The First Cheerleading Burn Victim

It was a fairly mild day in June – low 80’s in Colorado. My cheer team was practicing inside on the mats, but I decided to bring them outside for some conditioning. There was an astro-turf in the back of the school that was on top of pavement.

One of my favorite ways to do team building and conditioning is to have the cheerleaders get into teams and they do relays from one end of the mat/gym/grass to the other. They do things like a crab walk, lunges, etc. At this practice, I had them do a wheelbarrow where one girl “walks” on her hands and the other one holds her feet.

As they started, several members of the team said, “This is really hot.” I felt the fake grass and it didn’t seem that hot. I yelled, “Go faster and it won’t be so hot.” They went faster.

As one pair finished, Emily was crying. Emily never cried. She was super tough and always had such strong work ethic. I asked, “What is wrong?”

Then, she showed me her hands. Skin was literally falling off her hands! The turf was so hot, the skin on her hands was peeling off.

At Emily’s bridal shower. (L to R) That’s me and Emily and two other members of the team – Catie and Becca (who did not get burned that day!)

I felt terrible! I was responsible for probably the first burn victim in cheerleading history!

Never did I think that they would get burned in cheerleading. A concussion – yes. A broken nose – yes. A sprained ankle – yes. But, a BURN – heck no! Emily had second-degree burns on her poor little hands.

Shortly after the incident, it provided some good humor for the team. Emily is now a college graduate and I just attended her bridal shower and wedding.

While you will probably never have a burn victim on your team, I want to share with you some lessons I learned about safety conditions for your practices.

Know your Team

This team became the State Champions that year and the following year. They were one of those once in a lifetime teams. They bonded and got along; they were extremely talented; they were humble; and the parents were amazing. This was a dream team. I should have believed them that it was too hot. This was a team that pushed themselves really hard. Every single one of them wanted to be their best. This was not a team that whined. I have had other teams in the past that have complained about conditioning and I knew they were just slacking off and whining. This is when you need to know your team well and what they are capable of doing and when then are truly just wanting to get out of conditioning.

Check the Surroundings

Check the surroundings and make sure your team is safe. The day of the burn, it wasn’t extremely hot, but being a Colorado native, I should have known that while it wasn’t too hot, the sun is intense and heats things up quicker at the high altitude than it would in a place with a lower altitude.

Some more common things you can look for is making sure your team’s shoelaces are tied, ensure all jewelry is out, and make sure they are wearing proper attire. Don’t practice while there is a basketball practice on the other side of the gym. Make sure the ceiling is high enough for stunting.

Have a Safety Plan

Assign team members to certain responsibilities if there is a injury.  Some injuries are very serious and you need to have a few members of the team responsible for taking the team out of the room.  Who will grab the first aid kit?  Does your entire team know where to find the first aid kit?  Does your team know where the AED Defibrillator is, if your school has one? If it is a slight sprain or a rolled ankle, do you have leaders on your team that can engage the rest of the team with practice while you tend to the injured cheerleader?  My teams always knew to go to the side and practices cheers or dances, but never stunts at that time.  Spend practice time going through your safety plan and revisit it throughout the season.

Get Proper Equipment

Mats are the most important piece of equipment you can invest in. I have worked with teams that use small folding mats that a stunt group can barely fit on and the mat slides around on the gym floor. Find a way to raise the money and buy the foam mats that roll out. Even if you have to start with three or four – start with something. You don’t need all 9 mats right away. Make sure they have good cheerleading shoes as well.

Looking back, I know the burn on Emily’s hands was rare and a fluke, but had I of listened to my over-achieving team, checked the surroundings better, and just did the relay inside on our mats, it may not have happened. As you practice this season, make sure the practice areas are as safe as possible!