Cheerleading continues to grow as a sport

Amid the stench of sore muscle creams, local youths are emerging from locker rooms all over the country with the hope of earning a spot on their school cheerleading squads. The scene being played out in these gyms has changed dramatically over the years as the transformation of cheerleading has turned the long debated sport-or-not question into a multi-million dollar business.

The former after-school activity, that was often deemed nothing more than a popularity contest, is now not only an industry in and of itself, but a very lucrative industry, boasting major television coverage, sponsoring factions, clothing lines, and countless web sites and publications with subscriptions in the millions. Dating the quarterback won't guarantee your spot on the squad any longer, but landing a full-twisting back layout might. And if your school squad doesn't have room for you, there are now more than 600 gyms nationwide offering cheerleading training and a competition circuit all their own.

There's room on these squads for only the most gifted, most determined and most committed of athletes and it's not limited to girls either. Due to the element of competition cheerleading called stunting, young men are sought after like hot dogs on game day and hair spray on prom night. Stunting involves one-on-one or groups of cheerleaders hoisting each other into the air to perform a variety of acrobatic moves often requiring the "flyer" to pull themselves into contortionistic positions over the heads of their "bases."

Once the move is completed, the flyer is then thrown into the air to soar, flip, twist and land, ideally, in the arms of their bases below. The sheer strength required of stunters makes male cheerleaders hot commodities.

Sport or not? Practice sessions will leave the new-comer breathless and are best described as grueling. They are so intense, in fact, that many squads are credited with practicing longer and harder than most football and basketball teams. Competition cheerleading has become a sport of its own and is producing the best, most competitive teams performing the most elaborate and most challenging routines in front of thousands of adoring fans, mostly parents as dedicated to the sport as their children.

If you still question the athletic abilities of these youngsters, consider this: this national past-time has gained such popularity that many colleges and universities now offer scholarships for those most elite who "cheer" above the rest.

Georgia is right smack in the middle of this transformation. Middle and high school squads aside, Georgia now has, roughly, 40 gyms coaching more than 200 All-Star teams. Georgia teams rank among the best in the country with several gyms having earned multi-national titles and the bragging rights that go along with the awards.

Arguably the most elite of all Georgia teams at the moment are the Georgia All Stars, located in Kennesaw. Since the gym opened in 1991, the Georgia All Star teams have earned many local, state, regional and national titles. Georgia All Stars has 250 athletes on nine competition teams, ranging in age from 6 to 18.

The "rookie" gym on the rise, currently posing a substantial threat to its competitors, is located in Fayette County. TUCS Cheer Lab opened its doors a little more than one year ago with approximately 100 athletes and three competition teams and has witnessed amazing growth, confirming the current obsession with this sport. At their awards dinner this past March, they celebrated a very successful competition season and the fact that more than 300 athletes now train at TUCS. This year, more than 130 athletes showed up for tryouts and the original three teams have been expanded to five. Not bad percentages for a business in its first year.

What's their secret? Those who train at TUCS credit the fact that they offer three national level coaches and a roster full of well-known college cheerleading and gymnastic coaches. TUCS Booster Club President Karol Jones, whose three daughters age 13, 10 and 7 all cheer on TUCS competition teams, says "Coaching is the key. TUCS coaches Lance Stella, his wife Katie Stella and Barry Garner are all very well-known throughout the cheerleading industry and there are many who have followed them to Fayette County. It's just like any other sport really, parents want the best coaching for their children and are willing to travel many miles a week in order to get it."

The pros and cons will be weighed forever. The debate of sport or not will rage on. These kids don't care about any of that. They are too busy building lasting friendships, working toward a goal and learning the true meaning of dedication and teamwork. Hip-Hip-Hooray!

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