Court rules that cheerleading is a contact sport
From the archive: published Jan 27, 2009, 17 years ago. Details may have changed since.
A Wisconsin court has found that cheerleading is a contact sport, as part of a hearing into a damages claim.
Brittany Noffke was practicing a stunt for the first time before a basketball game in 2004 when she fell backward off the shoulders of another cheerleader and suffered a severe head injury. She sued 16-year-old teammate, Kevin Bakke, who was supposed to be her spotter but failed to catch her, the school district and its insurer
The court ruled that Noffke cannot sue a teammate who failed to catch her while practicing a stunt under a Wiscosin law that prevents participants in recreational contact sports from suing each other for unintentional injuries. The problem with the law is that it doesn’t define was a contact sport is, hence the interest in ruling.
Cheerleading groups welcomed the decision as Wisconsin cheerleaders will no longer have to worry about getting sued.
(via)