Cheerleading

By Victoria Calderon

Cheerleading has existed for over 100 years. But why do people do cheer? What do they gain from it? What are the benefits? Well, there are many benefits from cheer, such as confidence, leadership, and physical fitness.

There are many ways a cheerleader can gain confidence from cheer. Varsity Spirit states, “From performing for a crowd, to serving as ambassadors at community events, to working a skill over and over to get it right, cheerleaders build confidence and self-esteem that will carry them through life.” Performing in front of a crowd helps build confidence, as they gain a sense of accomplishment from this. Cheerleaders also

gain confidence from mastering skills, as it leads them to trust in themselves. Cheerleading helps build a cheerleader's self-image by showing them what they are capable of and what they can strive to do. Which leads to more confidence in what they're doing and who they are.

Another benefit is leadership, which can help later in life. Cheerleaders gain leadership skills that can help when working on a school project with others, or even at a cheerleader's future job. Leadership is an important skill to have, as it can help not only you, but everyone else too. Hybrid Cheer has said in Leadership Lessons for Cheerleading: Applying Skills Beyond the Mat, “By fostering passion, vision, effective communication, empathy, and accountability, cheerleaders can become inspiring leaders. Leadership not only benefits the team but also paves the way for personal growth and future opportunities.” Leadership from cheer can help communication skills, not only from calling the cheer, but also from giving constructive criticism. Leadership also helps with accountability by how your team counts on you to know your stuff and to be present, making you an example of who to be.

The last benefit is physical fitness. Physical fitness is important for living a long and healthy life. It not only benefits your own self-image, but also benefits your health. You gain physical fitness from all the different parts of cheerleading, like stunts, jumps, and ye,s even yelling. As stated by Joseph Lucero from Harvesting Strength, “When you yell, you engage your diaphragm muscles, which are responsible for breathing. By engaging these muscles, you can improve your breathing technique and increase oxygen delivery to

your muscles. This can help to improve your endurance and overall performance.” The smallest things from cheerleading help you gain physical fitness. Another quote from Varsity Spirit states, “Cheer involves a balance of cardio, resistance, flexibility, and endurance training.” From cheerleading, you gain more flexibility, which can help with muscle pain later in life. The balance of cardio helps with strengthening your muscles and helping with giving you more energy.

Cheerleading has existed for over 100 years. People do cheerleading cause its their passion. Although its their passion, they also gain benefits from it. They can gain confidence, leadership skills, and physical fitness. They can also gain so many more benefits from this sport. These benefits help later in life whether it be from being able to be confident in what you know, communication skills, or living a long and healthy life.

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