Cheerleading too dangerous to be taken lightly

There have been countless reports in newspapers as well as on TV and radio about how very dangerous the "sport" of cheerleading has become.

Just recently there was a heartbreaking photo of a young woman's parents at the bedside of their daughter who is permanently paralyzed from the neck down as the result of a fall from a pyramid formed by her cheerleading team.

So what do you choose to place on page 1 of your paper: the photo of a young girl being tossed into the air by her teammates during The Spirit Spectacular event at the Sears Center.

I would question the degree of common sense possessed by both the people who organize these events as well as the people who guide these young cheerleaders in their routines. Is winning some trophy that will merit little notice as time passes worth risking the health and lives of these young people? I think not!

I would be willing to guess that the majority of Americans cannot recall the names of all except a very few winners of the medals in our last Olympic games.

Betty Grenda

Mount Prospect