What if what were doing isn't cheerleading, what if it is something else? (serious)

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ive been thinking this alot lately too! I mean there are very few teams now-a-days that even have a cheer in their routine. so technically were not "cheering"...
 
no i understand the point of the discussion which is to come up with a different name to distinguish what is being considered a non-sport from what we consider a sport...my point was there are things, like chess which is a sport and non-sport, that are under the same name..people thought flipping on a trampoline would never be considered an olympic sport, but look what's in the olympics now and one of the most popular events to watch......my point about privatization of health care and varsity's monopoly is that varsity has become somewhat of a privatized company that has assumed the role of a governing body just like USAG for gymnastics which represents gymnastics as a sport and a recreational activity...i think my post was more food for thought than a real answer to the original question posed

But your point about chess brings us back to why everyone was so outraged when we were compared to chess. Look, sideline cheer has components of a sport and legally is as much a sport as chess under the name cheerleading. Under a different name there is no baggage. And judging from that blog report the uber encompassing name 'cheerleading' hurt the current chances of being a sport under title ix.

Sent from my Droid Incredible
 
what hurts "cheerleading's" chances is the fact that the governing body for the specific competition aspect is pretty much privatized, not it's name...
 
Team Acrobatic Tumbling And Stunts TATAS probably isn't going to help with the stereotypes any

Yeah, I'm thinking we're both going to have to step off.

:)
 
STARJaM (Stunting and Tumbling Athletes w/ Rhythm Jumps And Motions)

here's the best I got, We could all be starjammers
 
what hurts "cheerleading's" chances is the fact that the governing body for the specific competition aspect is pretty much privatized, not it's name...

Are you saying that varsity brands is a monopoly, and therefore the consumer is at a loss , dictating what direction competitive cheer will take (regardless of what it is called). Jeff Webb said in his testimony, "cheerleading is not a sport". So our response, to change the name of the sport, won't make a difference, unless the leaders in the industry recognize it as a sport. (this is a question, not a conclusion)
 
Not sure I understand this point.

Right now (generally) in high school an athlete can't do a school sport and a club sport at the same time.

But if cheerleading (high school) and all stars were two different sports, you could do both whenever you wanted.

I was talking about an athlete in high school that is only allowed to do one sport per season. So if you're a football player, you can't play soccer. If you play baseball, you can't do track. Because they are in the same season. Is it not this way other places?? If an athlete wanted to do "insert new name for our sport here" AND cheerleading, but both were in the same season, they wouldn't be able to do both. Does that make more sense??
 
I was talking about an athlete in high school that is only allowed to do one sport per season. So if you're a football player, you can't play soccer. If you play baseball, you can't do track. Because they are in the same season. Is it not this way other places?? If an athlete wanted to do "insert new name for our sport here" AND cheerleading, but both were in the same season, they wouldn't be able to do both. Does that make more sense??

With sideline cheer then being considered an activity, I don't think their would be the official conflict
 
I'm gonna side quote from another thread myself.....

I like to run (or try to) for exercise purposes. I do it to try and remain active and healthy. It is an athletic activity that an athlete would do. The more I run the better I get. I maybe shed some pounds, run a bit faster, and go a bit longer. I never think I am competing in a sport because I am just running.

But the second I step on a track with set rules and regulations and with the goal of winning a race then am I not competing in the sport of running?

With sideline cheer I think it was like my casual running. It is enjoyable, athletic, and quite fun! But the second you step on that mat to compete against another team that athletic activity becomes a sport, doesn't it? There are set rules, a governing body, and even large trophies at the end for the places you get (at Worlds you get Medals like an Olympic sport).


And add to it. Casual running is just running. If i say I am just running I am obviously not doing a sport. But say track and field or cross country and you know I'm referring to a sport.

Cheerleading is like casual running. It is leading a crowd. It is cheering. It's on the sidelines. It is not doing a sport. But ______________ is a sport. It has elements of cheerleading, but is a competitive nature with rules and regulations. And the name helps anyone know the distinction.

You name what we do and define it in a word untied to 'cheerleading' you have won half the battle.

As long as people can point to a picture of Dallas cowboys cheerleaders OR high school sidelines OR even a mascot and say 'thats your sport' you are gonna have problems convincing people that __________ is a sport.

So why give them the opportunity? Take away anyones argument that ________ isn't a sport because it shares the same name as Cheeleading. Does that make sense?
 
Semantics.. words... so powerful.

What if what we are doing ISN'T cheerleading. It is a DEFINITELY sport, but it isn't cheerleading. To borrow a misquoted quote from one of those articles, we don't cheer and we don't lead. It looks and resembles cheerleading, but isn't. It has similar pieces (just like how we have floor tumbling from gymnastics, but we arent gymnastics) but those pieces done in the way we have all competed in them is NOT cheerleading, but something else.

Let me explain. If we say cheerleading is strictly a crowd interacting sideline activity, then stepping onto a competition mat isnt cheerleading. Cheerleaders, who do crowd leading activities, also get involved and do the thing we all consider a sport.

Is this making sense to anyone. Forget everything you know about any advertisement or anything ever... just think is what we do 'cheerleading'?

i totally get this but then what do we call it.i am so frustrated/confused with this whole situation we all put our hearts into what we do we work so hard and yet nobody really(outside the "cheer" world)respects or recognizes what we do at all.all i hear is cheerleading isn't a sport blah blah blah. but then what do we call it because what i do and everyone else does on this message bored is a SPORT.the definition of sport-an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.what we do is an evolved type of "cheerleading".what else do we call it?why is it not a sport?
 
i totally get this but then what do we call it.i am so frustrated/confused with this whole situation we all put our hearts into what we do we work so hard and yet nobody really(outside the "cheer" world)respects or recognizes what we do at all.all i hear is cheerleading isn't a sport blah blah blah. but then what do we call it because what i do and everyone else does on this message bored is a SPORT.the definition of sport-an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.what we do is an evolved type of "cheerleading".what else do we call it?why is it not a sport?

what we do IS a sport. what we dont have is a good name for it. cheerleading means sidelines. we have used the term to describe what we do, possibly adding the term competitive in front of it.

get a good name, it will be a lot easier to teach people the difference between __________ and cheerleading instead of just different types of cheerleading
 
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