Back in high school I was the type of kid you might have hated. I was peppy, loved the whole high school scene, sang in the choir, signed up for all the drama performances, and... I was a cheerleader. While we did our fair share of being silly, as a squad we did work really hard. When the football players were in their pre-season "hell week" so were we. We ran, lifted weights, and kept ourselves in excellent condition. Yet, as most cheerleaders do, we found ourselves in the position of defending whether or not cheerleading qualifies as a sport. I guess it depends on what your definition of sport is.

Dictionary.com defines sport as "An athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature." So does cheerleading fit that bill? For the skill and physical prowess portion -- absolutely. Cheerleading requires strength, agility, balance, rhythm, and power -- it's not just bouncing about with a short skirt on. But is cheerleading competitive? At the Friday night football game, no... it isn't. But cheerleading does have a competitive side. Most high school and college squads -- even some of the junior squads -- attend multiple competitions each year. And the competition is fierce.

So by all definitions cheerleading is a sport. And it's one that can really benefit your health (and possibly mess you up a bit... my knees are still a mess from my high school days). And, trust me, we're not all ditsy blondes either.