Cheerleading Safety From AACCA. Solutions to address the risks involved in cheerleading.

As was expected, there were quite a few responses to the announcement May 11th that there would be new restrictions by AACCA for elementary, middle school and junior high school cheerleading programs. I’ve been asked about those responses and I thought it would be beneficial to share some of them with you (in addition to [...]

(A press release has also been issued here) The AACCA released its “2010-11 School Cheer Safety Rules” today which include some changes for all school teams along with the first ever set of rules specifically for elementary, middle and junior high school cheer teams. Changes affecting all school teams: Released stunt transitions must be braced [...]

There are two major issues when it comes to safety; preventing injuries from happening in the first place and properly addressing injuries when they happen through the preparation of an Emergency Action Plan.  I have said in the past that these concepts of prevention and preparation play an equal role – that they are two [...]

As college and high school basketball tournaments are gearing up around the country, I just wanted to put out a reminder about basketball safety rules and the importance of everyone following and helping to enforce these rules. The safety rules are written to help minimize the chance of having a catastrophic injury happen to one [...]

Of course, cheerleading safety should be practiced any time cheerleading is being performed, but March – Cheerleading Safety Month – provides the perfect opportunity to shine the spotlight on cheerleading safety. March often marks the winding down of basketball season and with it most school cheerleading will also come to an end. Soon, tryouts for [...]

The good news is this: with proper training and emphasis on progression, we should be able to reduce the injury rate in cheerleading.

Now that basketball season is in full swing it is time for a reminder about the specific restrictions for basketball court surfaces. These additional restrictions are intended to reduce the risk of a catastrophic injury to a cheerleader. Coaches must be familiar with and follow the current cheerleading safety rules at www.aacca.org. The combination of [...]

The Executive Committee of the AACCA has updated the 2009 – 2010 high school and college cheerleading safety rules to prohibit prone landings from airborne positions. The specific wording of the rules (high school rule D-10 and college rule G-5) is as follows: Airborne drops to a prone position on the performing surface are illegal. [...]

AACCA has published its first ever Sports Injury Study. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the risk of participation in cheerleading and address previous data misinterpretations and sensationalism in recent media reports. A number of recent articles falsely claim that cheerleading is the most dangerous athletic activity, more dangerous than football and hockey. [...]

Thanks to some very attentive coaches, we realize there were two rules left off of the 2009-2010 AACCA College Safety Rules that should have been included. The first is a new rule put in place last year regarding handspring load-ins to partner stunts. This skill now requires a spotter if the top person is released [...]