Wiconsin Court: Cheerleading a Contact Sport, Participants Can't Be Sued for Accidental Injury

FoxNews.com ^ | Tuesday, January 27, 2009

[Joiseydude]

MADISON, Wis. — High school cheerleading is a contact sport and therefore its participants cannot be sued for accidentally causing injuries, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

In a case closely watched in the cheerleading world, the court ruled that a former high school cheerleader cannot sue a teammate who dropped her while practicing a stunt. The court also said the injured cheerleader cannot sue her school district for the coach's alleged lack of supervision.

[Xenalyte]

I’m still trying to figure out when cheering separated itself from the sporting events. A previous boss has two daughters who take cheering class, but don’t ever cheer any sports functions.

What’s the point of that?

[KarlInOhio]

Whose job is it to get the crowd worked up at a cheerleading competition? The cheerleaders are already busy doing something else.

[Xenalyte]

When I was in school, back in the prehistoric ‘80s, the cheerleaders DID work the crowd. Their backs were always to the sports going on.

[Xenalyte]

Um, DUH ... didn’t read close enough! Sorry about the previous.

[ArrogantBustard]

Is it “so dangerous”? How dangerous is “so dangerous”, anyway? Please compare injury rates in Cheerleading to injury rates in other, comparable activities among roughly similar populations.

[MEGoody]

Gosh, a judge who got one right. Whaddya know.

[The_Victor]

Whose job is it to get the crowd worked up at a cheerleading competition? The cheerleaders are already busy doing something else.

We should start a cheerleading squad for the cheer competitions.

[Mark was here]

The face the constant danger of STD’S.

[Comstock1]

I was quite surprised to see that cheer leading somehow was responsible for about 66% of injuries and fatalities according to a study on girls’ sports that was reported in this article.

I never thought of cheer leading as dangerous but if a lot of girls died doing it, I am willing to call it dangerous now.

[KarlInOhio]

This is a reason why schools need genetically engineered rapid-healing cheerleaders. Quick, put that in the stimulus bill.

[ArrogantBustard]

Interesting ... of course, total number of injuries is not the most meaningful statistic. Injury rates would be needed for a proper comparison.

[library user]

When I was in school, back in the prehistoric ‘80s, the cheerleaders DID work the crowd.

Work the crowd? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! /obligatory juvenile male comment.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Save the cheerleader, save the world.

Somebody was gonna post it...why not me?

[Secret Agent Man]

Do they compete in tournaments?

[library user]

Cheerleader ping.

[ridesthemiles]

Gosh, a judge who got one right. Whaddya know.”

Another miracle!!! And in Madistan no less!!!!

[Secret Agent Man]

Some stuff can be dangerous. If you’re on top of a pyramid and are expecting people to catch you you can really get hurt hitting a hardwood court floor. And we’ve seen people blow out knees (ACL, etc) just playing football or basketball coming down on someone else’s foot wrong. This can happen with cheerleading.

[library user]

Look closely. :D