Are you a cheerleader?
 

Heres my question- how many of you were cheerleaders in high school? Then are you a cheerleader in college too?

I was a cheerleader in high school. I did not try out for cheer in college-- I was kinda burnt out on it and wanted to try new things, so I ended up rushing and being a part of the ISVT (inter-sorority (beach) volleyball tournament) team for my house.

one of my sisters is a penn state cheerleader. she'd never cheered before in her life and she made the squad. she had done gymnastics before though.

Hey there
I was a cheerleader in high school and college. I cheered my first three years on our national squad. Its a whole new world in college compared to high school, a lot more work:) If you have any questions send me a message.
Oh and in college we cheered for football, mens and womens basketball, and nationals in daytona.

oh yes
and I also wanted to mention that you had to at least have a roundoff backhandspring to make my team, most people were at least around a level 5 or 6 gymnast, I was level 10 before college. Needless to say I mostly tumbled, but would have liked to stunt a little more:( Also, in college you have to workout a lot more to keep your tone.

x

I was a cheerleader in high school and cheered for my 2 years at university in Canada.

I'm not cheering here in Florida at school though...I wanted to concentrate 100 % on my grades......since having too much extra-curricular activities is the reason I got academic suspension from my school in Canada!

cheerleaders
 

Although some of my sisters were cheerleaders in high school, and a few in college as well, I was never one. A lot of my sisters weren't. I know that it is a stereotype that in order to be a "sorority girl" you have to fit the "sorority image." But the key word there is that it's a stereotype. Don't let TV's model of perfection cloud your image of what perfection truly is....it comes from within.

Re: cheerleaders
 

Well said! :)

Well I used to have a triple full back in my gym days:) Oh the memories:((((((
But, I will say it's hard adjusting, well it was for me, from a gymnastucs floor to a cheer floor with no springs and sneakers on. I used to get disorineted in my twists, and even standing backs took a little getting used to. But that is me and I was a gymnast all my life, I mean I only started cheering in high school.
I go to school up North BTW, and I know the guys down south have much more experience than our guys up here. It is all new to them in college. But I love stunt fest with those southern boys and their double awesomes:)

x

Wow, this is all so amazing for me to read. In my high school, if the cheerleaders jumped with both feet off the floor it was a huge athletic event. :D

not only was I a cheerleader for 14 years of my life, i also was the captain of varsity my senior year and a National Cheerleading Association All American. i also did gymnastics ;) cheerleading was my LIFE. i will be coaching soon, as well.

33,

That's really funny! Our high school was kinda like that way back when I was there.

Our middle daughter was a Freshman and then JV Cheerleader her freshman year in high school -- but was still growing. She looked decidedly out of place at 6'/130 lbs -- so she joined the volleyball team as a sophomore. The rest of the team were all 5'2" super gymnasts.

Their recent teams have consistantly placed highly in the UCA competition at Disney World. I think they were number 8 this last year, but am not sure about that.

Cheering really has become an athletic event, not just a vehicle for popularity. These kids work hard all the time.

and by the way- IT IS A SPORT! i broke my arm stunting. we tumble, we do jumps, we stunt. i dare ANY football player to ATTEMPT what we do.

I cheered for two years in high school and I was a competitive gymnast. The college that I attended did not have a sports program because I was at a commuter campus. :(

I can't be the only guy
 

I was a cheerleader in high scholl, captain of course. Then when I got to college one of the other guys on the squad told the coach about me and he made me join the team. In my second year I pulled both hamstrings and my groin. This was my third pull. It forced me into retirement. I loved it. Every now and then I'll toss a few stunts or a tumbling pass. It was funny while I was online there were two other guys pledging KAPsi. It's odd to have that many black male cheerleaders in frats. At the same time one guy was ATO and another was in another org.

Amen Sister!!!

I have an injury sheet from cheering and gymnastics that would make most athletes (esp. football players) weep just at the sight of it.

I would dare any football player to have your spotter drop you from the third level of a pyramid onto a hard gym floor, and still have the guts to get back on their and do it again day after day.

-Lil Snakey K

famous cheerleaders
 

Well, I figured I would add my little spill along with everyone else. I used to cheer in high school. I cheered for Greenup County which is pretty well known for cheerleading. I was actually on the squad the year they wrote the book about Greenup and I was one of the characters the author focused on. The book is called "We've Got Spirit". If you like cheerleading it is a pretty good book to read. As for cheering in college....I have thought about it a couple of times but in all actuality I don't think I could handle it on top of all the other things I am involved in. I remember how much time it took during high school and it is something I would rather not live through again no matter how much attention it would or could bring.

I was a cheerleader in HS and wanted to try out for college... but practice interferes with meetings it's kinda like sorority or cheerleading at my school unfortunately there is time conflicts... :(

;)
 

ahh, memories! I cheered in junior high, then went on to be captain of the Pom squad for 4 years, then i did cheerleading for soccer, and cheering for my senior year too (they combined the cheer & pom girls together--what i describe as HELL for a girl who was all about the Poms & dancing!)
But for college i just didn't want to do it anymore (ok, i went to the informational meeting, but seeing my competition & the lil outfits i decided i could do other things) Plus its a HUGE time commitment!
this thread brings back so many good memories!

Rach_DG,
I love that book!:) I have read it soo many times...I can't say enough how great it was. I even went to the extent to have one of my close friends read it, to prove to her how amazingly competitive and great cheerleading is (and it worked...she no longer disses cheerleading!)

And this may be pathetic....but after reading the book, I went on some university sites just to see if the squad members in the book had made the teams they tried out for! I get really into every book I read and I feel as though I'm "in" the book....and I was curious to see what had happened to all the girls!:D I really did love it!:)

Okay I'm done babbling about that!:)

Now I was a 6 sport letterman through high school but the only injuries I ever got were from cheerleading. I would take a hit from a 250lb linebacker but my stunt partner's elbow in the face found it's way to send me to the doctor w/ a broken nose.

Hmm...I find this very hard to believe..... 7-10 year olds throwing back tuck baskets, full baskets and double full baskets? Basket tosses where the flyer's head goes below waist level (as in a back tuck) are illegal to any team under college level cheering. Also, 7-10 year olds don't have the strength to generate the height required for these baskets. And don't even get me started on them not having the spatial awareness.....

actually...
 

[x

I cheered in junior high and I loved it, but where are my dance team girls??? That's what I did in high school. Much love to all of ya!!!

My cheer squad was more pom/dance than straight out cheer. We did the cheers, but no stunts-- had dances to all the band songs and danced half time shows.

Sisterplum,
I am glad you liked the book!!! Alot of the people in my town didn't like it much because it really got down and dirty when it came to some aspects of some of the girls' lives. I'm sure you know what I mean. Luckily though, I didn't feel like I personally was portrayed bad in the book. I wasn't particularly fond of how the author continuously played on my nickname "Olive" or the fact that he pretty much said I was the ugly duckling (I've finally blossomed into the beautiful dove) but I have to honestly say that he didn't do me too much injustice. If you would like to know what happened to all of the girls after the book was published just let me know and I can update you!!!

Re: actually...
 

What all-star group are you with? It's amazing for me to hear how far cheerleading has come in the past 10 years. I was a gymnast who made the switch to cheerleading in high school, and at that time (it's been awhile now), a squad standing tuck was UNBELIEVABLE. We competed coed showcheer at USA & UCA competitions, and the level that is it at today is just unbelievable.

I joined the first all-star group that my city had (again, it was awhile ago but out here in CA we were a little behind Southern Sts.) when I was a Sophomore, and agree that it is a different brand of cheerleading than high school is.

Love and AOE from the Pacific Coast :cool:

Re: actually...
 

You have 10 year olds with triples and 5 year olds with fulls??? WOW! I coach gymnastics, and that is pretty impressive! According to the current FIG Code of Points a layout full is a B-value skill and a triple is an E-value skill. For those of you not familiar with the COP, it gives each gymnastic skill a value (by letter) and each Level of competitive gymnastics are allowed to do skills from a group of skills. For example, a skill with an E-value (such as a triple full) is a skill that international elite gymnasts will perform (and not all of them do).

What gym is this at? I'd love to find out what training methods are used for tumbling, maybe we can implement them here. Will the owner/head coach be at USA Gymnastics National Congress in a few weeks? I'd love to meet with them and discuss training methods....
VT-TriD please respond or PM me with the info! Thanks!

Hey there
I totally agree with KD and the other poster.
I was a level 10 gymnast, I had my triple full, full in back out, but it was rare for a level 10 to be on our cheer team. Most everyone else was around a level 6(and thats justfor tumbling bc some of these girls were never gymnasts and just went to tumbling class) and we went to college nationals, and most of the girls on my college cheer team were previous all starts(I was one of the few who cheered in high school)
What I am trying to say us I find it VERY hard to believe soo many 5 year olds are doing fulls. Belive me I coached gymnastics as well, 5 year olds are good if they can do level 5. It's not that easy that everyone on your cheer squad is a level 10 gymnast. I mean belive me if they were 5 and doing that, they would not be cheering but would be training with Bela right now.
And I have judged many a competition and young girls like that do not have the physical strenght to catch flipping baskets(why do you think coed squads get a much better basket toss than all girls???? Hello, bc guys have more strenght. And if all these girls were that advanced why have I never seen a college team that advanced???? I mean even Lousiville the most I seen everyone do is a double full.
I know what I am trying to say but dont know if I am saying it well.

I can believe a few 5 year olds doing fulls. I was at a competition and a team had two little boys. One was 6 the other 5 and they both had fulls. The 6 year old had a step out. I talked to them & their parents afterwards & they said they have no formal training. It was funny they learned the same way I did, mattresses at the playground.

Never ever ever was a cheerleader or wanted to be! No offense girls =) Can you tell I didn't think I would join a sorority?? Although more then 3/4 of my sisters were cheerleaders. Its funny to watch them relive their nostalgia... when they randomly start showing each other stuff they did in highschool.

Most of them aren't as flexible now *hehe*....just kidding :D

~Rebecca


"It's a PHI SIG thing"

Hey there
I dont think it's impossible for a 6 year old to have a full, but belive me he/she will lose it and have to get it back. If you are a gymnast you know what I mean:) It takes years to master proper technique in gymnastics. Its not like you just walk into a gym and start throwing everything.
Oh I even had an example, when I was training still in gymnastics there was this 5 or 6 year old boy. He was the cutest thing ever. He could throw a full. Needless to say when the boys coach started on(he was an Olympian from Poland) would not let him do fulls anymore. He brought him back to the basics.
You see in order to let us say really master a double full, its not as smiple as being able to go from a bacjtuck one day to throwing a double full(beleive me I have seen many of my cheerleaders try) to have the proper orientation and awarenesss that one needs, once you have that you can easliy throw that skill on floor, off beam, and off bars. Its really mastery of skill. MOST 6 year olds I have seen that can throw certain skills seem to lose most of those skills after a few years. That is why certain basics need mastery that cannot be fullfilled at age 2.

Now you are right about a few things. Yes the street form of tumbling I did as a youngin was rough & without proper technique. Yes my coach did hold me back from doing them so I could get proper technique to improve higher level skills. BUT I have/had a vertical far surperior to many other gymnasts & I had flexability. Now in order for me to increase my rotation I had to work on technique. I never wanted to be a gymnast & never was one. I was a cheerleader who could tumble. I did other things like bboying so I had many other gymnast skills but I wasn't a gymnast. I liked to stunt & get the crowd hyped. Tumbling is something me & the fellas used to do @ the playground when we were bored. To see what I mean go to an innercity & see some lil boys flipping. You have to call it flipping b/c they aren't really tumbling. It is raw & w/o technique. All for fun.

I was a cheerleader in jr high and high school. I was always too scared to fly so was always a strong base, at my university ALL girls have to fly so I didnt even bother trying out even though I was a strong base. PLUS I didn't meet the tumbling requirements anyway. Cheerleading was my life in high school and in college my sorority was what replaced it.

Rach_DG,
I sent you a PM!:)

x

Cheer Champ
 

I was a cheerleader and dancer in high school. However, in college-whatever. My college team cheer team was highly inexperienced including a coach that never cheered. As a former assistant coach I was like heck naw. My high school team have been Elite Champions since before I was young. However, I'm now officially a transfer student come August and we'll see then. As far as dancing for my college team-no comment lol.

But I do have a special shout-out as a flyer to my flyers past and present.

Some people on this board may be far removed from cheering, but I am not one of them! I coach competitive gymnastics and cheerleading, and I have only been out of participating in cheerleading for 2 and 1/2 years now (although I continued to coach).
You still didn't answer my question though....what All-Star gym is this at? I would love to meet with the coach, if at all possible, or at the very least check out their website. What's the link???