During the last 25 years cheerleading has accounted for 63 percent of all high school direct catastrophic injuries to female athletes and 56 percent at the college level, according to a study conducted by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury (NCCSI). Cheerleading injuries continue to increase each year, in part because cheerleading has evolved into a high-risk activity.
Cheerleading squads are charged with generating excitement for their team. They no longer stand on the sidelines doing simple jumps and leading cheers - now they do flips and flying stunts where they are thrown up to 15 feet in the air by their co-cheerleaders. These stunts are extremely dangerous and are causing devastating injuries to more and more cheerleaders.
In 2007, close to 30,000 cheerleaders were taken to emergency rooms for treatment. Cheerleading injuries that can occur include spinal cord injuries, closed head injuries, blows to the lung and heart, broken bones and fractures, dislocations, and strains or sprains.
In many cases, the cheerleaders are not adequately trained, and the school and coaches should be held liable for the harm that results when stunts lead to serious injuries. If your child was injured while cheerleading, the skilled attorneys of Gordon & Doner, P.A. will help you seek justice. Fill out our free online case evaluation to determine if you and your family are eligible for financial compensation covering medical bills, other expenses, and your pain and suffering.
Cheerleading is Poorly Regulated
Cheerleading acrobatics are becoming more sophisticated and entertaining and many people now refer to cheerleading as an “extreme sport.” According to the NCCSI study, “If these cheerleading activities are not taught by a competent coach and keep increasing in difficulty, catastrophic injuries will continue to be a part of cheerleading.”
Only 12 states now require school cheerleading coaches to be certified. Even though many coaches have no formal athletic or gymnastic training, they continue to demand high performance from their squads, requesting stunts that are both demanding and dangerous. To safely perform the stunts, the coaches should ensure that the team is adequately trained and prepared, and that appropriate safety measures are in place.
Cheerleaders include “flyers” that perform aerial acrobatics and gymnastic stunts after being tossed high into the air. The flyers rely on their teammates to catch them and to prevent them from crashing to the ground. The skills and athleticism required of the flyers and of their catchers often meets or exceeds the athleticism used in other recognized female sports, yet cheerleading is not officially recognized as a sport.
Because cheerleading is seen merely as an “activity,” regulation and education are lagging. The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) is aware of the increase in injuries and is taking the lead in improving the safety of cheerleaders. The association crafted the 2009-2010 AACCA College Safety Rules to provide guidelines and suggestions when practicing and performing stunts and acrobatics. However, these are guidelines only and cannot be officially enforced. Until mandatory safety measures are put in place, cheerleading squad members will continue to be hurt in preventable accidents.
Even though the AACCA is working to improve the safety, Jim Lord, executive director of the AACCA, says that “the parent really is ultimately the person who has to blow that whistle” if they believe their child’s safety is at issue.
Contact a Lawyer Today
We believe schools and coaches should be held accountable when cheerleaders are injured in accidents that could have been prevented. If you or someone you love has been injured and are seeking legal representation for a cheerleading accident in Florida, please contact Gordon & Doner, P.A. for a free, no-obligation, and confidential consultation. Please complete our online contact form or call us toll free at 1-800-659-1159.
