YOUR OPINIONS & IDEAS:

4-21-08
 i think everyone CAN cheer..

everyone who can sacrifice time with their friends, stretch and exercise almost CONSTANTLY, keep their grades up, go to three- hour practices, be at every game, spend tons of money on uniforms, be on time for EVERYTHING set a good example for the whole school, not have stage fright, show your spirit....
(THE LIST CAN GO ON FOREVER)

i am a cheerleader at a middle school, and compared to some (or all) high school squads, this is nothing.
and doing all of this in front of 300 people and still smile and be loud isnt exactly easy

cheerleading isnt just a sport, its a PRIVELEGE.

4-21-08
this idea is horrible and totally unfair.i am a cheerleader and i tried out for next year earlier this month. two of my friends tried out with me and didnt make it. neither of them were too upset because before we tried out, we thought that the tryouts were going to be unfair. when they found out that i made it, they accepted it. the day before tryouts, they both came over to my house to practice for tryouts. i was practicing constantly, but they were just sitting there talking about how only "preps" could make the squad.

by now, they both understand that they shouldve practiced with me instead of sitting their whining.
that means that cheerleading is a sport and i am sure of how much people would make fun of these wannabees. its not fair to everyone that tried out and made it.

4-21-08
When someone doesn't make a cheerleading squad, it's always for a reason. When someone doesn't get a spot on the squad, it's because they weren't good enough. It's harsh, but true. Cheerleading is a sport like any other and it isn't fair to the girls (and guys) that have sacrificed so much to excell at the sport that they love. If this goes on, there won't be anyone left to watch from the stands. Cheerleading is a privelege and you should have to work hard to get it. And when someone doesn't make it, it's a learning experience. They learn basic motions and have  plenty of time to prepare for next year. You also need to understand how hard Middle and High Schools are. The girls that just signed up would probably be made fun of because, like it or not, THEY ARE NOT REAL CHEERLEADERS. REAL CHEERLEADERS are actually good and tried out in front of judges or they've been in Allstars or have been in gymnastics. No one is born with the skills needed to become an actual cheer
 leader.
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Anonymous Cheerleader

3-31-08
OK.. although I already commented.. I finally read the concept idea. I personally don't see parents getting all into this. I have been on the PTO both at the Elementary and Middle School level and we can't even get parents to help out with school fund raisers and or dances.. Personally, i think it's only say 10 moms out of the  60 or so kids who try out who are jaded against the Cheer programs and want "Everyone" to cheer. A lot of kids actually TRY harder after not making the squad. OH and another thing.. is this going to happen to Football? Basketball? Lacrosse? Field Hockey? Swimming? How will these school continue to win state titles and such if EVERYTHING turned into "Just for funsies"? Why just Cheerleading?  What's next? JOBS? Are we ALL going to get to make 100 thou or more a year because someone down the street does? or someone two cubes down from you?? REALLY?? YIKES!

3-31-08
I'm just wondering.. HOW would this work? I'm not talking about pee wee youth programs.. those should be for everyone, but Middle school and up.. HOW on earth would a coach organize all the kids at such different levels if everyone cheered? Can you imagine ordering 60 uniforms? Who would pay for them? I'm a coach and I coach Rec Level. Every is on the team, BUT just making a routine for 20 girls is crazy enough! How would the organize all these Cheerleaders?  What happened to earning something?
I'm personally against all the "just for funsies" bologna that is going on these days.  Does your husband go into work as say "Hey, Bill over there makes about 150K.. I want that too just because!" NO.. that is not real life.
Cheerleading in Middle School and up should be about skill and grades. YES it sucks that some kids go to All Star gyms and take over local school teams. Maybe they should have a new way to judge or a rule that says no All Stars while you are on a school team. BUT to have everyone be a Cheerleader? This is not how real life works. Maybe offer spirit squads, but still, I'd have to say 10 kids or so, AND they have to have something to bring to the table!

3-18-08
 i think this is a great idea. last year i didnt  make the squad and all my best friends did. this year everyone that tried out for the 8th grade squad made it. so i really think this would be a lot better than only a few making it!

3-18-08
Ok....fine but if every kid GETS to participate....then Every parent MUST!   Good luck.

3-18-08
I don't want to be a hard person, please understand that. Cheer tryouts are over here and I feel so sad for 3 little girls who really wanted it but did not make it this year.
 But everybody cheer is not a new concept by any means.  Most schools used to have a Pep Squad.  Anybody could join, wear the cute sweaters, get a letterman, and show up at every single game and CHEER!  Guess what....most of them have died out because people are no longer interested in being on the PEP squad and supporting a team....they want to be CHEERLEADERS....for free of course.
 Not all parents can truely afford to buy even the cheapest of uniforms or will commit to makeing sure their daughters are AT Practice and being picked up by someone. 
Everybody cheer is silly. 
On the pee-wee level it is fine....because guess what...you will start off with a squad of around 240 girls all bright eyed and sure THEY WANT TO CHEEER...
But the rule is that if you miss practice more than three times you have to make them up in order to be eligible to Cheer at the first game.  By the time its Game time at least half have dropped out because they have discovered that it is just tooooo much work.  another 20% actually show up but only because their mother has forked out about 180 bucks for stuff and is ticked that "darling" wants to do little more than wear the costume.
I wish everyone could watch a cheer tryout sometime.  They would be shocked.  Girls who are fantastic at practice...freeze up and sound like mice or look like they are angry rather than enjoying themselves...or forget to speak and only go through the motions.  If they can't do a cheer in front of five judges, how will they do it in front of 2000 people?  If they need to work on their basic stunts....can't do a toe touch that does not look like a spread eagle....or are two steps behind the beat of the dance portion the whole time....it does not matter how much the Mommy thinks they are good enough....they just aren't.  So the choice is to scream that it is unfair......because they really just wanted the costume and give up.  Or....they cry then decide to work for it and then they take lessons, work on skills, learn better tumbling, streach harder, and dream of next year and earn it like the ones wearing the costume this year did.  And those who make it...learn that you can hav
 e what you want if you WORK for it.  And those who don't make it learn....they wanted something else more.

3-18-08
Ok.....You say Everybody should be able to cheer???
Ummmm.....Everybody Can cheer.  Anyone who is willing to put in the effort and Hours and Hours and Hours of practice, tumbleing and dance that it takes to put on a good show for the crowd is welcome to try out.  If you have a back tuck that dazzles and everone else trying out only has say a handspring....guess what....you have just made the squad because you were willing to work harder for it.
Know what kicks most people out of being a cheerleader?  Their own mind.  Last year a girl I know Pretended to try out....her Mom dropped her off every day for a week thinking her daugher was trying out.  She had decided after the first day she "couldn't".  (once she made that decision it was true)  So she told her mom that she did her best and those mean old judges only picked the popular girls.  (forgetting to mention the part about judges being required to pick from a pool of girls who SHOW UP)
Want to Cheer...Join Pep Squad or Bleacher Creatures...Want to Be a Cheerleader......earn it.
In my school....147 cheerleader packets were passed out last year.  1st day of try outs.....51 girls bothered to Be there on time ready to learn.  96...evidently didn't even want it bad enough to set foot in the gym.  (but you can bet some of them will be boohooing that only the popular girls were picked)  By the day of tryouts...20 more did the judges work for them...by deciding it was tooo hard.  Thirty one of us stuck it through the week....and some were dissappointed.  But I have been cheering for nine years....and the week of tryouts I was up at 4:30 am practicing for two hours before taking care of my animals and getting to school.  Then I went to tryouts then practiced another two hours at home.....every day.  Is it really a good idea that the ones who were just showing up.....or those who didn't bother should be given the same honor that I worked so hard for?  Talk about hurting feelings......Treating it like it's not a sport....hurts feelings.

3-12-08
This is a nice idea and everything, but it would never work. For example, at my high school i am on the varsity cheer team and we get around 4 minutes for a routine at a rally. Some we don't even get to perform at because there just isn't enough time. Imagine 5 team's with 4 minute performances, that's 20 minutes!
What about at football games? Each girl only gets to cheer at one quarter of the game? And competitions! There is no way you can take 5 teams to a competition.
This is all about protecting feelings of children in an already overprotected society. What if one team if obviously better than the other one, and that team becomes the unofficial "Varsity" team, someone is upset that they are on the worse team and it starts all over again.
Everyone will never get what they want and everyone will not always make the team. Just like someone won't always get the job they want or get into the college of thier choice.
There is a reason for tryouts-- to find the BEST. And if you find the best you will have the best team and you will win and get the reputation. You don't want the reputation of the school that 'takes everyone'.

3-5-08
As a competitive cheerleader I have to disagree with you... But for the sidelines stuff at games and such - absolutely. The more of us girlies getting the crowd riled up for our team the better! And not just girls, we've got some boys on our cheer squad too!

1-15-08
i cheer for an allstars team and they are awesome they tell us what were doing wrong in a stunt and y our jumps arent that high and i cant even do a standing but they teach us and it really doesn't matter im in basketball, baseball, and cheerleading

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