Cheerleading Rules and Regulations
Some people think of cheerleaders only as physically fit women and men dancing and cheering for their high school, college or professional team while engaging and rousing the fans. But cheerleading is a sport that has grown huge, especially since 1997 when ESPN began broadcasting cheerleading competitions. As the popularity, and more significantly the competition, of the sport grew so did the complexity and danger of the stunts and routines. Rules and regulations were put into place in order to protect the safety of the cheerleaders.
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History
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The first cheer ever documented was in 1898 when a University of Minnesota student started the crowd yelling "Rah, Rah, Rah! Sku-u-mar, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!" during a game. This led to yell-leading and then a cheerleading fraternity made up of only males. Finally, in 1923, females joined the ranks of cheerleading. In the 1960s, the NFL started using cheerleaders, but it was in the early 1970s that the scantily-clad, now famous Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, propelled cheerleading into the spotlight. In the 1980s, cheerleading expanded beyond just involvement with team sports. The all-star cheerleaders emerged--groups of cheerleaders that competed in competitions but were not associated with any schools or sports' leagues. The complexity of cheerleading increased from dancing to more gymnastics and acrobatics. And with this shift, injuries increased and safety became a concern.
Governing Board
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In order to increase the safety of cheerleading routines, the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors (AACCA) applied universal safety standards. Since 1988, the (AACCA) was recognized as the authority for the rules and regulations of youth, junior high school, high school, all star and college or university cheerleading. Rules are differentiated by high school, college or all-star cheerleaders.
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General Guidelines
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General guidelines include having a qualified coach, supervised practices, proper gymnastics training, spotting while practicing, conditioning and strength training for the cheerleaders, coach-approved stunts only and complicated moves practiced only on mats (no concrete or asphalt surfaces).
General Restrictions
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General restrictions include no "height increasing apparatus," such as a mini-trampoline during performances; the top person may not be caught in an upside-down position; jewelry is prohibited; athletic shoes must be worn; and tosses from human pyramids are only allowed on grass or a mat.
Specific Guidelines
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The regulations also include what is allowed for partner stunts, including the requirement of an additional spotter if twisting dismounts require more than a 360-degree rotation and certain one-arm stunts. Catches from splits are prohibited, as well as no rewinds, front flip or back flip dismounts from shoulder height or below to a cradle and dismounts that twist more than two rotations. There are also specific requirements concerning pyramids, tossing, tumbling and what is unacceptable in basketball and indoor courts. The list all of rules and regulations can be found on the AACCA website. See the Resources section for a link.
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