Personal Injury Law

School Safety / Cheerleading: AACCA pumps it up

By Megan Roth

As mentioned in previous posts, the days of spirit fingers and jazz hands are no more. "Cheerleaders are meant to Cheerleading has evolved into a rough and rugged sport that is responsible for more athletic-involved to fly, jump, kick, flip and stunt." Ok.maybe not so much. Cheerleading has evolved into a rough and rugged sport that is responsible for more athletic-involved injuries than any other sport. Certain organizations exist for the sole purpose of decreasing such injury rates, and also to establish and enforce regulations pertaining to safety and fairness in cheerleading.

The NCA (National Cheerleading Association), which was established in 1948, is perhaps the most well-known of such organizations. It hosts some of the biggest cheerleading competitions in the nation (think state competitions and nationals - the ever-so-intense performances broadcasted on ESPN). The NCA works in partnership with the AACCA (American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors), which is the so-called guiding light in the world of cheerleading. The AACCA was established in 1988 and is dedicated to responsible practice in the sport and to the safety of all participants. In the world of cheerleading, the AACCA is boss. The non-profit organization is the educational association for over 70,000 cheerleading coaches in the United States alone.

The NCA is responsible for some of the nation's largest, most intense cheerleading . All NCA instructors are certified by the AACCA and must follow the organization's guidelines both when teaching others and when performing independently. So why are they required to be certified? And how, exactly, does one become certified by the AACCA?

All states over the accredited four-hour certification course, which helps open instructors' eyes to proper motion techniques and potential dangers, which may otherwise have been overlooked.

The AACCA is also responsible for setting stunt and performance restrictions; for example, the AACCA College Rules Committee restricted college squads from performing 2 ½ high pyramids and basket tosses without a mat underneath (high school teams were not allowed to do 2 ½s to start with, but they were also restricted from doing tosses without a mat). In addition, the High School and College Rules Committees worked together to standardize basketball court rules, which prohibit certain twisting and inverted skills from being performed on the floor. In 2005, the AACCA took the safety initiative one step further and published, A Parent's Guide to Cheerleading Safety," which helps open parents' eyes to safety standards.

But the AACCA didn't stop there; just recently, it partnered with Varsity Brands (the leader of cheerleading uniforms and apparel) to establish the College Cheerleading Safety Initiative. The organization is just one of the many working towards improving cheerleading safety standards and decreasing the risk of injury. Like any sport, that risk can't be eliminated (in fact, it will continue to grow as competitions grow fiercer and more frequent); however, following the standards and provisions set forth by the aforementioned organizations.

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on September 23, 2008 (boomark / email).