Cheerleading Accidents
Are Cheerleading Accidents Really That Common?
Cheerleading accidents - two words we usually don't associate with one another. This is common in some places, especially smaller high schools, where cheerleading still consists mainly of pompom waving and leading fight songs and cheers. In fact for many years, the primary purpose of cheerleading was to get the crowd into the game. It probably still is, but in many instances cheerleading has turned into an entertainment act as well.
There's nothing wrong with entertaining the crowd, and one can only marvel at the athleticism shown by many of today's cheerleaders. Cheerleading isn't classified as a sport, but there are cheerleading competitions, and cheerleaders not only often have to display great individual athletic skills, but work smoothly with their teammates as well.
One thing that is happening is the increase in the number of athletically difficult routines being observed, notably high pyramids, leaps and tosses. With that has come an increase in the number of serious injuries, not to mention a great increase in the number of sprains, bumps, and bruises. The pompom waving, jump-up-and-down cheerleader of yesteryear seldom had a broken neck, back, or spleen to have to deal with. Some statistics cite cheerleading as being every bit as dangerous as football.
No Safer Than Football? - Statistics it has been said, can be twisted and tortured to tell you anything you want them to. This is often the case with statistics that are intended to alarm. Football still produces more serious injuries than cheerleading, but catastrophic accidents, the kind that can lead to paralysis, lifelong disabilities, or death, are still quite high in cheerleading, which in many cases should be considered a sport rather than an activity.
Most cheerleading accidents though, consist of strains and sprains to the arms and legs. Sprained ankles and twisted knees are the most common. The more serious cheerleading accidents occur due to a lack of proper training or supervision, something going wrong in a routine, or simply kids trying to do something they don't really know how to do all that well. In many sports, one of the first things an athlete learns to do is how to fall. A cheerleader who doesn't know how to do this is probably going to eventually suffer an injury, hopefully involving and arm or a leg, and not the head.
This Isn't The Chess Club - Such a lack of adequate training or supervision is in part due to the fact that in most institutions, cheerleading is still considered an activity, and not a sport. While coaches may be hired, in many cases, especially in high schools, they may be well intentioned volunteers. Practices and procedures related to safety aren't always implemented, because safety sometimes isn't even considered something to be concerned about. Kids being kids, they will often try things they shouldn't try, simply because there are no rules or standards telling them what they can do and what they should not.
Get To Know The Instructor - In the world of women's high school and collegiate sports, cheerleading has taken the lead as far as the number of injuries occurring, on a per capita basis. When someone is thrown 25 feet and isn't caught, or doesn't land quite right, one can see why this is the case. If you have a child in school who is turning out for the cheerleading squad, and the squad has a reputation of death-defying acts, better check to see who is in charge, and what that person's back ground is in terms of the ability to work with young athletes. It would also be worthwhile to know what routines your daughter (or son) would be expected to perform, recognizing that some routines, such as those consisting of high pyramids, are being outlawed in more and more schools.