W-I-N for cheerleaders
UIL recognizes Texas group as athletes
Cheerleading is more than smiling faces lifting up spirits of the home team, and next school year, the University Interscholastic League will recognize them as competitive athletes for the first time.
“I think this will be wonderful because they are athletes,” said Nancy Tullos, a retired cheer coach and teacher of 43 years who spent most of that time at Texas High School. “For so long, cheerleading was thought as cute little girls out there looking cute for the crowds, and at that time, they were not athletic like they are now. You have to be athletic to be a cheerleader. There are so many stunts and acrobatics. I have
seen it go from one (extreme) to the other. It is amazing what they can do now.”
The UIL Legislative Council voted in June 2013 to require cheerleading participants to comply with rules related to the treatment and oversight of concussions and rules requiring coaches or sponsors to undergo safety training specific to cheerleading, according to Kate Hector, media coordinator of the University Interscholastic League. In June 2014, the Legislative Council voted to create a Game Day Cheer Competition as a pilot program. The proposal to add cheerleading as a UIL activity went through the UIL rule-making process.
Those who have been cheerleading for years said they are thrilled with the news.
“For me, I see this is a really big step up, like an upgrade, because at our school, we cheer at every game, we attend every sport, and now it feels like they are seeing us as a sport and recognizing us as a sport,” said Jasmine Bruce, who is on the varsity squad at Pleasant Grove High School. “I really hope this makes them see us as another sport instead of just another cheerleading squad. It takes more than jumps, yelling and spirit. It takes a lot of skill and flexibility to lift 130-pound girls in the air. You can’t be weak and be a cheerleader.”
Details about the place and date of the contest are still being finalized, as are judging criteria and the number of schools that will participate. This is only a pilot contest for UIL member high schools, Hector said.
Despite not knowing all the details, the news is welcome to Susan Waldrop, a cheer sponsor at THS. Waldrop said for years the squad has been subject to other UIL rules such as no pass, no play, and it is great to have these girls be acknowledged as the athletes have always been. Waldrop and her daughter Courtney Waldrop both teach at the school and sponsor the cheerleaders, along with Emily Munn.
“Just the terminology of UIL gives you more clout,” Susan Waldrop said. “There are higher standards, and everything in the competition is elevated. And UIL competitions are usually covered in the district costs, while budgets set aside for extracurricular competitions are through a different account. These accounts are filled with the kids doing fundraisers or the parents just paying. Competitions are very expensive, and it makes a big difference in Austin if you can get a school rate for a UIL sport. That’s a huge benefit.”
Aside from the rigorous competition expected of cheerleaders, they also are asked to undertake a large number of volunteer hours. Susan Waldrop said the cheerleaders at Texas High get 200 to 500 hours of volunteer work per squad, and this helps them transition more easily when it comes to managing course load and extracurricular activities in high school and beyond.
Denise Brown-Webb, who sponsors cheerleaders at Liberty-Eylau High School, said the competition will give girls more of a chance to showcase their competitive talents.
“For us, at games and pep rallies, it is mainly about school spirit and cheering on the team and not about showcasing our talents,” Brown-Webb said. “If we had local competitions, it would be easier for them to see.”
Another exciting aspect of competition is the thought of being recognized in a way the football players they cheer on are recognized, said Jade Carrell, a 10th-grader at Liberty Eylau.
“I’m really excited about it because we finally get to be recognized as athletes, and when we get to go to state, maybe we could win a state ring. That would be cool,” Carrell said.
Shera Hopkins, who sponsors cheerleaders at PGHS, said she is happy the talents of the girls are finally being showcased.
“This is so good for the girls, because they are always used to cheering for everyone else, and this is for them,” she said.
Susan Waldrop said she is amazed at how the range of cheerleading has changed since she cheered at Texas High. And this historic inclusion in the UIL is just one part of it.
“When I was in school, if you could do a cartwheel and acted nice, you could be a cheerleader,” she said. “It’s a completely different ballgame now.”