Cheerleading Stunts Gone Wrong

Cheerleading Stunts Gone Wrong Are Increasingly Common

According to a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, emergency room visits from participation in organized cheerleading has risen almost 50% over the last few years. However, participation in cheerleading has risen only 18%. This might lead some to believe that cheerleading is inherently dangerous. While there is some risk, more can be done to prevent injury.

However, the reality is that the data was only collected from emergency room visits. This means that the actual rate of cheerleading injuries is probably higher because some cheerleaders will be treated in their doctor’s office and others will be treated by a team’s trainer.

Statistics on Cheerleading Injuries Are Grim

Cheerleading has gone from sideline activity to major athletic sport in just a few decades. Statistics show that the number of injuries are rising disproportionately to the number of participants. In fact, a study in 2002 declared that cheerleaders sustained more serious injuries relating to paralysis or death than any other high school sport.

Many schools, wanting to avoid serious injuries to one of their students are no longer allowing cheerleading squads at the varsity level.

Is Cheerleading Too Dangerous?

Not necessarily. While injuries can be catastrophic, there are a few things that the numbers don’t tell accurately.

• Statistics don’t take into account the fact that cheerleading is a year round sport. If you looked at statistics that show injuries per month, you’d find that athletes engaged in football and/or hockey suffer more injuries and more emergency room visits on average.

• In the same year, several hundred thousand football players were sitting in the emergency room waiting to be treated for leg, ankle and foot injuries.

Furthermore, advocates would point out the importance and necessity of following safety procedures to minimize injuries. However, many feel that while parents realize there’s an inherent risk in football or hockey, they don’t recognize the same risk in cheerleading.

How to Avoid Cheerleading Stunts Gone Wrong

Obviously, one of the primary goals is safety. No one wants to see a squad member injured. At the very least, it’s embarrassing to flub a major stunt, but at the very worst, the consequences are catastrophic. However, there are steps you can take to ensure the safety of everyone on the squad. Risk is inherent in any sport, and there can still be an injury even while observing all of the safety guidelines. On the other hand, not following safety guidelines can have serious consequences for everyone involved.

Safety and Spotting

Before your squad ever attempts a stunt, the entire squad should feel comfortable with spotting. This means that flyers should know how to fall properly, and bases should know how to catch. It is instinctive to duck or get out of the way of flying objects, so the entire squad should practice fighting their instincts in order to catch the flyer.

In addition, you should always have an adult spotter. National competitions always have adult spotters in the background. Your coach and/or spotter should have first aid training and should be an experienced cheerleader.

More Safety Tips

Just a few more safety tips that will make cheerleading safer for the entire squad:

• Take off jewelry!
• Trim those nails. Cheerleaders should not have long finger nails that have the potential of scratching other teammates.
• Know your stunt. Watch a video of the stunt you’re attempting and then walk through it. It’s vitally important that every single member understands exactly what she is to do.
• It’s all about communication. The third (the person standing behind the stunts) should be the one calling the stunts and no one else should be talking during that time.
• Stay tight. Keep your elbows and shoulders in and muscles flexed.

Following these general guidelines will go a long way towards keeping everyone from flyers to bases safe during your stunts!

How to Make Cheerleading Safer

Cheerleading is often unregulated by state sports agencies. While they have regulations for safety in football, basketball and most other high school sports, they don’t have safety regulations for cheerleading. Consequently, many coaches are not properly trained on safety procedures and many squads don’t follow safety guidelines.

Once the NCAA began regulated cheerleading as a sport, teams followed suit with implementing safety procedures and mandating that cheerleaders be given physicals before participating, just like with any other sport.

Likewise, cheerleading safety organizations would like to see cheerleading regulated and for all squads and coaches to have proper safety training.