Cheerleading is a Sport and a Tough One!

Courtney Ann Coyle

Mrs. Robinson

English III

10 April 2008

                              Cheerleading is a Sport and a Tough One!

Why isn’t cheerleading considered a sport? The dictionary states the definition of sport is “athletic activity that requires skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.”  If Cheerleading involves intense physical practice, concentration and coordination, and has a competitive drive, then why are so many people challenging the validity of cheerleading as a sport?  Cheerleaders defiantly have a competitive side; they strive to be better than the opposing squad and work hard physically to achieve that goal. Some people still tend to find criticism with our efforts to be a great squad.

 At games we recognize that there is not a scoreboard counting our points or referees judging our skills, but it is however more competitive than everyone thinks.  When you are cheering you want to do everything in your power to look better than the opposing squad: if they put up a great stunt, you have to try something bigger and better.  You must hold the audiences’ attention and make sure they are focused on your squad, watching and joining in. When the other team steps on the floor, you watch their every move to figure out how to make your performance look better, sound better, and inspire the fans’ spirit. Also, just like other sports such as wrestling, we go to competitions on state and local levels.  There are professional cheerleaders who cheer on teams into NFL and other professional athletes who compete on ESPN in National Cheerleading Championships. Cheerleaders practice to win at competition- besides getting the crowd involved- competition is our main goal. Today, there are about 3.3 million cheerleaders in the USA alone and nearly two million cheerleaders in 50 other countries. Cheerleaders who all have the same goal: get that first place trophy and feel the joy of a victory after a perfect routine. Although we may not have a point system or fouls, we are competitive (Cheerleading).

            Cheerleading consists of more than just doing cheers and yelling “Go Team Go!” Croatan High School cheerleaders usually begin practice with a mile jog, followed by aerobics, and intense stretching- which is similar to most sports warm-ups.  After we are stretched and ready we get to work: jumps, stunting, and perfecting any cheer, chants and dances. Until something is perfected it cannot be shown in a game; therefore, repetition and attention to detail are an important aspect in cheerleading.  Those who say that dancing and cheering for two hours straight is not a workout has never participated in an actual practice.    The stunt group has to work together as a unit for the stunt to be successful just like a play on the football field: if one person messes up and the whole play is ruined. The flyer must build trust with his or her bases and back spot so they are sure they won’t fall.  Trust is an essential for stunting to work. Cheerleading is all about teamwork and being one unit that works perfectly together-an important ingredient in all team sports.

            Cheerleading involves so much physically “risky” moves; it has become the most dangerous sport in most schools. From the stunts, to the jumping on uneven surfaces, the chance of injury is very high. At the high school level, of 60 direct injuries in all activities, 28 were from cheerleading (46.7%). At the college level, of 28 direct injuries, 18 were from cheerleading (64.3%). On the college level injuries 17 cases involved severe head injuries (including 13 skull fractures and 2 deaths), 8 involved fractures or injury to the neck and 3 involved injuries to the spinal cord. Cheerleading has more injuries than any other sport played (Boden).

Now don’t get me wrong, cheerleading does stress the importance of looking your best and grabbing the audience’s attention. We do want to appear preppy and happy when we cheer -which is usually the difference between other sports and cheerleading. So cheerleading is not a sport because it is important to look your best? It does not mean that we don’t try as hard or care as much as everyone else; we are just fulfilling one of our many tasks: looking professional and representing our school in the best way possible.

            Not only does cheerleading involve physical agility, it also requires a great deal of memorization.  The complexity of all the cheers, chants, stunts, and routines causes your mind to race from one part of the routine to the next.  There is no room to make mistakes and everyone must give 100% or your performance will be forgettable. From synchronized movements, to the changing formations, and tumblers flipping continuously- cheerleaders need to have a sense of rhythm and spirit or the routine will be uninspiring.

            Cheerleading does not get the respect it deserves because we have the reputation of being “dumb blondes.” Just because there are many cheerleaders who could be characterized as ditzy or flakey does not mean cheerleading isn’t a sport or cheerleaders are not athletic. In fact, 62% of cheerleaders are involved in a second sport (Mom’s Team). Cheerleading shows just as much dedication and physical endurance as any other sport, and should to start to be recognized as one. It is important to remember who keeps the fans and the teams’ spirit alive, who is at every game, who is your number 1 fan- the cheerleaders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Boden, B.P., Tacchetti, R. and Mueller, F.O., Catastrophic cheerleading injuries.  Am J.                                                                                                                              

 

Sports Med., 31:881-888, Nov/Dec 2003.

 

Cheerleading- America’s Favorite Pasttime.2007. Cheer America. 27 April 2008.     

 

<http://www.cheerleading.cheeramerica.com>

 

Mom’s Team.2008.Mom’s Team Media, Inc. 27 April 2008.

                

<http://www.momsteam.com/alpha/features>

 

Nature vs. Nuture

Courtney Coyle

Mrs. Robinson

AP English 3

7/25/06

When you are an infant growing up in the environment of your family, you are influenced by their same habits, even at a very young age. You learn from your parents what is right and wrong, or what is good and bad. As we mature and grow we will make our own decisions, but we will usually base them on the foundation which we grew up. If your foundation is build upon unhealthy habits or morally wrong judgement, then you will continue to make the same unhealthy judgments. If you do grow up in an evironment where you are learning these bad habits are normal, you will not find anything wrong with your choices you make as you mature. Even if you are influenced in different directions by peers or others, you will still forever hold the memories of growing up in a morally wrong environment. I believe nuture has more to do with your behavior then the genes you have, “nature.” As I was reading this book, I caught myself thinking, “How could anyone do such a thing?”

Dick and Perry are two completely different people who caused one horrific tragedy. Perry grew up in a terrible household. First of all, dealing with the divorce of his parents and watching his mother turn into an alcoholic, as he continued the best he could all alone. Then  being mentally and physically abused while in an orphanage, where most people think you would be safe. Then moving around with his father, no education, and an unstable money supply. When Perry was growing up he was never taught why you do and don’t do things he just did whatever he pleased, usually getting away with anything. He was never taught to respect other people, he never knew anyone that actually befriended him, because everyone he got close to stabbed him in the back. Perry had a lot of built up anger and personal problems because of his childhood. He did not know how to deal with it, two of his other siblings committed sucide, while the one living refuses to see him and is in denial of the whole situation. The way Perry chose to release his anger was taking it out on the Clutters. He knew it was wrong but growing up in his disfunctional household caused him to become so angry and hostile. As Perry says,  ”And it wasn’t because of anything the Clutters did. They never hurt me. Like other people. Like people have all my life. Maybe it’s just the Clutters who had to pay for it (290).”  When he killed the Clutters he did not feel a thing because he had numbed his feelings and not allowed himself to feel love towards anyone. He had no life to go back to, nothing.

Dick had grown up in a nice household but had struggles for money. He was a smart, athlete who was married at a young age. He was not able to do what he wanted with his life because he did not have the money needed to go to college, then ran into more money problems as he got older. His first wife left him, and he kept getting into deeper and more serious problems. Dick had a lot of built up anger and resentment towards people with a lot of money, that is why he tried to steal from the Clutters. Dick did not kill the Clutters, possibly because he knew how much it would hurt his family, especially his mom. He still wanted to have a life after the crime where he could be happy and live satsified with the things he had.

Few people are able to emerge from a life filled with poverty, anger, and disfunction. It takes a very strong person to break the family cycle, and become a productive member in society. The years of break down in family stucture has proven to effect young peoples ability to reach their full potential. If Dick and Perry had a strong family constitution their life plan would have taken a much different direction, I believe. When hope and dreams are taken away from people they loose their purpose and value, leading to disstruction of self and others. It is unclear to me if Dick and Perry had hope and lost it, or never allowed themselves to think beyond their families obstactles in life.

Who is More of a Killer?

Courtney Coyle

Mrs. Robinson

AP English 3

7/24/07

The more I read, In Cold Blood, the more Dick and Perry became people I began to understand and empathize. Throughout the book, Capote frequently uses unique ways of giving us insight into their past and present lives. Getting to know the main characters so well allows us to see them as normal people, and not just as the awful murders they are. As we learned about the boys childhood, I found myself sympathizing with Perry.

Perry grew up in a disfunctional household, with parents who split up when he was a young boy. Then he had to move in with his alcoholic mother who never paid any attention to him. He was sent to live in an orphange for a few years where he was beaten and made fun of because of his bed wetting problems. When he moved in with his father things got better, but it was not the ideal condtions in which a young boy should be living. Smith never really had anyone he could honestly trust and go to, he was all alone.

 On the other hand, Dick lived with a good family. They were not wealthy but they worked hard for the money they did earn, and they lived happily.  Dick was “an outstanding athlete- always on the first team at school. Basketball! Baseball! Football! Dick was always the star player. A pretty good student, too, with A marks in several subjects…”(166).  I think the reason I sympthesize with Perry is because he had to do everything himself with no support or guidance in the right direction, and he never really had much going for him. Dick, on the other hand, chose to go down this path even though he had a wonderful oppurtunity to live a good life, he chose to do evil. In the end, I blamed Dick more for the murders than Perry, even though Perry was the actual killer of the four Clutters. I feel as though Perry felt he was no other choice, like he had no life to loose because he had a terrible life anyways. Although it by no means gives justice to this vicious act, it allows the reader to understand how this murder could occur.

Johnny Adds Depth

Courtney Coyle

Mrs. Robinson

AP English 3

7/24/07

                           Johnny Adds Depth

As I was reading, In Cold Blood, I was constantly meeting new characters. Capote does not just name a person then move on, he really goes in depth about their appearance, personality, and background. The secondary charcters add so much detail to the story making you feel as if you were actually meeting the character in real life. Capote uses many elaborate descriptions, which allows you to be really envolved with the book. The techniques Capote uses give the reader a chance to learn and understand the story on a higher level.

There were so many  secondary characters that stood out in my mind as being important such Mrs. Meier, the jail cook, or Mrs. Hicock, Dick’s mother. Although these characters played a significant role the secondary character who remained in the back of my mind throughout the whole novel was Johnny. Johnny was  “…a stocky, sharp-eyed, talkative towhead of about twelve…”(207). Johnny was forced to resort to hitchiking when the aunt he was living with lost all her money and property. Although he was not alone, he had to deal with the extra hardships of keeping his grandfather alive, because he  was very sickly and weak. Johnny was smart, as he was able to devise some clever little ways to get a few cents in his pocket. He  was completely unselfish as he allowed Dick and Perry to join in the hunt for cans when he could have had all the cans to himself. He takes on many responsibilities that even most adults would not be able to handle.  Even at a young age, Johnny was able to communicate politely with Dick and Perry as if they had been long term friends.  In some ways when Capote was describing Johnny it reminded me of the hardships Perry went through when he was a child. I think this is why Perry found so much sympathy with the young boy. Dick, did not know what it was like to live on the street and go through a hard time so he felt no problem dropping them off with nothing. Johnny was a young boy with many great qualites, but I can only wonder if he may end up a criminal like Dick and Perry.