But last week USA Gymnastics moved toward making competitive cheerleading a legitimate sport when it announced that it will sanction events involving collegiate competitive cheer teams.
The decision by the national governing body for gymnastics makes clear the differences between competitive cheerleading, which features stunting and scoring, and traditional sideline cheerleading.
The NCAA and the Ohio High School Athletic Association do not recognize competitive cheerleading as a sport; the Greater Western Ohio Conference does.
“We have been giving them all-sports points for a couple of years,” said GWOC commissioner Eric Spahr, noting the league has 18 competitive cheerleading teams.
Northeastern cheerleading coach Jean Ark agrees with the GWOC and USA Gymnastics
“Yes, I believe it’s a sport because of all the athleticism they need with the gymnastics and the jumps,” Ark said. “I can’t imagine not considering them athletes.”
Dina Hosier, Northwestern cheerleading, talked about the competition involved.
“They should have a chance to compete,” Hosier said. “It’s very competitive. If you go and watch any of the all-star teams, you’ll see it’s definitely a sport. They work very hard, putting in a lot of hours in the gym, a lot of tumbling, stunting.
“We battle it all the time, that it’s not a sport,” she added. “I can guarantee you, come to one of our practices, and you’ll say, ‘You’re right, it is a sport.’ ”
Staff writers David Jablonski and Michael Cooper contributed to this report.
About the Author