Coaching rules?

So in one of my sources it states that when a coach is picking music and the dance style for the girls and boys on the team they need to keep in mind the audience that will be watching. It needs to have music that is easily recognized and enjoyed and is appropriate for family viewing. The song needs to have a strong beginning and a powerful ending. It also says that placement and synchronization are very important when doing the movements, it talks about cleaning up messy sections because they need to look together, for it to be a strong routine. It does not say anything about making the dance less skimpy! I would think if a first time coach was to read this book, he or she would believe any movement could be used because there are not any guidelines on which moves can be used. It is slightly disturbing thinking that if they wanted to, a coach could put a dance that resembles a strip tease into the performance, as long as they believed the audience were all overage.  This last part is just a thought it is not mentioned in the book, just letting everyone know! -the book is called Coaching Youth Cheerleading it is by the american sport education program.

Underage Cheerleaders

I was thinking about mini cheer camps.. and it kind of dawned on me that when we let little girls and boys come and learn to be cheerleaders they want to be exactly like their "leader". So lets say that the cheerleaders have their uniforms on and the tops show stomach and their skirts are in the upper leg region. The child is going to go home and ask their moms and dads on the day they perform if they can have shorter skirts and shorter tops. I think especially when a girl or boy is underage the coaches need to be sure to have the squad dress modestly. What happens when a squad member goes home, shows their parents the uniforms they are supposed to cheer in and their parents say OH MY GOSH! That is to revealing for my child? Is there even any parents out there that have done so? I know when I was in the 9th grade and the older girls on my squad made their skirts shorter, I asked to make mine shorter as well. I wanted to be EXACTLY like the older girls. Looking back I can't believe I wore a skirt that short. Even when I wasn't in my cheer uniform my skirts or dresses would be short, just because I got comfortable with that lenght. I really should have wore longer outfits, and think that girls these days need to lengthen what they wear daily. Going anywhere that has a cheer team, you will see the girls who are used to wearing short things, will wear shorter outfits in their daily lives. What do you all think? Say you wear a short skirt for hours everyday and then its finally time to wear normal clothes, are you more likely to wear a shorter or tight fitting skirt or shirt, or loose baggy sweat pants, and be comfortable?

This is a very touching video given to me in a comment. I enjoyed watching it and thought it would be interesting to share with everyone who comes to my blog. Click here to go watch! It is episode 9, Hail Marry.

History of Cheerleading

In the book Cheerleading by Ellen Rusconi, I found some interesting facts of the history of cheerleading. Did you all know that cheerleading didn't even start in the United States? It started in 776 b.c. in ancient Greece. People would cheer on their favorite runners in the Olimpic games. A medical student named Johnny Campbell organized cheerleading in the U.S. He thought it would be interesting to see if crowd support helped a team to victory. Campbell got 6 other boys to join his Yell Captains (what cheerleaders were first called) Girls didn't become cheerleaders until the 1920's. They let women onto the squads because they decided to add gymnastics and stunts, because women are easier to lift than men. Females started taking over the squads when WW II came along and the men were drafted. But it is important to remember that in todays cheerleading there are both men and women on the squads.

-I just thought it would be interesting to post some info on the history of cheerleading. I thought it was strange to think that men started cheerleading just on a hunch to make the game more interesting for both fans and the players. It gives me giggles thinking about men yelling out of a megaphone with cheerleading labels on it. I also wondered if they had pompons, because that would be a laugh visualizing the men using them!

Cheerleading in Movies

So.. I was watching Bring It On.. and I decided that even though it is one of my favorite movies, they really do make cheerleading into a sexy sport. The dance moves are made with more hip motions and seductive looking sways. The cheers they show aren't even the types of cheers I would expect a normal cheerleader to do. The uniforms are also short and midriff showing. I really think that if a younger girl watched one of these movies and then had to go and help choose her jr high or high school uniform, she would be more likely to want one that is shorter and more revealing. I am hoping that high schools keep to regulation and don't allow extremely short skirts and midriff showing tops or when I have children, I don't think I would let them try out for cheerleading. (there are other movies than Bring It On, with cheerleading, it was just the one that made me think to blog about.)

Cheerleading uniforms

Looking back to what cheerleading uniforms used to look like and what they look like today, things have changed alot. In the 20th century uniforms were long over the knee skirts, a cardigan sweatshirt and canvas sneakers. The school symbol was sewn onto the clothing. In the 60's the skirt was cut almost in half and made out of cotton, they wore crew neck sweatshirts and sometimes added the logo on the neck or front of the shirts. These days girls are asked to wear tight, form fitting tops that show their middriff and skirts that aren't even fingertip length. I understand the uniforms being fairly tight for safety reasons, but showing the stomach and being so short when a girl is to bend over her spankies will show? That I don't understand.

Cheerleading

Cheerleading is a sport that teaches young girls and boys to cheer on a team. It is a competitive sport so learning routines and practicing them is something this sport does often. Tumbling and stunts are some of the most dangerous things a cheerleader does. The stunts include being lifted in the air, sometimes two times taller than the person being lifted, and then thrown up to do a flip and then caught with three or sometimes two people. Tumbling is a type of gymnastics cheerleaders use to flip across the field or floor to get energy from the crowd, or to make their routines harder. The cheerleaders will memorize many chants and dances to perform at games and events. Cheerleaders spend most of their time practiceing and learning new things. When people say anyone can become a cheerleader, I think they need to try some of the things a cheerleader does.