Q & A with Mr. Jim Lord

Jim Lord, was a former cheerleader in college for Kentucky, and now works for the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA). The AACCA is a non-profit educational association which provides safety certification and training for coaches. The website provides an entire page dedicated to “Cheerleading as a Sport”.

I recently interviewed Lord on his thoughts about “Cheerleading as a Sport”.

Q: What is the definition of a sport, for other people?

A: People believe the meaning of the word sport is when you are competing against another person or another team. On the topic of cheerleading, then competition teams would be considered a sport. But as far as cheering on the sidelines and leading the crowd in timeout entertainment for your school then that is not considered a sport because there is no competition. Although cheerleading is better than the term sport because it is athletic, you represent your school as leaders, and sometimes cheerleaders are more recognized on campus than the average athlete.

Q: Do you feel that cheerleading is a sport?

A: Not necessarily, because the term sport means different things to different people. To cheerleaders and coaches we’re athletes and cheerleading is extremely athletic. The physical demands of cheerleading are sometimes more demanding than some other sports. So in that respect cheerleading is a sport because they work just as hard and want the same recognition as all of the other athletic teams.

Q: What are the components of cheerleading, in order to consider it a sport?

A: Whether or not if the team is competing will decide if they are considered a sport or not. In just two minutes and thirty seconds, your routine has to showcase everything you have from stunts, to tumbling, to jumps and dancing. A cheerleader’s practice schedule is rigorous and demanding mentally as well as physically with the risk of possible injury at any time if one person is not focused.

Q: How has cheerleading changed through the years to make it considered more a sport?

A: There has been an increase in non-school cheerleading programs. Competition teams are attending more competitions and the competitive side focuses on athleticism, limited time, limited space, and restrictions for different teams on the mat. The purpose of a competition is to show case what they can do with the use of an entire mat for two minutes and thirty seconds.

Q: All athletes are required to train, what types of training are cheerleader’s mainly required to do?

A: In college cheerleading there is a lot of physical training involved. Cheerleader’s are required to train and lift in the weight room a couple times a week as well as attend practices. At practice cheerleader’s are require to stretch before practice as their warm up for stunts, jumps, and tumbling. And sometimes at the end of practice there is conditioning to help them build muscle and endurance even though they are tires. At practice the physical demands are high in order to prepare for games and competitions.

Q: On your website there is an entire page dedicated to “Cheerleading as a Sport”, what did you want to accomplish from this?

A: It was brought to our attention that cheerleaders really had no idea what the term sport meant, so we hoped that this would help to show what they were looking for. The term “sport” from a state standpoint does not give a cheerleading team everything they want. It gives you restrictions on when you can and can not practice, where you can go to compete, and there are even transfer rules for students who are transferring in and wish to be eligible to cheer. Cheerleaders should make sure they are doing their job first and not be so concerned with the term sport.

Q: Why do you feel it is important to defend cheerleading as a sport?

A: This question is easy on the surface, specifically regarded to title 9. Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Cheerleaders want recognition, support, and they want people to realize how hard it is to do what we do. Cheerleading takes hard work, dedication, and there are always safety concerns so you have to be alert at all times. The “sport” issue goes away if recognition is shown and support is given, the team has the same type of access to facilities as other athletes, they have experienced coaches, and they are given financial support. Cheerleader’s give the same amount of time and effort as other athletes do on scholarship.

Q: Do you feel that cheerleading has become more respected throughout the years?

A: Yes and no. More and more people are recognizing the athletic ability needed in order to participate in cheerleading. But there will always be people who see cheerleading as the stereotypes. This is helped by the media who portrays this in movies and television shows. It also can come down to what you knew growing up in high school. If you were or were not friends with people on the cheerleading team you then transfer that idea to every other cheerleader you come across.

For more information visit www.aacca.org or call 1-800-533-6583.