 a subjective score sheet. That’s a completely different activity.”
There is still plenty of time for the wording and definition of CIF cheerleading to be changed or altered, but at the moment it stands as a new creation.
But uncertainly aside, the news brings positives, particularly cheerleading gaining more attention.
“Ultimately I’m very excited that attention is being brought to the sport,” says David Kirschner, founder of the California High School Cheer and Dance Association (CHSCDA). “The hope that this bill or another bill help increase the opportunity for coaches and athletes to be put in a safer environment.”
“The biggest push for us is safety for our cheerleaders. Proper training and such,” says Hysen. “That’s what we would love to see happening.”
Safety is obviously a big issues in all sports, but it generates a lot of headlines with cheerleading. A 2012 report by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 65 percent of all direct catastrophic injuries in females at the high school level and 70.8 percent at the college level came from cheerleading between 1982 and 2009. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission from 1994 to 2004 the number of emergency room visits due to cheerleading injuries increased to more than 28,000 from 16,000.
Part of that stems from lack of proper equipment, i.e. mats and the lack of certified coaches across the sport. More attention can help lead to improvements in both aspects to make for a safer product.
The next two years will be a very interesting journey for cheerleading. Will it gain Title IX compliance? Will Bill 949’s definition of cheerleading change?
While those answers are unknown, one thing is clear. The debate will carry on.