Interview

Interview with Lindsay Nelson about cheerleading as a sport:

I conducted this interview with Lindsay Nelson by using Skype and WebcamMax, along with taking snapshots during the interview.

Lindsay Nelson: cheerleader for 11 years, coach for 1 year.

Lindsay's Room (the background in which the interview took place).

Lindsay's varsity jacket, along with the metals she has one from cheerleading competitions.

Some of Lindsay's patches from winning regional competitions and being a state qualifier.

Newspaper article about the team Lindsay cheered for.

The Allen Park Competitive Cheer Team from Lindsay's senior year of high school.

The Allen Park Middle School Competitve Cheer Team that Lindsay coaches.

Lindsay's art project that showcases many pictures and articles from her high school cheerleading career.

Profile Paper

I have known Lindsay Nelson since I was 7 years old, when we both started cheering together. I chose to interview Lindsay because I know from personal experience that she is very passionate about this sport. Lindsay is very familiar with cheerleading, along with knowing a lot about the controversy of cheerleading as a sport. Our interview was conducted through live video chat via Skype and WebcamMax, along with taking snapshots during the interview. The setting of the interview took place in both of our bedrooms. Also, Lindsay’s setting included many pictures of cheerleading, along with an ample amount of cheer memorabilia. Besides what was recorded, our interview was also filled with many stimulating and outrageous stories about her cheerleading career.

Lindsay Nelson was born in Michigan and lived in Riverview until she was 5 years old. After the age of 5, Lindsay and her family moved to Allen Park. She comes from a very sport oriented family, which has always pushed her to achieve her long term athletic goals. “My dad has always taught me and my sister to find the sport that we loved.” Lindsay took that advice from her father and found a sport in which she was truly passionate about; cheerleading. Besides doing 7 years of little league cheerleading, Lindsay also cheered in middle school and high school for both sideline and competitive cheerleading. When I asked her which was more difficult, sideline or competitive, she stated that competitive was definitely more difficult. “It’s a lot more practicing and a lot more work, and we compete every weekend.” Lindsay said that she considers competitive cheer as the “sport version” of cheerleading. She is very familiar with the subject and knows almost everything there is to know about cheerleading in general. Lindsay has 4 years of varsity competitive cheer experience, along with 1 year of coaching experience. “I’m extremely familiar with cheerleading in general because I have been a cheerleader for 11 years.” Lindsay made it apparent that cheerleaders sustain many injuries by participating in this sport. “I’ve had many injuries. I’ve had turf toe for a long time, which is where the joints of your toes are jammed into your foot. I had to get wrist surgery because I had a ganglion cist which prevented the motion of my hand from moving. I had shin splints which still bother me. Also, my ankle makes a really loud popping noise because my tendons are loose in it.” After she told me about her many injuries, she let me listen to the sound of her popping ankle, which I found to be very disturbing yet revealing of how cheerleading injuries can be permanent. She told me that there is a lot of wear and tear through cheerleading, like bruises and falls. However, she also said that since she graduated and stopped cheering, her previous cheer injuries have gotten worse. For instance, her joints pop, her knees are sore, she has a pinched nerve in her back, and the tendons in her neck are causing strain on her head and on the back of her neck. While listening to her plethora of injuries, I also felt pain in some of the areas she was mentioning. After our in depth discussion of injuries, we then talked about how cheerleading is set apart from other sports. “I would say this sport is different because there is no defense. In most sports you have the option of fitting back, but in this sport it is strictly scores. You’re on the mat with just your team, so there’s no way to defend yourself. It’s all offense.” She then talked about how the sport can be somewhat subjective because it is completely team oriented and relies mainly on teamwork and support. When I asked her about the difficulty of cheerleading, she said she believes cheerleading can certainly be more complicated than some other sports. “Gymnastics and stunting are really hard on our bodies and it takes a lot of practice to get really good at these skills.” She stated that cheerleading is complex because the teams are judged on perfection and of course no team is perfect. Next I asked about her initial reaction to people who say cheerleading isn’t a sport. “I get very angry when people tell me that cheerleading isn’t a sport because we compete for scores, places, and state titles just like any other sport does. We work out just as much, if not more. Also, we’re building muscle and learning physical skills, just as any other athlete does.” After this discussion, we conversed about the change in personal views of cheerleading as a sport over the last few years. “Since competitive cheerleading has become an MHSAA sport, which is the high school league in Michigan, everything has gotten a lot more difficult and the sport has been building and building every year, allowing it to be more recognized.” The last part of the interview questions was how cheerleading had overall impacted Lindsay’s life. “I have spent so many days and hours practicing. And now that I’m a coach, I see it from the opposite end of things, and I love coaching just as much as I love cheerleading. It’s just a passion of mine that I will carry with me throughout my whole life. It has taught me a lot of things like discipline and teamwork, also how to set your mind to something and work hard at it to reach your goals.” After the interview questions, Lindsay went on to show me some things she had received from cheerleading such as, her varsity jacket, her competition medals, her state, regional, and league patches, team pictures, newspaper articles, and school projects.

After interviewing Lindsay and listening to her experiences and her perspective on cheerleading, I feel that I have an overall better outlook on cheerleading. Also, I believe that if people heard how cheerleading has impacted certain cheerleader’s lives, they would better understand the strength, skill, and heart that this sport offers.