Ten reasons why cheerleading is a sport,

One; Conditioning

Hardcore cheer conditioning targeting arms, legs, abs. Check out one of my videos if you think you can handle it.

Two; Tumbling
Tumbling is a gymnastics element; gymnastics is a sport. Tumbling takes years of practice, conditioning initially to gain the strength, but hours & hours to actually accomplish a new tumble. 

Three; Stunts

Stunts require 1-4 bases, and a flyer. The flyer has to have insane balancing skills and be able hold themselves tight sometime 7/8 feet in the air, all whilst pulling ridiculous stretches. The bases have to be so strong, they have to put other team members above their heads, and in our team our flyers are all fully grown adults.

Pictures courtesy of Liam Dixon Photography

Four; Jumps
Jumps take a long time to master, there's lots of conditioning to do before you can even consider having a beautiful jump. Leg strength is essential, along with having the strength in your core to pull your legs often higher than your head.

Five; the two & a half minute routine

Two and a half minutes of hardcore cardio is not easy. By the end of the routine you are exhausted, not only are you rushing around increasing your heart rate, your also putting people in the air, ensuring you catch them and then tumbling, dancing & jumping, I'd like to see you give it a go and then tell me it's easy! 

Six; Dance

I never thought dancing was a workout because I'd never given it a go. Turns out, it is! Dancing is knackering, usually at the end of the routine when your just about ready to collapse you have to what out a strong dance section. 

Seven; Stretching

Stretching is a slow, painful, and draining experience. As a flyer I have to push myself to make sure I can pull certain streches. Unfortunately there's no easy way to improve flexibility, it's all about patience & practice. Give a stretching video a try and see if you can do it. 

Some basic back stretches I do twice weekly.

Eight; Commitment

All sports require commitment and cheerleading is just the same. We train 3-4 times a week, in all the different elements. Being part of a team, you have to be committed so your team doesn't suffer. 

Nine; Injuries
As a team I reckon we've as least hurt every single bit of the body. From sprain wrists, to broken elbows, to getting kicked in the throat & being dropped on your head, now these injuries aren't just from dancing around with your pompoms! Cheerleading definitely comes with a health and safety warning.

Ten; Competitions 
Much like other sports we compete as a team, we train to win, and like football teams, rugby teams, we compete to win the trophies. 

Here's a video which sums up pretty well what 
we actually get up to at training.