Cheerleading, an Olympic Sport?
On Thursday, December 8th it was announced that cheerleading has officially been given a provisional acceptance into the Olympics by the International Olympic Committee. This means that the International Cheer Union will be given $25,000 a year for the next 3 years by the IOC. If during that time the IOC executives vote to completely recognize the sport then the ICU can petition to be included in the games. If the petition is approved then cheerleaders will have the opportunity to go for gold in future Olympics.
Nepean High School Cheerleading Team 1951
Whether or not cheerleading is a “real sport” has been a highly debated topic for years. This recent announcement has only added more fuel to a fiery argument. Ask any cheerleader you know and they will tell you that cheerleading is, without a doubt, a sport. But how can they prove that to the rest of the world?
Nepean High School Cheerleading Team 2015
How do you define sport? What is the definition of an athlete? The truth is, there isn’t a rule book anywhere that tells us what is and isn’t a sport, or who is or isn’t an athlete. According to the dictionary, a sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against others for entertainment. An athlete is a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise. So why doesn’t cheerleading fit that description?
There are around 4 million cheerleaders on the planet today, and the sport is still growing fast. Cheerleaders around the world dedicate countless hours and early mornings to practicing and building up muscular and agile bodies. They bond with teammates, risk injury, and compete internationally at competitions that have strict rules and regulations in place. There is no doubt that there is more to cheerleading than short skirts and pom-poms, but do they have what it takes to make it at the Olympics?
Members of the Nepean Cheer Team think so, but here in Ottawa cheerleading is not considered a sport by the OCDSB and therefore our own school team receives no funding. Sarah Tomkins, a returning member of the NHS cheer team says,
“It’s really important to recognize cheer as a sport because we want to be proud and perform our best, but the fact that we have so much doubt around us makes it difficult”. Many NHS cheerleaders agree, saying that the lack of respect and support they receive is discouraging and disappointing. For a school who prides themselves on being accepting, supportive, and spirited, where is our team spirit now?
How will our very own school board react to the Olympic Committee's choice to recognize cheerleading? Could this mean positive change and a bright future for our school team? Will this be the final blow in the battle for cheerleading’s acceptance into the world of sport? We’ll have to wait and see.
