Does cheerleading cause serious long-term injuries? Lauren Wilder

Overview  Essential Question: Does cheerleading cause serious long term injuries?  Conclusion: Cheerleading can result in various long-term injuries but the risk of athletes getting injured participating in this sport is less than that of other sports.

Why I chose my Topic  I participated in cheerleading for a short period of time.  I was interested in learning more about the injury risks involved in cheerleading.

Jessica Smith  Eighteen year old Jessica Smith broke her neck in two different places as a result of a cheerleading mishap.  Smith was practicing a new stunt with teammates when she fell from a height of about fifteen feet, landing directly on her head.

Increase in Injuries  A rapid increase in cheerleading related injuries could be the result of recent changes in cheerleading.  It is important that cheerleaders and their coaches are trained in the skills they are executing.  Other causes of injuries could be lack of condition, risk-taking attitudes, poor nutrition, and inadequate equipment.

Research: Fred Mueller  Dr. Mueller believes devastating injuries will continue to occur if the difficulty of cheerleading continues to increase.  Dr. Mueller makes suggestions to cheerleading coaches and directors.

Research: Boden  The majority of injuries involved females opposed to men and occurred during pyramid formations and basket tosses.  The result of Dr. Boden’s study was that the rate of injury for colleges cheerleaders as opposed to high school cheerleaders was five times higher.

Comparison with Other Sports  The executive director of the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators, Jim Lord, voices his opinion.  Susan Loomis, the cheerleading director of the National Federation of State High School Association confirms that cheerleading has become safer.

Making Connection  The main focus of both my research paper and my product is the analysis of cheerleading related injuries and different ways of avoiding them.

My Product – Trifold

Self Reflection  Completing this project helped me learn that I am a very hands-on learner and that I do not have a future in coaching cheerleading.  The graduation project has prepared me for future job interviews and taught me how to successfully organize and present a project of this magnitude.

Thank you for your time! Do you have any question?