The most obvious thing that makes an ac-
tivity a sport is that it requires physical ex-
ertion. Some people argue that cheerlead-
ing requires no skill or physical activity, but
they are most definitely mistaken. Cheer
requires speed, strength, balance, skill, and
a smile on your face no matter what hap-
pens. I guess the constant smiling faces are
part of what tricks people into thinking it
isn’t difficult, but it requires hard work and
dedication just like any other sport. When I
first started cheering, I figured it would be
the easiest thing in the world. I was unmis-
takably wrong about that though. Cheer
surprised me by how hard it really is.
FEAT URED
"Ch eer
s u rpri se
d me
by h o w
h ard
i t really
i s."
Speaking of competition, that’s the next thing that makes cheer a sport. Any
athlete can tell you it’s not a sport if there isn’t a winner. Some people argue that
there isn’t any competitiveness, but I promise you cheer is just as competitive as
any other sport. Cheerleaders may hide their desire to be the best behind their
big bows and smiling faces, but I promise you each squad is striving to be better
than the others. If you go to an actual cheer competition, you’ll see a much more
competitive side of cheerleaders than at a game.
In conclusion, cheer is a sport. There are three things that define a sp ort: it re-
quires physical exertion, it requires teamwork, and it involves competition. Cheer
meets all of these requirements just as much as any other sport does and de-
serves to be considered a sport by everyone. I realize most of you won’t ever see
cheer as a sport, but until you try it, you won’t understand how much of a sport
it really is. Cheer brings its participants closer just like any sport. If you look at
any good sports team, you’ll notice that the team is kind of like a family. They win
together, and they lose together. The same goes for cheer. Cheer requires physi-
cal exertion just like any other sport. If track is a sport, cheer is most definitely a
sport. Cheer is also competitive; girls devote their lives to cheer to be able to say
they’re on the best cheer squad, so you know it’s a real competition to them. I’m
not saying cheer is harder than all the other sports out there, but it is far from just
a hobby and deserves the title of being a sport. I hope I have persuaded you to
believe that cheerleading is a real sport, or at least to believe it’s not as ridiculous
of a thought as you started out thinking.
Hope, 13
November/December 2017
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