Tiffany Young Professor Sally Griffin English 1103-090 13 November 2013 The Depths of Cheerleading

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Why does cheerleading receive no recognition as being a sport, in todays society? Is it due to the misconceptions of the stereotypical cheerleader? Does the pressure of maintaining the universally accepted body image of a cheerleader contribute to these misconceptions? Universally, Cheerleading is misunderstood by the majority of those unfamiliar with the sport. Common misconceptions of cheerleading include that cheerleaders primary objective is to yell, jump in the air, flip [the proper term is tumble] and wear undersized attire. However, cheerleading is far more complex than it appears. For example, most who misinterpret cheerleading do not fully comprehend the strenuous duty of cheerleaders and do not realize that at times, cheerleaders are lifting another human body in the air. Note that the average teen girl can weigh in between 105-130 lbs; also note that there is no protective padding, no helmets, and at times there are no mats. It has come to my attention that not only is cheerleading a sport, but the aspects that collectively allow cheerleading to exist cause its uncertainty to be recognized as anything remotely serious enough to be entitled a sport. Like jazz and baseball, cheerleading is a cultural icon native to the United States. However, cheerleading has not acquired the status that jazz and baseball hold in our culture (Adams, Bettis 1). There have been no documentaries of cheerleading to preserve its significance; nevertheless it continues to be recognized in American culture. It is almost an expectation or second nature to look out to the sidelines of a football or basketball game and see cheerleaders. Unlike the typical American sports of basketball, football and baseball,

Young 2 cheerleading/ cheerleaders are typically presented in a negative light or at least not taken very seriously (Adams, Bettis 1). There are, understandably, very different meanings for different people when it comes to evaluating both the sport of cheerleading and cheerleaders themselves. One rather important evaluation of cheerleading is that it is particularly a female activity which automatically raises the chances of it to not be taken seriously in todays society. Any womens sport is not the most appreciated, to say the least. Nevertheless, in the words of Adams and Bettis If only because of the sheer numbers of people involved, cheerleading deserves the same kind of serious study that jazz and baseball have received (3). In my own words, cheerleading deserves to be just as significant as any other proclaimed sport. However, appreciation is selfproclaimed. While some show no appreciation for cheerleading, others like Cristin Lim clearly recognize that Cheerleading is not for the weak-minded. This recognition usually comes from those who are familiar with cheerleading, either by association or from experience. As a former cheerleader, in the discourse community of Broughton High School Varsity Cheerleading, I will prove that cheerleading is far more than the stereotypical, misinterpreted, superfluous activity in which it is recognized. In an online blog post, Krasinki states that the most common misconceptions of cheerleaders include accusations that they are not athletic, are dumb blondes, fake, unfriendly, followers, unapproachable, and self-centered. It is these stereotypes and misconceptions of cheerleaders that misconstrue the name of all cheerleaders. Most cheerleaders can agree that cheerleaders are the friendliest, most bubbly, most out-going and typically considered (by others) to be very attractive. Cheerleaders, as stated before, cannot be weakminded for the simple fact that they have to be able to accept these criticisms and generally negative perspectives. I can imagine that envy is amongst the misconceptions of cheerleaders and

Young 3 in the minds of cheerleaders it may serve as explanation for the negativity placed upon cheerleaders. It is often noted in other sports, such as football and basketball, that when one teammate messes up the team messes up. It is the same for cheerleaders; if one does something dishonorable it affects the squad ten-fold, just because cheerleaders are held to such low, pessimistic standards. When describing the average high school cheerleader what do you imagine? Is the description the same as the average college or professional cheerleader? Are the descriptions universal? One of the most prominent stereotypes of any cheerleader, that I have personally been exposed to while cheering during high school was that cheerleaders are promiscuous individuals with demeaning morals to put it lightly. Generalizations are extremely common in society today; however, it is almost inevitable to not be a part of generalization when the ideal body image of the cheerleader is ridiculed. Cheerleaders of all age groups are practically required to wear revealing uniforms, excessive make-up, have the idealized American woman body physique and flowing ponytails. When a cheerleader offsets this image, it is almost as if that particular individual is put under more scrutiny. Societys double standards request that cheerleaders present themselves as such, yet are criticized for exposing themselves in such a manner. Nevertheless, cheerleaders are meant to draw attention in order to lead the crowd in spiritual cheer for their designated team in which they support. Cheerleaders faithfully support other sports teams, and in some cases schools, at every game, pep rally, competition and public appearance; yet are shown the minimal appreciation. The dedication of the cheerleader is often misunderstood as well. Not only are cheerleaders expected to cheer the games of other (all ready supported) sports teams, but are they competing in their very own sport themselves. Many do not realize the complexity in the arduous

Young 4 schedule of a school-oriented and competitive cheerleader. In addition to school studies, there are anywhere from 2-4 hour practices every day after school in preparation for both an upcoming competition and the school events that occur. After practice, during the fall there are football games every Friday (high school cheerleading); leading into the winter season, there may be basketball games at least twice a week. In short, a typical schedule would be school, break to do some homework, 2-4 hour practice, basketball/football game, homework, sleep. There is just as much, if not more, dedication and time put into the sport of cheerleading as any other recognized sport. Not to mention All-Star cheerleaders who compete for a living Cheer is life. It is saddening to think that so little appreciation is offered to those who dedicate their time and energy to support others. Many cheerleaders have supporters who do not even believe in the sport, yet acknowledge and accept the misconceptions associated with it. It can be assumed that the reasoning behind this is due to the lack of understanding of cheerleading. Misunderstandings, particularly those in addition to negative perceptions, lead to judgment. It is almost as if someone who does not understand or maybe is not good at a particular activity and then unconsciously makes the decision to undermine that particular activity. If something is misunderstood and no time is taken to properly understand it, it is most likely to occur that it will be overlooked, underappreciated and/or placed under negative connotation(s). This phenomenon is socially acceptable today; in fact, it is almost tolerable to be judgmental despite the level of understanding an individual encompasses. Leadership and power distribution is very important in the evaluation of how cheerleaders and cheerleading are interpreted. If authority and class are not instilled in the foundation of an already ridiculed activity, there will be no respect, appreciation and/or honor

Young 5 associated in that organization. Like with many other sports, in cheerleading the head coach is that leadership that sustains a healthy foundation. In this foundation lies respect, pride, discipline, cooperation, class, wisdom, common knowledge, honor etc. The coach is responsible for discipline within the team, showing class as demonstration to the cheerleaders, wisdom to guide and give advice, common knowledge in the sport, teaching cheerleaders to honor the uniform, pride in the school/sports team, and respect the values, time, and obligations of their squad. In order for the cheerleaders to lead the crowd, they must lead by example and that is the coach. Without a good coach and a motivated squad it is hard to execute the duties of a cheerleader; cooperation is definitely an issue or hardship that lies within the depths of a cheerleading squad. From experience, it was most definitely a challenge working with an all girls team for 4 years of high school. When cheering on an all girl team, most do not understand that not only are the common conflicts present within the team but there are the conflicts between teenage girls. In high school cheerleading, there are so many extra issues that should not have to be dealt with and in comparison to other male sports teams, these issues usually are nonexistent. For example, one season may be faced with a love triangle between a boy and two girls on the cheer squad. Imagine the amount of unnecessary drama that leads to; this is exactly why the coach has to be that mediator to remind the squad to leave the drama at the door. Even when some people recognize cheerleading as a sport, they consider it to be nothing more than a girlie sport. This is an extreme misconception of cheerleading. Cheerleaders practice and condition just like any other sport; in fact, Krasinki mentions in her blog post that Cheer squads suffer more serious injuries per number of individuals participating than football teams in America. Because cheerleading involves complex gymnast-like stunts (Krasinki), there is an increased chance for serious injury related to the sport. According to Krasinkis blog

Young 6 post, the risk of injuries has doubled since 1990. The United States Sports Academy (USSA) provides alarming information about cheerleading including facts such as: Cheerleading is the No. 2 in catastrophic injuries when compared to all sports only American football is ranked higher. When a cheerleader falls from a gymnastic-type stunt, it has been reported to have a greater impact than being tackled by a professional football player (USSA). The USSA also states that The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina reports that 65.2 percent of all catastrophic injuries in youth sports occur in cheerleading. Like the many other aspects mentioned in the previous paragraph, the coach or coaches and trainer(s) are responsible for educating both the cheerleaders and themselves on the safety precautions of the sport. A frequent source of the misconceptions and stereotypes of cheerleading appear in the media such as movies and TV shows. An extremely popular movie that identifies well with the stereotypes of cheerleaders/cheerleading is Bring It On, as well as its sequels. Many claim that it is not the worst portrayal; nevertheless the negative connotation is still there. Cheerleaders especially agree that the media may be to blame for the stereotypes associated with cheerleaders. I know many times there have been accusations made that associate cheerleaders with being preppy, absent-minded, unintelligent, slutty, nonathletic individuals. However, many squads today are composed of girls from completely different backgrounds, athletic builds, moral standards etc. One thing the varsity coach at Broughton High School strived to achieve was avoiding, if not proving, that the squad was not anything like the stereotypical cheerleading squad. Anything or anyone that degraded the honorary image of the squad would be eliminated. For example, if any cheerleader were to get something such as a drinking citation, their career as a cheerleader (for this particular squad) would come to

Young 7 an abrupt halt. There are no such things as bad grades, suspensions, write-ups, disrespect, etc. Coaches of any sport can agree that no one team member will jeopardize the teams accountability for being respected. So where did the stereotypes of cheerleaders originate? Adams and Bettis recognized cheerleading as becoming prevalent in American culture in the late 1800s as a primarily masculine activity/sport; however, By the late 1950s, cheerleading had changed significantly from an activity representing ideal masculinity to one representing ideal femininity (129). Even in this particular time period, in this transition from a masculine sport into a feminine sport, women were a representation of how they were to look and act in society cheerleaders were to be pretty, possess appealing figures, play a secondary role to males, and were not to be taken too seriously (Adams, Bettis 129-130). This transition from masculinity to femininity is also seen in the sport of basketball. In the progression of centuries, the shift of womens role in society also shifts the expectations of modern cheerleader of that time. Nowadays, cheerleaders are expected to be not only pretty and slim-figured, but intelligent, physically fit/ athletic, self-disciplined, confident and tough. The expectations of the cheerleader have changed to fit the new ideals of society, but stereotypically, cheerleaders still only possess the pretty face and slim figure. However, by ways such as competitive cheerleading, cheerleading demands acknowledgment as a sport and a demand to recognize cheerleaders as athletes. Stereotypes serve as the bridge between accepting cheerleaders as more than just a pretty face and not being able to accept the concept of femininity in sports. Cheerleading allows females to express two different gendered identities the allAmerican girl next door and the sexually provocative woman (Adams, Bettis 131). Yet many still tend to downplay the gender-oriented nature of cheerleading, but why? It seems that no

Young 8 matter the time period, women will never be acknowledged when stepping out of the generalized womens role of society. Therefore stereotypes are concocted to prevent femininity in sports from being taken too seriously; the recognition in cheerleading especially displays this struggle. Females were (and still are) taught that to desire and being desired are things to be ashamed of cheerleading definitely defies this notion. In this unspoken rule of being a lady, lays the stereotypes that recognize the provocative nature of cheerleading short skirts equal easy access which amounts to the promiscuity of cheerleaders. In advisement to anyone considering becoming a cheerleader, do not be weak-minded and learn to accept criticism, avoid falling prey to stereotypes, know the value of being a cheerleader, work hard to improve skills, always be classy and prove [those who doubt the ability of cheerleaders] wrong. Anything men can do, females can do better. The best revenge is always success.

Young 9 References Adams, Natalie G., Pamela Bettis. Cheerleader! Cheerleader! An American Icon. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print. Cheerleading Ranks First In Catastrophic Sport Injuries. United States Sports Academy. One Academy Drive, 8 April, 2011. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. Cristin Lim. The Truth Behind Cheerleading. Imuaonline. IolaniSchool, 2, Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. Dompier, Thomas P., Monsma, Eva V., Torres-McGehee, Toni M., Washburn, Stefanie A. Eating Disorder Risk and the Role of Clothing in Collegiate Cheerleaders Body Images. Journals of Athletic Training. 47(5): 541-548. Web. 2012. Elliott, Elaine. Cheerleading As a Sport. AACCA, 2008-2009. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. Hanson, Mary Ellen. Go! Fight! Win! Cheerleading in American Culture. Bowling Green: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1995. Print. Krasinki, Katie. Cheerleaders Fight Against Stereotypes. The Crusader. The Student News Site of Salpointe Catholic High School, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.