A reoccurring question that I have been asked is "Why do you commit all your time and efforts to being a cheerleader if your not considered an athlete?". This question has been raised in the minds of many people, and I am here to answer it. Cheerleaders are one of, if not the most toughest athletes that I can think of. It takes agility, flexibility, determination, persistence, and amazing strength to be a cheerleader. If that's not an athlete I don't know what is. Most people think that cheer could never be a sport because they think cheerleader are "glorified sex objects, that are there to smile, look, pretty, and entertain the men". I can't name one football player, basketball player, or any player for that matter that can completely shred their ACL and continue playing. Anyone can throw a ball into a hole or run with a ball in their hand but can those same people throw 150-200 pound object (person) into the air and catch it without dropping it. I think not. An article that I recently read touches on this subject. Read it and tell me what you think.

The link to the article is:http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=drehs/040316