National Cheerleading Safety Month

March is National Cheerleading Safety Month.  Help protect cheerleaders by spreading the word about cheerleading safety and by making sure your cheer program follows recognized progressions and safety rules.  Check back here all during March as we focus on various aspects of cheerleading safety!

Focus: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

Awareness

Safety improvements begin with awareness. Help spread the word about cheerleading safety by joining our communities and by taking the safety pledge at iCheerSafe. 

Week 1: Safety Education

With the athletic skills performed by cheerleaders, coaches should be trained in risk management as well as basic first aid and CPR/AED training.  The AACCA, NCSSE and NFHS have resources available to help inform coaches of the risk and their responsibilities. To kick off National Cheerleading Safety Month, 200 free safety courses provided by a grant from NFHS and Varsity Brands. Due to the overwhelming response, each week in March AACCA will be drawing ten coaches that register for the online AACCA Cheerleading Safety Course and Varsity will be refunding their tuition.  This is a perfect opportunity for coaches that need to get or renew their safety education.

To register for the online course, go to http://aacca.org/safetycourse

Additional resources:

• National Council for Spirit Safety Education (Coaching Principles, Skill Techniques) 
• NFHS Learning Center (Coaching Principles, Sports First Aid, Concussion Management)
• USASF (Level credentialling for All Star cheer coaches)

Week 2: Emergency Action Plan

Every program needs a rehearsed Emergency Action Plan (EAP).  Despite every precaution, emergencies can happen. Whether it is a serious fall or sudden cardiac arrest, a rehearsed EAP can be the difference between life or death.  The AACCA has promoted EAPs since the first AACCA Safety Manual was published in 1990 and has made a sample available online for free since 2006. It was updated in 2009 to include a video and updated sample phone scripts and assignment sheets.

To download the AACCA Sample Emergency Action Plan, go to http://aacca.org/eap

Additional resources:

• Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (download the Saving Lives in Schools and Sports flyer)
• Parent Heart Watch
• American Red Cross

Week 3: Concussion Awareness

Concussions are no longer thought of as just "little dings" or "getting your bell rung". They are traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and every athlete, coach and parent involved in sports and athletics should be aware of concussions and their management. Failure to properly manage a concussion and the return to play could result in a major life changing or death.  Because of the seriousness of "Second Impact Syndrome" it is vital that every concussion is diagnosed and treated by a qualified physician.

According to two studies ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾ involving cheerleading and concussions, cheerleading ranks low on the rate of concussions compared to other sports but because of the high participation numbers and the year-round nature of the sport there are a higher total number of concussions in cheerleading than in many other sports. For this reason, any reduction in the incidence of concussion in cheerleading will have a positive effect on a large number of young athletes.

The AACCA commissioned an expert panel to develop the comprehensive AACCA Concussion Management and Return to Play Protocol. Every cheerleading coach, parent and athlete should be familiar with this document and use it to help physicians properly manage a safe return to play for cheerleaders who have sustained concussions.

Additional Resources:

• CDC Concussion Resources
  • Concussion in Sports
  • Head's Up for Youth Sports
  • Head's Up for High School Sports
  • Online Training
• NFHS Learning Center Free "Concussion in Sports" course (for athletes, parents and coaches!)
• Parent's Guide to Sports Concussions
• SportsConcussions.org

Week 4: Injury Prevention

Injury prevention is the main focus of cheerleading safety efforts.  While not all injuries can be prevented, there is always room for increasing safety efforts to reduce the number of injuries in cheerleading.

There is no single "magic bullet" to prevent cheerleading injuries. It is a coordinated effort by safety organizations, administrative and governing bodies, athletic administrators, principals, gym owners, coaches, parents, and the cheerleaders themselves. As the AACCA Safety Manual states, "the true measure of a successfully implemented [safety] program can be determined by the degree to which the responsibility for safety is shared by all."

With that in mind, this week's focus is on preventing injuries by having preparticipation physicals, following rules, teaching spotting techniques, using proper skill progressions when teaching and bringing one's best self to every practice, game and competitive event.