6 Year Old Kicked Off Cheer Team After Parents Complaint

[Lil' Hannah]

Originally Posted by 33girl

These girls (and their moms shoving them into it) are thinking of the "all cheerleaders are popular" concept. It's ridiculous to have that kind of thing so young, and with approval by the parents. $125 for a uniform??? Seriously??

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Elementary-age cheerleading is just a way for the moms to live vicariously through their daughters, to make up for stuff they wanted to do and didn't get to do.

Oh come on, it's just like ballet or soccer or any other team sport/activity.

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by Lil' Hannah

Oh come on, it's just like ballet or soccer or any other team sport/activity.

Word- I'm pretty sure my hockey equipment at that age was at least twice as much, and parents are paying upwards of $500 on eBay for the latest and greatest composite little league bat . . . any childhood activity will have costs and elements of living vicariously, but those don't define the activity (they define the parents).

Which leads me to agree with Kevin - who cares? Either you think "booty" is too risque or you don't, and past that there's nothing interesting at all about this.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Lil' Hannah

Oh come on, it's just like ballet or soccer or any other team sport/activity.

True, to an extent. But, don't you think pre-competitive sports cheerleading, more than those other activities, attracts a "certain" type of parent? I feel like I don't hear the nonsense related to hockey or soccer or even ballet for little kids. Note, I'm not even talking about HS or even middle school cheerleading.

I just think that the cheer is really funny. My back aches right now.

[PM_Mama00]

Originally Posted by 33girl

As I've said....why are 6 year olds cheerleaders at all??

Yes, I know cheerleading is a legitimate sport, but that isn't what these girls are doing. These girls (and their moms shoving them into it) are thinking of the "all cheerleaders are popular" concept. It's ridiculous to have that kind of thing so young, and with approval by the parents. $125 for a uniform??? Seriously??

Put your un-uniformed kids in a meadow and just let them play kickball, for crying out loud.

Little league football and cheering is pretty big around here. And $125 is nothing compared to the other sports. My parents paid about the same when I played tennis at that age. Before I played competitively, they forked out about $1000 between lessons, uniform, new racquet, new tennis shoes, etc.

Originally Posted by MysticCat

It's pretty much the same cheer that everyone in my high school knew in the 70s (except this current version messes up the meter):

My back is achin', my skirt's/shirt's too tight,
My bottom's/body's shakin' from the left to the right.

Meanwhile, co-sign 33-girl.

The little leaguers when I was that age did

"My back aches, my skirt's too tight, my hips shake from left to right. Uh! Engowa (no clue wtf that means) give me some of that Pirate power!"

But I don't think young girls were as sexualized back then as they are now. Maybe we hear about them more now but it seems that the number of pedophiles has gone up and that might have to do with the internet.

Another thing about little league cheerleading, or cheerleading at all, the parents have gotten WAY out of hand. My friend was coaching middle school and she left because the parents would find something to be pissed about and threaten her.

I think the situation was treated poorly on both ends. The team shouldn't have kicked off the little girl and did away with that chant as well as any other chant deemed inappropriate, and the parents should never have gone to the news. This didn't need to become national.

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

But, don't you think pre-competitive sports cheerleading, more than those other activities, attracts a "certain" type of parent? I feel like I don't hear the nonsense related to hockey or soccer or even ballet for little kids.

I'm guessing you don't go to many hockey or soccer games for little kids . . .

There are regional travel/tournament teams for 5 and 6 year olds - meaning tryouts, cuts, politics, in-fighting and power struggles. "Those parents" will find a way to be douche bags no matter where their kids end up - it's not a cheerleading-centric issue. It's the same everywhere.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

I'm guessing you don't go to many hockey or soccer games for little kids . . .

There are regional travel/tournament teams for 5 and 6 year olds - meaning tryouts, cuts, politics, in-fighting and power struggles. "Those parents" will find a way to be douche bags no matter where their kids end up - it's not a cheerleading-centric issue. It's the same everywhere.

This is soooo true. There were douchy parents when I was in these types of kiddie sporting events, too.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

I'm guessing you don't go to many hockey or soccer games for little kids . . .

There are regional travel/tournament teams for 5 and 6 year olds - meaning tryouts, cuts, politics, in-fighting and power struggles. "Those parents" will find a way to be douche bags no matter where their kids end up - it's not a cheerleading-centric issue. It's the same everywhere.

I guess I'm just thinking about my nephew's soccer team vs. my niece's dance team. My nephew's team, even when he made the All-County, was pretty normal. There were a few parents who freaked out, but it wasn't too crazy--about the same as when I was in school.

My niece's dance team, on the other hand, is all drama all the time. It's way worse than when I was in school. The mothers text each other about what's going on, lies are told, it's just weird. I still feel like cheerleading and dance teams, because there used to be and may still be a beauty/wealth/popularity thing attached to them, are much more emotional for the moms. This may be worse in my hometown because many of the moms and teachers and coaches grew up together and went to the same high school and there might be residual stuff going on there.

I'm even seeing this in people our age--the moms who are most involved in the 4 year old cheerleader nonsense are the same ones who weren't the "in crowd" growing up.