2008 Woodie Awards
Sideline injuries
Miami University cheerleaders deal with the physical pain associated with promoting school pride
Margaret Watters
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Features
Past the glitter, hair ribbons, and the red and white uniforms lies a potentially painful reality for some Miami University cheerleaders.
"When they cheer it can weaken their bodies for the rest of their lives," explained Miami Cheerleading Coach Cindi McDaniel.
Cheerleading injuries accounted for the most student-athlete insurance claims, second only to football, in a seven-year study from the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Catastrophic Injury Insurance Program.
Miami trainers said the campus' team has been very fortunate in avoiding life-threatening injuries this past season, and Athletic Trainer Jen Detwiler at McCullough-Hyde Physical Therapy has not seen any cheerleading-related injuries from Miami this year. She thinks it is because cheerleading coaches are starting to understand the levels of strength training involved.
Yet Detwiler has seen Miami cheerleaders in the past, but most of the injuries she sees now are at young level where the athletes are less physically mature.
"Right now the younger schools - middle school, high school - will see things on TV or at a Miami game, they will see a stunt and try and do it themselves and that is when they get hurt," Detwiler said.
Junior and Miami cheerleader, Nathan Miller, explained that the season lasts almost the entire year, as the team starts practicing before classes to be ready for the first home football game. They continue practicing twice a week until the season officially ends, which will be with the football spring scrimmage Friday, April 20.
Miami Assistant Athletic Trainer Kevin Morley has worked with the Miami squad for several years and agrees that people don't realize the dangers associated with cheering.
"I think most people, when they think of cheerleading, think about what happened at their high school," Morley said. "They see dance teams and think about what they see at (Cincinnati) Bengals games. Collegiate level and competitive cheerleading is tumbling, stunting and is considerably more dangerous than that."
"When they cheer it can weaken their bodies for the rest of their lives," explained Miami Cheerleading Coach Cindi McDaniel.
Cheerleading injuries accounted for the most student-athlete insurance claims, second only to football, in a seven-year study from the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Catastrophic Injury Insurance Program.
Miami trainers said the campus' team has been very fortunate in avoiding life-threatening injuries this past season, and Athletic Trainer Jen Detwiler at McCullough-Hyde Physical Therapy has not seen any cheerleading-related injuries from Miami this year. She thinks it is because cheerleading coaches are starting to understand the levels of strength training involved.
Yet Detwiler has seen Miami cheerleaders in the past, but most of the injuries she sees now are at young level where the athletes are less physically mature.
"Right now the younger schools - middle school, high school - will see things on TV or at a Miami game, they will see a stunt and try and do it themselves and that is when they get hurt," Detwiler said.
Junior and Miami cheerleader, Nathan Miller, explained that the season lasts almost the entire year, as the team starts practicing before classes to be ready for the first home football game. They continue practicing twice a week until the season officially ends, which will be with the football spring scrimmage Friday, April 20.
Miami Assistant Athletic Trainer Kevin Morley has worked with the Miami squad for several years and agrees that people don't realize the dangers associated with cheering.
"I think most people, when they think of cheerleading, think about what happened at their high school," Morley said. "They see dance teams and think about what they see at (Cincinnati) Bengals games. Collegiate level and competitive cheerleading is tumbling, stunting and is considerably more dangerous than that."
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