Competitive cheerleading could become big but won't be cheap

Columnist

Oct. 15, 2015 6:31 AM PT

Cheerleading will become a competitive sport in California and part of the CIF starting in 2017-18, and no one should underestimate what that means.

Just take a look at Colorado.

“It’s big here,” former El Camino Real and Harvard-Westlake Athletic Director Vinnie Orlando said.

Three years ago, Orlando moved to Eaglecrest High in Centennial. The school has won eight state championships in competitive cheerleading.

Orlando said the state finals take place before crowds of more than 8,000 in an arena setting in Denver.

“The girls take it seriously,” he said.

It remains to be decided what kind of rules and regulations are going to be written for California competitors and schools, but make no mistake about it, if a school chooses to have a team, there will be costs.

At Eaglecrest, Orlando said there are coaching stipends for varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams. There are costs for uniforms, buses and camps. Fundraising is going on constantly.

He runs the sport just like any of his 22 teams.

So prepare for changes coming. And start practicing those stunt routines.

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