The Cheer News

From an article in the THOnline.com by the AP.

High school cheerleading is a contact sport and therefore its participants cannot be sued for accidentally causing injuries, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

 

The National Cheer Safety Foundation said the decision is the first of its kind in the nation and a victory for Wisconsin cheerleaders who no longer will have to worry about getting sued. At the same time, the group’s executive director, Kimberly Archie, said the case underscores the need for stricter rules governing the sport.

Read the full article…

Here is a great article from Sandra Gonzalez with The Monitor that talks about a young mans fight against the stereo types of being a male cheerleader.

It’s a cruel double standard Edson Juarez has dealt with every day since he joined cheerleading.

Immediately, the guys he once hung out with started giving him the cold shoulder. On his way to class through the halls of Lincoln Middle School, he became a target. His classmates’ weapons were only words, but they cut deep and left wounds that haven’t completely healed, even five years later.

Even his father did not support him when he started.  It was so bad that he eventually quit and went into other sports. 

During his freshman year, he even took a place on the field instead of on the sidelines as a junior varsity football player.

But he was bored. After JV games he’d join the band, but look out to the cheerleaders with admiration and a hint of jealousy.

He did eventually get a second chance at cheerleading.  To find out what happened read the full article

More than 120 cheerleaders and 40 cheerleading coaches from several countries converged over the weekend at Universiti Malaya for Malaysia’s first ever cheerleading camp and coaches conference, CHEER JAM 2008, which began on December 11 with the camp segment. Top cheerleading experts from the International Cheer Union (ICU) and National Council for Spirit Safety and Education (NCSSE) were flown in to present to and teach participants from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Australia, Korea and Ukraine.

CHEER JAM 2008, which aims to improve the level of cheerleading in Malaysia and the world, was split into two segments:  a cheerleading camp (December 11 to 13), and a coaches conference (December 13 to 14). It was organized by the Cheerleading Association and Register of Malaysia (CHARM), the official national governing body for cheerleading in Malaysia (Beverly Hon, President), with TM as the official sponsor. The event was supported by Celebrity Fitness with 8TV as the official media partner. Commenting on TM’s involvement, Dato’ Zaini Diman, Vice President, Sales Selangor said: “Cheerleading promotes teamwork, discipline, innovation and creativity, which are good values espoused by Telekom Malaysia. 

CHEER JAM 2008 ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with NCSSEcertification courses offered from 6pm to 9pm daily. The camp was open to all ages and skill levels–from beginner right up to advanced level and cheerleaders who attended the camp for to learn a bit of everything–from core skills like jumps, tumbling, choreography, dance, stunting and pyramids to other skills like make-up, uniform design, first aid and team management. The coaches’ conference saw cheerleading coaches undergoing theory as well hands-on practical sessions, with the option to sit for cheerleading certification exams at the end of the day.

CHEER JAM 2008 also featured guest trainers from Celebrity Fitness and The Body Shop who conducted dance/gym and make-up classes respectively at the camp while designer Karl Ng from the Malaysian Official Designer’s Association (MODA) conducted the Uniform Design segment. “We are proud to have been a part of this historical moment in Malaysian cheerleading, and giving cheerleaders and coaches the rare chance to learn the cutting edge techniques from the industry’s finest, all under one roof,” said Anne Gorman, NCSSE State Director and chief instructor at CHEER JAM 2008.

You have noticed that The Cheer News has been down and not updated in a long time. I have apologize for this. I have had trouble with me hosting company. I have moved to a new hosting company and will be updating the site on a regular basis again.