The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision issued by federal Judge Stefan Underhill in 2010 which stated the Quinnipiac University could not count competitive cheerleading as a sport for Title IX compliance purposes.
The decision is not surprising, though QU officials are, obviously, disappointed. They have committed themselves to the continued support of all their female student-athletes including those who play volleyball and those who participate in acrobatics and tumbling--the sport that competitive cheering became--despite its current non-sport status. QU has elected to go with acrobatic and tumbling and join the national association that governs this activity over participation in stunt--the other version of competitive cheer that is run by Varsity Sports, which oversees a host of different cheerleading activities.
Of note is that even though QU was ordered to keep its volleyball team, it did not retain its coach. Robin Sparks, who was part of the lawsuit against the school, was fired last spring.
