Do other parents really complain?

[Buckalew11]

No worries at all

I'll get back to y'all!






This this and this! Totally off topic but we had just moved here to TX, we were in a little itty bitty tiny town (we have since moved to civilization as I could not take the small town a minute longer) anyway, DD was in 8th grade and mentions that there is some sort of hysteria at school, something about a mum. I imagine a corsage, you know, with a mum, the flower.

Well, shame on us, we didn't pay any attention, didn't get DD one, didn't even blink twice or look into it at all. She didn't seem interested. So we go to the homecoming game and imagine my surprise when I see all these females (young and old) with basically a paper plate puking ribbons and bling everywhere, strapped to their chests & anchored by their bra's. I saw girls that probably normally don't wear a bra but had to in order to be able to keep their shirts on, gotta have that mum anchor! I'm equally amazed by the arm Mums the boys wear. I have never ever seen anything like it, we had no clue.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_88HN_PB8iHk/SPwImK1efUI/AAAAAAAABeU/3NkwjewdqgU/s400/2008%2B10%2B09%2B042.JPG&imgrefurl=http://lifeisjustsodaily.blogspot.com/2010/10/homecoming-mumsonly-in-texas.html&h=300&w=400&sz=32&tbnid=DxzqaZ8Q1zCsVM:&tbnh=92&tbnw=122&zoom=1&usg=__vv9HJwDTnBFSAkJ4dGgNZmQeHNc=&docid=rSwaPyM56Wl8QM&sa=X&ei=T_UgUtfFMZTOyAG5w4CoDg&ved=0CD8Q9QEwBA&dur=382
Fast forward, we have now been in TX a little over a year, DD is a Freshman and as hideous as I think they are, by golly that girl will have a mum this year! I started planning and saving up for the dreadful thing in June!

I'm a West coast kinda girl, I have never heard of these things, had never seen one, cannot even begin to imagine who thought they were a good idea etc.
I saw a website where a Mum for a Sr. girl was $350! For a bunch of ribbon!!!!!!!!!!! Ohhhhh my
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_88HN_PB8iHk/SPwImK1efUI/AAAAAAAABeU/3NkwjewdqgU/s400/2008%2B10%2B09%2B042.JPG&imgrefurl=http://lifeisjustsodaily.blogspot.com/2010/10/homecoming-mumsonly-in-texas.html&h=300&w=400&sz=32&tbnid=DxzqaZ8Q1zCsVM:&tbnh=92&tbnw=122&zoom=1&usg=__vv9HJwDTnBFSAkJ4dGgNZmQeHNc=&docid=rSwaPyM56Wl8QM&sa=X&ei=T_UgUtfFMZTOyAG5w4CoDg&ved=0CD8Q9QEwBA&dur=382#imgdii=DxzqaZ8Q1zCsVM%3A%3BvYvoZtKCJN6isM%3BDxzqaZ8Q1zCsVM%3A

When I clicked on the link, the bolded was exactly what I thought of--that and when I had one of my bridal showers someone took all the bows from the packages and stuck them to a paper plate and took a photo of me with it on my head (I think, lol). Those mum things are truly a hideous display of I do not know what! I hope they keep that tradition in TX.

HS football is huge here also. In fact, tonight is the big rivalry game that was televised on ESPN last season. I'm sure there is not an open parking spot to be found. They even put it on local TV! (And that is where I will watch the game.)

~~~~

I just do not understand the idea of "earning the right" to wear a short skirt into class. You work hard to be chosen for the team. You earn that right--the right to cheer at the games.That has NOTHING to do with what you should be allowed to wear into class. When I earned my spot on the tennis team, I earned the right to represent my school on the court. With that came the uniform which included a cute, short skirt. Earning my spot on the team gave me not right to wear it into the classroom.

 

[dawnball]

ETA and if I am to be even more honest. What other athlete would want to wear their uniform, they are UGLY. Cheer uniforms are generally cute. Sorry but it is the truth.

Are you really saying "We can get a dress code exception because we're cute and you aren't"?

So when my daughter plays water polo - she should be allowed to wear her swim suit to school all day for meets? It covers all the relevant parts, even when she swims, it's cute and comfortable... and it saves all that hassle of changing!

The local high school has spirit squad, dance team (who performs at sporting events) and cheerleading. They all have game-day school outfits that conform with the dress code. Some of the outfits they wear -at- the game do not.

It really doesn't seem anywhere near as complex as people would like to make it.

 

[mhsjax]

Are you really saying "We can get a dress code exception because we're cute and you aren't"?

So when my daughter plays water polo - she should be allowed to wear her swim suit to school all day for meets? It covers all the relevant parts, even when she swims, it's cute and comfortable... and it saves all that hassle of changing!

The local high school has spirit squad, dance team (who performs at sporting events) and cheerleading. They all have game-day school outfits that conform with the dress code. Some of the outfits they wear -at- the game do not.

It really doesn't seem anywhere near as complex as people would like to make it.

The people aren't cute the uniforms are. No one wears a bathing suit to school, but girls have been allowed in the past to wear their cheer uniforms on game day. This isn't rocket science, you are right it isn't complex. Friday night is football night, the school approved these uniforms. let the girls wear them. Problem solved. Oh, and the school in question did solve the problem, the girls are wearing their uniforms. They just lowered the hems a little, but still really isn't dress code. They came to their senses.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Didn't reAd most of thread but Can't girls just wear spandex shorts under their mini skirts?

At our middle school, kids Cant Wear short shorts unless they are wearing spandex( that comes down a couple inches past the shorts) under them.

Seems like spandex would solve the problem since the mini skirts violate the dress code

 

[cheer25mom]

I'll agree with you, but isn't generalizing those who were "anti-cheerleader" in this case as "cheer haters" just as bad as generalizing cheerleaders as "rah rah's"?

I'm not saying you did that, but it did happen on this thread, just as others disparaged cheerleaders.

Yes, it is but when I say cheer hate I am really referring to what I have personally experienced. Along the lines of people telling me I am teaching myDD to be vain and permiscuous by allowing her to cheer, only they didn't use such nice words. That kind of stuff qualifies as hate in my book.

Didn't reAd most of thread but Can't girls just wear spandex shorts under their mini skirts?

At our middle school, kids Cant Wear short shorts unless they are wearing spandex( that comes down a couple inches past the shorts) under them.

Seems like spandex would solve the problem since the mini skirts violate the dress code

This is a great idea. It's what we do when allstar practice shorts get too shor close to te end of a season. They are custom made so we can't just get another pair, so we just put black compression shorts underneath.

 

[RitaE]

Didn't reAd most of thread but Can't girls just wear spandex shorts under their mini skirts?

At our middle school, kids Cant Wear short shorts unless they are wearing spandex( that comes down a couple inches past the shorts) under them.

Seems like spandex would solve the problem since the mini skirts violate the dress code

Yes, and that is pretty much what most posters from what I can see said. Just do whatever you need to do to bring the uniform into dress code standards. From the article that I saw, they got a little length on the skirts and told them to wear shirts under the vests or something else with sleeve. No big deal at all and quite fair.

Oh, and if I'm voting for cutest I'm going to go for the Volleyball girls.

 

[cheer25mom]

When I clicked on the link, the bolded was exactly what I thought of--that and when I had one of my bridal showers someone took all the bows from the packages and stuck them to a paper plate and took a photo of me with it on my head (I think, lol). Those mum things are truly a hideous display of I do not know what! I hope they keep that tradition in TX.

HS football is huge here also. In fact, tonight is the big rivalry game that was televised on ESPN last season. I'm sure there is not an open parking spot to be found. They even put it on local TV! (And that is where I will watch the game.)

~~~~

I just do not understand the idea of "earning the right" to wear a short skirt into class. You work hard to be chosen for the team. You earn that right--the right to cheer at the games.That has NOTHING to do with what you should be allowed to wear into class. When I earned my spot on the tennis team, I earned the right to represent my school on the court. With that came the uniform which included a cute, short skirt. Earning my spot on the team gave me not right to wear it into the classroom.

Our tennis team does wear them to class, with their warmups just like the cheerleaders. I think that being a part of anything that betters the school ought to earn you the right to be recognized for that IN SCHOOL, not just on the files, ect.

 

[cheer25mom]

Yes, and that is pretty much what most posters from what I can see said. Just do whatever you need to do to bring the uniform into dress code standards. From the article that I saw, they got a little length on the skirts and told them to wear shirts under the vests or something else with sleeve. No big deal at all and quite fair.

Oh, and if I'm voting for cutest I'm going to go for the Volleyball girls.

I hope that skirt is only for school and not games or competitions. It they try to compete in those everyone's bloomers will be showing by the end of the first stunt. A local Christian school bought skirts like that one year and quickly figured out that the girls ended up showing a lot more with them wadded around their waist than the ever had in the shorter ones. The skirts are short for a reason, and skirt problems have many allstar teams switching wholesale to shorts instead.

 

[mhsjax]

Yes, and that is pretty much what most posters from what I can see said. Just do whatever you need to do to bring the uniform into dress code standards. From the article that I saw, they got a little length on the skirts and told them to wear shirts under the vests or something else with sleeve. No big deal at all and quite fair.

Oh, and if I'm voting for cutest I'm going to go for the Volleyball girls.

lol. Those volley ball uniforms really show off the "assets" don't they?

 

[sam_gordon]

Yes, it is but when I say cheer hate I am really referring to what I have personally experienced. Along the lines of people telling me I am teaching myDD to be vain and permiscuous by allowing her to cheer, only they didn't use such nice words. That kind of stuff qualifies as hate in my book.

It does in mine too. I'm sure there is "cheerleader" hate out there, and I'm sorry you've had to face it. But on this thread, there are folks who called anyone who didn't agree with them "haters". Of course, they also got upset when someone generalized about cheerleaders, but double standards are ok to some apparently.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

I hope that skirt is only for school and not games or competitions. It they try to compete in those everyone's bloomers will be showing by the end of the first stunt. A local Christian school bought skirts like that one year and quickly figured out that the girls ended up showing a lot more with them wadded around their waist than the ever had in the shorter ones. The skirts are short for a reason, and skirt problems have many allstar teams switching wholesale to shorts instead.

My daughter's team had the looser skirts and tighter skirts at various times. Either way you have to wear lollies underneath.


Senior year the competition uniforms were red and white, with gold lollies underneath. The team went to an open nationals in WDW. my daughter was a flyer. During the routine there came a point where she did a jump. . . I think it's called a toe touch. . .while the bases tossed her into the air.


The professional photographer captured her image in mid jump, with her legs fully extended. It was magnificent.


You will never see me post that image on the net. Because you see quite a bit of gold lollie. Perfectly acceptable, but you just know some perv is going to say something weird.

 

[cheer25mom]

My daughter's team had the looser skirts and tighter skirts at various times. Either way you have to wear lollies underneath.


Senior year the competition uniforms were red and white, with gold lollies underneath. The team went to an open nationals in WDW. my daughter was a flyer. During the routine there came a point where she did a jump. . . I think it's called a toe touch. . .while the bases tossed her into the air.


The professional photographer captured her image in mid jump, with her legs fully extended. It was magnificent.


You will never see me post that image on the net. Because you see quite a bit of gold lollie. Perfectly acceptable, but you just know some perv is going to say something weird.

Yes, you are going to see them, but with straight skirts longer than mid thigh, the skirts are too tight too far down the leg, and when the girls jump or stunt they ride up around the waist and don't go back down so the bloomers are exposed all the time with a wadded skirt around the waist unless the girls snatch them down.

 

[Colleen27]

ETA and if I am to be even more honest. What other athlete would want to wear their uniform, they are UGLY. Cheer uniforms are generally cute. Sorry but it is the truth.

See, this is the sort of thing that feeds the cheer/cheer mom stereotypes - both the idea that "cute" should have any bearing on whether or not something is school-appropriate and the idea that talented athletes shouldn't be just as eager as cheerleaders to show off their team affiliation because jerseys aren't as "cute" as tank-vests and mini skirts.

I'm raising my girls to be proud of the things they do, not to hide their activities and accomplishments because the associated gear isn't "cute".

 

[cheer25mom]

See, this is the sort of thing that feeds the cheer/cheer mom stereotypes - both the idea that "cute" should have any bearing on whether or not something is school-appropriate and the idea that talented athletes shouldn't be just as eager as cheerleaders to show off their team affiliation because jerseys aren't as "cute" as tank-vests and mini skirts.

I'm raising my girls to be proud of the things they do, not to hide their activities and accomplishments because the associated gear isn't "cute".

Well said. I saw a great series of pictures of the "not so pretty" side of cheer the other day. The black eyes, broken noses, casts, ect along with the sweaty, exhausted kids on their last leg giving just one more full out to get the routine perfect for their team. This is what real cheer is about, not looking cute in a uni!

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Are you really saying "We can get a dress code exception because we're cute and you aren't"?

So when my daughter plays water polo - she should be allowed to wear her swim suit to school all day for meets? It covers all the relevant parts, even when she swims, it's cute and comfortable... and it saves all that hassle of changing!

The local high school has spirit squad, dance team (who performs at sporting events) and cheerleading. They all have game-day school outfits that conform with the dress code. Some of the outfits they wear -at- the game do not.

It really doesn't seem anywhere near as complex as people would like to make it.

Our school makes dress code exceptions all the time. Our kids usually wear uniforms -- school shirt, khaki pants. On game days the boys soccer team dresses up. They wear "church clothes" type things, which might include black pants or a non school shirt with a tie. If you make honor roll you get a special shirt you can wear on Fridays with jeans instead of khakis. On certain days you can wear "college swag" (that is clothing with the name of your favorite college). It's all different ways of reinforcing our values and our sense of community.

I don't really care whether or not cheerleaders are able to wear their uniform. Some other sports get to (e.g. track can wear their Tshirts) and some don't swim team). We don't have cheerleading yet, so we haven't made a decision there.

As far as decency, I think that if the cheerleaders are wearing something that's outside of acceptable standards for their community, then they need to change the uniforms. However, I also don't see a problem with Glee style uniforms, or the one linked upthread, even if they don't meet the "letter of the law". Most dress code rules are more strict than absolutely needed to stop kids from pushing at the edges. Most high school cheerleading uniforms seem to have pretty high cut arms and necks, and they wear little pants underneath. Totally different from a girl with spaghetti straps and a skirt that shows her thong if she sits wrong.

 

[Robbi]

Our daughter was a high school cheerleader and they wore their uniforms on game day just as the teams wore their jerseys. The skirts were short but not micro and they wore spandex shorts beneath the skirts.
If the uniforms are deemed vulgar, they should make them wear the cheer uniform my mom wore- a skirt to her ankles with a sweater set and oxfords.

 

[mhsjax]

Well said. I saw a great series of pictures of the "not so pretty" side of cheer the other day. The black eyes, broken noses, casts, ect along with the sweaty, exhausted kids on their last leg giving just one more full out to get the routine perfect for their team. This is what real cheer is about, not looking cute in a uni!

OMg you guys are taking what I said so wrong. It was very tongue in cheek, yes their uniforms are cute. Sorry but it is true. I didn't say the girls were cute I said the uniforms were. Man someone gets offended over anything.

Also, I know all too well the ugly side of cheer. I don't need to see pictures, I live it. And my DD wouldn't give it up for anything. I think you said earlier your child was 9? mine is 14 and has been doing All Star since she was 9. By the time she is 14, she will have a long list of injuries most of them an inconvenience, but it will happen.

OH and the uniforms are still cute, I don't care what anyone says or if they do get offended.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

Cheerleading IS a team sport now, at least as I experience it here. They compete on thier own merit agianst other teams. Yes, school cher does still do sideline, but it is NOT the primary focus. They train to compete and win. No different that football or baseball.

DD does allstar nad I am SO tired of the ignorance toward what they do nad the hate that some people continue to spew about cheer.

Yes, you can. Dress code can be used as a reward for something, and if you did the work to earn the reward, you should get it.


it is pretty clear to me that you have a lot of hostility towards anyone that get "special" treatment. Bottom line is, that high school athletes(yes cheerleaders ARE athletes!) work VERY hard for thier spots on thier teams and deserve special treatment, just like academic standouts, outstanding artists, dancers, and anyone else who goes above and beyoned to contribute to the school community.

I actually think cheerleading is one of the most dangerous sports out there.

You can be rewarded with a dress code casual day. I should have put in there that you still have limits on what you can wear, and micro mini or hoochie skirt is not one of them. A teacher can be rewarded with a casual jean day or if you are going on a field trip you dress casual in jeans or bermuda shorts, not micro minis.

 

[cheer25mom]

OMg you guys are taking what I said so wrong. It was very tongue in cheek, yes their uniforms are cute. Sorry but it is true. I didn't say the girls were cute I said the uniforms were. Man someone gets offended over anything.

Also, I know all too well the ugly side of cheer. I don't need to see pictures, I live it. And my DD wouldn't give it up for anything. I think you said earlier your child was 9? mine is 14 and has been doing All Star since she was 9. By the time she is 14, she will have a long list of injuries most of them an inconvenience, but it will happen.

OH and the uniforms are still cute, I don't care what anyone says or if they do get offended.

Oh, this is her 3rd year of allstar and she is a base so we have already had: black eye x2, lost a finger nail that got stepped on, sprained shoulder, she has had the wind knocked out of her when the whole stunt group came down on top of her. I think that the integrity of the sport is more important than the cute uniforms, that's all. Our gym goes with a clean, athletic look rather than all the flash and sparkle you see at so many other gyms. I don't think we can expect to be taken seriously as a sport with glitter makeup and rhinestones plastered over everything that will stand still long enough.

I actually think cheerleading is one of the most dangerous sports out there.

You can be rewarded with a dress code casual day. I should have put in there that you still have limits on what you can wear, and micro mini or hoochie skirt is not one of them. A teacher can be rewarded with a casual jean day or if you are going on a field trip you dress casual in jeans or bermuda shorts, not micro minis.

It is dangerous, but no more than any other sport if it is properly coached and the athletes are properly trained. The problem is that in many places it is. Not officially a sport any teachers who are not safety credentialed and have no experience are coaching. The girls end up attempting things they have no business doing, and someone gets hurt.

But that's not what you said. You said that everyone should be subject to the dress code and no one is an exception. So which is it? Is it ok for a school that wears uniforms to allow out of uniform for certain groups at certain times or not? None of it, jerseys,,cheer unis, tshirts, actually meets the dress code, and different groups are allowed to wear different things at different times.

 

[BlovesC]

This topic is interesting to me. At my high school, we had a pretty lax dress code but no one walked around in uniforms. No cheerleaders, no letterman jackets, nothing. When we had pep rallies, those involved would change into their uniforms beforehand and then change back. Those rallies usually devoted more time to student government than sports, though. We had pretty crappy teams, which I guess is why no one displayed much spirit.

Growing up, I always thought the high schools portrayed in films and TV shows, showing massively divided cliques and jocks wandering the halls in their jerseys and jackets on a daily basis, were completely unrealistic dramatizations. My DH swears up and down he attended a school that was exactly this stereotypical, and I've always only half believed him. This thread helps his case a bit.