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Zaida Martinez Ruiz

Mrs. DeBock
22 September 2016
English 4
Essential Question: Why is cheerleading not considered a sport?
Working Thesis: Cheerleading meets accepted criteria for being a sport.
Refined Thesis: Cheerleading is transforming from being a school club to a sport because of
increasing popularity of athletes, USASF cheer regulations, and the study of physical ability.

Annotated Bibliography
"Cheerleading a Sport? You'll Know It When You See It."
Morning Edition 28 July 2010.
Opposing Viewpoints

in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.

Many physical abilities can qualify a person as an athlete.. Then, if you are competing
against someone else, it is a sport. Cheerleading can be very vigorous activity and even
dangerous at times because of all the injuries the athletes can get from a bad fall, accident, body
position, or bad landing. However, there is a particular form of cheerleading distinguished by
halter tops and pompoms, which is simply a cheer squad and can be titillated that its not a sport.
The more women who go to college, forming a greater majority of college students, the more
womens sport we must have, and that is hard for a lot of male athletic officials to deal with. All
of more reasons, to certify cheerleading. This passage was an interview that will help me prove
that cheerleading does meet the requirements needed to be a sport.
Connolly, Kenny. "Some Coaches Wary about Cheer Becoming a Sport." Orange County

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Register, The (Santa Ana, CA) 13 Oct. 2015: Points of View Reference Center. Web. 21
Sept. 2016.
Cheerleading has become wildly popular sport that has been growing more throughout
the years. However, some cheer coaches wary about the consequences that the program of
cheerleading will have if it turns into a sport. Cheer coaches say that the sport can be hit harder
by the rules because the sport policies limit the amount of hours an athlete can play and practice
during a week. Several coordinators of the cheer industry already do everything they can to make
the sport safe. Many schools will require cheer coaches to be certified like every coach on
campus. The debate is still present to whether the new law is or is not good for cheerleading.
This information will help me demonstrate the thoughts that coaches have on becoming a sport
and what they believe will be the consequences for becoming one.

"Craig Cheerleading
Team Welcomes Special Needs Students." Janesville Gazette[Janesville,
WI] 7 May 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.
Cheerleading team welcomes special needs students to participate in a limited number of
practices and performances at games and competition routines. Lehron adopted the idea of
inviting special needs students on to the squad. Also, special teams are created for any special
needs athlete who wants to perform at cheer competitions, they will be given a routine with
music. The teams will have help from athletes on other teams to complete the team and help
them finish the routine. This is a good example on how cheerleading can use their sport to also
give an opportunity to the special needs athletes for them to be physically and mentally active.

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De Alba, Miriam Lopez Hernandez. Cheerleading : Technique-Training-Show. Maidenhead,

UK:
Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2009. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
Cheerleading was first practiced in ancient Greece, where they encouraged and supported
their sporting games with cheerleaders. In the 19th century, men were the first to attempt
cheerleading in America at the college of Minnesota by wanting to support and motivate their
football team. The student Campbell stood up in his seat and began cheering various cheers
which inspired male students to stand on the edge of the field and organize the cheerings for the
football games. Women did not get involved in cheerleading until 20th century and changed the
nature of cheerleading. Gymnastics, dance, tumbling, and acrobatic elements were introduced to
the program of cheerleading. USASF began laying down rules to protect cheerleaders and before
it was officially presented to high schools as a club. Since 1978, annual Cheerleading
Championships started to take place with trained judges and selected jury chosen to best suit the
team. This article is relevant to my research because it will help me explain how cheerleading
first began and how it transformed throughout the years.

Siegel, Jon. "Schools Support Cheerleaders as Athletes." Girls and Sports. Ed. Karen Miller.
Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. "No Longer on the Sidelines." Washington Times 16
Feb. 2005. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
The University of Maryland supports their cheerleaders as athletes. The competitive
cheerleaders only compete at cheerleading meets and do not cheer at games. The varsity

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cheerleaders at the university perform pyramids, routines, flip and tumble and tirelessly practice
for hours. The cheerleaders who perform on the sidelines at Maryland football and basketball
games are known as the spirit squad. The University really focuses on separating both All star
competitive cheerleading and the spirit cheer squad. This article focuses on how in the
University of Maryland focuses on supporting athletes in fighting to prove that cheerleading
should be considered a sport. I will be able to use this information as an example on how there is
already organizations, schools, and programs who have put an effort on helping the competitive
and spirit cheer teams to legitimize the sport of cheerleading.

"Youth Cheerleading Camp Teaches Teamwork and Confidence." Victoria Advocate [Victoria,
TX] 23 July 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.
Youth cheerleading camp teaches teamwork and confidence. As cheerleading
competition gets closer to the competition season, most cheer teams attend cheer camp where
they are taught to do higher level skills and to better their tumbling technique. During a
three-day camp, campers will be divided into four age groups with about five cheerleaders
assisting in teaching basic tumbling, stunting, jumps and choreography. The camps act like a
fundraiser for the cheerleading program to save up money for the competitions expenses. The
camps teaches the athletes teamwork and confidence because they are participating and learning
new skills. The article explains the deeper meaning to what cheerleading consists of and what
skills the athletes get to learn.