I was a cheerleader at an HYP Ivy. (I’d rather not say which one because I bet a few people could guess who I am.) I ended up getting an all expense paid trip to Japan for the All Ivy Game in college. I was a gymnast sidelined by a knee injury and I had a great time on the squad in high school and college. I’m now a PhD scientist and my teammates from college are lawyers, doctors, economists, etc.

What's wrong with short skirts?

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP I agree that cheerleading does seem a bit low class these days. Bad message to send your daughters - cheer for the boys and compete for their attention! Yuck.

I agree that it’s not a good message for girls - cheer in short skirts for the boys...ewww. Cheer organizers can try to put the “sport” spin on it all they want but it’s still a bunch of girls basically dancing for attention. If you want an actual sport where you can do backflips and cartwheels, there’s always gymnastics.

Your DD should be proud that she was brave and tried out for something. That’s hard. But now that she has made the squad you’ll have to go with it or else have a serious talk with her about why you feel conflicted, and then let her make her own decision about whether to stay.

The girls that I know who do it absolutely have moms who are living vicariously.

Interesting thread. DD participated in competitive cheerleading for five years. Her uniform consisted of shorts and a long sleeved leotard. Fortunately the gym owners felt that the cheerleaders should be viewed as athletes and not eye candy. Makeup was minimal and choreography was not suggestive. They competed in stadiums and arenas in front of thousands of people.

Unfortunately while attending these competitions for years I saw plenty bare stomachs (on female cheerleaders only, never the males) and dance moves that made me VERY uncomfortable considering the ages of the athletes.

All that being said, DD LOVED it for years, made great friends and was very good at it. It's the ultimate team sport. It all depends on the gym owner and the image they want to send when the athletes are performing.There are a couple of gyms I wouldn't consider because of the uniforms.

My mom and sis were both cheerleaders. My dad and bro were both football players. I was neither and felt like a bit of a black sheep growing up!

Cheer leading used to be kind of fluffy and now it is often seen as a "real" sport. At some schools, it's a lot more athletic and competitive than it used to be. (especially since a lot of former competitive gymnasts end up making a team.)

I doubt my daughter will ever have the grace or coordination to do it, but if she did, I'd support it. The cheerleaders I know from high school have generally gone on to be pretty successful in life, and are nice people.

is it a school cheer squad or a competitive cheer squad? Totally different. And, I am pretty sure the daughter didn't make a major league sports cheer team, so that is not relevant.

I wish people wouldn't comment about topics of which they know nothing.

Competitive cheer is athletic. They do not root for other sports. Google it before responding please. There is major skill involved including high level tumbling, stunts, dance, and cheer. Yes, they wear uniforms and makeup but so do gymnasts and figure skaters.