Wisconsin court rules high school cheerleading is a contact sport

The ongoing debate over whether cheerleading is a sport may have been finally decided. According to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, not only is cheer a sport (rather than an activity), but it is a contact sport.

In a case watched closely by the cheerleading world, the decision means that participants cannot be sued for accidentally causing injuries.

The court ruled that former high school cheerleader Brittany Noffke cannot sue a teammate who failed to stop her fall while she was practicing a stunt. The court also said the injured cheerleader cannot sue her school district.

At issue in the case was whether cheerleaders qualify for immunity under a Wisconsin law that prevents participants in contact sports from suing each other for unintentional injuries. Participants can, however, be sued for reckless behavior.

The lawsuit was brought  Noffke, who was a varsity cheerleader at Holmen High School in western Wisconsin. Noffke’s suit claimed she received a severe head injury because a male teamate failed to properly spot her as she fell onto a tile floor during a pre-game warm-up Dec. 17, 2004.

Last year, a Circuit Court judge dismissed the suit citing immunity granted to participants in contact team sports. Later an appeals court found that because cheerleading doesn’t directly involve opposing teams like football or soccer, it wasn’t covered under the recreational immunity statute.

But Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler rejected Noffke’s argument that “contact sports” should mean only aggressive sports such as football and hockey. She wrote they should include any sport that that includes “physical contact between persons.”

Whether you agree or disagree, this is a ground-breaking decision that will impact how cheerleaders, coaches and schools approach training and comps. What do you think?

Sports Speak – Archery

ANCHOR~ point on the face where the archer holds the fingers at full draw.~~
ARMGUARD~ device that protects the bow arm from abrasion by the string.~~
ARCHERS’ BOX~ area a metre behind the shooting line where the archers in a team event await their turns.~~
BACK~ side of the bow farthest from the archer.~~
BARE BOW~ bow without sights.~~
BELLY~ side of the bow nearest the archer.~~
BULLSEYE~ central spot on the target.~~
COCK FEATHER~ feather that’s placed at right angles to the string when the arrow is nocked.~~
CRESTING~ distinctive color markings on an arrow to identify the owner in scoring.~~
DRAW~ to pull back the bowstring and arrow in preparation to shoot.~~
END~ group of arrows, usually three or six, shot in one sequence before the archer goes to the target to retrieve them.~~
FLETCHING~ feathers that help stabilize the arrow during flight.~~
HANGING ARROW~ arrow that hangs down because it hasn’t penetrated deeply into the target.~~
KISSER BUTTON~ device attached to the bowstring that touches the archer’s lips when the string is at full draw.~~
MATCH~ head-to-head competition between two individuals or teams.~~
NOCK~ to place an arrow on a bow string.~~
QUIVER~ case for holding arrows.~~
RELEASE~ act of letting go of the string to launch the arrow.~~
ROBIN HOOD~ act of splitting the shaft of an arrow already in the target with another arrow.~~
ROUND~ stage of competition where an archer is trying to advance from one stage to the next.~~
SHAFT~ long pole or rod forming the body of an arrow.~~
SIGHT~ device on the bow that allows the archer to take aim on the target.~~
SPOTTER~ person who identifies each archer’s score with a telescope and enters the score.~~
TIP~ pointed extremity of an arrow.~~
X~ mark denoting an arrow that strikes the inner circle, or X10, within the bullseye on a target.