Cheerleading: An extreme sport? Cheerleading, once a rather unexciting activity that involved dancing with pom-poms and cheering for one’s football team, has turned into an activity demanding high levels of gymnastic skills and athleticism. Today, cheerleaders flip, somersault and even catapult one another into the air, with stunts that can rival the excitement of any football or basketball game. a) Quickly brainstorm your ideas and associations with cheerleading. b) Take the cheerleading quiz to find out how much you already know about cheerleading. 1. What is a cheer? 4. What is a motion? A An offensive word that spectators yell from the sidelines of the field. A To step back two places and then move one forward. B A long, very energetic yell that is accompanied by particular motions or stunts. B To move to the left or the right. C A word that is spelled out letter by letter. C To sit down during a cheer. D The happiness you feel when your team wins. D To arrange arms or legs in a certain position. 2. What is a base? 5. What is a spotter? A The person who is lifted in the air in a stunt. A The person in charge of keeping the squad’s uniforms clean. B The coach or advisor of a cheerleading squad. B The person who points out friends and family in the crowd. C The person at the bottom of a stunt whose feet always stay in touch with the floor. C A person who is responsible for safety and the prevention of injuries during stunts. D The person in charge of the music. D The person in charge of fundraising. 3. What is a flyer? 6. What is a handspring? A The person who is lifted into the air during a stunt. A A type of jump where you land on your hands instead of your feet. B The person who helps lifting another person into the air. B A gymnastic skill where you jump from a standing position to your hands and back. C The person in charge of handing out information about the squad. C A type of hand signal used to coordinate stunts. D The person who arranges the transportation of the squad. D A secret cheerleading handshake. c) Find photos online showing some of the terms or stunts described above and bring them to class. d) Extend the quiz with a few more questions about the following cheerleading terms: The most dangerous sport for girls a) Read the text about the dangers of cheerleading on page 120. b) While reading, highlight a maximum of three words per paragraph that convey the main idea of the paragraph. 3 dismount flash card mascot pyramid toss captain 4 Fact file Cheerleading accidents • A recent study showed that between 1982 and 2008 cheerleading accounted for 65.2% of high school and 70.5% of college severe injuries among all female sports. • In 2007, an estimated 26,786 hospital emergency room visits caused by cheerleading, with head and neck injuries accounting for 15.1% of these visits. F 119 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjU2NDQ5MQ==