Just the Facts, Jack.

Some Interesting Facts About High School Sports

There are more head and spinal injuries from cheerleading than all other high school and college sports combined, this according to Frank Mueller, a leading researcher from the University of North Carolina.  According to abcnewsgo.com, there are about 16,000 serious injuries from cheerleaders who have been thrown into the air, assorted stunts and tumbles.  Even though most common injuries are strains and sprains (current recorded statistics indicate this category represents approximately 52% of the injuries), cheerleading injuries extend beyond sprains to include concussions, fractures and other more serious injuries. 

According to Pediatrics, the official journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics, the number of cheerleaders between the ages of 5 and 18 visiting emergency rooms increased by 110% between the years 1990 and 2002.  No newer studies are available, but according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, approximately 25,000 cheerleaders ended up in the emergency room in 2007.

The study cited that there were 44 fatalities or serious injuries during the course of the study and that such injuries continue to rise. The center took cheerleading and compared it to other women's sports such as gymnastics, basketball or track. However, it didn't account for the following:

• Cheerleading has grown exponentially compared to other female sports. It stands to reason that with more participation, there will be more injuries. To accurately compare sports, the study would need to have about the same number of participants from all sports.
• The study did not consider the fact that in many cases, cheerleading is a year round sport whereas football, basketball or soccer are not year round sports. A more accurate comparison could be made by looking at injuries occurring during a specific time period.

So what is the bottom line?  Use good judgment with your cheerleader.  There is no doubt that there are risks in tossing girls up into the air and catching them. However, sometimes the headlines do not tell the entire story. It's important to remember these risks and take appropriate safety precautions that include:

• Require safety certification and ongoing education for coaches
• Insure that the school has qualified tumbling instructors
• Have trainers on site for cheerleading performances
• Follow safety regulations like using mats on the floor during performances

Speaking of the bottom line, if you really had athletic talent and wanted to make a lot of money at sports, where would you earn the most money?  Following is a list of the top ten earners in 2010 in sports for both women and men.

    Name                          Sport               Amount Earned

1.  Tiger Woods                 Golf                    $75 million
2.  Kobe Bryant                 Basketball            $53 million
3.  LeBron James               Basketball            $48 million
4.  Roger Federer               Tennis                 $47 million
5.  Phil Michelson               Golf                    $46.5 million
6.  David Beckham             Soccer                 $40 million
7.  Christiano Ronaldo         Soccer                $38 million
8.  Alex Rodriguez               Baseball             $35 million
9.  Michael Shumacher        Auto Racing        $34 million
10. Lionel Messi                  Soccer               $32.3 million

Women's Sports
1.  Maria Sharpova             Tennis                $25 million
2.  Caroline Wozniacki        Tennis                $12.5 million
3.  Danica Patrick               Auto Racing        $12 million
4.  Venus Williams              Tennis                $11.5 million
5.  Kim Clijsters                 Tennis                $11 million
6.  Serena Williams             Tennis                $10.5 million
7.  Kim Yu-Na                    Ice Skating         $10 million
8.  Li Na                            Tennis                $8 million
9.  Ana Ivanovic                 Tennis                $6 million
10. Paula Creamer              Golf                   $5.5 million

And there were others making significant income from other less commonly referred sports including Tony Hawk, Skateboarding, $12 million; Shaun White, Skateboarding, $9 million; Ryan Sheckler, Skateboarding, $5 million; Travis Pastrana, Freestyle Motocross, $3 million and Kelly Slater, Surfing, $3 million.

What’s all this say?  If you are really good at a sport, there is a lot of money to be earned, but it takes serious time, energy and some talent to be able to attain these kinds of accomplishments.