Never Underestimate "Cheerleading"

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE "CHEERLEADING"

Like all recognized sports, cheerleading has big-time strategy. In fact,

Cheerleading is so hard core that you are most likely to kill yourself.

Lauren Chang, a famous cheerleader who died from a pyramid lift accident.

According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at the University of North Carolina, Cheer makes up 65 percent of all catastrophic injuries in girls' high school athletics, which is scary when taking into account that cheerleaders are only 12 percent of the 3 million high school girl athletes in the U.S. In fact, in the last 26 years, 72 girls have suffered catastrophic injuries participating in cheerleading. And two have died.

"Catastrophic injuries" are not sprains, strains or even the occasional broken arm or ankle. These injuries have lead to permanent disabilities because of skull fractures or broken necks and backs. 30,000 cheer squad members are seen in emergency rooms every year, with the average age of the injured being just 14 and a half years. The number of ER visits by cheerleaders has tripled since the mid-1980's when cheerleading became more about gymnastics than waving pom-poms and inciting enthusiasm.

So you see, if you think that cheerleaders just….

Wear short skirts….

Being the popular ones around the campus….

Trash talk to other people….

Cheer and hang out with the jocks….

Wave pompoms for entertainment….

WELL IT’S NOT!

You don’t just join the squad just to get popular!! Think twice ladies!

Cheerleading is not just a sport. Once you’ve decided to join the pep squad, you are starting to risk your LIFE. Cheerleaders risk it no matter what happens because of their PASSION and DEDICATION to cheerleading. The vast majority of cheerleaders all over the world have the life-long scars to prove it.

Now tell me how many girls would risk their life to do a spin flip in the air?

I’ve been a cheerleader since first year high school. Cheerleading is not a joke. I’ve experienced how hard it is to be thrown in the air and directly drop on the floor just because the lifters were not that attentive. If you’re a flyer, you take a chance on getting dropped on the ground messing up your spine or anything. Also those girls and boys that are bases have to be very tough cause the flyer's shoes are digging into there skin! They get kicked, hit and scratched just to catch the flyer and tell me its not dangerous!

The worst thing that has ever happened to me was once that I did a back tuck with me being lifted in the air and suddenly, I was thrown by mistake and directly hit my head first on the floor far from where I was thrown. That’s just one of the many things that happened to me.

We know how difficult and dangerous it is and that you need both mental and physical toughness to do it. If you’re a member of a squad who joins a particular competition, you’ll be needing mental toughness especially before and after the winners of the competition have been announced. My squad has joined the Nationals for about 3 times and the part I hate most is the announcement of winners. At that point, my squad shall hold hands, get nervous, keep our eyes close and pray.

After all of that pressure, pain, and heartache, why would anyone still want to be a cheerleader? Because of the love of the sport...the high you get right before you take the floor, the energy you feel from the crowd, the feeling after you just nailed a perfect routine, the friendships, the memories, and of course...THE PRIDE! I love cheerleading and I love my squad.

We dance to express, not to impress!

Melissa Angelyn R. Pascual

ENGLCOM C31

Source:

http://www.care2.com/causes/education/blog/the-most-dangerous-sport-for-girls-cheerleading/