"Sport" is defined as a "physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively." It is the last part of the definition "engaged in competitively" that makes considering cheerleading a sport difficult. The skills involved in cheerleading leave no doubt that cheerleaders are exceptional athletes. To perform their activities, they must be as strong as any football player, as poised as any dancer and as flexible as the best gymnasts. They are athletes by every definition of the word. Competitive cheerleading may be considered a sport in the future, but today the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation opportunities for students.
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