Visit the web site of the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association and the flash movie in the header cleverly announces that it’s about time, implying that the skill set of competitive cheer has finally evolved into a genuine sport, Acrobatics and Tumbling. The NCATA is the governing body for Acro and Tumbling and is currently overseeing the second season of the new female collegiate sport. Each of the six universities (Azusa Pacific, Baylor, Fairmont State, Maryland, Oregon and Quinnipiac) that sponsor an Acro team has begun competition and is approaching the midway point of the second full season. As varsity sports at their universities, each team is fully supported by the athletic department through academic support, medical support and of course, scholarship and financial support. All of NCATA member programs adhere to all NCAA guidelines for amateurism, eligibility and participation as part of the mission to achieve emerging sport status for Acro and Tumbling with the NCAA.
With the second season rolling strong, the NCATA is gaining fans and supporters for the sport. The NCAA requires strong governance and structure for the sport to be considered for emerging sport status. The alignment with the USA Gymnastics Federation last year is a natural relationship that has provided resources for the NCATA to continue developing its administrative structure, insure the sport and credential coaches and athletes. This partnership brings the prestige and leadership the internationally respected USA Gymnastics organization which is recognized by the NCAA and the US Olympic Committee.
The NCAA also looks to the positions of prominent women’s advocacy organizations to determine the interest and opinions towards a new sport. For years, the cheerleading industry sought to keep cheerleading an activity in order to protect profits through maintaining governance and self created regulations. This worked well with women’s advocacy groups whom agreed that cheerleading was an activity and not a sport. One of the most prominent women’s advocacy organizations, the Women’s Sports Foundation, recently reconsidered their position and is now in favor of a new collegiate model of competitive cheer that has evolved into a true sport. Nancy Hogshead Makar, Sr. Dir. of Advocacy for the WSF was quoted as saying, “This new sport is derived from the skills and techniques of traditional cheerleading” and that it is “…a new competitive team sport which provides increased athletic and educational opportunities for young women.”[i]
Perhaps the most critical sign of momentum for the sport is meeting the NCAA’s requirement for at least 10 institutions to sponsor varsity teams in the sport. These programs must be fully NCAA compliant with all rules and regulations. In just over two years, the NCATA has gone from one to six varsity programs. Hogshead Makar additionally said, “I want to see sports that offer competition and coaching and access to medical care and a good competitive schedule that will offer them an entree to all the benefits of competitive sports."[ii] There is no other opportunity on collegiate campuses for female athletes using this skill set to receive athletic scholarships and benefit from the full advantages of being a true varsity athlete other than the 180 plus female athletes currently on Acro teams. The real and genuine opportunity created by this new sport has several more institutions helping the NCATA surpass the 10 schools needed.
As the second Acro season continues to impress, April will bring the collegiate national championship where both individual event champions and a true team national champion will be crowned. Judge Stefan Underhill wrote in the Quinnipiac ruling that “the activity is too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic opportunities for students,"[iii] All you have to do is watch an Acro and Tumbling meet and you will know this is not cheerleading, this is not underdeveloped or disorganized. This is sport. It’s about women, it’s about opportunity, it’s about Acro and Tumbling and it is about time.
Visit thencata.org for schedule and information about teams competing in Acro and the remaining season schedule.
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