In the cheer world, sideline cheer and competition cheer are constantly compared. Some say sideline cheer isn’t a sport, while competition qualifies as one. A lot of people say neither competition or sideline cheer is a sport. Addison Jenkins is a cheerleader who gets the best of both worlds cheering for the BHS Varsity Squad on Friday nights and competing with the competitive team, Tumble-N-Roll.
Jenkins says the environments are vastly different. “The biggest difference between competition and sideline cheer would be the environment, mentally and physically. When on a competition team, you condition, you run your routine back to back, it’s very fast paced, and it can be a lot to deal with sometimes. We have harsher punishments, and we tend to practice more than the sideline would, so I would say I am closer to my teammates at competition practice because I see them a lot more– we’re like family.”
Although Jenkins knows competition is tough, sideline can be just as difficult. “Sideline is still hard, but just in different aspects. You have so many cheers to remember, and you have to be appealing to the crowd, and be able to lift up their spirits when your team is losing. Also stunts are one of the hardest parts, because it’s common to get in your head about it, and make yourself think you can’t do it.”
Jenkins says she feels like people often discredit cheerleaders, and don’t see how hard they work. “Some people think all we do is shake our pom poms, or dance around, but it’s more than that. It’s tough sometimes to hear people talk down about cheerleaders, saying it’s not a sport, or that it’s not hard. I would say it’s just as dangerous as any other sport, people fall out of stunts all the time and hit the ground. I would say it’s the equivalent to being tackled on the football field.”
Jenkins is confident that she believes both are a sport. “You have to be very strong to be able to lift and throw people into the air, and do tricky stunts. Tumbling also takes so much flexibility and muscle strength, more than you could imagine, so cheerleaders are athletes too.”
“Anywhere I cheer, whether it’s school, or my cheer gym, they both feel like a second home to me. When I go to cheer, It gives me something to think about. On the mat competing, or in front of a crowd full of my friends and the whole buford community, it gives me an adrenaline rush and makes me feel confident.” says Jenkins.