Professor Ashlyn Williams, My Assignment two paper was a difficult one to write.

It has been a long time since I have written a research paper so I had to really think back on what one would consist of. My strengths in this paper would have to be my ability to relate to the topic I wrote about. Being a member of cheer nation really gave me some background information so my examples that I give are relatable to the subject and first hand experiences. Also my gathering of the sources was one of my strengths because they all really helped me pick a side to the argument and go with it. My weakness in this paper was the enter the conversation segment because I was afraid that I was being repetitive. There are only so many precautions that can take place to reduce injury in cheerleading or any sport for that matter, so in order to help me along I just put myself in the situation and wrote about what I would like to learn about injuries in the sport that I am involved in. My peer review really helped in this paper because it was to the point criticism. Kira reminded me that you can have up to 4 quotes and make sure you meet your word limit. So I went back in my paper and added some more information. Matthew suggested that I add A few more detailed examples throughout might be nice, so I added as much textual evidence from my sources and my own observations that I could. Jyvon wrote: I can see the correlation between your first assignment and this second, which is what I was going for because I wanted the reader to be able to put two and two together and to understand my take on the topic. Jeremy commented You just have to tweak it up just a tiny amount and it will be high class work, so I re-read my paper to make sure I much as much effort into it as I could. The section of the paper that I want you to pay particularly close attention to is the conclusion because I am not good at conclusions on any paper that I do for some odd reason. At the end of the paper Im just ready to give up and submit it in. What I tried to do was sum up the points I made in the enter the conversation section of the paper but I am not so sure if I did it in a good way. Keep in mind while you read my paper that English has always been a struggle for me, so when I finish a paper I become my worst critic so any advice that you can give me will be helpful. Hope you will enjoy my assignment two paper. Sources: Adams, N. G., & Bettis, P. (2004). Cheerleader! Cheerleader!: An American icon. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Adams discusses the way that cheerleading has become accepted in the American culture. Sports in America would not be the same of it were not for cheerleaders. I plan on using this article to show the importance of cheerleading as a sport. Boden, B. P., Tacchetti, R., & Mueller, F. O. (January 01, 2003). Catastrophic cheerleading injuries. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 31, 6.) A total of 42 direct catastrophic cheerleading injuries were reported to the NCCSIR between 1982 and 2002. Fifteen injuries were classified as nonfatal, 12 as serious (no disability), and 2 as fatal. All of the injuries were the result of direct trauma. I plan on using this article to support my idea that cheerleading can cause lifetime injuries. Egendorf, L. K. (2012). Girls and sports. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. This article talks about the different sports that girls play. Egendorf goes into detail of the starting point of how girls were able to begin playing sports as a while. I plan to incorporate this article in my body paragraphs to explain how girls in sports have changed over the years. Hanson, M. E. (1995). Go! fight! win!: Cheerleading in American culture. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. Hanson talks about the history of cheerleading and how it came to existence in the United States. The evolution of cheerleading is also discussed how it came from just showing spirit at social events to these difficult stunts and tumbling that we see today. Cheerleading is symbolically seen as a feminist, sexual and easy activity. I plan on using this article to contrast how cheerleading is seen today. Judd, S. J. (2007). Sports injuries sourcebook: Basic consumer health information about sprains and strains, fractures, growth plate injuries, overtraining injuries, and injuries to the head, face, shoulders, elbows, hands, spinal column, knees, ankles, and feet. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics. Judd discusses the seriousness of sports injuries. The contrast and similarities between different sports injuries and how training on fixing these injuries at a high school and college level are not as professional as they should be. I plan on using this article to list the risk that all participants in sports have including cheerleading.

Kozlowski, J. C. (June 01, 2001). Lack of Safety Information and Training Faulted in Cheerleading Injury. Parks & Recreation, 36, 6.) This article talks about the lack of sufficient training on athletic trainers in the school system. A big number of injuries that happened in Cheerleading are due to a coach or spotter that was not trained in the right therefore leading to an accident that could have been avoided. I plan on using this article to suggest how the school system/ gyms should make sure all professionals are trained properly.

Lipscomb, M. Observation Notes [Word Document] Retrieved from: https://moodle2.uncc.edu/mod/assignment/view.php?id=130355 In this observation I wrote about the practices/ performance that cheer nation does. Cheer Nation is a cheer student org that performs at different school functions at UNCC. I plan on using my observations to show how on a firsthand experience I see the lack of equipment in practice for upper level stunts and tumbling. Mueller, F. O. (January 01, 2009). Cheerleading injuries and safety. Journal of Athletic Training, 44, 6.) Mueller discusses that right way to correctly be trained for Cheerleading spotting. There has not been a big push on the efficiency of training that coaches have to go through in order to maintain a safe environment in practices, performances and competitions. I plan on using this article to show how there are ways we can change the cheerleading world to reduce injuries. O'Reilly, J., & Cahn, S. K. (2007). Women and sports in the United States: A documentary reader. Boston: Northeastern University Press. OReilly discusses the correlation of women and the sports they choice to play in the United States. Women sports are seen not as challenging as men. I will use this article to show how people judge the difficulty of women sports that are just are hard if not harder than men sports.

Waters, N. (January 01, 2013). What goes up must come down! A primary care approach to preventing injuries amongst highflying cheerleaders. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 25, 2, 55-64. Waters discusses that care and prevention steps that can prevent and or reduce the high number of cheerleading injuries that get reported each year. The environment in which cheerleaders practice have a lot to do with the injuries that are reported. I plan on using this article to display the actions that can be taken to make cheerleading a safer sport.