NEWPORT, N.H. - Vice President Joe Biden gave a big rah-rah for cheerleaders Friday when he told a group of high school and middle school athletes that cheerleaders are the best college athletes around.

"Have you ever watched the cheerleading championships? I'm serious. Guess what?" Biden asked about 200 kids assembled at Newport High School in Newport, N.H., gathered on the practice fields.

"The cheerleaders in college are the best athletes in college," he said. "They are amazing. You think I'm joking. You think I'm joking. They're almost all gymnasts. The stuff they do on hardwood, it absolutely blows my mind, thinking, you know, they're up there without a net. You know?"

As he asked where each of the school's teams were sitting - including the field hockey team to soccer to cross country - Biden left the cheerleaders off the list but was quickly reminded by the group of girls.

"Cheerleading, yeah! None of it works without you guys!" Biden said.

Biden often visits high school teams in between stops on the trail and shares his own experiences as a college football player at the University of Delaware.

"It's so great to see you guys. I thought I'd get to play a little bit but I guess not," Biden said while holding a football.

"A lot of us, all of my kids played. I was a pretty good high school and college football, baseball player, and I loved it," Biden said. "Everybody in our family loves sports. I hope you guys are all going to have a great season and I hope you enjoyed it as much."

Biden got to toss the football before he left, spotting a football player standing behind him and saying, "Looks like an end over there," right before lobbing the football his way.