A lot of people think cheerleading isn’t a sport, and that all you do is put a pony tail on top of your head and wear short skirts and yell at the top of your lungs. Competitive cheer is a whole other level. In football if you sprain your leg you get to go home or sit out, in a cheer competition you have to go on. Cheerleading takes skill, you need to either tumble, base, or fly. When I say tumble I mean back hand springs, back tucks, and full out twist not just cart wheels and summer salts. Basing in cheer requires strength; you’re lifting and throwing girls into the air or into “Extensions” and “Preps,” and catching them. A Flier needs trust and a core to be thrown into the air or thrown into preps and extensions, libs, scorpions, needles, and much more! You also need flexibility; the splits, toe touches, herkies, and pikes. Just like in football and basketball, cheerleaders strive to be the best and work hard just like they do in other sports. Why isn’t cheerleading a sport? We cheerleaders ask the same question. The Dictionary definition for sport is “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.” {Which I believe cheerleading compares to}We dance and we have gymnastics, we stunt, jump and kick. I hope one day cheerleading will become as great as a sport as football and basketball, and people will recognize what hard work competitive cheer actually is.