What do you think of cheerleaders?

And heck, even car racing is a sport, I think, though all they do is sit behind a wheel and drive fast. Which then raises the question... at what point does the activity become more about skill than athleticism?

Yes, it really does depend on how you define sport. Taking your example here...and believe me, I'm not offended whatsoever. Racing cars is my hobby...very expensive hobby (I need to look into knitting or something...LOL). I can tell you first hand that it's not just sitting behind a wheel and driving fast. Yes, that's the name of the game, but it's actually more physically and mentally demanding than you can imagine. I will be in the race car roughly 2.5 hours on a race day. Races are usually during the summer, so it's hot outside. We have to wear full safety gear, just like they do in NASCAR. In fact, my racing suit is from NASCAR, bought from Ebay. Fireproof gloves, shoes, socks, helmet, neck restraint, etc... Then sit in a car with no air conditioning, no insulation, and an engine giving off intense amounts of heat. Add in the concentration levels required to turn fast laps and deal with race traffic, the g-forces, driving the car, and you're exhausted when you get out. It's surprisingly difficult.

Yet even I would struggle as to whether I'd say my hobby is actually a "sport". I can see the argument from both sides. At the end of the day, I enjoy it, so I'm happy to call it anything. There are so many things that require physical skillsets that even if they aren't someone's definition of "sport", take a high level of physical skill.

How about ballroom dancing? What about cross country ballroom dancing? :D
 
If cheerleaders wish to consider themselves athletes, why not? If they want to call cheerleading a sport, that's fine by me. What a lot of them do is very hard and takes physical fitness.

However, as a sport cheerleading will probably never gain popularity the way soccer, football, gymnastics, swimming, etc. has. It will probably never be an olympic sport just because I think it's just a phenomenon in the U.S. Do other countries have competitive cheerleading?

I enjoy watching it, I have to admit. :)
 
There are two different types of cheering - sideline and competitive.

My girls have never used pom poms in either sideline or competitive cheering, so no shaking of anything on our team, except my own head when I hear comments like yours

OP didn't specify. Most people outside of the cheerleading world only relate to cheerleading in regards to sideline cheering of sports teams. Every cheerleader I've ever seen at a high school, college, or professional football game or pep rally has had pom-poms. And they lead cheers, hence their name. But I am aware of competitions. Never been to one. Seen trailers for Bring it On and related movies. Never watched them.


The reality is that there are over 300 million people in the United States. Competitive cheerleading is a niche sport that, what, maybe 2 or 3 percent (and that's probably generous) of the United States knows anything about? No need to shake your head at the rest of society. We watch football game. The cheerleaders we see have pom-poms.
 
Last edited:


Should cheerleading be considered a sport? Do you think they are mean and snobby? Are they spoiled? Have you ever visited Disney World during a cheerleading competition?

Welcome to the DIS. I wonder, are you a cheerleader? Also, how would you answer these questions yourself?
 
OP didn't specify. Most people outside of the cheerleading world only relate to cheerleading in regards to sideline cheering of sports teams. Every cheerleader I've ever seen at a high school, college, or professional football game or pep rally has had pom-poms. And they lead cheers, hence their name. But I am aware of competitions. Never been to one. Seen trailers for Bring it On and related movies. Never watched them.


The reality is that there are over 300 million people in the United States. Competitive cheerleading is a niche sport that, what, maybe 2 or 3 percent (and that's probably generous) of the United States knows anything about? No need to shake your head at the rest of society. We watch football game. The cheerleaders we see have pom-poms.

Well, now a greater percentage of the population knows the difference. Glad the tiny percentage of us who do see the hard work and competitiveness these ATHLETES possess for their SPORT could help educate the world, one DIS-er at a time. haha

:worship::chat::flower:
 
Last edited:
Yes, it really does depend on how you define sport. Taking your example here...and believe me, I'm not offended whatsoever. Racing cars is my hobby...very expensive hobby (I need to look into knitting or something...LOL). I can tell you first hand that it's not just sitting behind a wheel and driving fast. Yes, that's the name of the game, but it's actually more physically and mentally demanding than you can imagine. I will be in the race car roughly 2.5 hours on a race day. Races are usually during the summer, so it's hot outside. We have to wear full safety gear, just like they do in NASCAR. In fact, my racing suit is from NASCAR, bought from Ebay. Fireproof gloves, shoes, socks, helmet, neck restraint, etc... Then sit in a car with no air conditioning, no insulation, and an engine giving off intense amounts of heat. Add in the concentration levels required to turn fast laps and deal with race traffic, the g-forces, driving the car, and you're exhausted when you get out. It's surprisingly difficult.

Yet even I would struggle as to whether I'd say my hobby is actually a "sport". I can see the argument from both sides. At the end of the day, I enjoy it, so I'm happy to call it anything. There are so many things that require physical skillsets that even if they aren't someone's definition of "sport", take a high level of physical skill.

How about ballroom dancing? What about cross country ballroom dancing? :D


In my state, certain sports are considered "sports" for the governing high school sports association. Competitive Cheerleading is one of them. Bass fishing, for example, is not. Neither is "Spirit", which I am assuming is just sideline cheering or poms or whatever the rest of "cheer" would be if the girls didn't have a competition team at their school. I agree with all of that, since what the girls have to do for a competition team is vastly different than the other type(s)

https://www.ihsa.org/SportsActivities.aspx

Interestingly - We had a kid at DS17's school lobby for biking to become a sport. He was told no, it's a hobby and if he gets a faculty sponsor, he can lobby for a biking club, but since IHSA doesn't consider it a sport, it can only be considered a hobby/club.
 
Last edited:


My 14 year old niece used to cheer (gave it up to play high school sports). She went to Disney at least 4 times for the cheer competition. Unfortunately she acts like a mean girl (not just my opinion, it's the consensus in the family). My mom went to WDW for the competitions and was floored by the drama between the girls and said the moms weren't any better. Maybe this is atypical???
 
Well, now a greater percentage of the population knows the difference. Glad the tiny percentage of us who do see the hard work and competitiveness these ATHLETES possess for their SPORT could help educate the world, one DIS-er at a time. haha

Actually, what I am saying is more about pom-poms than about competing. I know cheerleaders complete. The cheerleaders in my son's high school go to competitions. But they still use pom-poms, both at the football game and at their competitions.
 
In my state, certain sports are considered "sports" for the governing high school sports association. Competitive Cheerleading is one of them. Bass fishing, for example, is not. Neither is "Spirit", which I am assuming is just sideline cheering or poms or whatever the rest of "cheer" would be if the girls didn't have a competition team at their school. I agree with all of that, since what the girls have to do for a competition team is vastly different than the other type(s)

https://www.ihsa.org/SportsActivities.aspx

Interestingly - We had a kid at DS17's school lobby for biking to become a sport. He was told no, it's a hobby and if he gets a faculty sponsor, he can lobby for a biking club, but since IHSA doesn't consider it a sport, it can only be considered a hobby/club.

I see we are in the same state and as you posted Cheer is considered a sport. At our school it is a a two season sport (Fall and Winter). Officially ending mid Feb after the State competition. Post HS All-Star usually starts in March and ends after Summit or Worlds if the team makes it. HS tryouts are in April and summer practices start the second week in June.
 
Actually, what I am saying is more about pom-poms than about competing. I know cheerleaders complete. The cheerleaders in my son's high school go to competitions. But they still use pom-poms, both at the football game and at their competitions.

Huh? I'm so confused....why is the pom poms the debate here? The PP who referenced the "shaking pom poms" in such a derogatory and mean-spirited way who CLEARLY disdains cheerleaders of all types given she refuses to step outside her bubble, didn't even put as much emphasis on the pom poms part, so why are we talking about them lol

Just to clarify, I'm shaking my head at the contempt that was oozing from PP's post about an entire population of girls (and boys!) from ages 4-18+ because she only wants to acknowledge something from a very narrow viewpoint, not from the thought that the general public thinks cheerleaders use pompoms. I get it....as usual, the mass population's perception is based on what NBC shows us on Monday Night.

MY point is, with this thing called the internet out there now at our fingertips, it's very easy to youtube "Competitive Cheer Competitions" and "sideline cheer" and see the difference. One doesn't have to "be in a different area" of the country to experience new concepts anymore! We can't, as a society, use the excuse "well, that's all I have seen in my kids' school so I don't know any different" when slamming an entire sport/activity/group of kids and not be called out on it.
 
Last edited:
Huh? I'm so confused....why is the pom poms the debate here? The PP who referenced the "shaking pom poms" in such a derogatory and mean-spirited way who CLEARLY disdains cheerleaders

Clarity received. Here I thought you were upset that people thought of cheerleaders as leading cheers. I agree it's is more than that. But it is also that.
 
Last edited:
I quoted the below because I just wanted to point out a few things just to clarify my answers. My daughter was in competitive gymnastics (on the junior Olympic team) and softball at nationals.

In my olden days (way back when), I would not have considered cheerleading a sport. All the schools had the cheerleaders with pom poms on the sidelines doing cheers and during breaks would do a cheer routine with maybe cartwheels and splits. The schools also had songleaders (or whatever their school called them) who stood on the field and would do dances to the band songs. That was my experience and perhaps some others in my age group.

I realize along the way, cheerleading has changed. However, I was long out of school by then and honestly, unless my kids got into it, I didn't pay much attention and honestly no desire to search it on the internet. This may be the fact with others on here commenting as the original poster asked for their opinion.

To answer the original poster, the competitive teams I see on tv should be considered a sport. What we had in high school, no.

Back in my day, cheerleading was popular driven and along with that came snobbiness, same with the quarterback etc. Can't sit at the cheerleader/popular girl table. I never met a person in my age group who's high school didn't work this way. (disclaimer-I'm sure there are some but I didn't personally meet them at the time...don't really discuss high school anymore).

I'm positive that since it's become more athletic, the times have changed. I'm just not involved it in since I'm not in high school nor are my kids. Do anyway, I don't think it's not stepping out of a bubble, but not it's not in their life right now. I have to say, some of these girls on tv on the cheerleading teams can do more than my daughter did when she was in gymnastics!



Huh? I'm so confused....why is the pom poms the debate here? The PP who referenced the "shaking pom poms" in such a derogatory and mean-spirited way who CLEARLY disdains cheerleaders of all types given she refuses to step outside her bubble, didn't even put as much emphasis on the pom poms part, so why are we talking about them lol

Just to clarify, I'm shaking my head at the contempt that was oozing from PP's post about an entire population of girls (and boys!) from ages 4-18+ because she only wants to acknowledge something from a very narrow viewpoint, not from the thought that the general public thinks cheerleaders use pompoms. I get it....as usual, the mass population's perception is based on what NBC shows us on Monday Night.

MY point is, with this thing called the internet out there now at our fingertips, it's very easy to youtube "Competitive Cheer Competitions" and "sideline cheer" and see the difference. One doesn't have to "be in a different area" of the country to experience new concepts anymore! We can't, as a society, use the excuse "well, that's all I have seen in my kids' school so I don't know any different" when slamming an entire sport/activity/group of kids and not be called out on it.
 
Some of the ignorance in this thread is astonishing...

I guess some people just like to stay stuck in the past.

(says a 25 year old female who cheers for the most successful, most world/national title holding all star cheer gym in the world)
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top