Say it LOUD
say it proud

Cheerleaders' stunts, bruises show
sport's growing intensity

Sunday,
February 10, 2008

By
Rose Mary Reiz

[email-masked]
• 810.766.6332

Gimme an "O." Gimme a "U." Gimme a
"C." Gimme an "H."

Cheerleading is not for sissies,
and local participants have the strains, sprains - and occasionally worse -
to prove it.

"It's so annoying when
someone says, 'All you do is clap and yell,'" said Nicole Erickson, 17,
a varsity cheerleader at Swartz
Creek High
School. "They have no idea how demanding
it is. I usually have bruises and scratches all over my arms and legs."

Fellow squad member Nicole Wood,
18, landed wrong from a jump at cheer camp last year and severely sprained
her ankle.

"People underestimate how
athletic this is," she said. "Whenever someone tries to tell me
that it's not a sport, I tell them, 'I'd like to see you try to do it.'"

Cheerleading injuries made
headlines in recent years when reports cited a dramatic rise in injury rates
and stated that cheerleading accidents accounted for about half of deaths and
paralysis cases among female high school and college athletes.

Some say the numbers are
misleading. At Cheerleading.about.com, Jim Lord, executive director of the
American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors, makes the point
that statistics ignore the fact that, as a year-round activity, cheerleading
is bound to reflect more injuries when compared to sports with shorter
seasons.

Whether cheerleading injuries are
increasing or not, everyone agrees that the sport has changed. Cheerleaders
no longer simply stand on the sidelines and lead cheers. The emphasis is now
on gymnastics, athletics and acrobatic stunts.

Cheerleading teams, especially
those that compete, have repertoires that include hands-free flipping,
twisting, pyramids, tumbling, basket tosses (hurling a teammate in the air
and catching her when she falls), back flips and other risky maneuvers.

"Cheerleading is more intense
and more competitive than it used to be," said Paula Dewrock,
Swartz Creek's varsity cheer coach. "It is definitely now considered a
sport, and if you ask me or any other cheer coach, it's one of the hardest
sports around."

Cheerleaders are in constant
motion and, unlike many other team sports, have no second strings, helmets or
padding, Dewrock said.

The Swartz Creek team is in the
midst of a series of 11 scheduled Michigan High School Athletic Association
competitions that require a constant balance between safety and what Dewrock calls "the wow factor."

"You want to keep everyone
safe, but the crowds love the strong tumbling and flips, and the girls want
to do them, too," Dewrock said.

Both Nicole Wood and Nicole
Erickson said they wish their team could do more stunts and tumbling, but
admitted that some of the riskier maneuvers scare even them.

"It can really be dangerous
for the flyers (the girls who are thrown during stunts)," Nicole
Erickson said. "They'll get thrown up in the air and twist around twice
before they come back down. I think they're fearless.

"But being on the ground can
also be scary, because you're afraid a flyer will land wrong and end up on
top of you."

State rules, like the MHSAA policy
that restricts cheerleaders to two-tier pyramids, help cut down on injuries,
as do coaches who emphasize safety.

Dewrock makes sure her team warms up and
stretches before attempting stunts. The girls practice on mats and wear good
shoes. Spotters are always used to help ensure a jumper's safe landing, and
no one is allowed to attempt difficult stunts until she's mastered the
basics.

An emergency procedure is in place
should something go wrong, but hasn't often been needed.

"The most common injuries we
see are pulled muscles, strains and tendonitis," Dewrock
said. "Most injuries are flukes, and sometimes they have nothing to do
with cheerleading. I've had girls twist an ankle when they're just walking.
Last year, a few of them were out with mono."

The worst injury so far this year
happened to a seventh-grade cheerleader who broke her arm while doing a
gymnastics move.

"She'd mastered it but just
happened to twist her arm the wrong way, and now she's out for the
season," Dewrock said.

"Fortunately, that's been the
exception."