Do other parents really complain?

[Sorsha]

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.

Nobody at your school wore their stuff??? Sorry, but that just blows me away!

I grew up in a small town, but our high school was pretty decent size (we drew kids from all the country schools and farm areas and crammed them into one school; we desperately needed to build a second one, which we have now done, to split the population in half). Letterman jackets, if you had one, you wore it. That WAS your jacket. I remember my mom saying "good grief that thing is expensive, but now I don't have to ever buy you a new jacket, you can just wear that one". The football players wore their jerseys on game days, and if it wasn't a game day their girlfriends wore them! You'd see girls in their boyfriend's jerseys all the time; it was the ultimate status symbol.

And cliques? Oh yeah, big time. Jocks and Preppies, Nerds, Stoners, Geeks, Band Geeks (separate category) - no one disputed they existed. I was a Band Geek, and I dated a Stoner (unrealistic label, this was the catch-all for the kids who didn't have much money, were a little less fashionable, not very book-ish, and tended to take tradesman classes like Auto Shop and FFA).

So yeah, believe your hubby.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I don't think the athletes or the cheerleaders should wear uniforms to class. In class, their job is to learn, not boost school spirit. That can be done at the pep rally or game.

Yes, being an athlete, or cheerleader, or theatre person is an accomplishment, but so is being a good student. I think getting all hurt because you can't wear a cheer uniform is silly. No, not all students are the same but there are dress codes at jobs in the adult world. By high school, the students should start to realize that they can't always do what they want. This is why we have people in their 20's now whose parents call them in sick to work and call college professors when Snowflake gets a bad grade.

This is not a big deal.

 

[bittybabygrower]

Our school has shirts made for all the teams so that they fit the dress code on game days. Our football players and cheerleaders have similar polos to wear on game day, the band kids have ones they designed, etc. Solved a lot of problems and everyone is happy.

 

[Ava83]

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.

Cheer Mom understanding and hugs.

Makes me nuts how folks "assume" so much about our girls. Cheer does not make you ANYTHING except part of team.

 

[Granny square]

Cheer Mom understanding and hugs.

Makes me nuts how folks "assume" so much about our girls. Cheer does not make you ANYTHING except part of team.

Pretty much like assuming that people who think a dress code is for everyone is a jealous cheerleader wannabe.

"Assumptions" have been flying across the aisle from both sides.

 

[theworldneedscolor]

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

But most spandex is itty bitty. I played volleyball in the past, and my sister does now. Spandex is part of the uniform, and you can't have a game/practice without seeing someone's buttcheek!

 

[delilah]

I have to admit that I haven't read this entire thread. I just want to point out that there is a third group of parents out there. My son is in 10th grade at a Catholic HS. His elementary school was small, and he didn't do sports, because they didn't have them there. Some of the kids did sports, and their parents were very devoted. One boy from our grade school is now on the varsity team in 10th grade at our high school. His father was the coach for the team, and he has played football probably since he was in pre school. My son is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and good at that, good enough to get a gold medal at the regional competition. Different kids have different talents, simple as that. My son is 5'11" tall and weighs 145 lbs. He might be able to run the football, if he played, but I would cringe at seeing him tackled by the 6'5", 240lb tackle on the other side.

But, back to the point of the thread. Not every parent unimpressed by cheerleaders is jealous. I have a coworker who told me that her niece was a freshman cheerleader at my son's school. I couldn't find any cheerleader by that name. Waited to get the yearbook at the end of last academic year. Turns out that she was on the freshman girls gymnastics squad. I have to admit that I am more impressed by a competitive gymnast that a cheerleader. But, her aunt either felt the need to lie to me that she was a cheerleader, or is so completely clueless that she doesn't realize that cheerleading is not the same as competitive gymnastics. I have to admit that I didn't correct my coworker. Makes no difference to me, really.

But, at my HS, cheerleader girls got way too much positive press relative to the academic side. I was a National Merit Scholar at my school, and there were only 8 other students in my 1,000 member class who were National Merit Semifinalists, Finalists and Commended Scholars. I was on the competitive math team, which won the Chicago Regional Championship the years I was on the team. I made the second highest score on the National Spanish competition in my school; the person who made the highest score actually made the highest score in the country. I won a special award from the Society of Women Scientists and Engineers. I had other awards and recognitions also. But, would you believe that I was passed over for National Honor society my junior year, while all the cheerleaders in the class were selected? I envy that I didn't get NHS in 11th grade, but, it kind of changed my outlook on the significance of that particular "honor".

 

[BlovesC]

Nobody at your school wore their stuff??? Sorry, but that just blows me away!

I grew up in a small town, but our high school was pretty decent size (we drew kids from all the country schools and farm areas and crammed them into one school; we desperately needed to build a second one, which we have now done, to split the population in half). Letterman jackets, if you had one, you wore it. That WAS your jacket. I remember my mom saying "good grief that thing is expensive, but now I don't have to ever buy you a new jacket, you can just wear that one". The football players wore their jerseys on game days, and if it wasn't a game day their girlfriends wore them! You'd see girls in their boyfriend's jerseys all the time; it was the ultimate status symbol.

I graduated in 2000, and reading your description, my teenage self would have assumed you graduated high school in the 50s. It just all sounds very Pleasantville. Kids in my HS definitely had their own styles (and corresponding 'labels'), but they didn't really form exclusive cliques. I mean, my table at lunch my senior year had our class president, our homecoming queen, two goths, a few geeks, and a couple musicians. All different ethnicities, races, and sexualities. We were in a relatively small town and had a graduating class of about 200. I guess this was an anomaly for the time period, but part of me has to imagine, in 2013, this is pretty standard most places, except giant football towns I suppose. Plenty of our student body was involved in athletics, but it didn't define them. I mean, I was a geek, who was also on a sports team, and I definitely never wore my uniform to class. I would have gotten a lot of funny looks if I did!


And yes, I will tell my DH that his stories are being backed up!

 

[Colleen27]

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.

No one got offended that you called cheer uniforms cute, and I'm sure you know that. What rubbed the wrong way was the "I don't know why other athletes would want to wear their uniforms, they're all ugly" attitude, as though only cheer uniforms are worth being proud of/wanting to show off.

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.

My husband and I have the same conversations. At the school I went to, there wasn't that sort of clear definition between groups, nor was there the pecking order that is fodder for so many teen movies/tv shows. It is the same way where we live now - there's too much overlap (for example, my son plays football, is int he band, and is looking forward to robotics club) to sort the student body on the basis of their activities or personal styles.

Your school, the school I graduated from, and the school my son attends are all about the same size. I wonder if that has something to do with it - maybe a class of 150-200 just doesn't include enough kids for them to define themselves or their friendships based on one particular facet of their lives.

 

[CPT Tripss]

What, if anything, has replaced the pocket protector and slide rule in those "Pleasentville" high schools?

 

[Ava83]

Pretty much like assuming that people who think a dress code is for everyone is a jealous cheerleader wannabe.

"Assumptions" have been flying across the aisle from both sides.

Quote me where I said that. Please, I'll be waiting.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

LOL about the glitter and makeup.

My daughter's high school team used to compete in the Long Island Cheerleading Coaches Association events, and would also do an open nationals in WDW.

LICCA is exclusively for school teams and has all sorts of rules about uniforms, etc. When my daughter was a senior LICCA banned the use of cheer curls. If you've ever seen chher curls on the floor during a routine you will understand their concern. Glitter makeup is another no-no.

And then they went to Florida, where the rules are more relaxed. Some of the girls were in shock.

 

[aprilgail2]

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.

That is how ours is too- if you had a game after school you changed into your uniform after school, for every sport! You didn't walk around with letterman jackets on LOL -its not like Happy Days anymore! It isn't really divided into cliques either-there are jocks in the drama club, goth kids in the robotics club

 

[CPT Tripss]

So I'm watching A&M's bad boy QB in his first series after his "suspension." At
least the cheerers go to class

 

[sam_gordon]

Quote me where I said that. Please, I'll be waiting.

I don't think Granny Square was referring to you. Others have said that though.

 

[Ava83]

I don't think Granny Square was referring to you. Others have said that though.

Then she shouldn't quote me and make that statement about 'assuming'.

 

[Granny square]

Then she shouldn't quote me and make that statement about 'assuming'.

Eh, you say others assume. I say both sides do.

Usually assumptions are based on experiences. Aren't yours?

 

[Sorsha]

Wow, things are getting kind of nasty and personal around here. *shocked face*

Let's change the subject.

How do you eat your bread and butter? (Newbies won't get it, I know.)

 

[Granny square]

Wow, things are getting kind of nasty and personal around here. *shocked face*

Let's change the subject.

How do you eat your bread and butter? (Newbies won't get it, I know.)

Lol, not personal at all. Everybody makes assumptions. You, lol general not specific, may call it something else but we all have preconceived ideas about the future and people based in our past experience.

 

[WDWJDS]

But, at my HS, cheerleader girls got way too much positive press relative to the academic side. I was a National Merit Scholar at my school, and there were only 8 other students in my 1,000 member class who were National Merit Semifinalists, Finalists and Commended Scholars. I was on the competitive math team, which won the Chicago Regional Championship the years I was on the team. I made the second highest score on the National Spanish competition in my school; the person who made the highest score actually made the highest score in the country. I won a special award from the Society of Women Scientists and Engineers. I had other awards and recognitions also. But, would you believe that I was passed over for National Honor society my junior year, while all the cheerleaders in the class were selected? I envy that I didn't get NHS in 11th grade, but, it kind of changed my outlook on the significance of that particular "honor".

Wait, let me get this right..... You were very smart and were ACKNOWLEDGED for your academic achievements, but because the cheerleaders were in NHS, they got way too much press?

You do realize that entrance into NHS isn't just for the smartest students? There are other standards that must be met.

Many, many kids put their heart and soul into their academics and are recognized for that. But NHS wants more from a student. Not only must you have a good GPA, but you must also show leadership and school EC participation as well.

So you, as a smart student, could be denied because you weren't more well rounded. It takes much harder work to achieve stellar grades while being in the marching band and starting up a new club at the school.

If the cheerleaders made NHS, that meant that along with the hours spent on cheer practice, they also achieved stellar grades and showed some leadership.

Your pity party sounds like the hundreds of 4.0/2400 GPA/SAT students (who didn't participate in a lot of other things) and didn't get into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. because the 3.8/2100 student who was captain of the cheer team took their spot!

It's called being looked at in a holistic manner.