Cheerleading Injuries

From the Chicago Sun Times:

Cheerleaders catapult in the air, climb human pyramids and catch their tumbling teammates as they fall to the ground.

They also make lots of emergency room visits.

Research indicates cheerleading injuries more than doubled from 1990 through 2002, while participation grew just 18 percent over the same period.

''Cheerleading is not what it used to be. It's no longer standing on the sidelines looking cute in a skirt,'' said Erin Brooks, a former cheerleader who teaches a safety course in Mississippi. ''It's more body skills.''

A study published today in the journal Pediatrics estimates 208,800 young people ages 5 to 18 were treated at U.S. hospitals for cheerleading-related injures during the 13-year period.