From High School through to our major league sports, there is one aspect of sports that everyone can agree on. The pom-pom bouncing, back-flipping, pyramid building men and women who cheer our teams on from the sidelines.
While we often think of them as being nothing more than entertainment on the sidelines, cheerleaders serve a vital role, and the stunts they pull are demanding both mentally and physically. Cheerleading Safety Month comes each year to raise awareness that safety is vital to the health and performance of our team’s biggest supporters.
History of Cheerleading Safety Month
As the basketball season winds down to a close, Cheerleading tryout season often starts, and a bunch of intrepid new group comes to pick up the pom-pom and start down the demanding path of becoming a cheerleader. With the Administrators, Coaches, the Cheerleaders Parents, and Cheerleaders all working together, an education on how to perform at their very best while being safe in their efforts can be passed on and absorbed.
Cheerleading has been around for a long time, since the late 1800’s in fact, and believe it or not back then it was an all-male sport. From 1877-1923, it was the men that led the cheers, that helped to support their team, and in 1898 the idea of organized teams entered the scene. It wasn’t until 1923 that there women actually entered the field of cheerleading, and it took until 1940 for them to actually be recognized in things like student pamphlets and newspapers.
In 1987 the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches & Administrators was formed, and it wasn’t long after that that the important of safety education among Cheerleaders and those who trained them became obvious. This was the first seeds of National Cheerleading Safety Month coming to pass.
How To celebrate Cheerleading Safety Month
There are a number of great ways to celebrate Cheerleading Safety Month, starting with being an active advocate for safety in your local cheerleading squad. This is a special opportunity for parents and administrators, a chance to make certain that your children or team is observing all the necessary safety practices to ensure they have a great, and safe, time.
You can also make contact with the National Cheer Safety Foundation to register as an official Cheer Safety Ambassador with their organization. This allows you to report injuries in cheerleading, build an emergency plan, and generally be a great asset to your team, your children, and their safety.
s!
