On February 4, the nation celebrates National Girls and Women in Sports Day. This day is marked annually around the country and on Capitol Hill to commemorate the achievements of girls and women in athletics and to promote the continued expansion of opportunities for girls to play sports and live physically active lives. Unfortunately, this isn’t true, nationally, for Cheerleaders.

Historically, cheerleaders embraced and engaged crowds of high school sporting events, raising their pom-pom’s and leading the spectators in a cheer for victory; win or lose. Like all things in history, cheerleading has evolved into a competitive and individualized sport in and of itself. After the squad’s have cheered on their Alma Mater, most of them prepare to compete locally in their own genre of competitions. Sometimes without financial or moral support of the very school or organization they represent. As a result, high schools and colleges nationwide only recognize the activity as an expendable program to their schools throughout most of the United States.