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The Great Debate: Is Cheerleading a Sport? -- Participants Athletic, and Workouts Are Tough

Posted on: Tuesday, 2 November 2004, 15:00 CST

Clad in multi-colored shorts and T-shirts that read "I Love Me,""Boys Play Games - Athletes Cheer" and "Cheerleader," the girls in the gym give off an air of youthfulness and fun.

But a glance at their faces - foreheads wrinkled, eyes focused, faces stern - dispels that notion.

Watching what they put their bodies through during this two-hour- long practice might convince you that this isn't your mother's cheerleading.

Kelsey Turner, a 12-year-old on the senior squad, twists through the air and falls into a perfect cradle catch in the arms of two girls. The catch doesn't always turn out that well for the butterfly, the girl on top. On the way down from a twist, she recalls, the back of her head smacked down on the knees of one of the bases (girls who support the butterflies) - full force.

"It was scary, but I'm not scared to do it again," said Kelsey, a seventh-grader at Munford Middle School. The girls on her squad noted casually that Kelsey had bruises all over her body. There is evidence: At this practice, the back of Kelsey's shirt came up during an attempted twist cradle and revealed a nasty, 5-inch-long, 3-inch-wide bruise parallel to her spine.

These kinds of practices are a common occurrence in Memphis area gymnasiums. Teams of athletic youngsters practice for local, regional and national cheerleading competitions, and not just so they can provide support for sports teams on the field or court.

Competition season is heating up. All of the Memphis Elite cheer squads won in their respective large group divisions at the Mid- South Fair Competition on Oct. 3. On the horizon are several competitions, including the Mid-South Regionals to be held at Briarcrest Christian High School on Nov. 6 and the Southeastern Classic at FedEx- Forum on Nov. 7. The National All-Star Cheerleading Championship (for which the regionals at Briarcrest are a qualifier) takes place March 11-15, 2005, in Orlando, Fla.

The emergence of cheerleaders as more than just support providers has brought with it an interesting debate: Does extensive practice, a fairly strict exercise regimen, widespread injuries, body- crunching stunts and teamwork make cheerleading a "sport," like baseball, basketball or football?

In the fall of 1992, Frankie Conklin helped start Memphis Elite - 13 All-Star cheerleading and dance squads. Conklin, president of Memphis Elite, has more than 29 years experience in cheerleading and recently became coordinator of the nationally renowned University of Memphis cheer and pom-pon squads.

Conklin said the girls of Memphis Elite practice three to four days a week, up to two hours each practice. Practices include 10 to 20 minutes of stretching, 30 to 40 minutes tumbling and an hour or more of stunting. The girls have to achieve a certain skill level to compete. So, he often sees them in private lessons or working out, pushing themselves to master these skills.

As a result of their work during practice, as well as on their own time, Memphis Elite squads have won more than 40 national championships in the group's 11-year existence. This year, Memphis Elite squads won six out of eight divisions in the Universal Cheerleading Association national competition. Most recently, all of the Memphis Elite cheer squads - from first-graders to high school seniors - won their divisions at the Mid-South Fair Competition on Oct. 3.

From the physical aspect, Conklin said cheerleaders are just as athletic as any football or basketball player. But he feels that the "sport" vs. "athletic activity" question depends more on money than it does on sweat.

"If they generate revenue within the school system or the community, I would consider it a sport," Conklin said.

Butch Maples, director of the Shelby County Youth Sports (SYS) Tipton County Chiefs cheerleading squad, has a different concept of the word "sport." SYS cheerleading serves the county, with squads in Bartlett, Ellendale, Cordova and other Memphis suburbs. Last year, two of the SYS squads placed sixth out of 60 squads in the UCA's national competition.

Maples defines a sport as an activity composed of individual or team effort that betters the individual involved. He believes that cheerleading fits that bill.

"I've been told that more scholarships are given in cheerleading than in baseball, football and basketball in Memphis and the surrounding areas," he said. "What category do you think those scholarships fall into? Sports!"

At the University of Memphis, cheerleading scholarships are, indeed, abundant, and they are awarded by the school's athletic department. According to Conklin, 12 coed full-tuition scholarships are given to the top six males and to the top six females who score the highest when trying out for the U of M cheerleading squad. Twelve full scholarships are awarded for pom, and Pouncer, the U of M mascot, receives a full ride, as well. Yet another 12 full scholarships are given to the top 12 girls on the U of M dance team.

"We are one of the few universities in the country to give full scholarships (for cheer and pom)," Conklin said. He added that he is working on getting a stipend for his new, all-girl cheer squad added to the department's budget, even if it is just for purchasing school books.

The "sport" vs. "athletic activity" cheerleading debate has been argued across the nation. The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors (AACCA) Web site lists several criteria for a "sport." AACCA admits cheerleading does not meet one of the listed criterion: Its primary purpose is not "competition versus other teams or individuals within a competition structure comparable to other athletics' activities."

In its position paper on the matter, AACCA states: "The primary purpose (of cheerleading) is not competition, but that of raising school unity through leading the crowd at athletic functions." The AACCA's paper continues by saying the organization feels that cheerleading is an athletic activity more than a sport. However, the paper also concludes that, if the true athleticism of cheerleading is not recognized in some way, school squads run the risk of having supervision from teachers who aren't qualified to adequately oversee cheerleaders. In addition, the paper states, existing advisers won't receive the kind of training they need to supervise what they consider to be "an increasingly athletic activity."

A scene from an early summer 2004 SYS cheerleading practice in Munford tells its own story about the trials of being a cheerleader.

"I could have sworn I said go all the way up," said SYS coach Steve Price, watching four girls on the Tipton County Chiefs senior cheerleading squad (sixth- through ninth-graders).

One girl - the "butterfly" - is being held in the air by her feet in a standing position by two other girls - the "bases." Yet another girl stands behind them (the "spot"). They are working on an elevator stunt.

"And, next time she bends her elbows, let her feet go," he said. He turns his attention to the butterfly, whose hands are placed on either shoulder of her bases, arms extended, watching Price intently. "You will fall right on your butt. If you don't hold yourself, you will fall on your butt."

Consequences for your actions. That's what Price is teaching these young ladies. Five groups of four girls each perform these exercises - pump elevator, repeat pump and a mid-air twist to a cradle catch - all while Price critiques them. Then, they do the stunt again. And again. And again.

"I sometimes try to be harder on them than I would if I were coaching another sport," said Price, 21, a Southwest Tennessee Community College student and gym manager at the Ultimate Sports Academy (USA) in Munford, where the Tipton County Chiefs practice. Price was on the Craigmont High School cheerleading squad in 2000 when the squad won the national championship. He also played high school baseball. "I'd much rather they be mad at me than each other. I push them as hard as I can because I want them to have a competitive edge."

Nearby, the juniors (fifth and sixth grade) are practicing similarly difficult stunts, despite the fact that they appear no more than 4 feet tall each.

On a break from his rigorous workout with the girls, Price explains his point of view on the cheerleading debate.

"My opinion is that if you practice, regardless of how long the competition is and how many people are there, it's still a competition," he said. "(Cheerleaders) practice every day just like with any sport. They bleed the same as any athlete does. They do tumbling - their bodies take a beating."

Moments later, Price is back with the girls and he's angry . Two weeks ago they had these stunts down. Now they're fumbling.

"I'm gonna turn around for two minutes and when I turn back around, you better have this," he warned.

Competitive cheerleading can be serious business, no matter what words you use to define it. As much as it's talked about, the girls on the front lines are the ones who feel it day in and day out, preparing for competition.

It turns out that hard work pays off. At the Mid-South Fair Competition, the Tipton County Chief cheer squad took home several awards in the small division - the junior squad took first place; the Bantams and the Pee Wees both won second place and the senior squad placed third . And, Shelby Youth Sports cheer squads in the area won big at the Mid-South Cheer and Dance Competition on Oct. 9. (See www.shelbyyouthsports.org/mid southcheer.htm for full results).

Demi Williams, a 13-year-old on the senior squad and a sixth- grader at Munford Middle School, takes a breather from the daredevil stunting. She takes it all in stride - although this is just her first year with the Tipton County Chiefs, she cheered for her school last year.

"To me, it's harder than football," she said of cheerleading. "You have to be all stiff (from practice)."

Source: Commercial Appeal, The

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