Cheerleading IS an Art
“Try it for one day. Honestly. There’s no way,” says Mollie Vehling, UCLA’s spirit squad advisor, a fancy name for cheerleading coach. “That shocks me. You can’t just go out there and act stupid. It’s a dangerous activity. And there’s absolutely no way that if you did it for one day you wouldn’t come back saying it’s a sport.“
There are two main components to every cheerleading routine; tumbling and stunting, both are extremely difficult. In order for you to be able to hold your body in the air long enough to complete a tumbling skill, you must have incredible strength. You would also have to drill the skills over and over for you to succeed, like dancers trying to execute a perfect spin. It is even harder to get over the fear of flipping backwards than it is to actually execute the skill itself. In every tumbling skill cheerleaders have to defy the limits the human mind has set.
Stunting requires you to be extremely strong as well, because you are holding another person in the air by their feet. The reason why this is so challenging is because One slightly misplaced hand under the flyer’s foot could lead to the entire stunt failing. If the flyer is flown up and she moves her body too far forwards or too far backwards, it could make her uncatchable. You need to be very precise, just like dancers must be in regards to body placement and timing.
Cheerleading is expressive in the sense that it inspires others. Cheerleading is the fastest growing girls sport according to the New York Times. Despite the stereotypes and constant ‘not a sport’ jokes that come with being a cheerleader, girls want to be one more than ever. I think this speaks volumes about how well the athletes are able to display their love and pride for the sport through their routines. The amazing ability of the athletes involved in this sport shines through to girls, influencing them to want to become involved in the world of cheerleading.
So much is required of these athletes, but yet no one notices or respects the work they put in. Dance, which involves the same elements and requires the same level of difficulty and expressiveness, is considered both a sport and a high art.
So why isn’t cheerleading classified the same way??
If people cleared their minds of the stereotypical image of cheerleaders that society has always focused on, they would be able to see these athletes and their sport for what is really is, an art.
