MVC worried about cheerleaders

[RedRiverPony]

Think there's any chance C-USA follows suit?
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MVC limits cheerleading routines after scary injuryAssociated Press


ST. LOUIS -- The Missouri Valley Conference barred certain cheerleading stunts during this week's women's basketball tournament, a precaution taken after a Southern Illinois cheerleader plunged 15 feet and landed on her head.

Cheerleaders may not be launched or tossed and may not take part in formations higher than two levels during the tournament, MVC commissioner Doug Elgin said Tuesday.

Schools that advance to the NCAA or NIT tournaments may decide whether their cheerleaders should follow that ban, though the MVC will decide in May whether to make the restrictions permanent, Elgin said.

Salukis cheerleader Kristi Yamaoka was left with a concussion and a cracked neck vertebra when she fell during a timeout in Sunday's MVC men's championship game.

She drew national attention as she was wheeled off the court. She gave a two-handed thumbs up while strapped to a gurney, then made cheerleading moves with her arms in time to the band's playing of the school fight song.

The 18-year-old sophomore from Springfield, Ill., remained in fair condition Tuesday at Saint Louis University Hospital.

"I think the entire country was holding its collective breath when she got hurt," said Elgin, among the 14,000 onlookers at the Savvis Center. "I've never experienced that type of total silence there. It scared the daylights out of all of us."

Elgin said Monday's move was meant to prevent similar accidents, also taking into account such issues as risk management and insurance.

"We're very concerned when something like this happens," Elgin said. "We don't want to curtail unnecessarily anything viewed in cheerleading culture as routine. But we don't want the risk of serious or catastrophic injuries."

Yamaoka's accident came at a time of renewed awareness about cheerleading risks, with a study published in January in the journal Pediatrics showing that injuries in the activity more than doubled from 1990 through 2002 while participation grew just 18 percent over the same period.

During that 13-year period, the study estimates, 208,800 people ages 5 to 18 were treated at U.S. hospitals for cheerleading-related injuries. Most of the injuries were to 12- to 17-year-olds; nearly 40 percent were leg, ankle and foot injuries.

[abezontar]

Did anybody see the clip on espn where they put her on the gurney with the halo and she kept doing the cheer? That's some spirit.

[RedRiverPony]

I did. She is one seriously tough kid. Lots of spirit.
And lucky to be alive. Neck and back injuries are extremely scary.

[couch 'em]

This is stupid. The cheerleaders know what they are getting into when they join, and can quit at any time if they find the risk not worth it to them. Clearly it is more about people worrying about lawsuits than anyone's safety.

"The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise"

[DiamondM]

I actually saw a similar fall in person at the women's ACC tournament in 1996 -- a Virginia cheerleader. It was frightening. Duke actually has no male cheerleaders because it banned stunting a number of years ago in response to a similar incident.

It's stupid and patronizing to do that. It's like banning contact in football because someone gets hurt on a hit. There is risk in every sport (yes, I just admitted it's a sport). The only reason to ban something is if a team, school, conference, whatever is not properly managing that risk with proper training and having enough personnel to handle the stunts.

[jtstang]

Next thing you know they'll ban marching bands when somebody gets whacked in the back of the head and neck with an errant trombone slide.....

[RedRiverPony]

.... Duke actually has no male cheerleaders because it banned stunting a number of years ago in response to a similar incident....

And I always thought it was because the only guy who wanted to be a cheerleader is also their shooting guard.

I hate Duke.

[couch 'em]

Next thing you know they'll ban marching bands when somebody gets whacked in the back of the head and neck with an errant trombone slide.....

Sadly you are more likely to hurt yourself by chipping a tooth than to do real damage to someone else........... Not whacking someone in the SIDE of the head while turning.... that's the real fun "accident"!

[SMUPhil]

This cheerleader "stunting" is basically gymnastics without the same safety precautions, practice, and instruction. Not to mention that I don't see how tossing a girl 20 feet in the air has anything to do with leading cheers. I had a friend that was on the UCF cheerleading squad and nearly died from a bad fall.

[redraidersweetheart]

The stunting and throws were originated for competition routines that are usually done on a spring floor. Now though, if a team feels comfortable enough learning on the blue floor they move it to a gym, all of the stunts I've seen taught are very carefully spotted and safety is a definate concern till the team can stick it. It is horrible that this accident took place, but the cheerleader in phone interviews hasn't even blamed her team, she says she lost her balance and if the flyer loses their balance there isn't much the base can do to save the stunt. I hope that other squads don't ban the stunting... Its a big part of the sport.

[couch 'em]

How did stunts get into cheerleading anyway? I mean...really....they have nothing to do with cheering as far as I can tell. (except maybe for the cheerleaders instead of for the team) I assume they started before competitions, so was it more of a shock value thing that just didn't die?

[MrMustang1965]

At some point, cheerleading turned into gymnastics. When and where? I don't know. But SMU's own Lawrence Herkimer - a YELL LEADER in 1947-48 - found a way to capitalize on the popularity of cheerleading by opening camps all over the country (including on the SMU campus) for young men and women to learn the craft. He's a multi-millionaire because of those camps and his company, Cheerleader Supply. He's the innovator of the 'Herkie' Jump, too. Sadly, Herkie's health is not as good as it used to be.

[SMU Football Blog]

I think the NCAA needs to recognize cheerleading as a legitimate athletic event and I think it should count for purposes of Title IX compliance.

[LonghornFan68]

I think the NCAA needs to recognize cheerleading as a legitimate athletic event and I think it should count for purposes of Title IX compliance.

So does that mean male cheerleaders would fall under Title IX? *snicker*

[SMUPhil]

Actually, does anyone remember about 4-5 years ago, when they announced that SMU would be sponsoring our cheerleading squad as an official "varsity" team? I guess to make add a few more scholarships to the female side of the Title IX balancing. This was when they split into the "all-girl competition squad" and the "co-ed game squad" or whatever. They were even listed on smumustangs.com with the other sports. That lasted like a year and then I never heard another thing about it.

Anyone remember?