By Lisa D. Welsh
www.CHEERMaD.com
A conversation I had at the supermarket this weekend with Mrs. B. ~the mother of one of Becky?s former elementary school classmates~ left me feeling both amused and redeemed.
Our daughters had been in the same homeroom, went to the same birthday parties, attended the same church groups and were both coached by their fathers on rival softball teams when Becky?s team beat her daughter?s team in the playoffs to end their perfect undefeated season.
But our daughters went to different middle and high schools and lost touch, though after six years it was fun to catch up with Mrs. B.
If you are a regular CHEERMaD reader, you know that Becky was an outstanding softball player who walked away from the popular sport for the lesser-known activity of Allstar cheerleading.
And nearly every day since (or so it seems) we?ve had to explain to someone what competitive cheerleading was all about.
?She?s a cheerleader, but doesn?t cheer for another team.?
?The cheerleading is the sport, not a support system for another sport.?
?She doesn?t cheer at any games.?
?It doesn?t have one season, it?s year round.?
?It?s a lot like dancing and gymnastics all rolled up into one.?
?No, they don?t have any cheers.?
So I felt both amused and redeemed when she said ?You know that competitive cheerleading Becky used to do, it?s really catching on.?
Amused that she said it as if this was news when I?ve known it for ten years, and redeemed because she knew enough about it to call it ?competitive cheerleading.?
Apparently, one of her daughter?s friends who had never cheered before but ?was an outstanding athlete in high school? was going to try out for her college cheerleading squad this winter.
As more and more people discover what we CHEERMaDs have always known, we watch cheerleading grow in popularity as more and more athletes discover the excitement, the thrill, the on-the-edge-of-chaos-but-always-controlled, adrenaline rush that is Allstars.
But we?re not quite there yet.
USA STUNT TEAMS Photos courtesy of USA CHEER
As Andre Carter of Spirit Post reported this weekend, Bill Seely, executive director of USA Cheer, announced that the organization?s request for NCAA Emerging Sport Status was denied.
In a press release, Mr. Seely said:
?While USA Cheer was not ultimately granted Emerging Sport status at this time, we were given some clear instructions on our next steps in the process.??With only one year under our belt, we were encouraged by the response and feedback from the NCAA and are confident in our ability to provide the CWA with the information they have requested.???The NCAA?s Committee on Women?s Athletics (CWA) responded that they appreciate the efforts of USA Cheer to create an innovative sport with the mission of providing new opportunities for athletic competition for women. They also stated that they are interested in watching the sport?s growth beyond the first organized season.
In addition to having 22 teams participate in our inaugural season, we also have received interest from more than a dozen additional universities as well as several state high school associations.??USA Cheer also teamed up with the American Sports Medicine Institute to ensure that we are doing all we can to provide a safe environment for our athletes.
Photos courtesy of USA CHEER
It is USA Cheer?s belief that we?ve been given a unique opportunity ? to create a new and innovative sport that opens up important athletic opportunities for female athletes.?In keeping with the CWA?s recommendations, and in the spirit of what we are trying to accomplish for young people, we have reached out to the?National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association to begin discussions about the progress of the sport format and the potential of working together towards this common goal.?
As the authority on cheerleading, USA Cheer will continue its leadership role in uniting all of the key players in the cheerleading community under USA Cheer?s umbrella to support the growth of our newest sport.
Photos Courtesy of USA CHEER
Last year about this time, USA Cheer, the national governing body for all forms of cheerleading, announced its plans to create a new competition sport to be considered for NCAA Emerging Sport status. ??Stunt,? which is descriptive of the athletic skills pulled from traditional cheerleading, has also been tailored to follow Title IX?s requirements for intercollegiate sport. Stunt demonstrates clear differences from traditional cheerleading and offers exciting new opportunities for a wider range of participants.
We CHEERMaDs don?t need a governing body to tell us cheerleading is a sport because we?ve been supporting it with our time and dollars for years for our athletes. ?We know they are as much pioneers of a sport as Helen Jacobs; who was the first woman named by the Associated Press ?Female Athlete of the Year? in 1933?or Jackie Robinson; who became the first black Major League Baseball?player when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
While USA Cheer?s first application for status of an emerging sport was disappointingly denied, I?m hoping the next time I bump into Mrs. B. she?ll know as much about competitive cheerleading, Allstars and Stunt as she does any female sport.
And I?ll be feeling that amused and redeemed feeling once again.
Photos Courtesy of USA CHEER
Description of Stunt
Each Stunt game will comprise four quarters in the following categories: Partner Stunts, Jumps and Group Tumbling, Tosses and Pyramids, and Team Routine.? Within each quarter, teams will perform skill sequences of varying levels of difficulty, technical execution and synchronization.? Anyone who follows sports will be able to follow Stunt. Teams compete simultaneously, and the head-to-head format simplifies the scoring process, allowing fans to track the results of the competition as each round is completed. Because of the new format, teams will have records and national rankings, which will determine their post season play, much like other sports. In addition, post season play can be tracked by the fans, much like ?March Madness.?
About USA Cheer?
The USA Federation for Sport Cheering is a not-for profit organization and is the national governing body for all disciplines of cheerleading. USA Cheer exists to serve the entire cheer community, including club cheering (All Star), traditional school based cheer programs and the new sport of ?Stunt.? USA Cheer has three primary objectives: help grow and develop interest and participation in Cheer throughout the United States; promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; and represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions.
About NCAA Emerging Sport Status
NCAA Emerging Sport Status requires a sport to provide additional athletic opportunities for female students, involve physical exertion with the purpose of competition, have standardized rules with a scoring system ratified by a governing body and have regularly scheduled competitions.
About Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions where the federal government provides financial assistance. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in athletics in the offering of participation opportunities, athletic benefits and resources, and scholarships.
Source: http://cheermad.com/emerging-sport-in-aisle-7/
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