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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, March 3, 2002

They'll get the cheers in today's state meet

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

The team runs about six miles a week, scheduling interval training with sprints or on stairs to build endurance. Then the girls hit the weight room, moving easily between machines and free weights, from squats to power cleans.

State cheerleading
• WHAT: Local Motion State Cheerleading Championships; Hawai'i High School Athletic Association's first championship event
• WHERE: Stan Sheriff Center
• WHO: 18 coed or girls squads in two categories (medium 11 or fewer members, large 12 to 18 members)
• WHEN: 4 p.m. today
• ADMISSION: $7 for adults, $5 for students (grades kindergarten-12)
• PARKING: $3
• RESULTS ON THE WEB: www.sportsHIgh.com, www.hhsaa.org
And that's before practice starts.

Sounds like a training program for any high school athletic program.

But for decades cheerleaders have struggled to be recognized as athletes, to dispel stereotypes, to be taken seriously.

"It's all about respect," said Dolly Wong, coach for the nationally recognized Kamehameha Schools squads. "Cheerleading never made the paper before. Finally, you're treated like an athlete and of course that feels good. You know you're an athlete inside and finally you're recognized as being one. It's overwhelming, in fact. And it's about time."

Cheerleading is often criticized as not having what it takes to be considered a competitive sport. Much like the debate over figure skating and rhythmic gymnastics, cheerleading is scored, in part, by artistic interpretation. That in itself, critics say, makes the status as a sport questionable.

But cheerleaders and coaches argue that they put as much effort into the sport as other athletes. Competitions make it highly competitive and practice is just as strenuous.

And having the HHSAA recognize cheerleading as a varsity sport supports their argument.

"Their peers didn't respect the sport as much as they do now," Wong said. "With all this coverage, people are getting more educated and they're finally understanding. People don't come to competitions or see the training. These competitions bring out awareness."

Today's championships will feature teams from every league competing for two titles: Medium and large divisions.

"This is their Super Bowl," said Erika Buder-Nakasone, co-head coach for the University of Hawai'i cheerleaders who's helping to organize the event. "They practice all year long for his. To have it here in your hometown, they just live and die for this. It's hardcore."

For 20 years the Spirit Challenge, run by the UH cheerleaders as their fund-raiser, served as the state's championship of cheerleading. More than 2,000 people came out last year for the event, which also featured junior varsity teams. (This year only varsity squads can compete.)

Teams will be judged on choreography, jumps, tumbling, dance, spacing, expression and creativity. Safety marks will be added to the score.

Over generations cheerleaders have evolved from dance-oriented songleaders who rallied fans to toned athletes, flipping and tumbling in highly choreographed performances. National competitions have raised awareness of and generated interest in cheerleading as a sport, even at the local level.

Kamehameha, this year's ILH champions, has participated in the Universal Cheerleaders Association's national competition four times, placing as high as third in their division last year. 'Aiea won first in its division in 1996 at the National Cheerleaders Association competition.

"Hawai'i is being recognized as being a hotbed for cheerleading," said Wong, who noted that many state teams finish in the top tier at national competitions.