Local Teens Compete in Cherleading Competition

According to dictionary.com, a sport is defined as an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often a competitive nature. This of course includes soccer, football, lacrosse, swimming, and gymnastics, but what about the activities that are rarely thought of as being a sport such as cheerleading? Some people view cheerleading as a cute activity that takes little to no effort to pull off and would not even begin to classify it as a sport, but after seeing what goes into it some may change that belief.

 

On January 14 ^th there was a cheerleading competition at Hereford High School were high school cheerleading squads from all over Baltimore County came together to display all of the hard work they put into perfecting their sport. Not only are these cheerleaders quick to defend cheerleading as a sport, but they will quickly tell you there is a lot that goes in to it. “We practice at least two hours a day every day” says Randallstown High School cheerleader Lindsey Nelson. Not only do they practice in school but Nelson says they also practice outside of school, exercise daily, and try to eat healthy in order to have a better performance. After all of the practicing in and out of school the cheerleaders get a chance to show off what they can do at cheerleading competitions.

 

Cheerleading competitions are events where cheerleading squads come together and compete against each other in front of judges who declare the winner. At competitions judges are not just looking at the creativity of routines, but they are also looking to see if the routines are safe, if cheerleaders are loud when chanting, and most of all what are the facial expressions being displayed pleasant. While dancing, chanting, and stunting it is important that cheerleaders smile at all times, because points can easily be taken off if this is not done. It is also important that cheerleaders follow the safety guidelines given to them by safety judges so they will not be seriously injured.

 

Safety is not the only challenge cheerleaders go through, but some cheerleaders aren’t treated a bit different. Most people are aware that females are not the only ones who cheer, but males as well; however, males face more hardships than females from peers and sometimes family members. However, some males like Pikesville cheerleader Brian Brickheag are not letting those comments hold them back, but using it as a reason to keep going. “I have to be there for my girls” states Brickheag and that’s exactly what he did at the competition at Hereford. From Pikesville to Randallstown all teams present put there best effort forward and gave their best performance. From the tumbling, to the stunting, and even the facial expressions all teams gave it their all and for two schools it paid off. The winner of the Junior Varsity half of the competition was Eastern Tech High School and the winner of the Varsity half was Hereford High School.