Cheerleading is not a “sport,” per the University Interscholastic League, but the UIL hopes to bring a new perspective to cheerleading when a new pilot program dubbing it an “athletic activity” is launched in the 2015 school year.

“[Cheerleaders] celebrate Friday night football games, basketball games, volleyball games,” said Jamey Harrison, deputy director of the UIL, “but they never really have an opportunity to be celebrated for what they do.”

The UIL’s decision should not bring any major changes to the Arlington Independent School District’s cheer programs since cheerleading already follows UIL guidelines, AISD Director of Communications Leslie Johnston wrote in an email. Funding for the cheer program, for example, is likely to remain the same, Johnston wrote.

“The only possible cost associated would be the cost related to competing in our state competition,” Harrison said. “What we have found, though, is that the state competition could replace other national competitions that actually cost the schools more.”

Safety in cheerleading has been a main concern for the UIL, though, and the Game Day Cheer Competition will not feature the dangerous stunts performed in other national competitions. click here for complete story