Cheerleaders are reaching new heights with amazing tricks
and spins while being catapulted into the air and relying
on teammates to catch them. This can be very dangerous
because if a cheerleader is dropped or thrown the wrong way,
she can land on the ground causing bones to shatter or even
her neck to be broken. The more difficult the stunt, the more
points are earned in competitive cheering.
Half of all women’s injuries in college and high school
sports are from cheerleading, with an estimated 16,000
serious injuries per year.
Since cheerleaders are performing
riskier stunts, many of them are
landing in the hospital.
On the cheerleading team in a high school in Naperville,
Illinois, about one quarter of the girls were always out
due to injuries.
“My daughter was a ‘base’ who caught the ‘flyers’ for
certain stunts. She pulled her shoulder out of the socket
from catching a girl all the time. She had shin splints and
knee problems from the constant bouncing and jumping.
She had to go through a year of physical therapy,” said
Chris McCurdy, a mom of one of the Naperville cheerleaders.
McCurdy advises cheerleaders: “Stretch well before you
cheer. Don’t feel pressured to try dangerous stunts. If you’re
in pain, listen to your body and stop what you’re doing
immediately.”
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