[Gridiron_Raid]

Cheerleaders compete against each other in competitions, but there is actually no head to head matchups where you physically beat an opponent. One has to perform as perfectly as possible and score points rather than attack an opponent. It’s a little different, but still a sport!

[frankjong]

It's a sport, why varsity doesn't recognize it as a sport, I don't know

[King Kong]

Cheerleading is definitely a sport. I know one thing,  I couldn't have ever come close to doing it. 

I've always had the upmost respect for cheerleaders.  For one thing I'm scared to death of heights! Couldn't begin to imagine being on top of one of those pyramids.  Anyone who can do that has to be tough and almost fearless. 

Then you have those cheerleaders that does the lifting at the bottom of the pyramids.  The amount of strength that must take.  

Throw in the running and dancing they do,  makes me tired just thinking about it!

Cheerleading has competitions and championships just like every other sport.  So it's definitely a sport. 

In the world of college sports,  several colleges in the state of KY have won national championships, in cheerleading. I know both UK and Morehead St have,  and I think so has UPike.  

UK is known as the pinnacle of men's college basketball.  But the UK Cheerleading team's have won way more national titles.  Can't remember the exact number.  So UKs Cheerleading program is the pinnacle of college Cheerleading.

[frankjong]

sure

[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.

[-STAT-]

Cheer is definitely a sport and a very competitive sport. My daughter is a cheerleader, a sophomore but she's been recognized as an All-American cheerleader by the UCA. She does a great job at it, for it to only be her third year of cheer, she is very driven, works hard and does what it takes to be the best cheerleader and teammate she possibly can.

Her Mom is the treasurer of the team's booster club. Like the last comment, most team's ultimate goal is to get to the National Competition at Disney in February. My daughter's team earned their bid at the UCA Competition at Rupp back in November. They've been doing fundraising, taking up donations well before the competition tho, like it was also said, this trip costs thousands of dollars, this particular trip, for then 28 cheerleaders, tickets to disney, charter bus, and hotel was well over $40,000.

The initial meeting w/ coach & parents back in April, the coach said at that time that costs for each girl was looking to be around $1000, so for 7-8 months, every single parent knew going on how much it was going to be, and what it was going to take to get it done. That's what the fundraising is for, to lower the cost for each girl to go to Disney. Well, as we all know, that every parent isn't going to help or contribute, even tho all the money is going toward every girl, some parents just don't care. After all this time, the work that the booster president & treasurer(my wife) have done to get everything secured, a few unruly parents started raising cane that they didn't want to stay at the same hotel, that they didn't want their girls riding on a charter bus, that they'd rather drive. Just takes a few sour apples out of the whole bushel to make things miserable for everyone else, and that's pretty much what has happened. My wife has been stressed to the max, she has dealt with backhanded comments, what we both considered friends talking shit behind her back, it has been an absolute mess.

I told her right after Thanksgiving, that I just had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that the girls wouldn't be able to go compete, no matter what else happens or how much money they raise, these few parents would ruin it for everyone. I sure hate it when I'm right in those situations, last night the coach had to do a vote as to who wanted to go to Disney. There was a cheerleader quit, so the team was down to 27, with the division they compete in, the number couldn't go lower than 24, now this vote was left to the parents anonymously, there was 5 no votes. So as of last night and this morning, the team will not be travelling to Florida. It all boils down to control, one of the parents is very bitter, wanted to be the coach, she tried an angle last year where she attacked the coach that she wasn't good enough, that failed so she took a different angle this year by attacking the boosters, accusing that the money for the trip doesn't add up, basically saying that money is missing or was being put elsewhere and not toward the trip. I've already went into too much detail, but it's just a shame that a few selfish, insecure parents ruined this trip for the girls that have worked their asses off to get to this point, and now won't be able to go, especially hate it for the Seniors.

I know this is way off topic, and I'm sure there are other horror stories in relation to this, but cheer is an extremely competitive, and sometimes cutthroat sport.

[papagrit]

Cheer is definitely a sport and a very competitive sport. My daughter is a cheerleader, a sophomore but she's been recognized as an All-American cheerleader by the UCA. She does a great job at it, for it to only be her third year of cheer, she is very driven, works hard and does what it takes to be the best cheerleader and teammate she possibly can.

Her Mom is the treasurer of the team's booster club. Like the last comment, most team's ultimate goal is to get to the National Competition at Disney in February. My daughter's team earned their bid at the UCA Competition at Rupp back in November. They've been doing fundraising, taking up donations well before the competition tho, like it was also said, this trip costs thousands of dollars, this particular trip, for then 28 cheerleaders, tickets to disney, charter bus, and hotel was well over $40,000.

The initial meeting w/ coach & parents back in April, the coach said at that time that costs for each girl was looking to be around $1000, so for 7-8 months, every single parent knew going on how much it was going to be, and what it was going to take to get it done. That's what the fundraising is for, to lower the cost for each girl to go to Disney. Well, as we all know, that every parent isn't going to help or contribute, even tho all the money is going toward every girl, some parents just don't care. After all this time, the work that the booster president & treasurer(my wife) have done to get everything secured, a few unruly parents started raising cane that they didn't want to stay at the same hotel, that they didn't want their girls riding on a charter bus, that they'd rather drive. Just takes a few sour apples out of the whole bushel to make things miserable for everyone else, and that's pretty much what has happened. My wife has been stressed to the max, she has dealt with backhanded comments, what we both considered friends talking shit behind her back, it has been an absolute mess.

I told her right after Thanksgiving, that I just had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that the girls wouldn't be able to go compete, no matter what else happens or how much money they raise, these few parents would ruin it for everyone. I sure hate it when I'm right in those situations, last night the coach had to do a vote as to who wanted to go to Disney. There was a cheerleader quit, so the team was down to 27, with the division they compete in, the number couldn't go lower than 24, now this vote was left to the parents anonymously, there was 5 no votes. So as of last night and this morning, the team will not be travelling to Florida. It all boils down to control, one of the parents is very bitter, wanted to be the coach, she tried an angle last year where she attacked the coach that she wasn't good enough, that failed so she took a different angle this year by attacking the boosters, accusing that the money for the trip doesn't add up, basically saying that money is missing or was being put elsewhere and not toward the trip. I've already went into too much detail, but it's just a shame that a few selfish, insecure parents ruined this trip for the girls that have worked their asses off to get to this point, and now won't be able to go, especially hate it for the Seniors.

I know this is way off topic, and I'm sure there are other horror stories in relation to this, but cheer is an extremely competitive, and sometimes cutthroat sport.

I hate it for you and your family that the entire trip was derailed by some political "Cheer Mamas".  These politics goes on in MOST sports and especially cheer, it seems, is no exception.  Rural areas are the worst for it as the "Powers Of Obnoxious Parents"  who might have more money, influence in the schools with administration or just a big fat mouth can crap up the nest for the others who may be more team oriented and possibly more talented.  It's tough being the coach, the fund raiser and the organizer when you have those that don't want to pull their oar in the boat and squall because their baby isn't the focus of the team or they toxify things when they don't get their way.  Good luck to you, your family and your daughter as you navigate these final few years.  When your child graduates, and you don't have a dog in the fight anymore, you look back at your kid's successes and remember the hurdles those Powers placed before your child the years before and it makes you that much prouder of your child.  Watch as your child attends college, possibly cheerleads in college and works towards a good degree for a good career.  The current years and issues won't matter to you then.  I've told my sons in the past when they were little elementary school kids, "You remember those people that were good to you and those that are bad to you.  The people in between just kind of fade out of memory."  I told them to have more people remember them as good honorable guys that would be glad to see them again when they saw them later in life.  Your daughter will remember the POOP heads from now on, but she'll also remember the good people as well.  Good luck!