How do you feel about traditional cheerleading?

[Anonymous]

My daughter does cheer, dance and gymnastics ( she’s 8). At this point, she likes it, it gives her confidence and she feels a part of a community. I am happy for her. I don’t think she has any idea what’s going on with the football team, she is just waiting to do the halftime dance and her favorite cheers with her friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD refuses to cheer for boys playing a sport. I doubt I would let her even if she wanted to, there is something not right about 10 year old girls cheering for 10 year old boy playing instead of playing themselves

The whole NFL cheerleading squads just is not right. Grown women in skimpy outfits doing splits and lifting their legs and hoots on the sideline....

I have no problem with a school cheering squad that cheers for all major school sports to show spirit. My DD is in a sport where when she can compete in mixed age and mixed gender events. Everyone gathers around to cheer for each other. I am glad she never got into the here is your bikini, now go cheer for those muscle dudes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD refuses to cheer for boys playing a sport. I doubt I would let her even if she wanted to, there is something not right about 10 year old girls cheering for 10 year old boy playing instead of playing themselves

The whole NFL cheerleading squads just is not right. Grown women in skimpy outfits doing splits and lifting their legs and hoots on the sideline....

I have no problem with a school cheering squad that cheers for all major school sports to show spirit. My DD is in a sport where when she can compete in mixed age and mixed gender events. Everyone gathers around to cheer for each other. I am glad she never got into the here is your bikini, now go cheer for those muscle dudes.

Nobody is talking about that.

[Anonymous]

Honestly? I think it's kind of tacky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a cheerleader. I'm a feminist. And it isn't an all or nothing when it comes to competitions vs. sidelines cheer. Even Peewee (that's what we're talking about, right?) cheer squads compete, at least in the Northeast. In my case, we cheered on the sidelines (it was required), but we also competed. We stunted/tumbled at games in-between the cheering.

Rural Texas about 5 years ago:

Peewee girls (k-6th) all cheered together sidelines when the teams were playing in the same location, but they split into k-2/3-4/5-6 when the teams played in different locations. They practiced together 3 times per week.
The competitive squad was made up of roughly 40% of the girls (k-6th, no split), no tryouts required. The competitive squad had 2 extra practices per week and 3 competitions, I think. Although they only cheered for football (the only other organized social activities at that age in that town were Sunday/bible/Wednesday night church group and scouts; boys and girls both did cub scouts). There were two girls who played football, and all of the girls were excited to cheer because cheerleading is huge in Texas, not because they buy in to gender roles.

For what it's worth, I believe both girls' parents chose to allow them to play only for flag (k-2) and wouldn't allow full tackle, but I have no idea whether other girls have joined since. That town is somewhat liberal about gender roles, although I was not impressed with other conservative values (views on gay and transgender rights, racism, etc.) they were fine on gender roles.

[Anonymous]

I'm really confused by everyone that says cheering is just for the boys teams? I grew up cheering and the entire point of cheerleading is to involve the crowd and hype them up. You are never just staring at the boys and cheering for them. There is so many leadership aspects and teamwork that you can learn from this sport.

This thread is so misogynistic and you all can't even see past it, because all you see is the outfit (which are in fact designed to prevent injury in many cases).

Signed - a total feminist, raising two daughters, who was a cheerleader and loved it.

[Anonymous]

My big issues with cheer: lack of proper technique for tumbling. The injury rate is so high plus the risky stunting

[Anonymous]

I was a cheerleader in school and my DD was too. She loved it. It wasn’t about cheering for others as much as working as a team to do routines to entertain the crowd. No difference than dance.

[Anonymous]

She might like "Pom", "Princess", or "Kickline". No brain injuries, nor over-strenuous, but similar fun.

[Anonymous]

Ahh cheerleading. The 'sport' where girls dress like little girls but wear the make up of grown women. Totally healthy and normal. No weird sexual messages there at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ahh cheerleading. The 'sport' where girls dress like little girls but wear the make up of grown women. Totally healthy and normal. No weird sexual messages there at all.

8.56 again.

I had girls wearing shirts that covered as much or more than their normal summer shirts, and they had long sleeve half shirts that they could choose to wear under that. One chose to do so at all times (very pale, burns easily), the other did not (swarthy, never burns). They also had straight skirts that came down to halfway down their thighs, and they were allowed to wear sheer or opaque tights, leggings or bike shorts, but minimum, they had the normal panty cover. They had socks and shoes that matched but were also functional.

The girls on the sidelines never wore makeup; the girls who competed wore enough makeup to not be washed out when they competed under strong lighting. Some of the girls had their hair curled and elaborately styled, if the mom and girl in question both wanted to take over an hour to do it; the rest of our girls had a simple pony, half pony or pigtails. Our girls had little girl hair decorations.

Two of our opposing groups wore shorts. One group had short sleeves. Every single group had girls who wore long sleeves and/or long pants, at least some of the time.