Entering The

Conversation

While some people consider cheerleaders to be

athletes, others laugh at the thought of cheerleading
being considered a sport. The truth is, cheerleaders are
highly qualified athletes and possess unique skills that
no other athletes have. They practice long and
strenuous hours in order to perform their difficult
routines delicately. Unfortunately, there are multiple
people who watch cheerleaders at various sporting
events that do not hold this same view. They can often
LOOK
be blinded by their stereotypical judgements, not
realizing the hard work that cheerleaders give off in H
preparation for the event. Because of this, I am
planning to conduct a study exploring others opinions E
on cheerleaders.
R
E

I decided that the best way to find participants for the study is to create a
survey and print off about one hundred to two hundred copies,
demonstrated in the model below. It is necessary to have this many
copies in search to select the proper participants for my study. In total my
goal is to have 30 participants preferably 15 males and 15 females from
ages sixteen to forty-five who have never participated in cheerleading.
However, I will contact about 10 additional qualified participants in case
someone drops out or is not available to participate in the study. All thirty
of the participants selected will hold negative stereotypical views of
cheerleaders. Once I have printed the surveys, I plan to attend a Charlotte
Forty-Niners basketball game. With permission from the athletic director,
Tim Johnson, and gym coordinator, Mike Hartwell, I plan to have a table
set up near the entrance/exit door of the gym. As people enter and leave
the gym, I will ask those who are qualified and willing to participate in the
study to fill out the quick survey on cheerleading. The survey consists of
short and simple opinion based questions about cheerleaders, more
specifically the Charlotte Forty-Niners cheerleaders. The responses I
receive from the survey will be my guide in dividing and selecting the
participants for my study.
 Cheerleading Survey

Directions: This survey consists of six simple questions, three open ended questions, and a

short contact information section. Please Circle one answer for each simple question, and

truthfully fill out the open-ended questions and contact information section. Responses to the

questions should accurately display your opinion and views of cheerleading. Thank you for

your time.

Contact Information: On the lines below please list your full name, along with the best

contact phone number or email address.

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

1.) What is your gender?

Male Female

2.) Do you fall between the ages of 16-45?

Yes No
3.) Have you ever participated in cheerleading before?

Yes No

4.) Do you consider cheerleading to be a sport?

Yes No

5.) Do you respect cheerleaders as athletes?

Yes No

6.) Do you think cheerleaders are an important asset to sporting games and events?

Yes No

7.) Please describe in detail your opinion of cheerleaders.

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
8.) Do you think cheerleading requires specific technique and skills, or could anyone be a

cheerleader?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

9.) What do you think cheerleading practices consist of? Do you think they are easy or

difficult? Please describe.

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for completing the survey, you will be contacted within three days if you are

eligible to participate in the study along with more information and further details.
Questions After the Practices
Directions: After the cheerleading practices, I will personally interview and ask each
participant these series of questions in order to see if their opinion of cheerleading and
cheerleaders has been altered in any way.
1.) When watching the cheerleading practice, were you surprised by the workouts the
cheerleaders were involved in?
2.) Did the practice look difficult and strenuous on the cheerleaders?
3.) How did the cheerleading practice compare to other sports team practices?
4.) Would you consider these cheerleaders to have special and unique talents used in their
practice?
5.) When you participated in the practice was it hard or challenging in any way?
6.) What is your opinion of cheerleaders after completing the study?
7.) Do you now respect cheerleaders as athletes?
8.) Do you now consider cheerleading to be a sport?
9.) If your opinion has or has not changed from the first survey, please elaborate on how
and why.
 My main goal conducting this study is to become educated on others opinions of
cheerleaders, but to also help broaden their perspective. I hope after the participants
attend and participate in the cheerleading practice their negative view of cheerleaders
will be flipped to positive and respectful. I know from experience that cheerleading
practices are long and exhausting. Therefore, the average person in my research study
should find them difficult while attempting. Over all, the study I have planned will prove
to me if cheerleaders can make a personal and positive impact toward the negative
opinions that the participants placed on them. If the study were actually conducted the
way projected, I could use the resulting data in many ways. For example, I could take the
data and create it into a journal or presentation and send it out to different sporting
magazines and journals. If they published my data for the public to see, this could help
demonstrate the reality of cheerleading and potentially alter their perspective. I could
also use the data to create a presentation to share on UNC Charlottes campus. If I shared
this information with the student body of Charlotte they could see what cheerleading is
like from an insiders perspective. If they were provided with visual evidence from my
study I feel as if they would be more respectful to our team at games and around
campus, because they would finally realize the hard work that goes on behind the
scenes.