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Why cheerleading is a sport

By Kaye Fish | The News Herald

Published: September 15, 2008

As the newspaper adviser for Patton High School, I assigned one of my students a controversial topic. Is cheerleading a sport? The fact that she is a cheerleader lead me to believe that she would read my mind and write exactly what I thought she would write. Yes, Kristie and I emphatically agree, cheerleading is most certainly a sport. Now before you get your NASCAR watchin', pork rind eatin' bloomers in a wad about this revelation, allow me to present my argument.
Cheerleading has come a long way since the saddle oxford shoes, pleated skirt wearing days when the only criteria you had to meet to be a cheerleader was a flashy smile, cute behind and big hair. Most people would agree that gymnastics is a sport. I mean, heck, they compete in the Olympics in gymnastics.
There once was a time when the only gymnastics required in cheerleading was an occasional cartwheel and that one girl who could do a split in front of the pyramid. And we all know that being a double jointed freak of nature whose mama could sew and make all the skirts is the only reason Suzy Split girl made the team anyway. But I digress.
Tumbling and stunting to dizzying heights has become commonplace in cheerleading. Not too long ago, I watched the National College Cheerleading Championships on ESPN, yes that's the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, (and before you say, "Yeah, but they also put the National Spelling Bee on ESPN," just shut up) and I was completely mesmerized by the athletic ability of these men and women.
I believe it was the University of Kentucky who had the most hardcore cheerleaders I have ever seen in my life. The male cheerleaders were as buff as a 1980's, pre California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. And no, they weren't the least bit effeminate. It might impress sports fans everywhere to know that cheerleaders suffer more injuries than any other female athletes.
Now I'm not putting down anyone's favorite sport, whether it be NASCAR or the cage match in professional wrestling, I'm just trying to impress upon you that sports come in many shapes and forms and they don't all involve a ball, bat, cleats or a halter top wearing girl and a six pack of beer atop a parked Winnebago. Consider these odd sports from around the world: Elephant Polo. It's played the same way as the horse riding polo, but the contestants, I mean athletes, ride elephants instead.
Mountain Unicycling. This is a sport that consists of traversing rough terrain on a unicycle. Add some circus clowns into this picture and I am there. Zorbing. This sport allows the participant to ride down a hill in a giant, transparent ball like a human hamster. Now that's cool.
Ditch Snorkeling. People don wet suits and snorkels and swim up courses laid out among drainage ditches. As these ditches are very muddy, a mask is worn to protect the eyes and therefore competitors have little chance of seeing even their hands in front of their faces. No need for drug testing in this sport, because you gotta be smoking crack to want to ditch snorkel.
So, is cheerleading a sport? Well, keep this in mind… In order to compete, cheerleaders must be as strong as any football player, as poised as any dancer and as flexible as the best gymnasts. They are athletes by every definition of the word and a lot prettier than race car drivers or professional wrestlers.

Kaye Fish is a local columnist for Gab. E-mail news@morganton.com.