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Krista: As I mentioned, the big changes were only made when the insurance companies got involved. What should be addressed are issues around critical height, which basically addresses the fact that the higher you throw a cheerleader in the air, the better the landing surface should be. If a girl is getting thrown any higher than five feet, it should only be done on a spring floor, not on a hard surface like asphalt, wood, or grass. A spring floor is basically a floor that absorbs shocks giving it a softer feel. Most are made of some combination of springs, plywood, foam, and carpet. It’s what is used in gymnastics and for some martial arts. It’s what should always be used in cheerleading, too.
BrainLine: What strategies have you used to raise awareness about safety issues in cheerleading?
Krista: Our foundation has been working with sports medicine professionals to create an emergency plan, and we are trying to get coaches to use it. Besides the actual step-by-step plan in case of a catastrophic injury, the plan includes information about the serious injuries that can and do happen in cheerleading, how to be prepared, and what the coach and team members need to do.
BrainLine: What do parents need to know if their child wants to be or is already a cheerleader?
Krista: Most importantly, parents should know about the capabilities of the coach. Is the coach certified in CPR, first aid, first response? What is his or her background in cheer? What kind of stunts will he or she expect the team to perform?
Parents should also know about the facilities where the team practices and performs. What kind of surfaces and mats will they be using? How high is the ceiling? What kind of safety guidelines are in place?
I remember when I was in high school, we practiced in the cafeteria on wrestling mats. The ceiling was also pretty low. One girl was thrown for a “toe-touch basket toss.” She did her move and because the ceiling was low, she punched a hole in the ceiling with her foot on the way down. It could have been her head.
BrainLine: What do coaches and teachers need to know?
Krista: The biggest problem with coaches is that often they are not properly trained. Much of the time, they are chosen to be coach because they were a cheerleader. Their main credibility comes from the number of years they cheered instead of their safety training. For example, in addition to being trained in CPR and first response, a coach should also be trained in the body mechanics behind the stunts, tumbling, and critical height. And I bet a good 95 percent of coaches don’t even know what critical height is, and yet their flyers are thrown 10-20 feet in the air. Clearly, that is not safe.
Certification through the industry is not taken particularly seriously. Current certification is voluntary and involves only a three-hour course with an open-book exam and a score of 70 percent or higher to pass. Once you are certified, you are certified forever. There is no requirement for continuing education or re-certification.
BrainLine: If there was one message you could get out about safety and cheerleading, what would it be?
Krista: I would say that cheer needs to be taken seriously — as a competitive sport that comes with very real and serious risks. Just because we smile and make the moves look easy doesn’t mean that catastrophic injuries don’t happen and won’t continue to happen. People need to open their eyes and minds and keep these athletes safe.
Learn more about the National Cheer Safety Foundation.
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I wanted to address comments made about Varsity in this interview. Varsity is the largest organization of its kind, but is by no means the only organization involved in camp education and competitive events, as indicated above. We have a deep commitment to the safety of cheerleaders. In 1987, when we felt that cheerleading did not have adequate safety precautions in place, Varsity founded the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safety standards and guidelines for cheerleading coaches. This was not in reaction to any specific incident, but a realization that cheerleading needed to be a safer environment for athletes. We strongly disagree with Ms. Parks [Robinson] opinion that the industry only makes changes that give the appearance of change. Our staff members include former cheerleaders, coaches and parents of cheerleaders. Nothing is more important to us than ensuring that this is a safe activity for all athletes. At our cheerleading camps, every one of the nearly 350,000 participants attends a safety awareness course developed to help cheerleaders understand their role in cheerleading safety. We have athletic trainers and certified first aiders at every event, with EMTs onsite or within a 5 mile radius. We utilize an established Emergency Action Plan for every event. We have mats in rehearsal areas and on the performance surface at every venue, as well as trained spotters. We encourage coaches to become certified as their first step in safety training, with the expectation that coaches’ development will be a lifelong endeavor. We wish Ms. Parks [Robinson] the best as she continues to heal from her injury. Ms. Parks [Robinson] was a summer staff member for our organization and we will always feel she is a part of the Varsity family. - Sheila Noone, VP of Public Relations, Varsity
Mar 8th, 2010 1:37pm