But last week, USA Gymnastics moved toward making competitive cheerleading a legitimate sport when it announced that it will sanction events involving collegiate competitive cheer teams.
The decision by the national governing body for gymnastics makes clear the differences between competitive cheerleading, which features stunting and scoring, and traditional sideline cheerleading.
USA Cheer also has plans for a new sport it calls Stunt. These are positive developments for thousands of local youths. In the Dayton area, there are at least 23 gyms training competitive cheerleaders, at least seven all-star clubs and many high school teams.
The NCAA and the Ohio High School Athletic Association do not recognize competitive cheerleading as a sport; the Greater Western Ohio Conference does.
“We have been giving them all-sports points for a couple of years,” said GWOC Commissioner Eric Spahr, noting the league has 18 competitive cheerleading teams. Jenny Snow, owner of Dayton Extreme Edge Cheer and Dance in Fairborn, said girls want to be competitive: “They don’t just want to be an accessory to a sport; they want to be the sport.”
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