'THIS is how winners are made!'

[Tez3]

Whatever your sport or martial art, whether it's for a trophy, a belt, a record or just to be the best you can this is how you do it!

 

[Sukerkin]

My word - in recent years I have come to a greater appreciation of the athleticism of cheer-leaders but seeing the punishment they take when flips and spins go wrong earns them even greater respect. Most definitely not just pretty girls waving pom-poms.

 

[Tez3]

In my daughter's group they have had more serious accidents that we ever do in our MMA club and that includes the fights themselves! My daughter has had a torn hamstring recently, one girl had a broken foot another a broken hip. It's scary stuff.

 

[Sukerkin]

In a tangentially similar vein, here is a great clip from the BBC about how certain athletes come to 'represent' an Olympic games:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19102942

 

[Dirty Dog]

One of our kids has been a cheerleader since Jr High (she's leaving for college in a few weeks). She works very hard, and there is no deying the high level of athleticism needed to participate, nor the risks involved with many of the stunts. The dedication required is on a par with anything we expect from a martial artist.