Do other parents really complain?

[Robbi]

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.

I was in NHS my sophomore year of high school. You're right we got in because of high GPAs and extracurriculars such as sports, cheerleading, drama, math club, science club, newspaper, yearbook, etc. Beta Club in junior high was also based both on grades and extracurriculars.
In neither club was anyone admitted who did not have at least a 3.5 GPA.
The cheer uniform debate in Florida sounds like sour grapes. I saw many moms similar to those on the Dance Mom program. If their daughter or their squad didn't either make the sqaud or win a competition, there were a million reasons stated, except one- their child or their squad just were not good enough. They'd then try antics such as the uniform ban as retaliation. We were lucky enough to have a school board who weren't swayed by petty jealousies. In the schools, although uniforms were worn, on home game days, everyone was allowed to wear school spirit shirts while the teams, the cheer squad and dance squad were allowed to wear their uniforms. The teams members wore their jerseys.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

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.

Scandal at my sister's high school back in the 70's. The cheer coach was on the committee that chose NHS. She picked her cheerleaders over kids who had better grades and more extracurriculars.

After a lawsuit was threatened they suddenly made room for a few more candidates.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DISBoards

 

[cheer25mom]

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!

Not anymore. Nike and reebok both make 3 and5 inch inseam compression shorts that are readily available. My DD is not allowed to wear them unless I can see at least an inch or 2 of fabric under her cheeks.

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".

You can be a cheerleader AND a national merit finalist. We have had several at our school. You have to have a 3.25 GPA to even try out for cheer. They are smart AND athletic, and many of them are on academic teams. Of course at our school academic standouts get just as much recognition as athletic standouts too. Musical theater is a big deal and competition for spots in the spring musical is fierce. It is all in the culture you foster in a school. Ideally it should be one that favors the well rounded kid who works hard at everything they do. It should value everyone for their varied talents.

 

[Colleen27]

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.

Depending on how it is done, though, there can be bias involved and certain kinds of leadership valued above others.

The school I attended didn't consider leadership positions in academic groups for qualification purposes. It didn't effect me because I held leadership roles in band and swim, but I had a friend who was passed over despite being president of a competition-oriented science group and head of the debate team. That made no sense to me whatsoever, but the committee felt that in their quest for "well rounded", applicants had to show leadership in organizations that weren't based around academic talent.

 

[diamondpixienc]

I see no issues with this. It is a double standard if there is a dress code that says skirts are to be a certain length during class time.
There is a time and place for everything. They are not cheering until game time and/or pre-game pep rally if they do that. Come on people can we pick better battles? Just wear matching tee's and that over sized hideous hair bow they wear. BTW not hating DD(8) is on a cheer team this year and I never liked those bows then and I still don't. Although my DD does make it look cute lol!

 

[Ava83]

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

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

Actually, as an adult I have learned not to assume, which is why I used quotes.

 

[Granny square]

Actually, as an adult I have learned not to assume, which is why I used quotes.

Lol It must be interesting not basing any experiences on past experiences. That is pretty much what learning is all about.

 

[Ava83]

Lol It must be interesting not basing any experiences on past experiences. That is pretty much what learning is all about.

I had a 'lovely' post all submitted and then I decided it wasn't worth arguing.

Have a lovely day GrannySquare.

 

[Granny square]

Actually it has served me well. Because based on my life experiences I find most people to be good. Most are kind, helpful and have motives that are basically selfish but seldom what others believe them to be.

I'm honest enough To understand that everyone makes assumptions. It is what it is. If one wants to live relatively happy they will assume the best rather than the worst. Because we all have experience of both sorts.

 

[ten6mom]

I don't recall what my school's dress code was or wasn't (that was a long time ago) but our cheerleaders and pommies wore their game outfits on football game days. I wanna say the football players wore shirts and ties.

Sent from the Death Star

 

[luvsJack]

Actually it has served me well. Because based on my life experiences I find most people to be good. Most are kind, helpful and have motives that are basically selfish but seldom what others believe them to be.

I'm honest enough To understand that everyone makes assumptions. It is what it is. If one wants to live relatively happy they will assume the best rather than the worst. Because we all have experience of both sorts.

I think if we all look at our views honestly, we all make assumptions based on experiences. We see it here on the Dis every day when we all make our answers to post based on our on lives, regions, and experiences.

I don't "assume" everyone that who is not a cheerleader or doesn't have a cheerleader is jealous of them. After all, I was never one and dd hasn't been for many years nor does she have any interest in being one. But, when someone, whether a poster here or a girl in school or the mom of a girl who didn't make the squad is vehement about attacking the squad and what they wear; well it seems to be a fairly safe assumption.

Its easy to say -- I don't like the cheer uniforms, I think they are too short (or whatever) without saying that the cheer leaders are only trying to reveal their bodies, or are only there to shake their rear ends or that they are all dumb blondes that can't do anything else or the other thousand put downs we have all hear about cheer leaders. One is an opinion about a uniform, while the other is an assumption about the girl wearing it.

 

[bellebud]

I see no issues with this. It is a double standard if there is a dress code that says skirts are to be a certain length during class time.
There is a time and place for everything. They are not cheering until game time and/or pre-game pep rally if they do that. Come on people can we pick better battles? Just wear matching tee's and that over sized hideous hair bow they wear. BTW not hating DD(8) is on a cheer team this year and I never liked those bows then and I still don't. Although my DD does make it look cute lol!

YES! what is with the ridiculous bows!! I was a cheerleader way back when, and we would have burned them! They are the funniest thing, and I feel sorry for the girls wearing them.

As for the whole uniform in class thing, I can't even remember if we wore ours on game days. Sometimes we wore sweats w/ a football players jersey.

With dress codes today, I can see where parents of non-cheer kids are complaining, not about the dress of the cheer kids, but the rule bending for them. Let them ALL wear skirts like that, problem solved.

 

[mhsjax]

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.


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.

Our gym is the same. Pretty much natural, although a little darker color, name up. I am pretty sure that the USASF is changing the rules and they aren't going to allow so much of that sparkly stuff anymore.

Hope you have a year without too many injuries.

 

[mhsjax]

YES! what is with the ridiculous bows!! I was a cheerleader way back when, and we would have burned them! They are the funniest thing, and I feel sorry for the girls wearing them.

As for the whole uniform in class thing, I can't even remember if we wore ours on game days. Sometimes we wore sweats w/ a football players jersey.

With dress codes today, I can see where parents of non-cheer kids are complaining, not about the dress of the cheer kids, but the rule bending for them. Let them ALL wear skirts like that, problem solved.

Everything changes. Bows weren't worn back in my high school days, but the girls did wear their uniforms to school.

I know my DD loves bows. She doesn't d school cheer but she has a whole collection of bows. So don't feel too sorry for them, a lot of the girls actually spend their own money on them at competitions where they sell them.

All thins change. Today, kids carry back packs. In my day only the nerds carried a back pack and most kids wouldn't be caught dead with one. What was popular with us, isn't today and what wasn't cool for us, will be at some time. Everything recycles.

 

[cheer25mom]

Our gym is the same. Pretty much natural, although a little darker color, name up. I am pretty sure that the USASF is changing the rules and they aren't going to allow so much of that sparkly stuff anymore.

Hope you have a year without too many injuries.

Hope you guys are injury free too! I know half top unis are gone for everyone except Seniors in 15-16, the image guidelines are strongly suggesting limiting the bang, but I hadn't heard about actual rules yet.

Everything changes. Bows weren't worn back in my high school days, but the girls did wear their uniforms to school.

I know my DD loves bows. She doesn't d school cheer but she has a whole collection of bows. So don't feel too sorry for them, a lot of the girls actually spend their own money on them at competitions where they sell them.

All thins change. Today, kids carry back packs. In my day only the nerds carried a back pack and most kids wouldn't be caught dead with one. What was popular with us, isn't today and what wasn't cool for us, will be at some time. Everything recycles.

Right! New generation, new trends. I look back on the acid washed jeans and big hair I used to wear and cringe. Today's cheerleader would not be caught dead in the pleated skirts that were so in at that point in time.