We are performers. We are spirit leaders. We are strong. We are talented. We are dancers. We are cheerleaders. We are athletes.

One of the biggest weekends of the year in the cheer and dance community was held on Jan. 16 and ran to Jan. 18. Collegiate dance and cheer teams competed in the Universal Dance Association (UDA) and the Universal Cheer Association (UCA) Nationals in Orlando, FL. Just shy of a month later many female athletes recognized Feb. 4 as National Women in Sports Day.

As a dancer myself I have also watched this competition and celebrated this day every year but as I have gotten more into what it means to be a female athlete, specifically a dancer, I have realized the misinterpretation surrounding the dance and cheer communities even at some of the highest levels. The internet is full of videos judging the athletes, choreographers and costumes, judging not just the performances but also the athletes’ skill, techniques and bodies.

These same judgements that are being thrown at collegiate dancers and cheerleaders are similar to the conversations had about our own school teams. After performances and games many take to Facebook, TikTok or other social media platforms to share a piece of their opinions.

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Brooklyn Miller

Personally, I am over the negative opinions about these sports. The Red Wing Drill and Dance Team, the one I am a member of, is a team of 21 student athletes. Girls who have put countless hours into memorizing, stretching, strengthening and learning to become the athletes they are today. In a typical week, we practice every day after school for two hours. This continues for at least 11 out of the 12 months in a year as even in summer we are practicing.

These practices are to prepare for the football and basketball games as well as the numerous community activities we are asked to perform at. 

“Dance and cheer are very underestimated. The efforts we put in for our performances goes unnoticed a lot,” senior Red Wing Emma Stanley said. “I think since people think our routines are just halftime or very quick, we don’t do a lot, but it takes a lot to choreograph, clean and learn. It takes a lot of confidence to be able to go out in front of your school, a big crowd or a bunch of strangers and perform something because even if you mess up or get hurt you have to keep going.”

The same story can be told for the cheer team who has regular practices and tumbling classes during these seasons. They also deal with the added pressure of two competitions which they spend four months preparing for.

As performers, we are faced with the pressure of having perfected faces, pointed toes and hitting our routines, but no one considers the work that goes into doing what we do or the risks that come with it. According to completeconcussions.com, female athletes are more at risk for concussions due to hormonal and neck strength differences. This same article also mentions that cheer makes up a surprising amount of concussion ER visits, mostly from stunt falls. This year alone the Red Wings and cheer team have both had two concussions each.  According to the National Institutes of Health, the most common injury in dance is ankle sprains, which the Red Wings have also had two of in the past year, one being myself.

We see these same pressures and risks as we watch collegiate teams compete, NFL cheer teams dance on the sidelines and even professional ballerinas perform. There is no limit to the opinions shared and the injuries that occur.

“I find it crazy and devastating because just like any other sports team, we practice every day and have blood, sweat and tears poured out on the mat, yet no one sees that,” junior cheerleader Ashlyn Morris said.  “People only see us at games cheering on other teams, not everything we put our hearts into behind the scenes.”

The Ohio State University dance team highlighted these factors in their nationals pom routine this year. They included sound bytes of people on TikTok talking about their opinions. The University of Minnesota also proved a point by using the song “Maybe This Time” by Natasha Richardson for their nationals jazz routine, which pointed out the issues of people always wanting more from them but never accounting for how much they already put in.

“These college dancers also put an immense amount of hard work and time into these routines, and many people are influenced by what is trending online and even shame who did win because they thought another routine was better or more popular, but when it comes down to it, judges’ scoring hardly fails,” senior Red Wing Aubrielle Plauche said. “A lot of people don’t understand how much work dancers put into each routine. It takes special technique and focus to be able to make a routine look good and clean.”

All dancers and cheerleaders need to be seen as athletes with true talent, not just entertainment pieces. The time, effort, money and even blood that is put into what we do goes so unnoticed and there are no excuses. School districts, franchises, companies and even people on the internet need to do a better job at recognizing these athletes for being exactly that: athletes. Dance and cheer are sports, and the world needs to realize that.

“Cheer along with dance have both come a long way in becoming not just a hobby but a legit sport or even career,” junior cheerleader Olivia Eakle said. “It doesn’t deserve the hate or disrespect that it receives from everyone, and they need to realize all that we do to be able to participate in these sports.”

We are performers. We are spirit leaders. We are strong. We are talented. We are dancers. We are cheerleaders. We are athletes.