Imagine tumbling, jumping, running, and lifting people above your head, all while yelling at the top of your lungs. Doesn’t that sound exhausting? Working daily to support your school’s teams, and then getting considered non-athletic? It’s a little discrediting.
If you go to the Kansas High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) website and look for Cheerleading it is found under the non-athletic activities section, along with dance.
Cheerleaders are at every home and away game to support their teams. Yet, when they go to compete they don’t have people there supporting them? It seems like people aren’t looking to be accepting that cheer has evolved into a bigger and better thing than it has ever been before. Cheerleaders may not tackle people, shoot a ball, or score touchdowns but they are constantly putting up stunts. This means you are lifting someone’s whole body weight above your head and holding it, sometimes even throwing the flyer.
Cheer teams are expected to be at the sporting events for each season, which is eight regular-season football games, and basketball season which lasts over three months with four games a week.
Cheerleaders have one or two competitions a year, they spend months practicing to perfect their techniques just to be tops placers. All this to not get support from the school. Cheer is looked past and even considered a non-athletic activity on KSHSAA’s website.
KSHSAA has a section on its website called “ Understand the cheerleader’s role”. In their section, they express “ Remember that cheerleaders have worked long hours practicing just like the teams have in preparation for the game. Cheerleaders can and should be an ally in good sportsmanship management throughout the game. However, protecting the players and officials must be the #1 priority.” What about protecting cheerleaders from people running off the sideline to act tough?
During June, the team spends around 12 hours a day for four days at a UCA cheer camp constantly working on new skills and techniques
November 23rd is the 5A state cheer competition, which is biggest competition of the year. If cheerleaders sit through hot, rainy, and cold football games, cheering the football team on when the score is 31-7 and the team is down, why can’t the football team support us for an hour and a half? Long hours of cheering girls’ basketball and then boys on the same night, repeating that cycle twice a week for three-plus months. But those players the cheerleaders cheer on can’t support them once a year?
It’s a double standard that cheerleaders are expected to support their schools teams, but no one is expected to support them. The cheerleaders work just as hard as the activities considered athletic on the KSHSAA website. I believe cheerleaders should stand up and make this issue recognized because many teams are discredited for their efforts.
