High School Aftermath Of Serious Cheer Injury

[King]

Just wondering about this comment. So, to clarify, you're saying that no cheerleading skills should be done on mats on a hard floor, because there is no safe way to perform cheerleading skills without a spring floor? Would you exempt certain skills? For instance, would it be safe to do thigh stands? What about forward rolls and cartwheels? What about more difficult skills, if they are properly taught in progression with proper spotting? I ask because, if spring floors became a requirement for performing all levels of cheerleading skills, that would effectively eliminate all school and recreation cheerleading programs. I'm a high school and rec cheer coach, and I understand the risks involved with teaching skills on mats on a hard floor. That's why I take a *loooooooong* time to teach proper technique and spotting skills. Nothing but the bottoms of my flyers' feet are allowed to touch the mat in a fall - nothing (and even then, flyers must be assisted to landing with their feet on the mat, always). Anything else could have disastrous consequences, so therefore the kids learn early and often that they *must* protect the flyers, and the flyers learn that they *must* fall in the most safe way possible. It probably means that we are not able to learn as many advanced skills as we might be able to if we were able to be a little more "fast and loose" with trying new things, but I'd choose safety any day over being more cutting edge.

I guess I'm just saying that... while I respect your opinion and experience, I think it would be a sad day, indeed, if all cheerleading were limited to being performed on a spring floor, because so many people would be denied the experience of cheerleading, and, if coaches are properly trained, many cheerleading skills *can* be performed safely on a mat on hard floors.

(Besides that, sometimes spring floors are sometimes seen as a safety net in a way that they probably shouldn't. At a local all-star gym, some of my rec kids went to open gym and were told to try back walkovers without a spot.... and these kids had no clue how to do a back bend. When they told that to the coach, she said, "Oh, it doesn't matter - it's a spring floor, you won't get hurt if you fall on your head." Um, no. Just.... no. I'm not sure if that is the standard in all-star cheer, so I may look stupid for saying this, but, uh, no. Please spot the kids.)

This is a rather complicated answer and depends on the situation. In my personal opinion when it comes to competing hard floor is never safe. Ever.

Why? The purpose of competition is to determine who is the best. Determining who is the best requires the most difficult skills attempted to be hit. Kids under pressure to perform skills have a lower percentage rate of hitting no matter how well they are taught. Kids are going to fall. Things are going to mess up. They are going to bust. The chance of catastrophic injury is much higher on hard floor over spring. If the nature of competition is such that skills hit at a lower rate then all competitions should be held on the safest surface possible that does not impede execution of the skill.

But for the act of not competing, just for sideline cheerleading, I think a hard floor can be used correctly to teach. Since speed of progression does not matter (for the end goal of winning) if an athlete takes a long time to perfect a skill there is no negatives besides personal accomplishment takes a minute. Things will take a much longer time to learn and perfect, but, again, since there is no detriment from taking a long time it is fine.

 

[SarahS]

This is a rather complicated answer and depends on the situation. In my personal opinion when it comes to competing hard floor is never safe. Ever.

Why? The purpose of competition is to determine who is the best. Determining who is the best requires the most difficult skills attempted to be hit. Kids under pressure to perform skills have a lower percentage rate of hitting no matter how well they are taught. Kids are going to fall. Things are going to mess up. They are going to bust. The chance of catastrophic injury is much higher on hard floor over spring. If the nature of competition is such that skills hit at a lower rate then all competitions should be held on the safest surface possible that does not impede execution of the skill.

But for the act of not competing, just for sideline cheerleading, I think a hard floor can be used correctly to teach. Since speed of progression does not matter (for the end goal of winning) if an athlete takes a long time to perfect a skill there is no negatives besides personal accomplishment takes a minute. Things will take a much longer time to learn and perfect, but, again, since there is no detriment from taking a long time it is fine.

I absolutely agree that competitions should always be on spring floors. Absolutely. Thanks so much for the clarification.

(Do event producers actually still hold competitions on non-spring floors?)

 

[King]

I absolutely agree that competitions should always be on spring floors. Absolutely. Thanks so much for the clarification.

(Do event producers actually still hold competitions on non-spring floors?)

Yes. High School and College competitions are generally on hard floor.