The case could set a precedent.

By DIANA PEREZ and LEANNE GENDREAU

Updated 1:30 PM EDT, Mon, Jun 21, 2010

AP

Cheerleaders train regularly, usually perform on a ball field and get a heck of a workout, but there is a debate over whether cheerleading is a sport, and that decision will be made in federal court.

What the court decides could have a major impact on college sports. 

A judge will decide whether chants, pyramids, dances and pep constitute a sport because several members of Quinnipiac University‘s women’s volleyball filed a lawsuit after their school eliminated their team in favor of a competitive cheer squad.

The volleyball players say the school has been exaggerating the number of its female athletes and improperly counts competitive cheerleading as a sport.

On Monday, testimony will be heard in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport to determine if cheerleading can be counted toward the school’s Title IX requirement — a federal law that mandates equal opportunities for women in sports.

Last month, a district court granted class action status to the lawsuit. The Title IX blog reports that class action status would allow the volleyball team to represent:

a class of all present, prospective, and future female students who are harmed by and want to end [Quinnipiac University's] sex discrimination in: (1) the allocation of athletic participation opportunities; (2) the allocation of athletic financial assistance; and (3) the allocation of benefits provided to varsity athletes. They also file this action on behalf of females who are deterred from enrolling at [Quinnipiac] because of the sex discrimination in its athletic program, including its failure to offer the varsity sports in which they want to participate (despite [Quinnipiac's] failure to provide equal athletic participation opportunities to females).

The case could set a precedent and critics argue including cheerleading is “a cheap way to inflate Title IX numbers that Quinnipiac must report to the federal government,” Salon.com reports.

 

By: Marlon Gamble

If you are interested in cheerleading, you may wonder how to improve your skills on your own. If you’re not on a squad, drilling and practicing at home can help you prepare to wow your judges at cheerleading tryouts someday in the future. If you’re already a member of a cheerleading team, improving a few key aspects of your technique on your own can help you excel at meets and during routines. Gaining mastery of cheerleading techniques can help you build confidence and skills that will translate into success in other arenas of life as well, and if you have the time and inclination, practicing some cheerleading techniques solo can help you take your cheering to the next level. There are three things that you can improve on your own that will strengthen your cheerleading. These are your muscles, your voice, and your mind.

Practicing some gentle stretches or a regular course of yoga, pilates, or strength training can help you to gain flexibility and resilience that will allow you to tackle increasingly advanced athletic feats on the field. From effortless splits to attention getting aerial moves, the better shape you are in the more successful you will be in achieving your goals. You can increase your athletic prowess by spending just twenty or thirty minutes a day stretching in the privacy of your own home. Using the skills you’ve built later, during a game, can help your squad get the crowd excited and the sports teams you are supporting are certain to appreciate your extra effort.

Although cheerleading is highly visual and depends greatly on athletic feats, the heart of any cheerleading squad is the cheering. Upping your vocal power can help you to reach the sports fans way in the back of the stadium. Learning how to breathe deeply and how to improve your annunciation and vocal control can help you get your message out there without shouting yourself hoarse. For a comprehensive guide to vocal technique, check out any book by Cicely Berry, a theatrical vocal coach renowned for her ability to get the most power and resonance out of any actor’s throat.

Last but not least, you can train your mind to make you a better cheerleader. Many cheerleaders enjoy the excitement of cheering for huge crowds, but along with that excitement nerves and tension usually show up before a big game or a competitive cheerleading meet. Psychological tension often translates into physical tension, which can spell problems for a cheerleader who needs to stay relaxed and keep muscles loose in order to execute the sport’s demanding moves. The job that cheerleaders do is just as stressful as the job that any athlete does, so it is important to take care of your spirit the same way that an Olympian does. Practicing relaxation techniques like meditation and deep breathing can help you to make sure that when you step onto the field, you are at your peak no matter how many people are watching.

About the Author

To read about dwarf cherry tree and cherry blossom branches, visit the Types Of Cherry Trees site.

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Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Bring Your Cheerleading Skills to the Next Level

By: Jessi McCafferty

If your cheerleading team is in need of new uniforms, or needs funds to travel, give cheerleading fundraisers a try. You can do a myriad of interesting activities to make your fundraising programs a tremendous hit with the young crowd and the others of your community as well. The more innovative you can make your fundraisers, the more profitable they will turn out to be. But the biggest key to fundraising is shockingly simple – have fun! If you are enjoying yourself those around you will too and you will find your fundraiser to be much more successful.

Play the Chef

Cooking is an all-time hit among the cheerleading fundraising ideas. It offers a great scope to be creative by improvising the traditional recipes. But before you carry out the experiments, first collect as many simple recipes you can and write them down in your team’s cookbook. Use various sources for collecting the recipes. You may include the teachers, teammates, students, and their parents too. After you make successful alterations in these recipes, find a hot spot to sell them. With fun, smiling cheerleaders to sell the food, you can be assured of your profit.

Teach Cheerleading to Others

You can use your cheerleaders as a team brand. Use their popularity as the USP of your fundraising project. In fact, you can go ahead with holding cheerleading classes at a ‘cheerleading school’ where your cheerleaders will teach helpful tips and strategies. This can be one of the best fundraising programs if you know what to charge for each lesson. Make sure that all those cheerleading fans out there know about the details of this class to ensure maximum attendance. Your school’s gym is a good location for holding such classes.

Cheerleader vs. Cheerleader

You can make such classes far more interesting by holding a practical game between your cheerleaders and that of other teams. This will draw a huge gathering of sports enthusiasts. At the same time, it will send helpful lessons to those who aspire to be cheerleaders themselves. One of the many positive points of this fundraising idea is that it will cost you almost nothing in terms of investment. Comparing to that, the profit you will earn from the massive sell of tickets will be something to reckon with!

A Rummage Sale

It always helps your cause if you put effort into reselling surplus articles. This fundraiser is profitable and practical because it requires no prior capital to invest in it. Put up stalls asking your community members to deposit anything they do not need. You can also hold a door-to-door drive to pick up all those extra articles that can fetch you good funds. You may even find takers among your own community – what someone disposes can serve someone else’s purpose.

A Raffle

If you want an alternate selling idea for your cheerleader fundraising, go for a raffle. This will leave you ‘rich’ with a good profit margin. The trick is to sell the prize and the tickets at 50% of the actual collection. You can seek the help of PTA fundraising for executing such cheerleading fundraising ideas.

Tips For Success

~ It is important to promote your fundraising programs.

~ Equally important is you choice of venue. The local business showrooms and eateries are good spots for fundraisers. You need to pay them a certain share of your profit to avail this facility.

~ While you are conducting the fundraising activities, make sure you wear your team uniform for the benefit of the donors.

~ Keep a neat account of what you have collected and how much you need to collect to reach your target.

~ Always be official with your expression of gratitude to the donors.
Mention their names in on-spot signs or on your fundraising programs’ or your team’s website.

About the Author

Jessi McCafferty writes about school fundraising and recommends the friendly folks over at http://www.easy-fundraising-ideas.com/ as a great resource for accurate information and profitable cheerleading fundraising ideas. Easy Fundraising Ideas is the fastest growing internet based fundraising company in the country. With their legendary service and help they make you the hero! Easy Fundraising ideas!

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Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Fundraising Ideas – Try These 5 Hot Cheerleading Fundraisers!

All the guys in basketball jerseys, football pads and helmets, with their chiseled physiques, and hard and dirty reputations are put too shame when placed next too a cheerleader. A five foot girl, wearing short skirts and a sweater, turns out to be far braver and tougher than the guys on the court or the field. Why you ask? This is because cheerleading is one dangerous sport.

Types of Injury

At basketball and football games, you see players rolling their ankles, dislocating their shoulders, and other cringe worthy injuries. You see them grimace in pain as they are brought to the locker room to assess their injury. But these are mere bruises when compared to the type of pain cheerleaders face day in and day out.

Young high school and college girls have been reported to suffer concussions, bruised lungs, broken ribs, broken necks, spinal injuries and other worse damage to their small bodies. It is hard to imagine these girls, with their wide smiles and cheery disposition can suffer these horrendous injuries but one has to remember that the aesthetic aspects of cheerleading often hides or masks the inherent dangers.

When we see human pyramids, or girls being tossed up in the air as they twirl and spin their bodies, we tend to forget the reality of the situation and remain in awe of the performance. We forget to see the reality that these girls are basically throwing themselves 10 to 15 feet in the air with no safety line or net to catch them if they fall. All they have below them are the hands of young boys, who unfortunately, are surrounded by distractions. Seen in this light, the dangers of cheerleading become apparent.

Gravity of the Injuries

To get an idea of the gravity of these injuries, one only needs to look a few years back to find examples. In 2005, a 14 year old girl ruptured her spleen when she fell on her stomach as she was practicing a spin. In 2008, a 17 year old was sent into a coma, lost the use of her limbs and eventually died due to brain damage after a fall in a cheerleading contest. That same year another student, a 20 year old, died after being kicked in the chest in another competition.

Cheerleading also comprises the highest percentage of athlete-related injuries in high school and in college (for girls). In fact, 65% of all major injuries of female high school athletes were from cheerleading-related activities. In college, this percentage increases to 67% of all injuries of female athletes. This is even more astounding when one considers that from the country’s 2.9 Million female athletes in high school, a mere 3% are cheerleaders.

Bravery is Equal to those of Other Athletes

The bravery that these young girls have should not be questioned nor dismissed. Even when faced with these statistics, and the high probability of pain, we still see countless young girls trying out for cheerleading squads, and dancing their hearts off at competitions. They knowingly face the dangers with smiles on their faces. No one can doubt that the bravery these girls have match (if not exceed) those of the players they are cheering for. GP 

About the Author

FSupplement Centre are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of Bodybuilding Supplements providing products such as Weight Gain Powers and Whey Powder.

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Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Cheerleading: Deceptively Dangerous

Check Out This News Clip From NBC30

Once based on smiles, skirts and saddleshoes, cheerleading has become a competitive sport and with that comes injuries.

Since 1982, cheerleading and its stunts have produced more than half the catastrophic injuries female athletes suffered in high school or college, according to a catastrophic injury report surveying injuries in American sports.

“The number one injury in cheerleading is neurologic injury, concussions, as well as spinal injuries,” said Dr. Anthony Alessi, a Norwich neurologist who’s attended cheerleading competitions as event physician.

Parents should be careful about where they send their young cheerleaders to learn their sport, he said. The award-winning Central Valley Panthers in Plainville stand as an example of careful cheerleading. The girls still cartwheel and stack themselves into towers, but certified coaches are watching.

“They’re landing on a spring floor,” Chris Gilbert, the program director, said. “So, if they do fall and they do get hurt, I would have to say that the injury is less than what it would be if you were just on a plain mat or a hardwood floor.”

She and her coaches are credentialed through the U.S. All Star Federation. The girls, ages 7 to 18, have stacks of trophies from cheerleading competitions.

“First of all,” Gilbert said, “we’re hands on. We teach the kids how to base and how to stunt and how to jump. Our coaches literally get in there at practices and say, ‘This has to be done,’ or ‘You’re not doing it right. This is the way it needs to be done. You need to do this.’”

The coaches know first aid, and they know what can go wrong.

“We don’t really see a lot of concussions,” said Gilbert, “but you will see a lot of concussion when you are in probably a level 5 or a 6, when you’re literally throwing a flyer from one base to another set of bases. Obviously, a lot of things can happen.”

Dr. Alessi says parents should keep three things in mind before they pay for cheerleading outfits and lessons. The gym should be certified and properly equipped, and the cheerleaders should be healthy.

“They’re going to be stressed and they should have a preparticipation physical before you start for lessons,” he said. “It’s like any other sport.”

First Published: Feb 8, 2010 10:40 AM EST

By Valerie Ninemire, About.com Guide

AUSTIN, TX (December 15, 2009)-Cheer Channel Inc. (CCI), Cheer Coach and Advisor (CCA), and The Cheer Leader Magazine (CLM) have announced today a joint partnership and strategic alliance that will serve to reach to all markets within the cheerleading and dance communities. Under the structured deal, the three media companies will cross-promote platforms, content and media as well as expand its reach to serve all markets around the world. “The partnership allows Cheer Leader Magazine to accomplish its mission to cover all aspects of cheerleading for all age levels. Enthusiasts can learn from the pros about the sport of cheerleading from people who have lived it.” said Jamie Bewley Byrd, Co-founder of The Cheer Leader Magazine. CCA and CLM will be part of CCI’s growing line-up of media partners to ensure that promotional programming, which among others includes general news, original TV, website video, magazine-style shows and instructional programming reaches intended audiences. The partnership provides a sidebar to publishing by offering readers interactive video and a way for brands to connect directly with their customers through rich media applications. “We are excited about this media partnership. This allows us to greater promote a cheerleading network together with two unique publications that serve our market so we can provide advertisers of any size with a way to streamline their media-buys and do more with their campaigns,” said Cindy Villarreal, founder of Cheer Channel Inc. The collaboration aims to reach the spirited communities at the very local level. Cheer Channel, Inc., Cheer Coach & Advisor, and Cheer Leader Magazine will offer all sectors of the cheerleading industry with superior content, safety information, photos, videos, games, current news, and a way to network with a global community. Through the combined websites, publications and attendance at major events, the partnership will be able to cover the cheerleading world like no one company has been able to offer coupled with unique advertising programs that bring a fresh approach to the cheerleading world. CCI will use its international distribution platform to reach mass youth and spirited markets to greater support CCA and CLM branded affiliates and provide an interactive directory for brands to reach their customers. “Cheer Coach & Advisor magazine is thrilled about its new partnership with Cheer Leader Magazine and its existing partnership with Cheer Channel, Inc. Through these strategic alliances, every sector of the cheerleading industry will be reached and served with outstanding content, up-to-date news and important information on what’s happening in the cheerleading world. When you combine all our audiences (which includes coaches, athletic directors, gym owners, scholastic cheerleaders, recreational cheerleaders, all star cheerleaders and potential cheerleaders) into one package, you get a win-win situation for the cheerleaders, coaches, associations and corporate brands. This union creates something for everyone and will positively impact the industry in ways we’ve never imagined,” said Valerie Ninemire, Editor of CCA. Customers can expect to see a cross promotions of brands at upcoming events and promotions around the globe beginning in December. CCI, CCA and CLM will actively collaborate on marketing campaigns and distribute media collaterals. For more information on this story or for advertising rates please contact Cindy Villarreal at Proformance Sports Marketing at Cindy@proformancesportsl.net.

Practices are the most important things when building skills, teamwork, and a successful squad. We drill jumps such as; herkie’s, pikes, and toe touches. Hour after hour we pound our feet against the ground, as sweat drips down our pulled back hair. After every jump, our breath gets shorter, our legs ache a bit more, and our shoulder cramp up just as we begin to notice the bruises on our knees and hips. After all this work our team’s jumps must be perfect. Our legs must be straight as a board, our toes must be as pointed as a newly sharpened pencil, and a smile on our lips at all times. This is just a start to our three-hour practices. After the strenuous jumping session we start stunting. Bases and backs must throw girls almost our same sizes up through the air. Each time we must reach our goal of getting higher and higher. Our tops must not move a muscle but stay tight and straight, holding their breath and making sure to twist as fast as possible on the way down. Just when we begin to tire we learn something new and even more challenging that we must throw, push, and shove up towards the sky. That may seem like enough practice but we go on learning our cheers and chants. It has been about one and a half hours of hard labor but we go on. Yelling our words, hitting each motion for fear we will have to re-do it yet again and again. Every time our coach expects us to be louder, faster, and sharper. Just when you think the cheer has been done enough times you are asked to do it “just” three more times. So at last we come to the end of the practice? No, its time to practice gymnastics. Our legs are weak and sweat is even coming from our ears. We must push ourselves backwards and throw our bodies into the air. We get dizzy but we go on. Finally we reach the end, we are so tired we can hardly walk to sit down and talk about the practice and our new goals.

Games are the fun of a cheerleader’s week and viewed as a reward for our grueling practice. We get to show the most important people in our lives, the crowd, what new skills we learned this week. Every skill we perform must be perfect with a smile on our face at all times. The smile can never fade even when we get kicked in the face from a falling stunt or punched from another cheerleader who’s a little too close to you. But, when a basketball or football coach tell us “Nice job” or “Thanks, you really kept us going”, the pride that comes with that message is priceless.

Competitions could be the greatest or worst moment in a cheerleader year. This is where we really push ourselves. Our whole season is for this. Every practice, every game comes down to these events. It doesn’t matter if you cheered wonderful at every game, what matters is if you get a trophy at this competition. It is so stressful because everyone must be together. If you mess up, just hit a high V a bit late, you may have ruined your team’s chances of receiving a trophy. So we go out there, and when we start our cheer we use all the energy inside to yell the words, to not just jump but fly through the air, and to keep that smile on your face. And when you are done with that cheer, for a split second, it is dead silent. Then all of a sudden there is a burst of applause and we feel like we’re on top of the world. When we do this and everything is perfect, we might have a chance of coming home with a trophy. A trophy doesn’t just mean our team placed first, second, or third, it means we came together as a team, and learned we can work so hard and want something so bad we can achieve anything. We realize then that all the work, missing nights with friends and staying up late just to work on the cheer one more time, has really paid off.

These practices, games, and competitions bring our squad closer than ever. We learn that cheerleading comes from the heart and it makes the best of friends. Each girl on the squad shares a special friendship with everyone else. Each coach grows a special bond with every team member, a bond needed to succeed in cheerleading. It is not just the skill and practice of a squad that makes it the best, but the person who molds the team. Sometimes I feel like just quitting cheerleading, but I think of an old saying my coach once told me, “Some people reach for the stars, while cheerleaders jump up and grab them.” It makes me realize that cheerleading is not just a sport but also a way to live life. It teaches you to reach for your goal and never give up. So, those who may think cheerleading is not a sport, which the dictionary states, cheerleading is a sport that calls for and directs cheering, I would say this: Cheerleading is a way of life where girls can fly and reach for the stars.

Is Cheerleading a Sport?

Many cheerleaders, coaches and others involved in cheerleading, myself included, are offended by such a question. We know that what cheerleaders do is just as challenging as the tasks facing any athlete. And we certainly don’t need to prove it to anyone since our purpose is self-fulfillment and development. However, the goal of this article is to remind us of why we know the truth about cheerleading and deserve the respect given to other athletes.

So, why is cheerleading a sport?

To answer this question let’s first try to figure out what it means to be a sport. Definitions generally define a sport as a physical activity or athletic game. This type of definition does not tell us much and could really be used to justify virtually any activity as a sport. But we know that a sport must have more than just physical activity. The word ‘game’ implies that there is some structure and purpose. Thus, it is appropriate to say a sport is a structured physical activity. Finally, we should recognize the extent of the physical demands of a sport. Therefore, our definition will be that a sport is a structured activity requiring uncommon physical abilities.

Competition

It is often assumed that competition is necessary to make an activity a sport. However, I do not feel that this is necessarily the case. Many activities defined as sports do not have head to head competition like football and basketball do. Rather, each competitor performs on his or her own and is then compared to other competitors to determine a winner. A good example is gymnastics.

Physical Requirements

Anyone who has participated on a cheerleading team knows the extent of the physical requirements. Some of the traits of a good cheerleader include strength for stunts and pyramids, and flexibility and coordination for tumbling. Jumps, dancing and cheers also require physical skills. Remember that our definition notes the need for uncommon physical abilities. It is with these abilities that one excels and succeeds at a true sport. As a coach, I looked for athleticism, more so than experience, in the people trying out for my squads. I had no doubt that I could make a great cheerleader out of a good athlete with a positive attitude.

Categorizing Sports and Activities

It is often necessary for organizations (such as schools) to categorize clubs and activities for administrative purposes. Often, sports is a distinct category and includes most athletic programs. Traditionally, cheerleading has been left out of the sport category and included with clubs and activities. This is, of course, just an administrative categorization and in no way reflects the true nature of an activity. While this categorization may not help gain respect for cheerleading it can be an advantage at times. For instance, college athletics are governed by many NCAA requirements, which only apply to designated sports. Therefore, cheerleading programs that are excluded may not be subject to such complicated and burdensome rules. Some may say that if cheerleading was truly a sport then it would have been included with other sports long ago. However, we know that there are reasons why cheerleading developed this way. These reasons include: 1) Cheerleading’s roots and continuing role as a spirit, pep or support organization, 2) Bias against cheerleaders and stereotypes which have no basis in fact yet continue, and 3) A lack of recognition of the significant changes cheerleading has seen over the years. Therefore, the inclusion or exclusion of cheerleading as a sport for administrative reasons has no significance in determining if it is truly a sport.

While we know, for these and many other reasons, that cheerleading is a sport I have found that it can be very hard to change peoples minds when they disagree on this subject. True understanding often times only comes with participation. I respect and appreciate the people who can see the challenges which cheerleaders face, both on and off the playing field. But the most important think is not the beliefs of others, it is the excitement, exercise and accomplishments which we get from our sport.