The Dangers A Cheerleader's Parents Need to Watch For

Dear Parents: As parents you are the front line defense to making sure your child is safe. If your child is a cheerleader follow these guidelines. Cheerleading is the number one cause of catastrophic injury in young females. No one is helping you anymore. After your child gets injured the school district will turn their back on you. Your insurance company will try to get out of paying for extended rehabilitation services. And the politicians will vote for more tort deform. You are your chid's only hope.
Here watch this video.

Just How Dangerous Is Cheerleading? - July 24, 2009 – This is a short article not providing much analysis but the author did create a checklist for ways to make cheerleading safer for your child. The article makes mention of “fliers”, cheerleaders who because of being tossed in the air require smaller-lighter cheerleaders, normally girls, who suffer the greatest degree of injury. The safety preparation list included

• Ask whether the coach is certified by the US All Star Federation for Cheer & Dance Teams or the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA); find out of that certification is current. If your child’s school does not require certification, insist that they change their policy.
• Ask what governing board established the safety rules your child’s school uses. Look for rules developed by the AACCA or the All Star Federation.
• Ask if emergency medical response plans are in place. Make sure that the policy is to call 911 first in the event of an injury and call the parent second.
• Find out where practices take place. The space should be adequate in size, supplied with proper mats and equipment, and free from distractions.
• Ask your child if she ever feels pressured to attempt maneuvers she does not feel are safe, and whether mastery of one part of a maneuver is achieved before the next step is practiced.
• Find out what kind of warm-ups and strength training are included in the program.
  
  As parents you are the front line to making sure your child is safe. If your child is a cheerleader follow these guidelines. No one is helping you anymore. After your child gets injured the school district will turn their back on you. Your insurance company will try to get out of paying for extended rehabilitation services. And the politicians will vote for more tort deform. You are your chid's only hope.
  
  • How dangerous is cheerleading?
  • NCSF and NCSSE Team Up for Cheer Safety
  • NCSF & NCSSE Partner for a New Era in Cheer Safety
  • NCSF & NCSSE Partner for a New Era in Cheer Safety
  • 2009-2010 AACCA College Safety Rules
  • 2009-2010 AACCA High School Safety Rules
Also on our site we provide the guidelines for college and highschool cheer safety. Visit our cheer safety section on the Lombardi Law Firm.



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Cheerleading Safety and the Law of Cheerleading

Cheerleading Safety is an article written by Valerie Ninemire for About.com concerning what coaches and cheerleaders should do to prevent being injured while cheering. Here is what Valerie lists as the reasons cheerleaders get injured and then how to prevent such injuries.

Why Cheerleading Injuries Occur

·                  Lack of conditioning and not being physically prepared

·                  Untrained coaches, instructors or advisors

·                  Poor decision making by instructors or participants

·                  Risk taking attitudes

·                  Inadequate supervision

·                  Inadequate equipment (example: improper shoes)

·                  Non-cushioned surfaces

·                  Poor nutrition

·                  Attempting difficult stunts before being ready

What You Can do to Prevent Injuries

·                  Adhere to all rules and regulations

·                  Practice on mats or pads

·                  Wear well fitting shoes with proper cushion and support

·                  Have an emergency plan in place and practice it

·                  Require proper spotting

·                  Gradually progress to difficult stunts and skills

·                  Become educated and certified in safety, first aid and CPR

·                  Require and use the proper techniques

·                  Learn how to identify eating disorders

·                  Treat all injuries as soon as they happen

·                  Increase flexibility

·                  Strengthen lower back, abdomen and shoulders

·                  Gradually increase intensity of practice

She lists suggested readings and a list of interesting articles. The book Developing A Successful Cheerleading Program, by Pan Headridge and Nancy Garr looks like interesting reading and is available at Amazon.com as well as Barnes & Noble.com.  The book costs $12.54 and if it saves a life or prevents an injury that results in a life of misery, then it is well worth the price.  Coaches Choice if the publisher and it’s in paperback. The ISBN is 9781585188994.  Headridge also wrote 101 School Spirit Ideas. Cheerleading, by Inside Cheerleading Magazine is another resource for cheerleading programs to design their program around safety.

Coaching Cheerleading Successfully, Linda Rae Chappell is described as the definitive how-to book is sure to meet the needs of the growing number of cheer coaches, sponsors, and parents. Covering both support and competitive cheering, it explains cheer techniques and tactics, as well as how to plan and develop cheerleading programs. Through text and illustrations, you'll learn basic cheerleading skills - hand positions, arm and leg motions, and jumps; how to combine skills to develop the precision and timing required of a top squad; mounts and pyramids, from beginning to advanced; how to develop a coaching foundation and plans for the season; important safety guidelines from the National Federation of State High School Associations; and much, much more.

With states allowing the costs of mistakes to be shouldered by the cheerleaders and their parents it’s more important than ever that they have the right insurance and personal safety plan. Cheerleaders need to make decisions about those stunts they will and will not do. This reminds me of a summer during law school when I worked construction building grain storage facilities. My boss was a great guy I totally enjoyed the hard work. His name was Tell Coffey and he was tough but always fair. For months I worked the ground as a carpenter framing walls and ceiling panels. After all panels were poured the idea was to lift each panel off the ground and set it into place using a crane. Each panel weighed probably more than 1,000 pounds. The day they were to set panels he motioned me to stand on a panel that had been hooked up to the crane. As we rode up to the top of a couple of walls that had been set he motioned for me to get off and to stand on a 6” wide wall panel. I looked at him, and with a smile said, Tel, I’ve not worked this hard in my life to get killed or brain damaged. I wasn’t willing to risk my brain or life for a few dollars. I’d worked too hard to get into and through a year of law school and wasn’t willing to risk losing it all. You have to do the same with your personal cheer plan. Decide what you are willing to risk and just say no.

On this page I’m going to develop information devoted to keeping you safe and informed about developments in Cheerleading. It will cover high school and college or university cheerleading programs. If you find an interesting article send me the name, author and/or link. I’ll add as many as I can and link to those organizations that promote cheerleading and cheer safety. Let’s work together to keep you safe, happy and moving onto the next stage of your young lives.

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Library for Cheerleading Safety and the Law of Cheerleading:

• 2009-2010 AACCA High School Safety Rules   
  Description: Here you'll find the AACCA High School Safety Rules for the 2009 - 2010 school year. Join us for Safety First and save a cheerleader's life.
• 2009-2010 AACCA College Safety Rules   
  Description: The AACCA is the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators – more than 20,000 cheer coaches. The 2009 - 2010 Cheerleading Safety Rules for Collegs is provided here.
• NCSF & NCSSE Partner for a New Era in Cheer Safety   
  Description: The National Cheer
  Safety Foundation (NCSF) panel of experts teams up with the National Council for Spirit Safety and Education (NCSSE) to establish college-level safety courses for cheer coaches around the world. The new alliance brings together two powerhouses in cheer safety setting the stage to revolutionize cheerleading, signaling a dawning of a new era coined “safety first.”
• NCSF & NCSSE Partner for a New Era in Cheer Safety [PDF]   
  Description: The National Cheer Safety Foundation (NCSF) panel of experts teams up with the National Council for Spirit Safety and Education (NCSSE) to establish college-level safety courses for cheer coaches around the world. The new alliance brings together two powerhouses in cheer safety setting the stage to revolutionize cheerleading, signaling a dawning of a new era coined “safety first.”