Typical Cheerleader

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The Stereotypical Cheerleader
“That’s typical of a cheerleader.” “Cheerleading isn’t a sport, those airheads.” These phrases and many more have, more than once, been directed towards cheerleading as a sport and towards cheerleaders themselves. This stereotype is not only false but discriminating. Those who conform to this stereotype only need to be educated on the amount of hard work and athletic ability that it takes to be a part of this elite sport.
It takes coordination, flexibility and strength to be a cheerleader. It also includes more than just physical traits; it takes heart. You have to be dedicated, outgoing, and you also have to know how to work as a team. Many think that cheerleaders just dance and yell. It is more than that.
Cheerleaders are commonly known as airheads, dumb blondes, and preps. Actually some doctors, lawyers, dentists, and other professionals have been cheerleaders, for example, our president; George W. Bush was a cheerleader at Phillips Academy. Other famous cheerleaders who now live very predominant lives include Paula Abdul, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock and Katie Couric. Furthermore, I do not believe that any of those professionals have been referred to as “airheads” or “dumb blondes.” Being a cheerleader taught them many life lessons, one of the most important being: teamwork.
Cheerleading has also struggled with the fact that many think it is not a sport. What defines a sport? The Webster’s dictionary defines a sport as “an outdoor or athletic pastime; fun, diversion. An athlete is defined as, “one who engages in sports or other exercises, especially those requiring physical agility and strength.” Cheerleading requires physical agility and strength so therefore it is an athletic pastime consequently defining it as a sport. These facts are not debatable, however; cheerleaders will still fall under stereotypical skepticism.
Being a cheerleader for the...