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

[ACEDAD]

Kingston--this may be the closest thing to All-Star cheer:


http://www.ifagg.com/agg/what_is_agg/

ifagg? Really?

 

[King]

teehee

 

[cheer4life88]

BUT, this is how I see it. When I was a "cheerleader" in the 80's and early 90's (God help me, lol) the following is what we performed on the sidelines: stunts, tumbling, jumps, chants and dance.

Now my girls are all star cheerleaders and the following is what they compete on the floor: stunts, tumbling, jumps, dance, motions.

The only difference to me is how it has evolved, the elimination of "leading the crowd with chants", and the setting of guidelines and rules as to what is allowed and what is not. So to me, competitive cheer is exactly what our sport should be called. And cheer athletes are what the competitors should be called.

However, if we could get the USAG to adopt us as a sport under their criteria, I would be all for it. Goodbye Varsity, hello Olympics!!

I agree! I think if we move too far away from the word cheer, we will be loosing what we truly are and what we perform on the floor - it's the same elements just more advanced. I just fear moving too far from what we are, we will be fighting the same battles we are now - will we be considered a sport, (especially right from the start)?, will we be able to bring in more athletes?, etc. As much as I hate to say it, there are a few parents (especially when they first start) want their kids to be a cheerleader... could that hurt if we moved completely away from cheer?

 

[King]

BTW, if we aren't cheerleaders.. if we don't do cheerleading.. then cheerleading is not a sport.

Do we agree?

 

[flyergymgirl125]

ifagg? Really?

LMAO--I just noticed that!!!! LOL

 

[King]

I agree! I think if we move too far away from the word cheer, we will be loosing what we truly are and what we perform on the floor - it's the same elements just more advanced. I just fear moving too far from what we are, we will be fighting the same battles we are now - will we be considered a sport, (especially right from the start)?, will we be able to bring in more athletes?, etc. As much as I hate to say it, there are a few parents (especially when they first start) want their kids to be a cheerleader... could that hurt if we moved completely away from cheer?

Completely understand. But from this whole case the thing I gather is that for 'insert name here' to be a sport it needs to get as far away from cheerleading as possible?

And all the cheerleaders in the 70's and 80's laid the foundation for what we do today. Would we not be honoring from giving the propper names to the sport we do as well as cheerleading?

 

[KRECCheer]

From a friend who thinks what we do is a joke (although more of a sport than Nascar) : Jump Dancing or People Building.

 

[Mclovin]

Football wasn't nearly the same when it started over a hundred years ago as we currently see it. It evolved. But no one changed the name of it. Gymnastics as well. I'm sure we could list a ton of other sports that go along these same lines. From the way I see it, we still are cheerleaders. We cheer (which involves ALL of the aforementioned athletic traits) and we lead (in life, at school, and everywhere else by the example we set for others.)

 

[King]

Another way to think about it for the true nerds out there:

A square is always quadrilateral... but a quadrilateral isn't always a square.

You cannot ask me if a quadrilateral is a square. Because if you do my answer would be No.

Does that make sense?

 

[cheer4life88]

Completely understand. But from this whole case the thing I gather is that for 'insert name here' to be a sport it needs to get as far away from cheerleading as possible?

And all the cheerleaders in the 70's and 80's laid the foundation for what we do today. Would we not be honoring from giving the propper names to the sport we do as well as cheerleading?

I agree that the name "cheerleading" is our biggest issue with trying to be a sport because people think that all we do is shake our pom poms and do leg kicks for 2 1/2 minutes... But is the "leading" part the issue or the "cheer" part that throws everyone off and makes them think that?

 

[King]

Football wasn't nearly the same when it started over a hundred years ago as we currently see it. It evolved. But no one changed the name of it. Gymnastics as well. I'm sure we could list a ton of other sports that go along these same lines. From the way I see it, we still are cheerleaders. We cheer (which involves ALL of the aforementioned athletic traits) and we lead (in life, at school, and everywhere else by the example we set for others.)

AH! but all athletes lead. The leader part I think is more descriptive of the sideline activity directly invovled in the actual activity, NOT the implications of being one.

The word cheer does NOT imply physicality except to us because of context.

 

[Mclovin]

Completely understand. But from this whole case the thing I gather is that for 'insert name here' to be a sport it needs to get as far away from cheerleading as possible?

And all the cheerleaders in the 70's and 80's laid the foundation for what we do today. Would we not be honoring from giving the propper names to the sport we do as well as cheerleading?

I just think that the people who are the faces of this great sport need to get a life and stop trying to split the fence. Cheerleaders aren't pretty blonde girls in short skirts saying rah rah ree to entertain a crowd anymore. We have evolved. And I'm proud of that.

 

[flyergymgirl125]

However, if we could get the USAG to adopt us as a sport under their criteria, I would be all for it. Goodbye Varsity, hello Olympics!!

I agree!!!! And just think of all the cross-over possibilities to pull from!!!!! The power tumblers from T & T, the insanely flexible flyers from rythmic, and the extremely strong bases from gymnastics!!!

 

[King]

I just think that the people who are the faces of this great sport need to get a life and stop trying to split the fence. Cheerleaders aren't pretty blonde girls in short skirts saying rah rah ree to entertain a crowd anymore. We have evolved. And I'm proud of that.

Has the sidelines evolved at all? That still technically works the same way it always did. It is the competitive part that has evolved and created itself.

 

[Mclovin]

AH! but all athletes lead. The leader part I think is more descriptive of the sideline activity directly invovled in the actual activity, NOT the implications of being one.

The word cheer does NOT imply physicality except to us because of context.

The word cheer didn't USE to imply physicality, but today it does. We have proven that. I realize that the original definition of the word cheer did not include stunts, tumbling, jumping, etc. But in today's society, it does. Don't get me wrong. I could really care less what we are called as long as we are recognized as a sport. But why change our name just because some people want to live in the stone age and believe that we should still primarily be "raising our pom pons and doing let kicks in front of a crowd of sports fans". I say we should continue evolving and let people like that die off with the stone age.