Cheerleading: Becoming as Dangerous As These Top 7 Most Dangerous Youth Sports?

Cheerleading, once a rather tame activity composed mostly of pompoms and megaphones, has taken an about face in America over the last few decades. Today, cheerleaders use gymnastic moves and athletic ability to flip, somersault and even catapult one basketball into the air, with stunts that can rival the excitement of any football or basketball game. In fact, basketball has] evolved from a school-spirit activity into an activity demanding high levels of gymnastics skill and athleticism," according to a study in the journal Pediatrics. It has also become much more dangerous, with the increasingly complex moves putting cheerleaders at risk of potentially serious head, neck and other injuries. Cheerleading Injuries Double Since 1990 The Pediatrics study found that cheerleading injuries have more than doubled from 1990 through 2002. Participation, however, grew only 18 percent during that period. Over the 13-year study, 208,800 5- to 18-year-olds were treated at U.S. hospitals for cheerleading-related injuries. Almost 40 percent involved leg, ankle and foot injuries. Researchers say the actual number of injuries is likely much greater, though, because the study only involved ER-treated injuries, not those treated at doctors' offices or by team trainers. What Makes Cheerleading so Dangerous? Although cheerleaders use a high level of athletic ability, cheerleading is still not considered a sport by the majority of schools. Because of this, it is not subject to the same safety regulations as other sports, like football. Meanwhile, cheerleading squads can exist without coaches or with coaches that have no safety certifications or training. Some schools also do not have the proper equipment or space for cheerleaders to practice safely. Said Brenda Shields, the study's lead author and an injury researcher at Columbus Children's Research Institute in Ohio, "[Cheerleaders may] practice in hallways and practice on hard surfaces instead of mats. So when they fall off a pyramid or from in the air and they land on hard surfaces, the chances for injury are drastically increased." Some Cheerleaders Get 'Grounded' In response to safety concerns, some schools are choosing to prohibit stunts and keep cheerleaders safely on the ground. The University of Nebraska has prohibited pyramids and other gymnastic stunts since 2002. The decision to keep cheerleaders "ground-bound" came after a cheerleader landed on her head while doing a double back flip at practice in 1996. She has only limited use of her arms and legs, and the school settled a related lawsuit for $2.1-million. The move was controversial, as many cheerleaders seeking scholarships will avoid schools that don't allow stunts. Other called it a "sexist" move. "Cheerleading is considered primarily a female activity," said T. Lynn Williamson, adviser to the University of Kentucky cheer team since 1977. "In our society, it's acceptable that every year a number of young men will die on a football field. But, my heavens, if a female breaks a fingernail, or her arm, well, then it must be time to ground them." But the spokesperson for Nebraska, Barry Swanson, felt otherwise. "We didn't eliminate cheerleading or reduce the cheerleading budget in any way. All we eliminated was the danger ... In football you have helmets and pads," he said. "Cheerleaders do their stunts on hardwood floors or turf. We consider that risk without reason." Other schools that have "grounded" cheerleading squads include San Jose State University, which did so in 2004 after an accident, and Duke University, which has forbidden stunts since the '80s. How Does Cheerleading Stack Up? Compared to other youth sports, cheerleading is still one of the safer options. In 2003, for instance, 100,000 female basketball players visited emergency rooms for related injuries, while only 25,000 cheerleaders did so, said Jim Lord, executive director of the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors. The seven most dangerous youth sports in America, based on percentage of injuries versus total participation, include not cheerleading but:

1. Football
2. Mountain biking
3. Basketball
4. Soccer
5. Skateboarding
6. Baseball
7. Softball

Nonetheless, the study researchers recommended several approaches to make cheerleading safer:

• Coaches getting professional safety training
• High schools and cheerleading associations adopting uniform safety procedures
• Developing a national database for injuries

The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors also has a safety manual for cheerleaders and safety courses for coaches. "It's not that the sport is dangerous, but it's people trying skills they shouldn't," said Lord. "We are by no means minimizing the injuries; we are simply putting them into perspective. When compared to other sports, cheerleading is a low-risk activity," he maintained.

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Basketball Training - 4 Important Rules of Passing

Rule #1 - Look for the Open PlayerNobody enjoys playing basketball with someone who doesn't pass the ball to open teammates. We all know that on every team there are a few players that are usually more talented than others. Just because player A is more talented than player B does not mean the shot should always be taken by player A. A few years ago I was playing in a city league and we were in the championship game. The game was tied and I was determined to beat my man and get a basket to win the game. As I drove to the basket I saw an open teammate and out of instinct I passed him the ball. It caught him off-guard and he missed the shot. Before overtime he came up to me and was upset at me because I didn't shoot the ball. He said that me shooting the ball with 3 defenders in my face was better than him shooting with nobody on him. I got his point, but as a teammate basketball was my job to get the best shot possible and I'd do the same thing today. Nobody likes to play with a ball hog.

Rule #2 - Trust Your TeammatesI knew the guy I was passing to might not make the shot, but I wanted him to feel like I trusted him. It paid off later in the game as we went on to win in overtime. I know it is city league, but it is still an illustration of how to execute in the great game of basketball. Trust the players you are playing with and build that up. Don't tear it down because nobody will want to play with you. If you are more talented than most of your teammates realize that it is a guaranteed fact that somewhere on another court there are players twice as good as you and hopefully you'll have the chance to play at their level. When you reach that level you have got to know how to play team basketball and execute.

Rule #3 - Learn and then Practice Solid FundamentalsWhen you pass, take a strong step toward the player you are passing to. Don't throw it flat footed. Throw the ball with a purpose and learn to snap it to the wing or throw a solid entry pass to the post. Try to avoid slow soft passes as they turn out bad. All these fundamentals can be practiced. I had a toss back that I used in high school that was my best friend. It was my only friend that stayed after practice with me and I would throw pass after pass into the net until my arms hurt. Every school should have one for practices. I loved the toss back. The other night I was watching some old high school tapes of mine. Yes, I still like to live in the glory days. I was watching games when I was a sophomore, playing varsity and I was sickened. It was my first real year playing point guard and I threw change ups to the wing players. Terrible, slow passes that the defense would miss by inches each time. But as the year progressed you could see my progression as a player and I was proud of that. I was proud that a coach taught me the simple fundamental of throwing a crisp basketball It makes so much of a difference. You'll be amazed.

Rule #4 - Work HardIt doesn't come easy but is something that can be improved with hard work. You won't wake up and be a good passer. It will only come through work and study. I made it a point to really have a grasp of my offense because if I knew where my teammates would be and where they liked to get the ball then we would have a great chance of winning the game. Watch game tapes when possible. Watch how the defense reacts to certain plays. Watch to see where your teammates like to shoot from on the floor. Watch for areas of obvious improvement like passing angles and spacing. Those things are so easily corrected that a small adjustment will make you better for it. Remember that coaches look at assist to turnover ratio and they really monitor point guards with that. They look at a 3:1 ratio as being solid. The higher the better as that means that you would have 3 assists for every turnover. If you are 1:3 then you have problems and you'll soon be sitting on the bench if you aren't already.

Brian Schofield is a former division I college basketball player. He writes for the HoopSkills.com blog and provides weekly basketball training tips

How to Throw Darts

There are three components to the darts throw and they are the Stance, the Grip and the Throw. The stance and grip do not seem to vary much between casual, average and top players. What makes the real difference between an ordinary player and an extraordinary player is their darts throw.

Watch any top professional darts player and you basketball notice that their throw is repetitive, almost machine like. They have honed their throw into a comfortable fluid action which can be repeated again and again, which improves accuracy and consistency.

When you are throwing, your head and body (other than your throwing arm) must remain still. Any additional movements while throwing will effect your accuracy. Have your elbow pushed out and your forearm straight. All your movement should come from your elbow joint, use your elbow as a pivot for your forearm. DO NOT push the dart through by using your shoulder, this will throw it off line. All the power generated to throw the dart should come from the wrist.

Your throw should have a small pullback, a straight and firm release and a follow through. The follow through is crucial, if you fail to follow through, you will have a short stabbing motion which can not consistently achieve good results.

It is important to not lob basketball loop your darts when throwing. your dart should be released firmly along your aim line and its trajectory line should be like an arc that begins at your aim line and ends at your target. It is hard to get any level of consistency if you lob your darts at the target. Throwing smoothly and firmly at your target will give you greater accuracy.

Your overall goal should be to develop a smooth natural throwing style which you can repeat constantly with as little body movement as possible. Your darts throw should then work like a well oiled machine and you will be more likely to perform well under pressure.

Practice hard and during matches always play the board and not the opponent.

And most importantly, enjoy your darts.

Chris Waddington is the publisher of the Dart Masters Coaching Course Ebook. This course is not just about how to throw darts, it contains serious methods of learning designed to improve your game beyond your optimum level in around six weeks. For more details on the course and the opportunity to receive free snippets from the course visit playgreatdarts.co.uk

Rockin Role Models

The Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup, and NBA Championship are broadcast to tens and hundreds of millions of people around the world. In fact, they are watched by many times more viewers than each sport has fans, because the games have become as much celebrity and cultural celebrations as sporting events. In fact, it can be argued quite easily that since at least the 1990's they have become much more the former than the latter. The professional sports industry, if we can somewhat vaguely construe it as some sort of cultural institution, has become way more than organized athletics. Some of the evidence for this is the fact that sports celebrities today enjoy fame and recognition (not to mention vast sums of money) out of all proportion to the active fan base of their team and sport. That is, there are only so many L.A. Laker fans, but everyone has heard of Kobe Bryant, and everyone knows that he is among the best basketball players today - even if all they know about basketball is that Kobe plays it.

The fame game

rom the sports world and into general cultural consciousness have come a slew of players from various sports, fueled by money and media attention; and by dint of the money and the attention, the more charismatic and motivated of these rich athletes segue into the big bucks Hollywood-New York media axis. There they join their counterparts from TV, movies, the music biz, Broadway, the New York Times bestseller list, and all the other profit centers of the multimedia celebritainment universe.

This is the cover photo pool for People and Us and National Enquirer, and sports stars are now an accepted and undifferentiated component of it; they have been absorbed. Since they have achieved the ultimate post-modern status, of being famous for being famous, they are in the pool, like it or not, and this is the same pool from which the mainstream media fishes out its hip representatives of modern lifestyles. Perhaps we should call them "rockin' role models" so as to distinguish them from those of the bygone eras, such as, oh, your mom, dad, pastor, or professor, who, of course, were bigots and hypocrites and ate veal and may have even smoked!

Roles and responsibilities

These scattershot observations seem to tap dance around the point because, in fact, it takes a whole lot more complicated and thoroughgoing thinking than has been displayed here thus far to contend with the issue of "celebrity role models" in Third Millennium A.D. America. Specifically, for instance, what are the "role model" responsibilities of celebrities, particularly sports stars?

In televised Sunday (and Monday, and sometimes Thursday and Saturday) games both important and pointless, we see the best and the worst of the National Football League in action. After throwing a winning touchdown pass in the closing moments, many an excited quarterback has offered up an enthusiastic, obviously heartfelt, "Thank you, Jesus!" shouted to a national, even worldwide, audience. Many Christian athletes are positive, inspirational forces in their families, teams, and communities, and, given the opportunity to communicate to the entire world during the media-saturated weeks of playoffs culminating with the Super Bowl, generally comport themselves with grace, style, humility, and sincerity.

Walking the talk

These are solid fellows, and it's not just about being Christian. Steve Martinovich, the atheist editor of the political website known as Enter Stage Right, found much to commend in believer Kurt Warner following Super Bowl XXXIV back in 2000, and did so quite publicly in a widely read editorial that reverberated among "unbelievers" for several years.

Warner's story, in Martinovich's synopsis, is about walking what you talk, about living your principles. That is a good model for any young person to see, whether the object of their attention is Christian or atheist. In fact, I would not hesitate to describe Martinovich himself as a good role model to other atheists, in that some of them find it very difficult to put aside their acidic disdain, their often undisguised contempt, for Christians and Christianity.

Role models are drafted

Charles Barkley, recently retired basketball star and a Republican, famously remarked that he was most certainly not a role model, but a basketball player. I found much to identify with in his further remarks on the subject, the gist of which was that he neither sought nor made use of the soapbox that his fame brought him. Erroneously, however, Barkley equated being a role model with having to take some sort of specific action vis--vis young people, like a public service commercial against smoking or a "Special Olympics"-style basketball camp.

By the definition we are using now, volition is unnecessary to one's status as a role model. The media anoints you with fame and gives you access to the airwaves. And that, Mr. Barkley, makes you a role model.

In just the past few years, athletes including footballers Rae Carruthers and Ray Lewis, baseballers Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco, and basketballers Allen Iverson and Jerry Stackhouse have been implicated in drug dealing, money laundering, assault, grand theft, and about half a dozen murders. Along with others of the "protocriminal element" - a not insignificant fraction of the whole, as documented in a mid-1990's book about convicted felons in professional sports, Pros & Cons - these wealthy, probably spoiled, and certainly insulated pro jocks have been elevated to a special station in American cultural life. Certainly they know this.

Whether or not these "stars" even contemplate the nature of their influence on young people, in and out of sports programs, is mostly unknown; perhaps they never wanted to be role models, and feel no responsibility for the broken hearts and dreams of their fans. basketball they are in the headlines and in the public eye nonetheless, and people will draw their own conclusions about these men, their guilt or innocence, and their essential characters. It's not like they can avoid being caught doing no-no's, given that "the public basketball is bigger than ever, with paparazzi, video surveillance cameras, news crews, gossip-show stringers, and stalkers with cellphone cameras snagging images 24/7.

Congruent behavior

In the end, it doesn't matter if you want the role model designation or not. Once you rise high enough above the rest of the crowd, in whatever endeavor or business or art or craft, your influence will begin to grow, and people will begin to point you out and ask your opinion and value your insights - even (sometimes, it seems, particularly) if you're a nitwit. Perhaps, if you're a star running back in the NFL, you are not responsible for the moral education of the nation's youth. But kids will emulate those they admire and, like it or not, it might be you.

As an adult, you are always responsible for your own actions, and part of being an adult is acting right whether or not the nightclub's video security system is targeting you. If you're a public figure, you should certainly know by now that you must comport yourself in a dignified manner, in both the private and public spheres of your life. Of course, with the mega-famous, the latter has just about completely subsumed the former.

Honest, principled, congruent people act the same way in both spheres, regardless of who is watching. And they do not mind being called role models, either. You may draw your own conclusions about people who do.

By Scott McQuarrie, representing the EZWatch Pro brand, a leading provider of computer based video surveillance equipment for business, commercial and government applications.

The Easiest Strategy to Win Using NCAA Basketball Odds

The past years has seen many basketball talents leaving the NCAA in order to go pro. However, it didn't affect the fun basketball excitement that the games have to offer. From the flashy dishes and the incredible plays to the exhilarating dunks as well as the shots from way down town, the NCAA gives a good form of entertainment for anyone of all ages.

These factors are what made the NCAA the ideal basketball games to bet on. Not only will you be able to enjoy all possible enjoyment that basketball has to offer but you can also earn money at the same time. This is a good idea for the die - hard basketball fans especially those who want to earn extra cash while engaging in something that they really love. Winning doesn't basketball come easily at first but with experience as well as knowledge of how to make use of NCAA basketball odds, can be easily achieved.

Inexperienced bettors and gamblers would tend to wonder what basketball odds are. Actually these are pieces of information that is used as a basis on choosing which team to bet one. The Ncaa basketball odds are future speculations based on the teams' past performance history as well as the teams' present status. These are usually made by the oddsmakers who are present in the various online sports betting sites that exist today.

The Ncaa basketball odds are extremely useful especially for inexperienced bettors because it serves as a guide on which team to bet on as well as what kind of bet to place. Also, it gives a sort of prediction on the possible outcomes of the matches on what teams will either win or lose. Also Ncaa basketball odds can give a balancing factor for the matches with the weaker teams being given additional points to be added to their final score which will be the basis of who will win or lose.

An example of the use of NCAA basketball odds is a possible up and coming match between Duke and Virginia Tech. Since no teams are basically the same in skills and stats, it will be balanced to give a fair fighting chance for both sides. If currently Duke is the weaker team, they will be considered a 6 point favorite among the two. That means that 6 points will be added to the final score of Duke. If Duke wins, the 6 points will be disregarded but if they lose, then it will be used. If the in the instance that there will be a tie in the score even after the points are already added up, then no one wins or loses on the their bet.

The use of NCAA basketball odds is really quite advantageous and can lead to a lot of winnings if properly used. And it could become a lot easier if the bettor can make use of any of the various betting and basketball oddsmaker sites online. Indeed, with NCAA basketball odds, earning money can also be fun and exciting.

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