Time published Will Competitive Cheerleading Become the Next NCAA-Sanctioned Sport?.
Now, before you jump to the conclusion that cheerleading in any form is not or could never be a sport, consider this: Can you toss someone your size in the air and catch her with ease? Can you tumble like a gymnast or balance gracefully (and with a smile) on one leg, 10-feet above ground? Do you train like a runner, but have the strength of a football player?
As Title IX celebrates its 40th Anniversary and counts its wins for women’s sports, a new sport is ready to join the ranks.
Memphis, Tenn., June 19, 2012 – Cheerleading, which predates Title IX by roughly 60 years, has long been an athletic outlet for women. Once primarily a men’s activity, female cheerleaders quickly took over the sidelines during World War II, and never left.
It’s a question as old as Title IX itself – Is Cheerleading A Sport? Every year, the physical abilities of cheerleaders are showcased on ESPN and CBS Sports, and now a new sport, STUNT, is vying for Emerging Sport Status from the NCAA. STUNT is about to launch its third season, with a roster that has averaged 22 teams in the last two years.
As a more athletic and challenging style of cheerleading developed, the need for a new form emerged, one that would allow the talented athletes of cheerleading to take their place among the top athletes in the country.
“STUNT has evolved out of a need to develop a format derived from traditional cheerleading that fulfills all requirements of Title IX,” says Bill Seely, Executive Director of USA Cheer, the governing body for cheerleading and the creator of STUNT. “It’s important to ensure a clear distinction between the various athletic disciplines of cheerleading and the roles they play. Traditional cheerleading provides such great value for the institutions they serve and we want to protect that, while at the same time continue to grow cheer’s newest sport, STUNT, which will provide more opportunities for young women and help institutions meet the criteria of Title IX.”
STUNT has been well received by pioneers of women’s sports, who applaud the efforts of USA Cheer to create more opportunities for female athletes to compete. “The Women’s Sports Foundation welcomes the new sport of STUNT into the women’s sports tent, along with other aesthetic sports like gymnastics, diving and some skiing and snowboarding events,” says Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Senior Director of Advocacy for the Women’s Sports Foundation.”STUNT is developing to ensure girls and women are being provided the same educational experience that boys receive, with comparable numbers of competitions, squad sizes, scholarships, and a standard competitive format.”
More information about USA Cheer and STUNT can be found at http://usacheer.net. If you have further questions, please contact Sheila Noone at 901-251-5959.
About the STUNT format
Each STUNT game will comprise four quarters in the following categories: Partner Stunts, Pyramids and Tosses, Group Jumps and Tumbling, and Team Performance. Within each quarter, teams will perform skill sequences of varying levels of difficulty, technical execution and synchronization. Anyone who follows sports will be able to follow STUNT. Teams compete simultaneously, and the head-to-head format simplifies the scoring process, allowing fans to track the results of the competition as each round is completed. Because of the new format, teams will have records and national rankings, which will determine their post season play, much like other sports. In addition, post season play can be tracked by the fans, much like “March Madness.” For more information on STUNT, visit http://usacheer.net.
About USA Cheer
The USA Federation for Sport Cheering is a not-for profit organization and is the national governing body for all disciplines of cheerleading. USA Cheer exists to serve the entire cheer community, including club cheering (All Star), traditional school based cheer programs and the new sport of STUNT. USA Cheer has three primary objectives: help grow and develop interest and participation in Cheer throughout the United States; promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; and represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions.
New Sport format recognized as a benefit for female collegiate athletes.
Memphis, Tenn. (January 10, 2011) – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is exploring STUNT, the new sport format developed from cheerleading, as an emerging varsity women’s sport.
USA Cheer, the governing body for cheerleading in the United States, created STUNT as a way to heighten the cheerleading experience for female athletes. In its first season, 22 college cheerleading teams participated in STUNT. The University of Louisville nabbed the title of first-ever STUNT Champions.
A new competitive team sport that was derived from traditional cheerleading, STUNT removes the crowd-leading and focuses on the technical and athletic components, which include partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, jumps and tumbling skills. Originally designed to be considered for NCAA Emerging Sport status, STUNT has resonated with college level athletes.
“We applaud USA Cheer’s efforts to create an exciting and challenging athletic option for female athletes,” says Jamie Adams, NAIA Sport Manager. “The NAIA has been exploring the STUNT format, and presenting it to our institutions as another viable option for them to consider when declaring varsity sports.. We know that with cheer’s popularity, STUNT will be a popular option for athletes.” Oklahoma City University of the NAIA will be competing in STUNT this spring to help introduce the new sport to other member institutions.
Bill Seely, Executive Director for USA Cheer agrees. “We recognize that that there are hundreds of thousands of female athletes considering their athletic options at the college level, and are confident that this format will be embraced. We are excited to work with the NAIA to ensure that STUNT is a successful option for their organization and, most importantly, with their athletes.”
For more information, contact Sheila Noone at 901-251-5959.
About the STUNT format
Each STUNT game will comprise four quarters in the following categories: Partner Stunts, Pyramids and Tosses, Group Jumps and Tumbling, and Team Performance. Within each quarter, teams will perform skill sequences of varying levels of difficulty, technical execution and synchronization. Anyone who follows sports will be able to follow STUNT. Teams compete simultaneously, and the head-to-head format simplifies the scoring process, allowing fans to track the results of the competition as each round is completed. Because of the new format, teams will have records and national rankings, which will determine their post season play, much like other sports. In addition, post season play can be tracked by the fans, much like “March Madness.” For more information on STUNT, visit http://usacheer.net.
About USA Cheer
The USA Federation for Sport Cheering is a not-for profit organization and is the national governing body for all disciplines of cheerleading. USA Cheer exists to serve the entire cheer community, including club cheering (All Star), traditional school based cheer programs and the new sport of STUNT. USA Cheer has three primary objectives: help grow and develop interest and participation in Cheer throughout the United States; promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; and represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions.
About the NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is the governing body for athletics programs at colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. The long-held mission is to advance character-driven intercollegiate athletics while promoting the education and development of well-rounded students and productive citizens through sport participation. The association offers equitable access and opportunities to more than 60,000 student-athletes for the chance to compete in its 23 national championship events held annually throughout the country.
Today, the NAIA strengthens its commitment to student-athletes and strives to enrich their college experience by supporting academic achievement and character development. NAIA Champions of Character is the association’s innovative flagship program designed to instill character values in student-athletes, coaches and youth in the communities it serves. To learn more visit www.NAIA.org.
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Exploring Stunt
Sportspress Northwest published Infighting Complicates Cheerleading’s Future Status.
Traditional cheerleading is alive and well – replete with hair ribbons, high kicks and pom poms – but a new version of the activity threatens the conventional definition of “sport.”
Memphis, Tenn., (June 1, 2011) – The College STUNT Association, under the leadership of USA Cheer, has announced their All Americans for their inaugural STUNT season. All Americans were chosen by a committee of coaches from various regions along with two STUNT officials.
A new competitive team sport that has derived from traditional cheerleading, STUNT removes the crowd-leading and focuses on the technical and athletic components of cheer, which include the partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, jumps and tumbling skills. STUNT has been designed with the goal of being considered for NCAA Emerging Sport status and to ultimately satisfy Title IX’s requirements for intercollegiate sport.
Coaches from the 22 teams that participated in the first season of STUNT were invited to nominate two athletes from their teams to be All Americans. Nominees for All Americans needed to exhibit superior skills and techniques as well as good game sense and knowledge of STUNT, and be in good academic standing. They also needed to have participated in at least half of the games or tournaments for at least 50 percent of the routine.
“We were extremely impressed with the athleticism of these first ever STUNT All Americans,” says Bill Seely, Executive Director of USA Cheer. “They played a major role in the success of their teams and presented our new sport with dignity and grace.”
Twenty All Americans were chosen for the 2011 season of STUNT, along with eight Honorable Mentions. More information can be found on http://collegestunt.org.
2010-11 STUNT All-American Team
2010-11 STUNT All-American Team Honorable Mentions
About STUNT
A total of 22 teams participated in the inaugural season of STUNT this year and plans are already underway for the 2012 season. The STUNT season began in January 2011, and culminated with the National Championship in Daytona Beach following the NCA Collegiate Cheerleading Championship. Additional teams that participated in games this season include Methodist University, Adams State College, California Baptist University, University of Central Oklahoma, Morehead State University, Oklahoma State University, Sam Houston State University, San Diego State University, Slippery Rock University, Stonehill College, Temple University, Texas A & M University, University of Georgia, University of Florida, University of North Carolina and West Virginia University.
About the Format
STUNT follows a game format with four quarters, including a short half time. These quarters include Partner Stunts, Group Jumps & Tumbling, Pyramids & Tosses, and Team Performance. Players wear uniforms that identify them by number. Within each quarter, teams perform skill sequences of varying levels of difficulty, technical execution and synchronization. The fourth quarter is the “Team Performance” which allows teams to incorporate their entire team’s arsenal into a choreographed routine. Two to six teams compete simultaneously in head-to-head competition.
Cheerleaders, coaches, and parents can visit http://collegestunt.org to learn more about STUNT, the College STUNT Association and its initiatives.
About USA Cheer
The USA Federation for Sport Cheering is a not-for profit organization and is the national governing body for all disciplines of cheerleading. USA Cheer exists to serve the entire cheer community, including club cheering (All Star), traditional school based cheer programs and the new sport of “STUNT.” USA Cheer has three primary objectives: help grow and develop interest and participation in Cheer throughout the United States; promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; and represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions.
For more information, contact Sheila Noone at 901-251-5959.
The College Stunt Association Announces Inaugural All Americans