Cheerleading Safety - Stay Safe While Cheerleading

Cheerleading has gone from an eye-candy sport for football players and sports jocks to an all out gymnastic type routine. Cheerleaders are now asked to perform highflying stunts that reach heights nearing twenty feet…sometimes more! With cheerleading injuries accounting for 55 to 65 percent of sports related injuries, safety is a concern for parents and spectators alike. Below are some tips you may find helpful when it comes to the safety of our cheerleaders:

1. Is our coach AACCA certified through the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators safety course and has our school conducted the appropriate background checks?

The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators is the largest not-for-profit educational organization for cheerleading coaches. AACCA operates as an independent organization since it’s founding by Varsity Spirit Corporation. AACCA certification features safety awareness training with a safety test administered at the end of the training session. The AACCA Safety Course is required for all NCAA cheerleading coaches, and by school districts and states around the country. It should be required for yours.

2. Does our coach adhere to accepted practice and performance guidelines?

AACCA practice guidelines require direct supervision by a coach with practices held in a location suitable for the activities of cheerleaders (i.e., use of appropriate mats, away from excessive noise and distractions, etc.) Most states require adherence to the skill restrictions put in place by the National Federation of High Schools. Your program should be following these rules and procedures, which include restrictions on skills such as basket toss flips and pyramids, which involve more than two persons high.


3. Does our coach ensure that performance skills are taught in the proper sequence using skills progression training, with an emphasis on training all squad members in proper spotting methods?

Skills progression training ensures that cheerleaders build upon mastered technique when learning more difficult and advanced stunts or tumbling, i.e. cartwheel to round-off to back-hand spring. Spotters are responsible for assisting or catching the top person in a stunt with a priority to protect the head, neck, and shoulders of the top person coming off of a stunt.

4. Does my child’s coach properly balance practice time between athletic training and spirit leadership instruction?

Cheerleading is an activity that builds self-confidence, leadership and communication skills and involves more than stunts and tumbling. Safety begins with leadership. Instilling these qualities in cheerleaders helps prevent accidents when all squad members hold safety as a priority. The stunts and tumbling involved in cheerleading should aid the cheerleader in generating excitement and participation by the fans. Performing difficult stunts only for the sake of athleticism should be avoided at games and reserved for competition venues with professional spotters and mats.

5. Does our squad have an emergency plan in place?

A comprehensive emergency plan is necessary to provide a quick and effective response to an emergency situation with specific duties assigned to all responders. A sample emergency plan can be found at http://www.aacca.org/content.aspx?item=Resources/EmergencyPlan.xml.