CHICAGO (AP) -- Cheerleading isn't just jumping and waving pompoms — it has become as athletic and potentially as dangerous as a sport and should be designated one to improve safety, the nation's ...

“In fact, it is a full-contact, extreme sport.” If a school or group considers cheerleading a sport, it is subject to strict safety regulations that can limit the dangers, such as the height of ...

Dr. Amy Xu got hooked on cheerleading in the fifth grade. As she pursued the sport in high school and college, she witnessed how the routines started demanding increasingly complex acrobatic feats — ...