Most people here are confusing high school cheer with competitive cheer.

They are not the same.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I was a cheerleader back in the day, but is it really still a thing? She really wants to do it, so her dad and I agreed she could try out. We are big believers that people regret what they don't even try for, more than what they tried and failed. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. So she tried out. And then she made the team.

Apparently, it was competitive. She should be proud. I should be happy for her. But, I really don't love this - it seems either suburban or ghetto. Am I wrong? Help me see this in a new light, because right now I just miss the math team.

#Never

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wanted to in HS but my mom said, "you can try out for any sport you want and we will support you. you will not cheer for boys playing their sport." so I tried out for tennis, loved it and became obsessed, got good, was #1 by senior year. lifelong sport. i don't see adults joining the local adult cheer league.

This is my thought too. Maybe see if she wants to do gymnastics/tumbling or acrobatics or something instead?

I cheered back in the late 90s. We cheered for boys sports. And for the girls teams. We cheered for volleyball, girls basketball, had squad members flashing scores at girls gymnastics...we covered just about everything. We had a co-ed cheer squad. We were also State Champions in a state that classifies cheerleading as a sport and has done so for 30 years. We competed at nationals twice. We practiced at 6am before school and again after school. We were in tumbling lessons at least once a week. We worked hard and we darn good athletes.

I was also a world champion equestrian and first chair violin in orchestra. I was on the dean's list in college, got my law degree, and do pretty well for myself these days. But tell me again how I'm probably dumb and should have been on a stripper pole instead.

If you want to be worried, be worried about injuries. We had a ton. And some were severe.

Anonymous wrote:I wanted to in HS but my mom said, "you can try out for any sport you want and we will support you. you will not cheer for boys playing their sport." so I tried out for tennis, loved it and became obsessed, got good, was #1 by senior year. lifelong sport. i don't see adults joining the local adult cheer league.

This is my thought too. Maybe see if she wants to do gymnastics/tumbling or acrobatics or something instead?

Anonymous wrote:It sends a message. It always has. Shake your butts and flash your crotches in short skirts for the pleasure of guys who are watching you. Not a great message.

Kinda like the hot guys in tight football pants showing off their junk. Fighting and pushing each other to show who’s the dominant male. We are sexual animals after all. The funny thing is how uptight we get about it. Anyhow, cheerleading is fine. In HS most people don’t even pay attention to the cheerleaders anymore at a game. Same with college. In the pros it is totally different and is based 99% on sexual appeal. Which again is their choice. They don’t even get paid much to do it. It is funny the double standards going on here. No one complains about shirtless boxers or male track athlete outfits, but god forbid a girl wear a skirt and shout positive chants for a community’s spirits.

I was a varsity cheerleader and realized it was sexist and quit. Nobody put that idea in my head but one day I was looking around while we were cheering at a wresting match and thought this is messed up. We were in these really short skirts cheering for a wrestling match--it was embarrassing. I personally wish I had quit sooner but a lot of my friends really enjoyed the experience though.

Who in their right mind would dress a child like that and had them jump up and down to what purpose exactly? Remind me?..

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I was a cheerleader back in the day, but is it really still a thing? She really wants to do it, so her dad and I agreed she could try out. We are big believers that people regret what they don't even try for, more than what they tried and failed. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. So she tried out. And then she made the team.

Apparently, it was competitive. She should be proud. I should be happy for her. But, I really don't love this - it seems either suburban or ghetto. Am I wrong? Help me see this in a new light, because right now I just miss the math team.

This would be the least of my worries. I’d be more concerned about the injuries girls sustain.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.coastalorthoteam.com/blog/competitive-cheerleading-the-most-common-injuries%3fhs_amp=true

Anonymous wrote:

I don't see posts from moms here wondering if they should let their daughters try figure skating because of skimpy clothing concerns.

The whole point of cheerleading is dressing girls up provocatively so men can ogle them. Figure skating, not so much.

Same with the competitive dance teams around here. Or anywhere really.
First year was good and we thought the studio in Tysons was different. Owner used to work as an admin in high schools. But this year went off the rails. They rolled out some appalling attire for the high school groups. Girls who were 15-18 looked so inappropriate for their age. And the choreography was so suggestive that parents were visibly uncomfortable. They changed up one of the outfits by adding a mesh overlay but some of the hip hop choreography was still over the top raunchy and the jazz was too sexual with girls writhing around. Influence of a newer professional dancer that they brought in has really soured me on this place. And it's not about dance. It's about selling sex to win competitions. It's not okay.
My DD is only 9 so we are finishing out the year and won't return. It's just gross.

Cheerleading is among the most dangerous activities for teens [https://ussa.edu/news/cheerleading-ranks-first-in-catastrophic-sport-injuries/]. I would let my kid do dance team (which is pretty similar in terms of outfits and physical requirements) but not cheerleading.

No, your weight matters in cheerleading because of the lifts. It is much harder to lift a 150 lb girl overhead than a 115 lb. girl.

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI, wrestling also focuses a lot on weight. As do many football coaches. You won't hear a lot of guys talk about it because, you know, they have to be guys. I have seen more pressure on male wrestlers to maintain a certain weight than I have on cheerleaders.

Just FYI, your weight actually matters in wrestling, to ensure you are competing against comparable athletes.

In cheerleading, your weight only matters because nobody wants to see a fatty in a skimpy skirt.

I don't see posts from moms here wondering if they should let their daughters try figure skating because of skimpy clothing concerns.

The whole point of cheerleading is dressing girls up provocatively so men can ogle them. Figure skating, not so much.

Anonymous wrote:I bet you dollars to donuts the women on this thread bemoaning cheerleading, saying it’s only one step away from the pole, too revealing, etc. are same the women who go on and on about how terrible slut shaming is, we shouldn’t judge women for how they dress, consider themselves feminists, and so on.

It’s always amusing to me.

So true

Just FYI, wrestling also focuses a lot on weight. As do many football coaches. You won't hear a lot of guys talk about it because, you know, they have to be guys. I have seen more pressure on male wrestlers to maintain a certain weight than I have on cheerleaders.