Why no cheering interest in town?

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Author Message   Melba Citizen Username: Melbaj Post Number: 30 Registered: 10-2004 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 4:28 pm:        Can someone please tell me the reason why no one seems to be interested in cheerleading around here? I'm completely missing the unspoken answer. I grew up in the south where it's huge. I know that NJ has one of the larger cheer populations in the NorthEast. But why not Maplewood/South Orange? Thanks for any replies.   greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 7339 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 4:36 pm:        We're too cool and it passes down to our kids?   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4299 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 4:39 pm:        Hi Melba, Well, my girls DO cheer so I can't answer for anyone else. If you're referring to this weekends' cheer clinic, I can tell you if it was another weekend we'd be there but this Saturday is impossible for us. We will also be at the May registration with our forms. My girls love cheering but it is a big commitment.   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4300 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 4:45 pm:        Greenetree, that's mean, but unfortunately, people probably think the cheerleaders are there only to support the football players. My girls are in amazing shape, running miles around the track (starting at age 5!). I don't even think of it as them cheering on the football players, cheering is it's own sport. They use dance, gymnastics, have to be strong performers and work well with others. Melba, perhaps people just don't understand all that.   extuscan Citizen Username: Extuscan Post Number: 642 Registered: 6-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 4:52 pm:        There is a lack of interest in cheerleading among whites. The CHS cheerleading team is primarily a hip-hop squad. Nothing wrong with that, but there might be more universal interest in a traditional version -John   greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 7342 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 4:53 pm:        Sorry. That's the second time today someone told me that I'm "mean". It's no excuse, but this is the first week that I've been in the office 5 days in a row this year and it's obviously had a negative effect. I've seen Bring It On twice because I like the athletics. Does that make up for anything?   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4302 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 4:58 pm:        John, Melba is talking about Pop Warner specifically. Though, to be honest, my girls are white and are in the minority on their squads. From what I've been told, there are different cheering teams/squads at Columbia and these vary racially. I have no first hand knowledge about this though and it's not a concern to me.   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4303 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 5:06 pm:        It's fine Gtree, I wasn't taking it personally. I do think the Girls "cheering on" Boys has a bad rap. I agree it is kind of an old fashioned way of thinking, but if you think of cheering as it's own sport and see how hard the girls train, you might find them impressive in their own right. Also, it gives them a great opportunity to work together as a team. I'll be honest, I'd rather watch my girls cheer than watch them play softball or soccer. Luckily they have the ability and the strength to do all!   sac Supporter Username: Sac Post Number: 3385 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 5:13 pm:        Although my own children haven't participated, I had the impression that it WAS pretty big around here . Is that not the case?   Joan Supporter Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 7291 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 5:18 pm:        I think a lot of girls who may have gone out for cheer leading in my day when there were few sports opportunities for girls are now too busy now playing sports themselves to be cheering the boys on.   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4306 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 5:21 pm:        Sac, I signed my girls up not knowing anyone in the program. We ended up knowing one or two kids from Tuscan that first year. Now there are maybe a handful of girls from Tuscan. (I only mention Tuscan because that's our elementary school and where most of their friends are.)   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4307 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 5:23 pm:        Good point Joan. The cheerleading season does conflict with Fall Soccer, so in order to have some life my girls don't participate in Fall Soccer anymore.   Case Citizen Username: Case Post Number: 1391 Registered: 2-2005 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 8:03 pm:        I used to be very interested in cheerleading, but I had to give it up. Court order - a long story.   bookgal Citizen Username: Bookgal Post Number: 713 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 9:08 pm:        My kid is 9/10 and she thinks cheerleading is disgustingly girly. None of her friends or circle of acquaintance do cheerleading either. They all play a variety of sports fairly seriously but none have considered cheering. She also thinks the outfits are yucky.   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4311 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 9:50 pm:        How is it disgustingly girly? Is she watching someone's home movies from the 60s? Oh well Melba. Perhaps the organization needs to reach out to some of the elementary schools and offer a cheer clinic to show the girls in action. Maybe something can be done in Memorial park, where people outside the organization might actually see it. Obviously people don't realize how much athleticism and strength it takes to be a good cheerleader.   letters Citizen Username: Letters016 Post Number: 497 Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 9:59 pm:        Okay, let's open up another can of worms and see what happens. I coached one of the Packer squads for 5 years and we had some very good, talented cheerleaders on our sidelines. They really kept the crowd in the game and we appreciated it. But I definitely got the sense that their coaches thought there was two different things happening out there, that some people were there to see a football game and others were only there to watch the cheerleaders. (Don't go there, Case) Anyway, I have to ask, could you have cheerleading without football? I know that the reverse is true. Who would come out to a stadium just to hear people say "Defense" or "Hold that line" or whatever if there was not a game going on? I guess what I'm asking is, isn't cheerleading a secondary function of the sport and not an equal participant? Truly, I'm not belittling it, I enjoyed it. I'm just asking.   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4312 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 10:15 pm:        Letters, have you ever seen any of the cheer competitions on some of the cable sports channels? I have only seen it in passing, but there is a cult following. I'm trying not to be defensive about my choice to allow my girls to be cheerleaders, but calling it disgustingly girly is no worse than when female softball or basketball players are referred to as being butch. Also, from what I understand, it's a good sport for college scholarships. In HS my sister was a cheerleader, captain of the swim team and played competitive softball. It's all good. The most important thing we can do is encourage our daughters to try all different sports and boost/build their self esteem.   letters Citizen Username: Letters016 Post Number: 499 Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 10:31 pm:        VIG, Agreed. That is different to me because those are either high school or college cheerleaders. It is a little more organized and coached by professionals (not parents like us Pop Warner type folks). I guess I thought the drift of this post was about the Pop Warner cheerleaders, hence my question. This does not necessarily apply to the more organized cheerleaders (most of which, I believe, are gymnastically sound people, boys and girls).   bookgal Citizen Username: Bookgal Post Number: 714 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 10:39 pm:        Virtual It Girl, My kid thinks lots of things are "disgustingly girly" because surprise, surprise..she is not especially interested in things she considers "too girly". She is proud to be a girl but horror stricken at the thought of being a "girly girl". I don't have any particular opinion about cheerleading myself as I grew up in a culture where cheerleading doesn't exist, so I don't have any particular bias. The kid has seen cheerleaders on tv (college basketball games) and appears to think the cheering, bouncing, make up, big smiles and pom pom type things were "disgustingly girly" and "not cool". You don't see much athleticism from cheerleaders at college basketball games. I have no judgement to pass myself, merely an observation that cheerleading appears to be of little interest to my kid or her fairly large circle of friends. It is interesting that you make the comment about female athletes being stereotyped as butch. I don't think that holds true anymore or at least not in communities where so many girls play sports. Perhaps there are still cultural or geographical preferences and/ or stereotypes about certain sports?   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4313 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 10:42 pm:        My feeling is that cheering with Pop Warner is a good stepping stone to the more competitive cheering. My girls are pretty good gymnasts, but I wasn't 100% into them competing in gymnastics. For one, the time commitment was huge, and financially, ouch! Cheerleading combines a lot of things my girls love.   Jersey Boy Citizen Username: Jersey_boy Post Number: 563 Registered: 1-2006 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 10:44 pm:          bookgal Citizen Username: Bookgal Post Number: 715 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 10:55 pm:        Wasn't Trent Lott a cheerleader at college?   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4314 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 11:02 pm:        Bookgal, I was just making the comparison between calling specific female athletes girly girl or butch because I don't think either is a fair, accurate description, and both put down girls in different ways. I don't watch sports on tv so I've never seen college basketball cheerleaders.   letters Citizen Username: Letters016 Post Number: 502 Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 11:03 pm:        No, that was his sister. Her name was Trent Lott.   letters Citizen Username: Letters016 Post Number: 503 Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 11:08 pm:        Personally, I think this whole "butch" thing comes from the male dominated sports scene. Men think that if a girls play "mens" sports they must by lesbians, ergo "butch". I've coached girls teams and this is not true. There are a lot of talented girls out there and they aren't lesbians or butch. I agree with Virtual. It is a distasteful reference to them.   Monster© Supporter Username: Monster Post Number: 2845 Registered: 7-2002 Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 12:12 am:        butch butch butch   Scully Citizen Username: Scully Post Number: 343 Registered: 8-2005 Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 5:18 am:        'It is a distasteful reference to them' Which must make those who are actually gay feel just great...   Melba Citizen Username: Melbaj Post Number: 31 Registered: 10-2004 Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 7:56 am:        I only have a few minutes to address some of the posts. VIT - Most people don't understand that cheering really is a sport. I appreciate your defense of the sport. There are several competitions around every weekend just in NJ. There are tons of people coming out to support also. Many people would be surprised at the audience size if they actually attended a competition. John - I understand your observation about the squad at CHS. I am a black female who has cheered on predominately white squads the majority of my life. It did not deter me from trying out for the squads. I wanted to cheer regardless of the makeup on the squad. I cheered football season because I like watching the games since I didn't want to play. It's the best free ticket in the stadium. Joan - I participated in several sports while still cheering. Kids can still cheer and compete in other sports barring a scheduling problem. bookgal - My mother describes me as the most ungirly girl she's ever known. It's really not the girly. It's a bad rap the cheerleaders get. There is a lot of work that goes into it. It's very unglamous. letters - Cheerleading does exist without football. University of Maryland has a full scholarship competitive squad that is not allowed to do anything but compete. Pop Warner is competive too. It's not just the high schools/colleges. In the past, the local organization has not aspired to be as competitive as possible. I'm attempting to change that now. My expections for having at least one squad competing at the national competition at Disney is very real. I expect the kids to take gymnastics and participate in other sports while not cheering. I even encouraged a few kids to join a competitive All-star team after Pop Warners season is over. They competed a few weeks ago in front of scouts at a competition in Atlantic City. I think cheerleading is a great team sport that forces you to deal with different personalities to attain a common goal. It's great life experience for the working world. You can also get a full ride to college these days. I defend the sport every opportunity I get. I'm just a die-hard cheerleader. I wish the local squads could be more representative of our community. It was somewhat disheartening to see the local squads are predominately black and I'm black. I just wanted to know if there were any stigmas outside of the traditional cheerleading stigmas. Thanks for the responses. I've got a cheerleading clinic to go run. If anyone is interested in what the "sport" cheerleading is about, stop by Maplewood Middle today, catch Cheerleader Nation on Lifetime this coming Friday night, or come to Great Adventure April 30 for a huge cheerleading competition.   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4316 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 9:00 am:        Thanks Melba. I think I spoke with one of the moms who's daughter is on the All-Stars. I'd like more information. Next time I see you I'll make sure to ask. Good luck today!   Joan Supporter Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 7301 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 9:34 am:        Correct me if I am wrong but didn't Melba begin this thread by asking for reasons why girls in SO/M were not going out for cheerleading in the numbers she would have expected based on her own prior experience with the sport. She did not ask whether cheerleading was a good or bad activity for girls to participate in. Thus far, I have seen three valid reasons posted: 1. At least some of the girls in the targeted age group would prefer to spend their time in other activities. 2. There is a perception among some of the girls (valid or not) that cheerleading is not a desireable activity to engage in (shades of feminism perhaps, though this was not spelled out in the post). 3. With or without scheduling conflicts some girls would rather be the ones participating in a sport than the ones cheering others on from the sidelines. If cheerleading is trying to attract the more athletic girls, who would also be those most sought by the sports coaches, this could lead to competition for the available talent. Does anyone have anything else to add which is responsible to Melba's question?   letters Citizen Username: Letters016 Post Number: 506 Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 9:35 am:        Melba, et al, I am not referring to any cheerleading outside of Pop Warner. I said that those other programs were different. I admit that my question was not on topic, but I really just wanted to know about Pop Warner cheerleading and the mindset of their coaches. I also said that we appreciated having them on our sidelines. I made it a point to go over and thank them after each game, sometimes even during a close game because we needed the crowd into the game and they helped get them there. If the crowd is the 12th player, the cheerleaders, in my mind, had to be the 11 1/2 player. They were that important. However, my question to Pop Warner cheerleading coaches still stands. Could they have their squad without my team? And if not, doesn't that make them a secondary unit? There is a reason for this question and, as always, it comes down to funding. When I coached, their squads kept pushing for a larger slice of the pie so that their team could not only have uniforms, which they definitely need, but also so they could have travel gear, i.e. warm-ups and such. Since my footballers didn't have anything like that, I thought that that was a waste of money that could be better used to safely outfit the people who were doing the actual hitting on the field. As far as this whole lesbian/gay/butch thing goes, I don’t care if they are or aren’t. They are who they are. It does not change their ability to do something. It is not part of my thought process or check list. All I ever asked was that whoever came out, black/white/blue/green/straight/gay/bi/tri/rich/poor/not-poor-but-not-rich/tall/ short/average/thin/large/pear-shaped, whatever, not only tried their best, but pushed themselves to find their best. Anything else was immaterial and distracting towards the ultimate goal.   letters Citizen Username: Letters016 Post Number: 507 Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 9:54 am:        Also, it was noted and repeated many times while I coached that this was not necessarily a football town. It was more into soccer and LAX. It was a struggle to get enough kids to fill out the football teams, so in my mind, it has to be even harder to get enough people interested in cheerleading. Here's where I see the problem lies. This whole Pop Warner thing really doesn't lead the kids anywhere. The CHS football team is terrible at best, has been for a long time and I don't see it changing soon. The CHS soccer and LAX teams, to name just two, are good and should remain so. So if your kid is going to play a sport and go to college, where do you think he/she should start? The Pop Warner coaches talked with the CHS football coaches about this very thing. We told them that we were their feeder group and that they really had to get serious about creating a good football team if they wanted a good farm system. Which meant a more aggressive recruitment plan at CHS, a better offensive and defensive scheme for their teams (it never changed from year to year and, sadly, it never worked) and the ultimate goal had to get kids to WANT to be a part of it. This never materialized; therefore Pop Warner never really grew to a great extent. I will say that the Pop Warner people did a GREAT job in growing the program under such adverse conditions, but the finality of it was that it seemed like we were just shoveling it against the wind.   susan1014 Supporter Username: Susan1014 Post Number: 1517 Registered: 3-2002 Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 2:26 pm:        I can't help having a feminist tilt on this one. I don't want to offend those who love it, but here is my take on why more girls (or parents) in town aren't interested... I'm thrilled that cheerleading is a competitive, athletic, teambuilding exercise for some girls, but I would never, never encourage my daughter to get involved, and would be in a bit of a quandry if she wanted to start devoting her time to it. In the end, all cheerleading that I've ever seen is, at least in part, about females dressing up in fairly revealing costumes to provide a supportive environment for the male athletic teams that are the main attraction. Rubs my feminist sensibilities the wrong way as a personal choice, although I'll certainly support the right of others to choose it. If my daughter were to develop a passion to do it, I'd quiet my opinions and support her. But I'd rather see her do sports, dance, etc. I'm not keen on outreach to the elementary schools to try to get my daughter excited about it. Please keep it out of during-school time, or I'll have to get grumpy.   Melba Citizen Username: Melbaj Post Number: 32 Registered: 10-2004 Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 11:54 pm:        letters ~ Did you ever go support your cheerleaders when they competed? Did you know they competed in addition to cheering at games. The cheerleaders have the same opportunity to earn a national championship just like the football players. The cheerleaders can attain two championships; one more than the football players. One for cheering AND one for being, in your words, the "secondary unit" for the football team if they also win a championship. To answer your question "Could they have their squad without my team? ", yes you can field a cheerleading squad in pop warner WITHOUT the football team. It's not done too often because you usually have enough guys to make a team. The parents pay for their cheerleading kids the same as the football players. The pie should be split evenly especially when it's collected evenly. The cheerleaders should be properly outfitted for their functions as well. Don't take money from the cheerleaders to only pay for the football players. Neither is more important than the other. "So if your kid is going to play a sport and go to college, where do you think he/she should start?" Just like your portfolio, I honestly believe your repertoire in sports should be diversified. Your child should have options instead of being pigeon-holed into one thing. I had the option to cheer, play volleyball, and run track at the Division I level. I chose 2 out of 3 because my schedule would not permit for a 3rd. "This whole Pop Warner thing really doesn't lead the kids anywhere." CHS is not by any means the culmination for either cheerleading or football. Cheerleaders have several options with All-Star squads all over the area. Cheering with competitive squads increases your scholarship potential. You don't just get to high school/college and become an expert. You start off in Pop Warner. The key is to progress your skills every year. susan1014 ~ I just hope if your daughter does develop an interest, you can keep an open mind. Even dancers wear "fairly revealing costumes" sometimes. You should go to a competition to possibly dispel your "feminist tilt". You will be so surprised how it is so NOT females providing "a supportive environment for the male athletic teams that are the main attraction". The TV versions of competition do not give justice to the competition environment. joan ~ Thanks for summarizing the valid answer and refocusing the question.   Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 11293 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 - 5:08 am:        Back (way back) when I was in high school and college being a varsity cheerleader was the be all and end all for a lot of young women. What with Title 11 (?) and its spill over into high schools I think a lot of young women are more interested in competing in sports such as soccer, basketball, track, etc., than cheering others. As Susan 1014 points out feminism has, imho as well, a fair amount to do with that. Still, cheering can be a competitive sport. A co-workers daughters both were both into competitive cheering and the family spent a lot of their weekends going to various competitions around the mid-west (they lived in the Chicago area). I suspect the skills needed and the mindset are a little different than those needed for hoops or soccer, maybe more like modern dance? If the kids what to do it, why not feminism or not?   CLK Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 2206 Registered: 6-2002 Posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 - 7:30 am:        melba, your question was about why the lack of interest - you're hearing a lot here that should open your eyes. (and vice versa) My kid is a non-athlete, so I doubt she'd be interested in something like this anyway. But for those kids who are more athletic, there definitely seems to be an image problem among young girls and their parents (especially their moms, I'd say). Whatever the current reality, we do tend to think of cheerleading as being secondary to the sports for which the cheering is done. That is the history of cheerleading, if not the current reality. For me, when I think of cheerleaders, I think of those horrible pro-football teams like the Dallas Cowgirls. All about sex, not very much about athletics. My memories of high school in the 70s don't do much to dispel that image. There are plenty of moms around here older than me and I think the farther back you go, the worse it gets in terms of that image. (i.e. the giggly girl who wants a football player boyfriend.) So if you want to know what to do to get more girls involved, I'd say you have some need of some public relations. You need to show people that cheering is a sport or art form in its own right (like a kind of team gymnastics, I take it). You're doing that here (but a bit on the defensive side) - but this forum doesn't reach a lot of people. Maybe when you distribute sign-up flyers to the schools, you can include a paragraph or two about why cheering is fun & healthy & no longer about supporting the guys. Also focus your recruiting where you're likely to get the kinds of athletes you want - such as at gymnastics lessons, dance lessons, girl's soccer practices, or wherever else seems to make sense to you.   Richard Steele Citizen Username: Brookwood Post Number: 70 Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 - 9:18 am:        I don't post much, but I do catch a thread here and there.All I know is This Forum consist of a huge bunch of closed minded, opinionated Cash Holes that will think one way and that's there way, no matter what information is given to them. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.What really kills me is Parents swear they know there kids.Just like the kids at columbine high's parents.they knew there kids didn't they .Ya know nothing....NOTHING! Good Day and happy trails.   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4318 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 - 9:23 am:        CLK, I think I am being more defensive than Melba! But, I agree with you that when the Packers' (our MSO Pop Warner teams) flyer is distributed (which it is through the backpacks and has been since my kids have been in school) it is not too informative. It is hard to get a sense of what the girls do. Obviously, football is more cut and dry, but most people reading about the cheerleaders might not know that basically the entire season is spent preparing for the competition, learning new cheers, dances and stunts. To me (since I have no interest in football, though I of course like to see the teams win!) each game is like a dress rehearsal for the Oct. competition. I understand the feminist thing to a certain extent, but I can't imagine seeing little girls in tutu's or genie costumes (as in most dance recitals) would be less offensive to a feminist than young girls wearing just above the knee skirts, vests and sneakers. No makeup, jewlery or nail polish is permitted. (Unlike most dance recitals where young girls look like beauty pageant contestants.) Anyway, I think if you are open minded and have a daughter who enjoys gymnastics, dance and performing, cheerleading might be a good fit. The schedule/program can seem overwhelming and/or chaotic at first, but we've managed it.   letters Citizen Username: Letters016 Post Number: 513 Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 - 9:41 am:        Melba, I am not the enemy here. I always tried to include the cheerleaders in anything I could involving my team. I would buy pizzas the last practice of the summer to have a party and ALWAYS invited them and their coaches. I ALWAYS thanked them at the banquet. I would talk with them before, during and after the games. Heck, one of them liked me so much that she quit cheerleading and joined the football team, and she was good at both. But since I know many people involved in all of the “traveling” teams in this area, football has always been low on the scale due to the popularity of other sports. When I would ask about their kids coming to play for us, I usually got the impression that they wanted to be involved in a sport that CHS was good at, therefore making it better on their college resume. I got a few to join and some of them brought siblings for other teams or cheerleading, but it was a struggle. I fully understand the advantages of team sports, whatever they are. The very first thing I would tell the kids and their parents on first day of practice was “Just about everything you need to know in life, you can learn here”. By that I meant teamwork, getting along with people (including ones you may not like), hard work, testing your limits and a host of other non-educational things you need to know. CLK has pretty much hit it on the head. It is an image and promotional problem. This is not my forte. I was good at coaching and teaching, not drawing participants. I did what I could and made suggestions, but the best I could do was to get my kids so involved that they might bring their friends out. To answer your other question, no, I never went to the competitions. They just started doing them the last couple of years I was coaching. But they went on practice or game days, so I could not attend. I would have if I could, but timing is everything. Look, I still promote the Packer organization when I can. I still believe in it. I hope that somehow this helps you with your question. I truly hope that you succeed because this can only help kids to become better, more rounded adults.   susan1014 Supporter Username: Susan1014 Post Number: 1519 Registered: 3-2002 Posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 - 11:41 am:        Thanks for the thoughtful responses to my posting. I know I don't see the whole picture of cheering, but the part that I do see does not make me eager to encourage my daughter that way. Agreed that some costumes used in children's dance classes are inappropriate, and that some parents are way too fond of make-up. But still, the original reason for the activity is completely focused on the little girls and their talents, rather than on support for male athletics. I think that the competitive aspect of it sounds good. But the public face of cheering is still about "showing up and supporting the guys", generally on the sidelines in a very short skirt. (I'm guessing that by high school they are no longer in knee length skirts and no makeup, even in MSO!). Do HS cheerleaders still come to school in their uniforms on spirit days/game days, or has that tradition died since I was in HS? I'm not necessarily against skimpy costumes, but am uncomfortable with the use of HS girls in skimpy costumes to encourage HS boys to higher levels of athletic achievement... I was in a competitive HS band, so I understand about using weekly games as practice for the competitions that were our core focus. I roomed with a future PhD physicist and NASA rocket scientist who chose to cheer in college, so I know that cheerleaders aren't all giggly girls looking to date jocks! But still, with all of that, I have to say that my reaction to cheering flyers is to dispose of them as soon as they arrive. Not sure if that reaction is fair, or my feminist biases and high school history showing, but you asked for a response and I'm giving it. Maybe PR will help cheering, but you definitely have a perception problem to overcome in many of us who come from a certain background and experience. Yes, if my daughter comes home one day with a passion to do this, I'll grit my teeth and cheerfully support her, at least for one trial season while I learn about the reality of modern cheering. But I'd rather she keep playing soccer and taking swimming lessons, one of which would have to go if she took up cheering. If cheering is no longer about supporting the teams, then divorce it completely, and just have it be a girl's sport combining gymnastics and dance. If it is still partially about supporting the teams, then be straightforward about that, and give me a storyline for it that is less sexist than it was when I was in high school! Again, I'm not saying that cheering shouldn't be out there. Congrats to those of you who find it so valuable. But Melba asked why interest isn't higher, and I'm trying to give an honest answer, from the perspective of my own home and brain.   bella Citizen Username: Bella Post Number: 578 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 - 12:10 pm:        Okay, I'm not sure if this is out of line, but... when I went to school the cheerleaders were, for the most part, absolute little witches with a capital B. Thankfully, by the time I went to Columbia, that was over, as cheerleading was definately passe. But then I moved to the midwest and it was amazing how these girls thought they ruled the school just becuase on game days they got to wear these itty bitty skirts, the length of which was definately not in keeping with the school dress code. Maybe the problem is this background, this image that cheerleading has.   Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 11296 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 - 1:41 pm:        Bella, don't know how to break this to you gently, but their is no capital B in witch.   Joan Supporter Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 7309 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 - 4:55 pm:        Melba: If your main concern in all this is to design a recruitment program which will attract more participants to cheerleading, then I think you have some good leads here. Focus on who the cheerleaders are (when they are not being cheerleaders), what they do as cheerleaders, and what they can expect to gain from the cheerleading program. Get the cheerleaders more involved in the community if possible. Have a group of cheerleaders help out on clean up days in the park or the village; help out as a group on a pet adoption day; etc. Give a cheerleading demonstration at Mayfest and/or the cultural festival or a similar activity. Get the cheerleaders to participate as a group in the Columbia High School Community night where they talk to members of the community and explain what they do, etc.   Melba Citizen Username: Melbaj Post Number: 33 Registered: 10-2004 Posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 - 5:19 pm:        Thanks for all of the input. It's given me alot of leads to work with. I did not mean to come off as defensive but I can't help but defend cheerleading. The public's view on cheerleading is a public relations nightmare. I'll try and use all of what I've learned here from the posts in my recruiting efforts. CLK ~ It's funny that you mention the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders(DCC). When I was little, I told my mom I wanted to become a DCC. Her reaction was about as favorable as yours would be. She questioned why would I want to wear an outfit as skimpy as that. I was only about 6 or 7 yrs old. My mom never got the cheerleading thing but she let me be apart of it every year that I wanted. I did not become a DCC because I never wanted to live in Dallas. I became an Eagles cheerleader instead. Why? Because I wanted to get paid to go to the Super Bowl (I really like football) AND be a professional cheerleader AND it also gave me season tickets. Cheerleading for professional sports teams definitely does more to hurt my crusade than help.