to not let daughter do cheerleading?

[undercoverfunster]

Am I BU? She's 8, school have a cheerleading club once a week. ( they don't actually cheer a team, just learn routines) Some of the 'cool' girls do it, so now she wants to. I think it's pointless, sexist and outdated. And the 'cool' girls are also the not-very-nice ones in her year, who make fun of her for being in the football team.

She''s a VERY active kid, plays football and tennis competitively, swims, runs, plays basketball. All of which she loves so doesn't need the exercise.

She has tried various 'girls' activities over the years ( to try to keep in with the 'cool' girls) but gets bored of them quickly ( dance, gymnastics, musical theatre, ballet, netball).

I just think cheerleading is shite! And sends the wrong message to girls - don't cheer for the team be IN the bloody team.
And I sure a heck don't want her quitting something useful to try it for 2 months and get bored...

It's really disappointing when people are so dismissive of traditional 'girls sports' like netball, dance and gymnastics. They're massively athletic and really good for strength and conditioning which has benefits all the way through to later life.

There's also the importance of female only bonding - again friendships, teams etc that don't centre round male interests. It is possible to enjoy both football and dance.

Cheerleading now is essentially just another form of dance.

@angel84 there was abuse of boys in football squads in the UK on a huge scale.

The issue is far more widespread than gymnastics.

angel if you’re going to shut down a sport because there have been abuse scandals, then you won’t be left with much.

Here’s a super novel idea. Why don’t we target abuse within sports rather than just dump on the sport itself?

What do you say?

My DD was the only girl on the school boys football team when she was in y4 because she was better than most of the boys. Surely school would notice if your DD would be more of an asset than some of the boys? If not then maybe she can buy some pom poms and cheer them on at their next match

I read an article that a gymnastics dad wrote.

He said that male gymnasts are allowed to wear a variety of clothes. Female gymnasts are only allowed to wear leotards, often showing their bum cheeks, and are told not to wear knickers.

He said is it too hard to imagine that male judges do this - simply because they like to see young female children wearing very little clothes.

He said - why aren't more parents asking more questions.

It's really disappointing when people are so dismissive of traditional 'girls sports' like netball, dance and gymnastics. They're massively athletic and really good for strength and conditioning which has benefits all the way through to later life.

There's also the importance of female only bonding - again friendships, teams etc that don't centre around make interests

GREAT post.

One if the things I like about cheer is that it reimagines the ‘team’ in a very female way. I fucking hated team sports as a child. I would have loved cheer.

If she doesn't like dance or gymnastics surely she won't like cheerleading which seems to be a mix of the two? Let her do it she will soon get bored.

@LaurieMarlow I have no problem with cheer - if the child is respected and is not wearing skimpy clothes.

He said is it too hard to imagine that male judges do this - simply because they like to see young female children wearing very little clothes.

Abusers in football probably like the little shorts.

I have no problem with cheer - if the child is respected and is not wearing skimpy clothes.

Ok good.

Maybe I'm outdated but I wouldn't like it either. I totally get it's athletic but for me it still has strong connotations about woman cheering on men while wearing skimpy outfits. If she didn't like gym or dance it's more than likely she wouldn't like this too, I would try and deflect but if she was really persistent I'd let her go in the hope she would lose interest soon.

I know I should say "let her" because it's better than doing no activities, but do find the whole cheer leading thing makes me uncomfortable even though I know there is a lot of practice that goes into it ... like you, what makes me uncomfortable is the not being "in" the team and being a side dish to the main event.

Are there any other dance things around or is it because friends are doing it or she wants to be admired by boys etc?

I have no issue with dance or gymnastics they are skills / sports in their own right I instinctively but baulk at cheerleading due to the sexual connotations and basic premise of attractive girls cheering on the boys. Seems abit off to me.

Fear there are two camps - those that agree with me and the cheerleading is harmless and marvellous brigade and never the Twain shall meet!

I really really would prefer my girls not to do this ,and I certainly wouldn't encourage them,but I wouldn't stop them

Oh come on OP, it’s just fun. If nothing else, it promotes co-ordination, teamwork, friendship and they get to potentially wear sparkly clothes and do cool routines with the pom-poms and think they look fab

It’s just like Tik-Tok in other words (maybe she’s still a bit young for that, but wait til she’s 11). If you know the moves, you’re in the gang.

If there had been “cheer” when I was little I’d have been there like a shot - I always wanted to do one of those standing pyramids.

Hated anything outdoors or that involved getting muddy or kicked or hit with sticks. There is no need, as far as I’m concerned.

I did ballet and so what if it was all super- “girly.” There is a different kind of strength that is poise and balance and flexibility. It takes just as much, if not more determination than football or some other traditional men’s sport.

I was thinking this the other day. WHY do the entire population get subjected to football results on the end of every news update. WHY????

I know why - it’s because the news has always been run by men. If you actually think about it, we could just as easily have a fashion segment on the end of the news as default; or a theatre update; or the ballet update.

But we won’t will we, and nobody ever questions it because we’re so conditioned to thing the football results are as standard as the weather.

That’s my rant over for today ...., Can’t stand football. I go into a coma every time I hear one of those managers droning on, day in day out. Why is that deemed “news?” Who actually cares???

but baulk at cheerleading due to the sexual connotations and basic premise of attractive girls cheering on the boys. Seems abit off to me

The competitions are teams of athletes performing routines against other teams of athletes. DD’s team has never “cheered on boys”. It simply isn’t part of the sport.

Cheer originated in America. That is where his "sport" comes from. And if the origins of this sport is mired in controversy, sexosm, and taking advantage of women - it is important to know that

If we’re going to get into the history of cheer, it actually started in Britain. The first cheerleaders in the US in the late 19th century, I believe at Princeton, were all men. What you’re thinking of- girls in short skirts waving pom poms wasn’t prevalent until the 1960s, which is half way though the lifespan of cheerleading. Now it’s less about cheering on the football team and more about gymnastics, stunts and dance at competition level. Things evolve. The origins of cheer are not sexist and I personally don’t think the sport today is either. Unfortunately a lot of people only think of it as the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders with their kick line and skimpy outfits which is not in any way representative of what competitive cheer is.

@MsTSwift - but have your DC been in a cheerleading squad? I think it is just that those of us whose DC have done it have seen there is no 'cheering on boys' or cheering of any kind involved, the squads include boys and girls, no pom poms or short skirts and the DC do a mix of gymnastics and dance along with complicated lifts - it is certainly a skill. The stereotypes you are thinking of are from America back in the day. That has nothing to do with what English children in a cheerleading squad are doing today.

‘Surely school would notice if your DD would be more of an asset than some of the boys? If not then maybe she can buy some pom poms and cheer them on at their next match’

I have no idea really what makes a child an ‘asset’ but she has two separate footie commitments outside of school and doesn’t need another lot TBH.
Some other kid I’m sure will decide to go on the team.

You do know cheerleading is a multi sex highly skilled, athletic sport and not just women waving their titties don't you?

But if you’re not cheering on a team surely that’s not cheerleading? 🙄 it’s rhythmic gym or dance ? Isn’t the whole point of cheerleading to err cheer on a team?!

It's called cheerleading but you are only cheering yourselves.

Isn’t the whole point of cheerleading to err cheer on a team?!

Not any more, no.

It’s not cheerleading then is it?!

What do you want to call it?