Bluegrassrivals

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketb...ry/9290810

Quote:ST. LOUIS (AP) - The Missouri Valley Conference barred certain cheerleading stunts during this week's women's basketball tournament, a precaution taken after a Southern Illinois cheerleader plunged 15 feet and landed on her head.

Cheerleaders may not be launched or tossed and may not take part in formations higher than two levels during the tournament, MVC commissioner Doug Elgin said Tuesday.

Schools that advance to the NCAA or NIT tournaments may decide whether their cheerleaders should follow that ban, though the MVC will decide in May whether to make the restrictions permanent, Elgin said.

Salukis cheerleader Kristi Yamaoka was left with a concussion and a cracked neck vertebra when she fell during a timeout in Sunday's MVC men's championship game.

The 18-year-old sophomore from Springfield, Ill., said she didn't think the accident should spur changes to cheerleading.

"I don't want anyone to be restricted based on one little thing that happened to me," she said during a news conference at Saint Louis University Hospital.

So is this overdoing it?

I must say that I agree with that.  Anything over 2 levels on unprotected floors and without spots is very dangerous.  Now at the Compitions level, that is a different story.  They take every precation you can think of and the floors are well padded.  I saw the video and she is VERY LUCKY!

I think that most people do not realize just how dangerous cheerleading really is.

This girl has been on every news or talk show since then. I mean, she was hardcore, they were taking her off on a stretcher and she was still doing cheers. She had a concussion, a bruised lung, and I think a fracture in her spine or something like that. I am glad that she is okay and may this teach someone a lesson. I do not however think that it is right to ban routines because of one accident, cheerleaders fall all of the time and yes this one got hurt but she doesn't even want to limit people. They just need to be more careful. A spotter barely touched her as she came down..if people would wake up and pay a little more attention to their jobs then the routines should go over fine.