Where have all the cheerleaders gone?

In our high school, as in many others, cheerleading has been phased out. Seems many kids lost interest in cheering for others when they had their own sports to compete in. And I totally get that. In my high school days (many eons ago, when Title 9 was still a toddler) I, too, opted for sports vs. cheerleading.

I know, I know – cheerleading IS a sport unto itself in many schools. But at our school it went the way of the dinosaur.

I’d like to make a plea to bring back the cheerleaders. The kind who can tame a crowd by leading upbeat, positive cheers during sporting events, not the kind who became almost a cliché before they faded away.

George Bush was a cheerleader. And he became president. Cheering for others didn’t seem to hold him back from becoming top dog. FDR, Samuel L Jackson, Halle Barry, Steve Martin and Sheryl Crow were also cheerleaders. Not bad company.

Cheerleaders serve a very important purpose: Cheerleaders keep the crowd in the game and the players get energy from that crowd. Crowds need leaders and cheerleaders make great ones. Without them, a cheering crowd often descends into booing or name-calling. This makes school officials quite nervous.

Isn’t it time for cheerleading to make a comeback at the high school level?

Spontaneous cheerleaders

An amazing thing happened during the final basketball game of the 2007-08 season: Some students spontaneously stepped up and became cheerleaders. They dug up some outfits from cheerleaders past and stood in front of the fans in the stands leading cheers throughout the game. It was awesome. Maybe next year, we can conjure up a spontaneous pep band, too.

We need cheerleaders. Both genders and all skill levels are welcome. Any students with positive energy, loud voices and genuine interest in the game are welcome. No tryouts, matching hair ribbons or fancy dance moves required.