What must be done to stop the devasting epidemic of injuries in cheerleading
Pom-poms and Broken Necks What must be done to stop the devastating epidemic of injuries in cheerleading BY DR. MARC RABINOFF It is impossible for me to put into words the emotions I experience when I am called into a courtroom as a forensic expert for cases with high school cheerleaders with spinal injuries. These young people’s lives have been forever altered; often they will require a lifetime of daily medical care. This experience disturbs and angers me, and I can’t imagine what would be going through my mind if this were my daughter in that wheelchair. How would you feel? The alarming truth is that we forensic experts are being called to break their necks and become paralyzed.
In fact, cheerleading has become the number-one cause of injuries in young women, and the severity of their injuries can be as bad as anything you would ever see on a football field. What makes this trend even more frustrating is that most cheerleading injuries, and certainly the most devastating ones, can be prevented. The evidence shows that injuries are usually a result of incompetent coaching and inadequate conditioning. Let me explain. poms and dance routines. Parents don’t really think about their daughters being lifted from the ground, thrown in the air and then caught (hopefully!) by another adolescent student.
Parents don’t think about balance moves, tumbling, acrobatics and stunts that require significant levels of strength or conditioning. And in every cheerleading case I’ve been on (I’ve done three this past year) the concept that the teens have when they sign up is not the same as what they are ultimately being told to do at cheerleading practice. In addition to providing spirit ...cheerleading has become the number-one cause of injuries in young women... upon ever more frequently to testify in cheerleading cases.
Just this year, for example, I was in the courtroom working on several cases involving cheerleaders with permanent disabilities and two cases in which serious falls caused two young women A Failure to Communicate When parents sign the waiver and approval form to say that their daughter or son can try out for cheerleading, the perception of parents is that what their child is getting involved with is cheering: singing and pomand emotional support at athletic competitions, cheerleaders often participate in competitions. Cheerleading competitions are usually not funded by school districts but by additional money from the cheerleaders, their parents and/or fundraisers.
The level SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 With the higher levels of difficultly associated with their sport, cheerleaders should make weight training an essential part of their training. A cheerleader at Hunter High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, Vicelia Tavo works hard in the weightroom with core exercises such as parallel squats and power cleans. of skill necessary to be competitive is higher than that required in cheerleading just for the school. One of the goals of competition, of course, is to win. As a result, cheerleading coaches are trying to recruit stronger boys who will serve as more stable bases and who will be able to throw the girls even higher.
And some of these young men are even being encouraged to learn how to tumble and perform other skills in order to have a competitive cheerleading team. Many cheerleading coaches want their squads to compete in these competitions, so they push the kids and try to teach them basic gymnastics, which is also called acrobatics. When I recently testified in a trial in Louisiana for a cheerleader who was seriously injured, the defense attorney, on the subject of gymnastics coaches training cheerleaders, pointed out the differences between cheerleading and gymnastics – for example, there is no hand balancing or two- or three-man stunts in gymnastics.
While that is certainly true in the artistic gymnastics seen in the Olympic Games, cheerleaders in competition are performing many of the same skills as acrobatic gymnasts. The difference – and this is key – is that the acrobatic gymnasts are being coached by gymnastics instructors, not by people referred to as cheerleading advisors. You see, in the manual for cheerleading you’ll see the term cheerleading advisor – this is the only sport I know of in which a coach is referred to as an advisor. The reason for this is that in the past those adults who trained cheerleaders were often just teachers or parents who would help them with their cheers.
And at the time, this situation worked fine because no one was being thrown in the air and no one was tumbling. A cheerleader really didn’t need to train hard to be good at this type of activity, as there was little athleticism involved. But over the past 10 years, athleticism has been pushed big-time – as a matter of fact, the National Cheerleading Association clearly says in all of its publications that cheerleading has become more athletic. Please don’t misunderstand me – I’m not against cheerleading becoming more athletic, nor am I against young people striving to compete at the highest levels in this sport.
What I’m arguing against, and my testimony in court confirms this, is that the training and conditioning methods currently offered to cheerleaders often are falling well below the standard of care needed to minimize the risk of injury. As a result, many high schools have even banned cheerleading squads from participating in cheerleading competitions. Rather than resorting to this extreme measure, I recommend that schools outsource their cheerleading programs to local gymnastics schools that have the necessary equipment and trained coaching staff to teach these advanced skills.
Regarding cheerleading advisors who have no gymnastics background but say that they can teach and spot stunting movements and that they know the biomechanics of these movements, I would ask, “Where did they learn it?” I used to run cheerleading camps in the 1970s back in Florida, and we always had gymnastics classes for cheerleaders taught by gymnastic coaches. Cheerleading is a sport, and, as PHYSICAL EDUCATION such, cheerleaders should have access to the competent coaches, sports medicine care and supervised strength and conditioning programs that other athletes have.
As a matter of fact, the manual of national standards for cheerleading, which was modeled after the gymnastics safety manual that I helped developed, Acrobatic lifts, along with tumbling and throwing, have increased the physical demands of competitive cheerleaders. In the past 25 years, cheerleading has been responsible for 65 percent of all catastrophic sport injuries among young women in high school. clearly states that all cheerleading programs must have sound conditioning programs. However, I have yet to find one high school in any the cases I’ve been involved with where there was anything that resembled a sound strength and conditioning program for competitive cheerleading.
I’ve seen the BFS program, and obviously it’s a great program for a contact sport such as football – but it would also be a sound program for cheerleading, as these athletes need to be strong, powerful and highly athletic to perform the stunts they do in competition. In the most recent statistics the number-one sport for injuries for high school girls is not basketball, volleyball or softball – it’s cheerleading. It’s not just sprained wrists and turned ankles; there are serious knee injuries and broken necks. In the last year I’ve been retained as an expert witness in numerous cases involving cheerleaders.
All four of the girls who were injured suffered severe, permanent injuries; two of the girls were paralyzed. We must raise the qualifications for cheerleading coaches/advisors, and cheerleaders need to become involved in serious strength and conditioning programs and be treated as the athletes they are. We can no longer have untrained, academic teachers teaching young women and men to perform these complex, potentially dangerous lifts, throws, stunts and tumbling maneuvers. Those days are over.
“The Dark Side of Sports” is a regular feature by Dr. Marc Rabinoff that answers questions about safety and liability based upon actual litigations. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 WEIGHTROOM LAWSUITS WEIGHTROOM SAFETY IMPLEMENTATION BFS SAFETY PACKAGE IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES PROTECT YOURSELF FROM LAWSUITS!
Equip yourself with the information you need, as a coach or administrator, when it comes to avoiding and or winning lawsuits that deal with the weightroom.
I have been an expert witness in ten out of that limitation. It is seen as a I also feel strongly that once the lawsuits in the last few years. These real weakness by a judge, jury and plaintiffs’s lawyers discover all the DEDICATED HELPING ATHLETES SUCCEED lawsuits were mostly levied against lawyers. I believe every TO teacher/coach elements in this BFS Safety Package, SINCE 1976 schools, teachers and coaches by stu- that is involved in any way with they will be less inclined to move dents who were injured in a weight weight training, a physical educaforward on a case. I also feel the training class.
In all ten cases, I was tion class in the weightroom and/or plaintiff ’s lawyers would consider used as the sole expert witness and strength and conditioning needs to their case to be weaker than origiSTUDENT/ATHLETE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM in most of these; the judge or jury be certified in strength and condinally thought. relied heavily on my testimony as the tioning. In my last case this year I encourage all coaches and instrucI student/athletes’ name basis for their decision. All of these involving a head football coach in printtors supervise programs of that I have seen or in read and who understand the following safety features for our cases were avoidable.
As a result of acknowledge California, he wasn’t even there strength and conditioning to become weight training/fitness class. my experience, I have put together class. An assistant coach was in the certified for these reasons. the BFS Safety Package. It could weightroom. Furthermore, the asI have seen the BFS Weightroom Safety Video. initial here Liability: A certified strength and have saved thousands and thousands sistant wasn’t even a teacher in the conditioning coach has proof in of dollars in legal fees and awards district. Although knowledgeable, a court of law that he or she has have BFS Weightroom Rules Poster. had this package been available and both I coaches weread nothe certified.
initial here implemented. Fortunately, the case was thrown out reached a specific level of proficiency, and any school district or college will after a number of depositions; but In every case, it came down to the find that desirable. the plaintiffs appealed. I amhave familiar with the three BFS Safety Posters describing the Knee, word of the teacher/coach against Education: The process of becomHamstring Back safety. the word of the student/athlete. The initial here Specifically, the BFS and SafetyLower Package ing certified tends to motivate most student would say, “I was not taught contains eight vital elements: coaches to learn more about strength how to lift properly and I was not 1.
The Weightroom Safety Video I am familiar with the eight and BFS 6 AbsolutesHence, Posters conditioning. theywhich help students/ taught how to do my strength and 2. The Weightroom Rules Poster athletes understand the proper lifting techniques. become better and everyone beninitial here conditioning safely.” 3. Three Safety Posters, efits—the athletes most of all. 4. Five Training Posters, The coach said, “Yes I did. I taught Confidence: Beingthat I certified 5.
BFS I Magazine Subscription with Posters have seen the Training and know havebreeds the responsibility to everyone how to lift properly and morethe confidence athletes, over 1000read Archived Articles each one carefully to learn correct among techniques of the squat, bench, how to train safely.” You see the 6. A Student/Athlete Acknowledgclean, deadlift and the quickparents lifts. and other coaches. dilemma? How do you prove your initial here ment Form Career: Being certified can help you case? The plaintiff ’s lawyers see a 7. Eight posters describing the “Six get a job, as many schools and health real weakness in the school’s posiI of know thatechnique.
additional information on correct lifting technique and other Absolutes” perfect clubs make certification a prerequition. Courts, judges and juries need strength conditioning topicsforis available 8. BFS Safety and and Liability Manual. site initial here employment. tangible proof of what is being said is true. I know absolutely that this BFS The BFS certification consists of Safety I Package helpin thea proper havewould been be great instructed use ofstudy all equipment theory, home exam, and ain the facility. Lawyers also always go after the initial here in any lawsuit brought against a practical, hands-on training. teacher/ coach’s credentials.
If the school, teacher or coach involving a teacher/coach is not certified in Learn more about BFS certifications student’s injuries in the weightroom strength and conditioning or a student/athlete in signature date your area, visit our web site at: or in strength and conditioning. similar area, they make a huge deal parent or legal guardian signature (800) 628-9737 • Fax (801) 975-1159 DISCLAIMER: Although weightlifting is one of the safest athletic activities, all athletes run the risk of being injured. It is the intention of the “BFS Liability Package” to inform coaches, athletes and students of the possible injuries associated with the weightroom and lifting weights.
This form and the information described therein is intended solely athletes or students who may receive injuries whether or not they are following the guidelines stated above.
TAKE CHARGE!
DEDICATED TO HELPING ATHLETES SUCCEED SINCE 1976 ?CFB;C;DJ7J?ED ?DIJHK9J?EDI M;?=>JHEECI7<;JO L?:;E I7<;JOFEIJ;HI JH7?D?D=FEIJ;HI I?N78IEBKJ;I .FEIJ;HI;J Fh[fWh[oekhi[b\m_j^j^[_d\ehcWj_edoekd[[ZWiWYeWY^eh WZc_d_ijhWjehjeWle_ZWdZ%ehm_dbWmik_jij^WjZ[Wbm_j^j^[m[_]^jheec$ DEDICATED TO HELPING ATHLETES SUCCEED SINCE 1976
From BFS Magazine — September/October 2008. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
