When I fell on my neck in the middle of a tumbling pass during cheerleading practice, I didn’t sue the gym. I didn’t even yell at my coach for pushing me too hard. Two weeks later I was back in action, and the incident was never mentioned again.

Another girl on my team broke her jaw, but the thought of suing her teammate never crossed her mind. After all, her boyfriend, the high school quarterback was suffering from a broken arm – it was no one’s fault but his own. He never voiced one word of complaint.

All 30 girls on my team fell from the top of a pyramid or got buried on the bottom of the pile. We all got elbowed in the face and occasionally got benched with a concussion. We never blamed anyone but ourselves. If we fell, it wasn’t someone else’s fault.

Counting for approximately 100 “catastrophic” injuries since 1982, cheerleading continues to rival football as one of the most dangerous sports. But when did a football player sue their coach for receiving a hard hit in the state playoff game?

In Wisconsin, though, a former cheerleader is now trying to sue her teammate for failing to break a fall during a routine practice. Ruling cheerleading as a contact sport, the Wisconsin Supreme Court said the teammate cannot be sued, as cheerleading is now considered a contact sport.

Having yet to be considered a “sport,” cheerleading has been a source of controversy as stunts and tumbling passes become more intense and difficult. While lawsuits continue to arise from these injuries, one has to question who is really at fault.

You can’t fault a coach for a broken ankle. In practice, cheerleaders and gymnasts are taught how to fall in a “safe” way. How can you fault someone else for your own mistake?

In the court’s decision, cheerleaders can sue only for reckless behavior. In the case of the Wisconsin cheerleader, the courts ruled the athelte cannot sue for a mistake made by lack of skill on another teammate’s part.

As with any sport, there is always a risk involved. Football, baseball and basketball all pose a risk, but you don’t see Kevin Garnett suing his coach when he gets smacked in the face. How is cheerleading to gain any respect as a sport if the girls are going to complain when they get a minor bump or bruise.

Nicole Jacobsen is a junior journalism and advertising double major. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].