Lots of teenage athletes say that cheerleading isn’t a sport, but as a Wantagh Cheerleader I disagree and so do MANY other cheerleaders. “I personally think it can go either way,” says a WHS freshman. “I think it is a sport but it isn’t at the same time. I think it is because you obviously do conditioning and stunting also tumbling but it’s not a sport because you’re cheering on another team who is sprinting trying to get the ball .” Cheerleading involves a lot of athleticism including running, tumbling, cheering and stunting. Just because it doesn’t include a ball, a net or field doesn’t mean it can’t be a sport. We get the same thrill when we get a stunt right that you do when you score a goal!

According to the Women’s Sport Foundation for something to be a sport it must include many things like:
• “It must be a physical activity which involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance of mass. (Stunting… check)!”
• “Contesting” or competing against/with an opponent is required (Competition… check)!”
• “It must be governed by rules that explicitly define the time, space, and purpose of the contest and the conditions under which a winner is declared. (Time limits, mat size, score sheets… check, check, check)!”
• “Acknowledgement that the primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants. (You know those competitions on ESPN? Those are national championships… check)!” The foundation also acquired that the sport must:
1) “The physical activity includes the above defined elements (got them!)
2) “The primary purpose is competition verses other teams or individuals within a competition structure comparable to other ‘athletic’ activities.”

Sports like diving and gymnastics are similar to cheerleading and are considered sports, so who is to say diving and gymnastics are sports but cheerleading isn’t? They are sports that the winner is determined through judging. In cheering competitions the winner is determined through judging also. So, if a gymnast and a diver are athletes, a cheerleader has to be considered an athlete too. Cheerleaders deserve as much respect for their sport as every other athlete.