Governor Signs Gonzalez Bill to Make Cheerleading a Sport

On Wednesday October 7, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bill authored by California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) to make competition cheerleading a high school sport.

Assembly Bill 949, known as the California High Schools Expanding Equality Respect and Safety (C.H.E.E.R.S.) Act, requires the California Department of Education to develop guidelines, procedures, and safety standards with the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) for high school cheerleading no later than July 1, 2017. To date, high school cheerleading has not enjoyed its own competition system like other high school sports and cheer athletes and their teams are forced to rely on private businesses to run competitions, which can be prohibitively expensive for the athletes and their families.

“For two decades, I have been baffled that young women and men cheerleaders in our high schools are denied the right to officially participate in their chosen sport,” said Gonzalez, who has participated in cheerleading as a high school and collegiate-level cheer athlete, a high school cheerleading coach and a parent. “Today, the Governor has ensured these athletes will earn the respect and have the safety standards they deserve. Equity comes in many forms and today it came in recognition that a traditional female activity can also be a sport.”

Cheerleading is the cause of nearly two-thirds of all catastrophic sports-related injuries involving female high school athletes. Additionally, cheerleading injuries result in almost 37,000 emergency room visits a year according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an increase of almost 400 percent since 1980.

AB 949 enjoyed broad support throughout California with more than 2,000 students, coaches  and parents advocating the Governor’s Office for its passage.

“Our cheerleaders have always known that they’re student athletes participating in a sport, and we’re overjoyed that the Governor has acknowledged their achievement,” said Kendra Flatts, the head cheerleading coach at Castle Park High School in Chula Vista. “These girls have put in the same hard work and dedication of students in other sports, and this will go a long way to helping these girls succeed and receive the respect they’ve earned.”

AB 949 was co-authored by a bipartisan coalition of 11 legislators, including the bill’s Senate principal co-author, Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Long Beach).

“I thank the Governor for signing this important measure to address the lack of safeguards in cheerleading that results in too many injuries,” said Lara, a former high school cheerleader. “Don’t let the stereotypes or uniforms fool you – cheerleading is a real sport and deserves the same attention, safety requirements and respect that all other sport teams receive. This is about equity and respect for athletes who engage in some of the most dangerous activities on our school campuses.”

Several other states – including Michigan, New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Alaska and Virginia – already recognize cheerleading as an official sport. However, California has excluded high school cheerleading from the formal safety standards and regulations of the California Department of Education, which oversees the CIF.

The bill was approved 77-1 by the Assembly on June 1, and received unanimous approval from the Senate on August 24.