All-Star Hey! We Resemble That?

unless you have been involved in AS cheer, you will always assume it is like sideline cheer and nothing else unfortunately, but we know that our kids can kick the butt out of any other sport athlete in strength, determination, passion and the love of the sport!

Varsity/USASF basically puts it in the same category that your friend does. Why should we expect people outside of cheer to recognize it as a sport when the governing body and it's counterpart don't want to? Unfortunately unless there is a major overhaul with USASF it won't change and it really isn't worth arguing about - it's a sport that will never be recognized as such

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@cheermomforever He has watched All Star and realizes it is nothing like sideline. He was comparing the choreography vs. spontaneous action, the glam and glitter vs. dirt and sweat, the bling on the uniforms vs. the number, etc. I hate to say it but, he was actually making a very compelling argument, which by the way, really ticked me off.

@quitthedrama I had no idea Varsity and USASF put us into that category, thanks for the insight.

catlady said:

@quitthedrama I had no idea Varsity and USASF put us into that category, thanks for the insight.

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Search the Quinnapec (sp) College and Jeff Webb testimony - it is enlightening and not in a good way. In addition, a few years ago USA Gymnastics offered to help legitimize cheer and get cheer recognized as a sport and got nowhere due to "the powers that be".

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catlady said:

@cheermomforever He has watched All Star and realizes it is nothing like sideline. He was comparing the choreography vs. spontaneous action, the glam and glitter vs. dirt and sweat, the bling on the uniforms vs. the number, etc. I hate to say it but, he was actually making a very compelling argument, which by the way, really ticked me off.

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How does he feel about gymnastics, I wonder? Is that valid because it's an Olympic sport?

quitthedrama said:

Search the Quinnapec (sp) College and Jeff Webb testimony - it is enlightening and not in a good way. In addition, a few years ago USA Gymnastics offered to help legitimize cheer and get cheer recognized as a sport and got nowhere due to "the powers that be".

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Quinnipiac

Odd that he won't allow it because "not a sport" even though he understands the physical benefits. It's just a strange requirement to me, to only let your child participate in things clearly defined as sports. Even when they have shown interest in trying it.

Sounds like he has a very open minded perspective and was not simply dismissive.

@quitthedrama Thanks for the read! I found this in one of the blogs concerning Jeff Webb's testimony, and I will be honest, I don't know how to interpret what is in bold print. When I think of an athlete, I think of sports. When I think of an entertainer, I usually think in terms of dancer, singer, actor, etc. Jeff Webb said, "competitive cheer is as much as a sport as chess." He, obviously, does not believe it is a sport, however, in the debate whether or not competitive cheer was a sport, I had never once thought of the "entertainment" category as the alternative, I had always jumped to the conclusion the alternative was "spirit", as in sideline.



THIS WAS EMAILED OUT TO ALL CUSTOMERS:

Dear Valued Customer,
As a valued partner, our goal is to keep you updated on Varsity initiatives and news that affects the industry.
We appreciate that you have questions after reading media coverage related to a trial taking place involving Quinnipiac University. The university hopes to eliminate its womens volleyball program and classify its cheerleading squad as a sport to satisfy its requirements under Title IX. Yesterday, Varsity CEO Jeff Webb testified as a cheerleading expert in the case.
We wanted to share some important information with you about Varsity to help clarify our position on cheerleading as a sport and clear up any concerns you may have:
·For more than 35 years, Varsity has been the leader in evolving this industry, and we support all forms of cheerleading, including traditional cheerleading as well as All Star.
·Jeff provided testimony yesterday only as a cheerleading expert. While Varsity is not an expert on Title IX requirements, you should know we strongly believe all cheerleaders are athletes, and should be recognized as such.
·We absolutely encourage and support evolving the competition only aspect of cheerleading in a way that would enable it to eventually be recognized officially as an intercollegiate sport, while maintaining traditional cheerleading as an athletic activity.
Varsity believes cheerleading helps promote athleticism, leadership, spirit and service in young people today and those values will always remain at the foundation of everything we do. That being said, we are happy to work with our partners in the cheerleading community to further define and build an emerging sport that provides even more opportunities for young athletes around the world.
Varsity always has, and always will continue to support any effort that promotes cheerleading or creates opportunities for women and girls.
I hope this information is helpful. Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Sheila Noone
Vice President, Varsity Brands, Inc.

catlady said:

@cheermomforever He has watched All Star and realizes it is nothing like sideline. He was comparing the choreography vs. spontaneous action, the glam and glitter vs. dirt and sweat, the bling on the uniforms vs. the number, etc. I hate to say it but, he was actually making a very compelling argument, which by the way, really ticked me off.

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Aside from the choreography vs. spontaneous action argument, most of those debates seem very superficial. He recognizes the physical benefits so I'm sure he should also be able to recognize the other "life lesson" benefits that you could gain from cheerleading OR any other sport/activity. Team work, responsibility, working towards personal and team goals, learning to win and lose with grace... All things you could gain from cheer or soccer or baseball. Just because you're wearing rhinestones and a bow instead of some dirt and a number doesn't mean you're not gaining a lot of the same life skills.

mollymags said:

Aside from the choreography vs. spontaneous action argument, most of those debates seem very superficial. He recognizes the physical benefits so I'm sure he should also be able to recognize the other "life lesson" benefits that you could gain from cheerleading OR any other sport/activity. Team work, responsibility, working towards personal and team goals, learning to win and lose with grace... All things you could gain from cheer or soccer or baseball. Just because you're wearing rhinestones and a bow instead of some dirt and a number doesn't mean you're not gaining a lot of the same life skills.

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Very well said!
My daughter works her rear off learning routines, practicing her tumbling, learning new skills, to the point of exhaustion at times. Do I think it's a sport? Hell yes! Do I care if someone disagress? Not in the least - because they don't see what I see every night in the gym. My son plays football and my daughter cheers - and I see each of them working hard, learning invaluable lessons, sweating through drills, aching, celebrating their accomplishments, grinding through workouts, making life-long friends, and loving their chosen sport.

I'm not a big debater, so if you don't agree with me, that's ok. I'll just smile and know you're wrong.

@catlday keep in mind that letter was sent as damage control. It was written after several damaging statements made during the trial. Do I think Jeff Webb thinks cheer is a sport? Yes. Do I think he will do everything in his power to keep thi gs as they are? Yes. It is all about the bottom line and Varsity stands to lose too much money to back the necessary changes to truly make cheer a sport.

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Most people assume that because I cheered and coached I'll argue back with them when they say cheer isn't a sport. In reality I don't care at all. I can see both sides of it. As long as they don't deny the athleticism involved I don't waste time trying to persuade them. I myself am still unsure if cheer is a "sport" by definition. And that's ok. Doesn't make it any less fun.

It's just strange to me that he wouldn't let his daughter try cheerleading because it's not a sport. So I assume he doesn't want her to play a musical instrument either? That's certainly not a sport and probably falls more under the "entertainment" category he mentioned, why waste time on it? NOPE. No non-sport activities in this household. (I'm joking of course)

I am glad he understands what cheer is and took time to research it, I just don't understand denying an interested child for the basis of it "not being a sport". But not my family, not my problem I guess.

@mollymags @Cheermom1969 @cheerKT My issue was not the debate, as much as, the comparison to the World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. His point was, our kids are very athletic and will be the first one to admit that All Star cheer is a total body workout. He wasn't debating the teamwork, the winning and losing with grace, the lessons learned, he was stating the Wrestling Federation had the same obstacles to overcome with the debate on "sport" and found its home in the "entertainment" category. I guess I'm interested in knowing if I'm the only person who has strictly debated cheerleading in the sport vs. spirit/leadership category, and what their thoughts are with the "entertainment" category.