Patience Beard is an all-American girl, a college cheerleader for the Arkansas Razorbacks, and she is an amputee. Her left leg was amputated below the knee in childhood. She wears a zebra-striped prosthetic, but you would hardly notice she is different from the other tops on the team. She’s got skills.
Special abilities cheerleading has existed at the local level for decades. The unfiltered enthusiasm of Special Teams is always a crowd-pleaser. Kudos to the coaches who are able to create choreography to feature the strengths of each unique athlete on the special abilities teams.
Cheer Canada just announced its invitation for video submissions to all special abilities teams across Canada. The 2020 International Cheerleading Union competition has defined the Special Abilities division and the Adaptive Abilities division to create space for special abilities teams at the Worlds Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Fla., in April 2020.
There are six divisions in the Special Abilities category. Some divisions are defined for teams with more than 50 per cent of athletes with intellectual disabilities per team, and other divisions for teams comprised of 100 per cent of athletes with intellectual disabilities. This means that special abilities athletes can be combined with non-disabled athletes which will encourage inclusion in smaller gyms, or on school teams.
The Adaptive Abilities division has five team types. In the Adaptive Abilities divisions, each division is defined with different rule modifications such as no basket tosses. Teams in the Adaptive Abilities divisions must have 25 per cent or more of athletes with any disability. This definition offers inclusion opportunities to athletes with disabilities other than intellectual disabilities, such as amputees like Patience Beard.
Cheerleading has always been an inclusive sport and the new competition divisions will invite those teams to the mat at international events.
