Cheerleading continues to grow as a sport

Cheerleading

continues to grow as a sport

Amid the stench

of sore muscle creams, local youths are emerging from locker rooms all

over the country with the hope of earning a spot on their school cheerleading

squads. The scene being played out in these gyms has changed dramatically

over the years as the transformation of cheerleading has turned the long

debated sport-or-not question into a multi-million dollar business.

The former

after-school activity, that was often deemed nothing more than a popularity

contest, is now not only an industry in and of itself, but a very lucrative

industry, boasting major television coverage, sponsoring factions, clothing

lines, and countless web sites and publications with subscriptions in

the millions. Dating the quarterback won't guarantee your spot on the

squad any longer, but landing a full-twisting back layout might. And if

your school squad doesn't have room for you, there are now more than 600

gyms nationwide offering cheerleading training and a competition circuit

all their own.

There's room

on these squads for only the most gifted, most determined and most committed

of athletes and it's not limited to girls either. Due to the element of

competition cheerleading called stunting, young men are sought after like

hot dogs on game day and hair spray on prom night. Stunting involves one-on-one

or groups of cheerleaders hoisting each other into the air to perform

a variety of acrobatic moves often requiring the "flyer" to

pull themselves into contortionistic positions over the heads of their

"bases."

Once the move

is completed, the flyer is then thrown into the air to soar, flip, twist

and land, ideally, in the arms of their bases below. The sheer strength

required of stunters makes male cheerleaders hot commodities.

Sport or not?

Practice sessions will leave the new-comer breathless and are best described

as grueling. They are so intense, in fact, that many squads are credited

with practicing longer and harder than most football and basketball teams.

Competition cheerleading has become a sport of its own and is producing

the best, most competitive teams performing the most elaborate and most

challenging routines in front of thousands of adoring fans, mostly parents

as dedicated to the sport as their children.

If you still

question the athletic abilities of these youngsters, consider this: this

national past-time has gained such popularity that many colleges and universities

now offer scholarships for those most elite who "cheer" above

the rest.

Georgia is

right smack in the middle of this transformation. Middle and high school

squads aside, Georgia now has, roughly, 40 gyms coaching more than 200

All-Star teams. Georgia teams rank among the best in the country with

several gyms having earned multi-national titles and the bragging rights

that go along with the awards.

Arguably the

most elite of all Georgia teams at the moment are the Georgia All Stars,

located in Kennesaw. Since the gym opened in 1991, the Georgia All Star

teams have earned many local, state, regional and national titles. Georgia

All Stars has 250 athletes on nine competition teams, ranging in age from

6 to 18.

The "rookie"

gym on the rise, currently posing a substantial threat to its competitors,

is located in Fayette County. TUCS Cheer Lab opened its doors a little

more than one year ago with approximately 100 athletes and three competition

teams and has witnessed amazing growth, confirming the current obsession

with this sport. At their awards dinner this past March, they celebrated

a very successful competition season and the fact that more than 300 athletes

now train at TUCS. This year, more than 130 athletes showed up for tryouts

and the original three teams have been expanded to five. Not bad percentages

for a business in its first year.

What's their

secret? Those who train at TUCS credit the fact that they offer three

national level coaches and a roster full of well-known college cheerleading

and gymnastic coaches. TUCS Booster Club President Karol Jones, whose

three daughters age 13, 10 and 7 all cheer on TUCS competition teams,

says "Coaching is the key. TUCS coaches Lance Stella, his wife Katie

Stella and Barry Garner are all very well-known throughout the cheerleading

industry and there are many who have followed them to Fayette County.

It's just like any other sport really, parents want the best coaching

for their children and are willing to travel many miles a week in order

to get it."

The pros and

cons will be weighed forever. The debate of sport or not will rage on.

These kids don't care about any of that. They are too busy building lasting

friendships, working toward a goal and learning the true meaning of dedication

and teamwork. Hip-Hip-Hooray!

Back

to the Top of the Page