When you think of the main sports that can cause serious injuries you think of football, soccer, and basketball, but in reality, it’s cheerleading. From 1980 to 2013 cheerleading injury rates went up 440 percent. Compared to any other sport the overall injuries are low. “Stunting accounts for 42 of 60 percent of all cheerleading injuries. I do agree when some say that sideline cheer isn’t a sport, but I do not agree when people say that competitive cheer is not a sport. Competitive cheerleading takes an immense amount of stamina and energy. “Due to the training, conditioning, unnatural flipping, and stretching, cheerleading is one of the most physically demanding. Statistically speaking cheerleading puts participants at a greater risk of injury than any other women’s sport.” Even though many girls are scared to even try the sport, others can’t live without it. The sport is like an escape for them. “If I didn’t have cheer if I didn’t have this sport, I don’t know where I would be today.” Cheerleading has been a CIF sport for more than 5 years now. “October 7, 2015, at 7:06 p.m. High school cheerleading is going to become a CIF sport. California Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed into law an Assembly bill that brings competitive cheer under the auspices of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) beginning with the 2017-18 school year.” People look to this sport as a time to just have fun and become better athletes. I know that when I have practice there are days that I do not want to go because I feel too tired, too weak, too sore, but then I think about how there are other amazing athletes that are in the same position as me but they know they have to put inn the work no matter what their body feels like. Cheer has definitely made me a better athlete and has pushed me to become better. I have had such great memories and feeling sore makes me actually feel good and like I did something. People are definitely better at this sport than me but that is what genuinely pushes me even more to become the best athlete that I can possibly be. I have no idea where I would be or where some people like me would be without cheer. I love getting to see my teammates push themselves because it truly does inspire me to be them. Cheer is not only a form of entertainment, it is a sport.