Does cheerleading

cause serious long-term

injuries?Lauren Wilder

Overview Essential Question: Does

cheerleading cause serious long term injuries?

Conclusion: Cheerleading can result in various long-term injuries but the risk of athletes getting injured participating in this sport is less than that of other sports.

Why I chose my Topic I participated in cheerleading for

a short period of time.

I was interested in learning more about the injury risks involved in cheerleading.

Jessica Smith Eighteen year old Jessica Smith

broke her neck in two different places as a result of a cheerleading mishap.

Smith was practicing a new stunt with teammates when she fell from a height of about fifteen feet, landing directly on her head.

Increase in Injuries

A rapid increase in cheerleading related injuries could be the result of recent changes in cheerleading.It is important that cheerleaders and their coaches are trained in the skills they are executing.Other causes of injuries could be lack of condition, risk-taking attitudes, poor nutrition, and inadequate equipment.

Research: Fred Mueller

Dr. Mueller believes devastating injuries will continue to occur if the difficulty of cheerleading continues to increase.

Dr. Mueller makes suggestions to cheerleading coaches and directors.

Research: Boden The majority of injuries involved

females opposed to men and occurred during pyramid formations and basket tosses.

The result of Dr. Boden’s study was that the rate of injury for colleges cheerleaders as opposed to high school cheerleaders was five times higher.

Comparison with Other Sports The executive director of the

American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators, Jim Lord, voices his opinion.

Susan Loomis, the cheerleading director of the National Federation of State High School Association confirms that cheerleading has become safer.

Making Connection

The main focus of both my research paper and my product is the analysis of cheerleading related injuries and different ways of avoiding them.

My Product – Trifold

Self Reflection Completing this project helped me

learn that I am a very hands-on learner and that I do not have a future in coaching cheerleading.

The graduation project has prepared me for future job interviews and taught me how to successfully organize and present a project of this magnitude.

Thank you for your time!Do you have any

question?