catapult magazine

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discussion

Is cheerleading overrated?

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PeacefulGuitar9
Dec 23 2002
12:27 pm

Yes……Any comments??

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laurencer
Jan 05 2003
12:38 pm

why do you ask?

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BBC
Jan 05 2003
08:49 pm

Polls are, of course, limiting to what one can say. I voted yes, cheerleading is overrated, but not because it doesn’t require athleticism, training, strength, and skill — it seems to me it requires all those things. I think it is overrated beacuse it is so wrapped up in short skirts and giggly bouncing, that we miss any notion of the gymnastics part of it because the sexuality part gets in the way. I am a high school teacher and am required to attend pep rallys from time to time. I marvel that the girls and the spectators are not more embarrassed (and our school has modest uniforms). I have never been clear about why we would have cheerleaders in a Christian school (but then, I am not always sure why we have sports in a Christian school either — so it might be best to write me off as a confused nerd who doesn’t get it)

And, to echo Laurencer, why do you ask?

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dan
Jan 06 2003
02:01 am

Is cheerleading so much different from synchronized swimming or figure skating? Sexuality is important for those sports as well, but people aren’t as likely to poopoo them as cheerleading. Most popular sports have some sort of sex appeal and I’m not sure that’s always a bad thing…

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SamIam
Jan 06 2003
04:37 am

What does bing overrated mean? I think that it can’t be over rated when so many people have terrible opinions of it. Out of all the things that people love to hate, I think that cheerleading is in the top ten. So no it is not overrated, maybe underrated but definitly not overrated.

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kirstin
Jan 06 2003
07:32 am

i agree that cheerleading can take a lot of skill and can be a legitimate sport. but i question its ability to fulfill its intended function in football stadiums with thousands and thousands of people making too much noise to hear the cheers being “led” and sitting too far away to appreciate the skill involved. so what’s left? occasional close-up shots of bouncing breasts when there’s a lull in the main action.

my immediate reaction to the comparison of cheerleading and figure skating is that figure skating relies more on the beauty and grace of the human body than cheerleading. is that a legitimate distinction? is there a difference between appreciating a body for its beauty and appreciating it for its sexuality (in this context)?

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Sheri
Jan 06 2003
09:00 am

I would argue that the same grace is also a factor in synchronized swimming. Both that and figure skating are slower paced, giving the viewer a chance to appreciate the grace of the body and the movements. The outfits worn in these sports maximize freedom of motion, minimize resistance, and emphasize the graceful lines of the figure. Cheerleading, on the other hand, is much more fast-paced. The focus is not on the body, so much as the actions and the words of the cheers. In theory, one could cheer just as effectively in a sweat suit.

Perhaps I’m off-base on my analysis…

BC, I’d be curious to hear your argument against sports some time…

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BBC
Jan 06 2003
09:49 am

In short, it is this: althought I agree with the stated claims that christian high schools give for their athltetic programs — namely that they promote good sportsmanship, glorify the gifts and skills God gave us, and get students involved in something larger than themselves — working as a team, etc… — I sometimes wonder if these good things are not overshadowed by the negatives — cults of personality and popularity, negative feelings for those who don’t make the team, anorexia, bulimia, and for reasons I can’t understand, with sports seem to go underage drinking, smoking, and the like. Finally, I wonder whether the emphasis on competition is always healty. At the school I teach at, our arch-rivals, who we lambast and speak hatred about, are another Christian school. I have never understood that.

Bottom line, though, these are just the rantings of a disgruntled nerd.

You did ask.

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Norbert
Jan 06 2003
09:51 am

Can’t the same be true of dramas, forensics, band competitions and nerdy activities? Should extra curriculars be second guessed?

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Norbert
Jan 06 2003
09:56 am

Of course I’m playing devil’s advocate here.

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BBC
Jan 06 2003
08:57 pm

I would say, yes, they should be second guessed (as should everything about school — and fairly regularly too). I guess I see a couple of differences, though. Forensics, drama, and the like (at least in my school) tend to involve more students and have fewer cuts — we stage productions with cast of over thirty kids typically, and usually involve at least another fifty in crews — so there is something for everybody to do. In contrast, if you don’t make the team, you can maybe become the butt of jokes as the team manager, if you are lucky.

If part of the stated goal of athletics is to let students feel part of something bigger than themselves, isn’t it better to participate in something with lots and lots of people of many different types, rather than a team of twelve, or whatever ?

Competition certainly seems less cutthroat in non-athletic extracurriculars (though debate can get pretty nasty) and in some extracurriculars (drama, literary magazine) it is nonexistent.

Finally, I wonder about the service aspect of it all. When you are playing sports, it seems to be mostly about you (same for forensics, I suppose). Drama, choir, and band seem to be mainly about the performance for the audience (and I would argue that in sports the audience is secondary, and mainly there to serve the players) which seems to be producing something for someone else. It is interesting to me that we don’t focus more of our extracurriculars in terms of service (which is not to say that the only fun kids can have should be bringing dinners to shut ins, but there are things teenagers can do that are not so self-focused, which I think is a good thing.

Part of the bottom line, though, as I have said before, is that I am a nerd, and am tailoring my opinions to suit my personal preference. Frankly, i think a lot of sports are really good for a lot of kids who otherwise wouldn’t have an outlet. I would promise to never complain about them ever again,though, if I could figure out how to get rid of homecoming.

but don’t get me started on that. :)