Catastrophic Cheerleading Injuries Prompts USSA & NCSF Into Action
Reports that 65.2 percent of all catastrophic injuries to female athletes occur in high school cheerleading have led to efforts from the United States Sports Academy and the National Cheer Safety Foundation (NCSF) to educate cheer coaches.
“Cheer safety education based on sports sciences is crucial in reducing catastrophic and over-use injuries in cheerleading,” said NCSF President and CEO Kimberly Archie. “Those involved need to insist that coaches are educated and trained to properly care for young athletes.”
The NCSF will use the Academy’s sports coaching program as a way to educate cheer coaches. “Sport education based on the sports sciences is the key to managing catastrophic sports injuries,” said Dr. Enrico Esposito, the Academy’s Chair of Sports Medicine. “Qualified, certified personnel are the first requirement for ensuring the health and safety of young athletes involved in physical activity and sports.”
A study released by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina, which recommended strict safety measures to be adopted, showed that the catastrophic injury rate of high school cheerleaders over the past 26 years has been nearly twice that of all other female high school sports combined.
In 2008, the National Electric Injury Surveillance System survey by the Consumer Products Safety Commission reported that emergency room visits among cheerleaders of all ages increased from 26,786 to 29,148 (8.8 percent). Those numbers include a 110 percent one-year increase in visits from cheerleaders age 13 and under.
According to Dr. Cynthia Bir, Director of Research and Orthopedic Surgery for the Wayne State University Department of Biomedical Engineering, young cheerleaders receive injuries from falls that can “have a greater impact than a hit in the NFL.”
The NCSF is dedicated to introducing science in cheer safety to reduce injury, disability and death from cheer injuries through research and education of parents, cheerleaders, coaches and administrators.
NCSF – Coaching Education Program is out lined below:
NCSF - Coaching Education Program
| Coaching Level | Courses |
|---|---|
| Level I | 1) CEM 585 NCSF Cheer Safety and Risk Management |
| Level II |
2) CEB 371 Sports Coaching Methodology 3) CED 546 Seminar in Sports Medicine |
| Level III |
4) CER 511 Sports Performance Enhancement 5) CEB 373 Scientific Principles of Coaching 6) CES 538 Partner Stunts & Progressions |
Requirements
ALL Level I Coaches MUST meet NFHS and NCAA Certification Requirements
ALL Level III Coaches are Required to have a USAG Tumbling Certification
ALL Coaches at Every Level MUST have CPR/AED & First Aid Certification
Text Books
NCSF Cheer Safety & Risk Management Guide
Cheerleading and the Law
Better Coaching
Sports Medicine Essentials
Sports Mechanics for Coaches
The Biophysical Foundations of Human Movement
NCSF Partner Stunts & Progressions Guide