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What it means to be a Cheerleader

“Let’s Go” and “Come on”,  two phrases often heard by fans from cheerleaders on the sidelines at games. Cheerleaders are at sports games to pump up the crowds and support the teams. Cheering isn’t just about making noise though.

Every single cheerleader must also demonstrate the characteristics of a leader.  The definition of a cheerleader is a person who leads a group of people according to the urban dictionary. A leader is someone who also demonstrates good sportsmanship, works hard, and does not give up.  Cheerleaders are not only leaders on the sideline ,but are also leaders in the classroom and community.

“A cheerleader is someone who is constantly full of positive energy and always promotes school spirit,” said sophomore cheerleader, Allison Ross.

While these cheerleaders are always full of positive energy they do not always receive the same positive energy in return. Many people argue that cheerleading is not a real sport.

Many people believe this to be true because a cheerleader’s main job is not winning a game and some argue that makes them incapable of being real sport. The reality is though; a cheerleader’s practice includes hard work, sweat, and injuries just as any other sport does.

“People only see the cheerleaders doing side cheers at games which is not much, but if they saw the competition side of cheerleading then they would see that there is more to the sport that just saying ‘go team go’,” said Freshman cheerleader, Kayla Macharelli.

When it comes time for competitions cheerleaders practice and compete just like any other sport’s team. In order to keep up with these routines cheerleaders need endurance and stamina.  Cheerleaders have to be able to keep up with the beat of the music and throw people into the air and catch them. The components of a good cheer routine include the cheer, dance, stunt, tumbling, and jumps.  Not only do the cheerleaders have to memorize the routine, but they all have to stay together, smile, and have tight motions.

It takes a lot of strength to hold a person in the air and smile; cheerleaders keep smiling through the pain. Many cheerleaders go out on the floor with twisted ankles and sprained wrists and do not allow this pain to show instead they continue to work through the routine.

Cheerleading is more of a team sport than it is individual sport. Without one girl an entire routine can go down. Every girl has an important job on the team and everyone is needed for success. There is no room for injury in cheerleading. If one person does not show up for any reason it becomes stressful for everyone. The coach has to change the entire routine so the other cheerleaders can perform safely.

Although many argue cheerleading is not a sport, it takes just as much determination and hard work to successfully complete a cheer routine as it does to win a football, soccer, or basketball game.