Safety Rules For
Cheerleading
One just cannot anticipate how much sports fans enjoy the
cheerleading efforts put forth by squads supporting the local football and
basketball games.
We sort of miss cheerleading at the away games and wonder
why some school districts have done away with this.......but it most likely is
due to budget costs for an extra bus for the cheerleaders.
But back to the subject of cheerleading which isn't just
jumping and waving pompoms.
Cheerleaders have actually taken this activity into the
athletic category and with these activities we can easily call it sports and
with sports comes the responsibility to make sure all safety standards are
followed.
Some pediatricians are reporting a dramatic increase in
cheerleading injuries.
Common stunts that pose risks include tossing and flipping
cheerleaders in the air and creating pyramids that reach height of 15 feet or
higher.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says school sports
associations should designate cheerleading as a sport.
The Academy is calling for schools to require conditioning
exercises and require physical exams before allowing students to join the
cheerleading squad.
Being an active follower of sports and these cheerleading
squads it is interesting how cheerleading has evolved over the last couple of
decades. It used to be just standing on the sidelines and doing cheers and maybe
a few jumps.
With the various stunts now performed by cheerleaders
injuries like severe sprains, broken arms and legs, neck injuries and
concussions are becoming common place.
Cheerleading competition is very possibly the main reason
why their is a new era in this activity.
Cheerleading has become very athletic and we agree that
there needs to be better awareness about the rigors of cheerleading and the
potential risks.
No comments:
Post a Comment