like they aren’t good enough by the attitudes of supposed feminists on this post, the sneery attitudes towards a sport they don’t deem ‘worthy’ is so disappointing to see. Instead of seeing strong and skillful women and girls (and men and boys as it is a mixed sport!) they are focusing on the attitudes of men who watch American football?!

Maybe the perception can be changed? If a large majority of people believe that cheer is only for young glamorous women cheering men’s sports teams on, then surely it would be a good thing to show more peoplethat actually it’s powerful young women and also men with amazing skills and strength.

Admittedly before DD began, I had no idea really what it was, I only planned for her to be in the recreational team for fun but she was put in the competitive side due to her gymnastics training. I’m really happy she made the switch though, she’s made a lovely set of friends whose main goal each week is to trust and support each other. Their strengths are mostly different but they boost each other and the teamwork is fantastic.

We may be lucky with her club but the safeguarding is great and the coaches have the kids in mind at all times. I’m sure there are some less caring clubs and I can’t speak on what the older age teams elsewhere are like as she’s still under 12, but my experience as a fairly protective mum has only been positive.

Just because you have that perception doesn’t mean everyone else does. I don’t think my 7 year old even knows who the Dallas cowboys are, but she loves dancing and gymnastics so cheerleading is a fantastic hobby for her. Her team are learning strength, conditioning, timing, teamwork - surely they shouldn’t be discouraged by people who don’t know what competitive cheer actually is ?

You know there are cheer competitions right? It’s not just about standing in the sidelines with Pom poms.

Assume you mean me, bit harsh maybe.
As you know if you are involved it’s a massively, massively female heavy activity with young girls and women wearing bows and often heavy make-up (this is easy to ascertain online). God forbid any sneery supposed feminists should even try to discuss what it teaches young girls today about roles and expectations. As I have clearly said I wouldn’t dream of questioning anyone’s choices in ‘real life’ but think it should be possible to debate online.

One can both admire the athletic feats, teamwork and enjoy watching it AND dislike the sexism. With gymnastics and cheer (both kinds).

As with most ballet and body size.

The amount of make up is a personal choice, the big bows is because from where the judges watch it’s all at a distance. So it’s for the same reason that theatre make up is OTT.

Again you don’t get points for this, interesting the Scandinavian clubs often have zero make up and hair in French braids no bows.

I think it is changing which is for the better.

It’s not a personal choice.

you learn something new everyday as the saying goes

Ok love it’s no big deal Jesus 🙄

But shouldn't we be challenging perceptions?

Cheer is such a demanding sport and there are loads of competitions for it now. I know if very very few cheer teams that actually support a sports team, most are sports teams in their own rights and exist independently of any other sports teams - this includes my 3 University cheer teams.

I really don’t know? I’m not personally involved so completely not my business. I personally have some problems with it but I’m a sneery feminist apparently!

@Lostuser I don’t think Jesus was keen on cheerleading tbh. Riding on donkeys was more his style.

Why would you have a problem with it because you are a feminist? A big aspect of cheer is girls working together and supporting each other. Because of the increased popularity of cheer in this country, thousands of girls are being physically active and feeling positive about their bodies.

I was quoting someone else there.
But to try and answer - from what I can see online, girls as young as 6 and 7 are wearing make up, bows, etc. that is a peer pressure and a received idea of how girls look - and as far as I’m concerned that is not an informed choice. And I think there is a legacy of objectification to cheerleading however it’s argued - and that those young children are not making an informed choice with regards to that either.
But thats just my opinion and I’ve been sucked in a bit because I am interested in the phenomena of so many young girls being so ‘girly’ these days. So quick to be into skin care, beauty, clothes etc at very young ages. But I’ll step away as I’m interested but it’s not my fight (or business!)

All Star cheer is a sport. I know as I go to 5-6: different cities in the UK each year to go to competitions! And it's not a cheap sport either, I think last year I spend £5000 roughly on cheer! The athletes are dedicated, my daughter spends 14 hours a week in the gym with training, tumbling and flyer classes. It's way harder than team gym ( which she used to do) Anyone saying it's not a sport is woefully under informed.

Absolutely. The range of shapes and sizes and abilities between the teams is huge, it has to be or it wouldn’t work. There’s no body shaming and it’s so positive to see. They all work equally hard and everyone on the team deserves their place. The younger ones at comps decorate pegs with motivational words and give them out to other teams between performing, it’s so inclusive and it’s honestly a lovely sport to be in. Although slightly crazy at times. Compared to gymnastics where it’s everyone for themselves and felt very serious.

Just look beyond the Dallas Cowboy perception. It’s really not that. I wouldn’t have allowed it for DD if it was. It’s absolutely a sport and I hope it gets some real, non reality show, coverage in the future to help put the perceptions to bed.

O ballet dancer would say it’s a sport. It’s an art, and all the better for it. Sport isn’t code for ‘only physically fit people can do it’.

The pegs! That would always give my dd a little thrill when she got one. It’s a lovely thing to see people from different teams go out of their way to be nice to each other.

I agree that young girls are becoming far more interested in skin care etc now. I think that’s an internet thing and it’s hard to escape that, despite restricting kids access, they talk to each other. I think I’m lucky that neither DD or her friends have much interest it that yet so I haven’t had to navigate it but cheer wouldn’t be the catalyst as far as I can foresee. There isn’t the encouragement from that side, I think her school friends would be more of an influence on her.

DD is honestly not a ‘girly girl’ though, she dresses like me, baggy jeans, jumpers and trainers mostly. Won’t wear a dress ever, hates tights. Training is spent in shorts and a tshirt with hair scraped back, like the other girls. The only time she wears her uniform is at a competition and she loves it, she’s dressed like her friends and they’re a team, she’s really proud of it. She had to wear full makeup for her first comp and she hated it. Happily now it’s optional, sometimes there’s a bit of lipstick but it’s the minority. No jewellery or fake nails or you can’t compete.

We have so many! It’s like a part time job making them though isn’t it 😂

Competitive cheer is a sport and should be classed as such. I have young family members that compete at all different levels of cheer and none use pom poms or attend football/basketball games.

These girls travel to competitions. The one that is on an elite team trains year-round and has focused lessons a couple of times a week (ex: Monday is flexibility, Wednesday is tumbling, etc.) in addition to the full-team practices. There are specific rules that must be followed at each level and the judging is based on how well each requirement is executed. Figure skating has been considered a sport, aerial skiing is a sport, I can't see why cheer wouldn't be.
Kkimpy outfits and sparkles does not make it any less of a sport! Have you ever seen those silly-looking wrestling uniforms on boys? They are nearly obscene. I'm also really impressed with how many 'larger' girls are out there doing the stunts, the tumbling, the dances...so it's not just a matter of showing off female bodies.

They are already allowed to wear full-length leotards, as the German team did at the last few Olympics.

I think this is the crux. Competitive Cheer involves skill, risk-taking and dedication. It's not like the high-schoolers with pom-poms chanting the name of their school. And with regard to clothing- the girls wear skorts which are far less revealing than the outfits volley-ballers, floor athletes and even sprinters wear. Until Ashlyn and Brandon went on the news when they won their gold medal I had no idea of what was involved in e competitive level of the sport.😊

Boxing? Not a sport. Legalised thuggery.

I agree that it's legalised thuggery, and I personally hate it; but whether or not something is allowed to be considered a sport is not a moral judgment.