Cheerleading offers exercise for developmentally disabled adults. ANGEL McCURDY / Daily News. Lindsey Trippe stands out among the Royal Sparklers cheerleaders practicing on a Tuesday morning.

There’s a lot to cheer about in Cheri McCurdy-Ducre’s exercise class. Held every Saturday at Sandcastle Recreation Centre, the two-hour program features cheerleading as a form of exercise.

Cheerleading was officially recognized as a sport by the International Olympic Committee in 2021. Yet it was not one of the four new sports added for the recent 2024 Paris Olympics, nor will it be ...