[papagrit]

I know that the local cheerleading team shows up to practice at 6am before school. They lift weights some, work out and run some...especially during the off season. The coach of both the middle and high school cheerleading squads probably makes what a bottom level assistant coach on the football team gets for a salary and the team practices most of the year with the end being the Walt Disney World championships if they get a bid in the spring after football AND after basketball seasons. That's after regions and state competitions if they qualify for that. Fundraising is a necessity because they get NO support from the school financially other than the coaches small salary. They have to raise all of the money for uniforms and competitions themselves. A Disney trip costs 10's of thousands of dollars. I'd say that takes a lot of dedication, athletic ability and some real mettle to stick with it. It's an activitiy that requires more dedication than a lot of other sports. It's a sport. It was an activity when I was in school in the 80's. It's developed into a sport now.