First STUNT Athlete to be Recognized at Women's Sports Foundation's Annual Salute to Women in Sports

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- USA Cheer is proud to announce that Ashley Lober is the first STUNT athlete to be included in the Women's Sports Foundation Annual Salute to Women in Sports. Ashley will take the stage as part of the procession of female athletes during the annual banquet on October 15 recognizing excellence in sport.

Billie Jean King founded the Women's Sports Foundation in 1974 with the goal of advancing the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity. This year marks the 35^th year that the Women's Sports Foundation has hosted the event, which has recognized athletes from every sport from basketball to snowboarding. This is the first time an athlete from STUNT has been recognized by the foundation.

"The Women's Sports Foundation welcomes the sport of STUNT into the women's sports tent, along with other aesthetic sports like gymnastics, diving and some skiing and snowboarding events," says Deborah Slaner Larkin, Chief Executive Officer of the Women's Sports Foundation. "STUNT is developing to ensure girls and women are being provided the same educational experience that boys receive, with comparable numbers of competitions, squad sizes, scholarships, and a standard competitive format."   

Created by USA Cheer to be an additional sport option for female athletes, STUNT was derived from traditional cheerleading and developed to fulfill all NCAA emerging sport requirements, and has consistently met all minimum requirements for consideration. STUNT removes the crowd-leading of traditional cheerleading and focuses on the technical and athletic components, which include partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, jumps and tumbling skills. 

"Ashley is a remarkable student athlete, and as part of the Oklahoma State University STUNT team, has proven herself to be a formidable STUNT athlete," says Bill Seely, President of USA Cheer, which developed the sport of STUNT. "Having a STUNT athlete recognized by the Women's Sports Foundation is a testament to the hard work of the athletes, and the foresight of so many college programs that have embraced this exciting emerging sport."

Ashley, who is majoring in Finance and maintains a 3.5 G.P.A., hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she was a 4-year varsity letter recipient, 2-time Cheerleading State runner-up, and 2-time Cheerleading State Champion as well as a member of the National Honor Society and a 2-time state winner in a New Mexico Entrepreneurship competition.  

Currently, she is a junior at Oklahoma State University where she is a member of the defending Division I STUNT National Championship team. Ashley was a Gold Medalist at the 2014 International Cheer Union (ICU) World Championship, which is the official World Championship for the Sport of Cheerleading, held in April of 2014 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

About USA Cheer

USA Cheer is a not-for profit organization and is the national governing body for all disciplines of cheerleading. USA Cheer exists to serve the entire cheer community, including club cheering (All Star), traditional school based cheer programs and the new sport of STUNT. USA Cheer has three primary objectives: help grow and develop interest and participation in Cheer throughout the United States; promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; and represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions. 

For more information about STUNT, please contact Sheila Noone, 901-251-5959, or [email protected].

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SOURCE USA Cheer

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