Cheerleading: A sport or hobby?

Is cheerleading just an extracurricular activity or an actual sport? This is a question that I have been asked at least a thousand times over the past nine years. People have fought with me over this question and at times have been rude about the matter. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but that doesn't mean it is alright to shove that in someone's face or down their throat. I am a cheerleader and have been for the past nine years. It started out as something that was fun and kept me out of trouble but transformed into a passion. Many hear me complain about cheer and how angry it sometimes makes me, but I do not know anyone who has never said something negative about the sport they participate in. Cheer has turned into a major part of my life. It occupies at minimum two hours of my day, five times as week. In special occasions or preparing for special events the number of practice hours and games, doubles. Luckily at least 90% of my friends are cheerleaders as well, so I don't miss out on certain outings and I get to share the special experiences with them while involved in cheer. People argue with me on a daily basis as to whether cheer is a sport or a hobby. I believe 100% that it is a sport and that is not only becuase I participate in it. Sports that are considered sports, such as baseball, basketball, and football, all have practices, games, uniforms, tryouts, competitions, JV and Varsity teams, and camps to improve or learn new skills. Cheerleading has everything on that list, so why do many consider it to just be a hobby? It is also ranked as one of the highest injury sports and is considered too dangerous in certain areas. Rules and regulations have been set to protect cheerleaders to minimize the injuries. Cheer has shaped me into the person I am and has given me so much character. I was super shy and closed off until I started cheering. I came out of shell and performed in front of hundreds of people starting at age nine. Everytime I step onto the 50 yard line or the center court, I put on a show and give it my all for that two minute performance. I'm not saying it's easy or that I never wanted to give up but through the blood, sweat and tears, I learned so many things and got so many different opportunities that I would have never had access to if I never cheered. Since I will never cheer again, I realized that starting from the Jr. Wolves, through the Jr. Patriots, and throughout high school, has given me something to look back on and be proud of. People may say it is not a sport but it has all the qualifications of a sport and has girls and boys putting everything on the line for something they love, just like anyone else would for their sport. There is a "behind the scenes" of cheerleading that is not known to many. Since it isn't all public information, people don't understand what we go through or why we do it. The misunderstanding is where the negative opinions and ruling out of it being a sport comes from. Whether you think it or not, I will always be a firm believer that cheerleading is absolutely, positively a sport.