The Merriam Webster’s Dictionary’s definition of a sport is “a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other,” yet there is still controversy as to whether or not cheerleading is a sport.

As a competitive cheerleader, the assumption that cheerleading is merely a way to pass the time, or to look adorable in a uniform, truly frustrates and offends me. Many athletes, as cheerleaders should properly be called, can testify to cheerleading following the guidelines Merriam Dictionary has set.

Many organizations sponsor cheer competitions throughout the year, such as the American Spirit Championship, and Jamfest. Athletes and coaches practice for hours on end for weeks and months preparing the perfect two minutes and thirty seconds to “wow” the panel of judges they will be facing.

Bases, backspots, and frontspots are in charge of picking up a team mate and holding them in the air while they smile, perform and stretch their bodies into shapes that have taken hours to accomplish. They throw girls in the air and catch them as the come gracefully falling back into awaiting arms. Flyer, the one’s being thrown around,  have to trust they will be caught because if they hit the mat, their  lives are on the line.

Stunting isn’t the only hard part, there’s also tumbling. A moment within a routine in which everyone shows off their hard earned and achieved skills. The audience sees grace and beauty, agility and height, what they don’t witness is all the times the athelete has “kissed the mat” during practice.

But wait, there’s more. Jumping high enough to pull their toes above their shoulders, and snap them back down in time to rebound and hit the jump again. Gorgeous jumps don’t appear over  night, cheerleaders are required to stretch until their muscles ache and tear, for something that is only in the air for a moment.

They get bruises, knots, scratches, stitches, concussions and every other kind of injury all other “sports” are capable of obtaining.  There are tears and blood shed, yet they continue to smile and cheer. They are athletes they partake in a sport. It’s time people acknowledged it.