The better sport..., gymnastics vs. cheerleading Options

[unfortunatekiwi]

so...i was looking at the cheerleading vs. dance thread and i decided to make this one. my personal choice is gymnastics. i'm currently a level 7 in the sport and i do it competitively. which do you like better? i completely disagree with anyone that claims that cheerleading is dance and gymnastics combined because that is totally un-true. i've met millions of cheerleaders who used to be gymnasts and they actually quit because gymnastics was too hard and cheerleading was easier. i don't see any cheerleaders doing standing full twisting layouts over a 4 inch piece of wood that's four feet off the ground or doing release moves on bars. do you?

[liever]

Alright. I am fair on both sides.
My sister is a gymnast and a cheerleader as well as I am.
I have been cheering for five years and a gymnast for six.

But it depends on which sanction of the cheerleading world you are talking about. Sure, full twisting layouts over a vault is hard, but try a triple full, hitch kick out of a basket toss with a lib reload scorp. In our routine for Nationals this year.

Not to mention theres an all-star competitive non high school and MSHSA sanctioned event.

There are multiple pluses and downfalls of both sports.
Cheerleading involves the same skills as Gymnastics has to have.
You have to have upper body strength for the tumbling, extreme leg strength for the stunting, and over all muscularship and body toning to be a true cheerleader. Or at least to acomplish the skills.

My squad, runs every day, two miles, an hour of conditioning at practice, which lasts four hours on our non-competition schedule.

If you're talking about most high school cheer squads, than yes, gymnastics can be. But if you're talking about all-star and or national consecutive ranking squads in high school, their harder.

Gymnastics involves a lot of the same skills, but cheerleading you have to hell, as well as be able to pelt yourself, over people, ten or more feet into the air while spinning, twisting, kicking, squeezing, and being prepared to fall on the floor any second.

Truth be told, out of a college level research report, cheerleading holds more injuries and yet holds the highest athletic rate in college and high school than gymnastics does.

Truth be told, I work harder than I do at my elite gym.

Yes, round off back handspring double pike is difficult, but so is doing that in a three minute routine, where your skill level depends on nineteen other people, you're yelling, throwing girls into the air, while you still manage to throw your own body multiple times into the air.

Catch my point?
Gymnastics is all an individual sport, the floor lasts typically 1.5-3 minutes. Depending on the level. You usually throw three tumbling passes, on a floor much smaller than a gym hard wood floor.
Your tricks are on a spring floor, which gives a false sense to cheerleaders since they have to throw the same exact tricks on a hard wood floor, in which dosnt give.

So heres a synopsis.

Gymnastics-
Spring floor
Conditioning
Tumbling
Dance
Technique
Jumps

Cheerleading-
Hard wood
Conditioning
Heavy lifting
Stunting
Tumbling
Hyper Extended Jumps
Dance
Technique
More Conditioning
Team Work
Trust


I personally feel, as having experience in both of them for multiple years, balancing on two feet on a beam three feet within the air while doing a back walk over into back hanspring step out with a round off twisting layout as a dismount I feel, is not harder than pelting a girl typically weighing from 104-145 10 feel into the air, shes flipping around while you follow her body, it falling to the ground while you're yelling, tumbling, dancing, and repeating the process.

Most people think cheerleaders as yelling and nodding their head but its much more complex and complicated.
It really depends on what you define 'cheerleading' as. There are non sanctioned high school squads that dont stunt or tumble that are called a cheerleading squad but then theres the all-star and national competing squads that blow them out of the question.

Thats just all girl stunts.
It goes much more in depth. College cheer you have four mans (two-three layered stunts), partner stunts like double cupies.

You tell me a full tuck up into a double cupie scorp isnt harder than flailing your arms around a bar, jumping up and down while doing giants?

So, as you can tell I, when I'm referring to cheerleading, am referring to the all-star or national competitive cheer squads.

Just thoughts of mine.
As I feel, cheerleading is more difficult than the elite gymnastics that I am ever so familiar with.
A perspective of mine.

Cheerleadings more in depth than gymnastics, more rules, requirements, team work, bonding, preparation, and over all skills that are needed to do it.

People underestimate.
I was overwhelmed when I transfered into my high school squad.
Not to mention I coach a Junior All-Star squad, composed of a few ex gymnasts.

I feel, you cant really judge cheerleading or speak about it unless you have done it personally, as an all-star or national ranking team mate, whom is able to tumble or unless you have judged it.

Falling from that high up can kill. More than off a eight foot high bar or three and a half high beam.