Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of the snobbery would evaporate if people knew how many of our public intellectuals had been cheerleaders: not just George W. Bush, but also Madeleine Albright, Ken Starr, Bill Gates, Henry Kissinger, and Marie Curie all did cheer.

You did not just call George Bush an intellectual.

Nope. Not until there are male cheerleaders at ALL women's basketball and football games. Wait a minute. . .

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was my understanding that coaches don't recruit for it though? And that they have to try out once enrolled in college? If you have some links with colleges that offer cheer scholarships, that would be great.

No link but a friend got a full ride to Yale on cheerleading scholarship. True story!!

So the Ivies don't give sports scholarships but they do give cheer scholarships? I call BS.

I think a lot of the snobbery would evaporate if people knew how many of our public intellectuals had been cheerleaders: not just George W. Bush, but also Madeleine Albright, Ken Starr, Bill Gates, Henry Kissinger, and Marie Curie all did cheer.

I cheered in high school, including competitions, and it is a sport. Anyone who says it's not does not know what they are talking about.

As for my DD, I wouldn't encourage it but would not make a fuss if she did want to go that route. The outfits are fairly revealing and most (almost all) of the cheerleaders I have known -in HS and college- had serious issues with weight. Several in college were hospitalized (and 2 died) from anorexia. It's a high pressure sport in that regard. Appearance and weight is a factor.

Nope. Not until there are male cheerleaders at ALL women's basketball and football games. Wait a minute. . .

What's wrong with your Desinated Driver being a cheerleader?

I wouldn't allow it, but only because it's very dangerous. My child is very much and introvert, so I don't foresee this question coming up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be horrified if my dd decided to become a cheerleader. What a trashy and degrading thing to do.

What if I told you that my SON cheerleaded (is that even a word?!) for...hold on to your hat...Harvard? And that he got to travel to a bunch of places and meet a bunch of people he probably otherwise would not have?

Or is it just trashy and degrading when the girls do it?

I'm still waiting for an answer to this.

I would be humiliated if my son did it too.

We used to laugh at male cheerleaders. Then we realized that they spend half their time holding hot girls and the other half the time shoving their hands on girls privates. Who's laughing now?

Anonymous wrote:I'd be ok with her cheerleading but NOT frying canned tuna with spices in the house.

Not even after hunting bobcats?

Anonymous wrote:It was my understanding that coaches don't recruit for it though? And that they have to try out once enrolled in college? If you have some links with colleges that offer cheer scholarships, that would be great.

No link but a friend got a full ride to Yale on cheerleading scholarship. True story!!

No. It's pathetic.

I'd be ok with her cheerleading but NOT frying canned tuna with spices in the house.

Cheerleader in high school and college- yes I would allow Dd to cheer however prefer her to do other sports. Cheerleading is unregulated, very dangerous, and peaks in college. Professional cheerleaders are not real jobs and are more pr people who can dance, not the same as the college level at all.

Anonymous wrote:I was never a cheerleader, but would definitely allow my DD to become one. It's a team sport where you learn to work together, rely upon each other, follow instructions, etc. My sense is that people who are really into cheering are into the performance aspect of it and don't look at themselves as cheering for the real athletes. A good squad will command all attention and are a show in and of themselves. You need to spend some more time at real sporting events!

+1.

I grew up in a college town in New England, so there was no option to ever participate in "cheer," and I had a sneering attitude about it when we moved to Virginia.

Here, however, the adults I've met (all southern women) who tell me they participated in "cheer" (sorry, I realize I'm using quotes, but it feels kind of foreign to use this word) are very confident and athletic and possess the other positive attributes I tend to associate with participation in team sports.

I'm not sure I'd fit in if my kids chose to cheer, because I am socially awkward, don't wear makeup, and dress poorly, but my kids aren't little extensions of me and I will support them in becoming the people they choose as long as they're not actually doing something I consider morally afoul.