Has this been discussed here yet? http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/17/earlyshow/living/parenting/main6875667.shtml Surprisingly enough, I signed my girls up for cheer recently through Cheer America. For 6 bucks per weekly lesson per kid, and they can be in the same class, I thought it would be a fun activity for them to look forward to each week. Does anybody have any experience with Cheer America's program? I don't plan on buying uniforms for the girls and competing and parades, actually I'm hoping they'll get bored soon. And I hope they don't learn any chants like this one.
MHO on this news article: First impression is that this is a great example of adults that are acting like bullies and very immature. They have forgotten that this activity is about the kids, not about them or any feelings they have about other parents or any other issues. The little girl should not have been kicked out of the organization, that is just wrong, and the child should never be made to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. As far as the cheer goes, I personally don't think it is in good taste, for any age group. If I was that mother I would find a different...sport...for my daughter. At the very least, I would find a cheer organization that seemed more in sync with my personal values, although whether one exists that isn't like this one I have no idea.
I have never been a fan of cheer myself, but like I said I chose it as an inexpensive activity for my girls to take part in over the winter, since they have become enamored with the cheerleaders at my son's football games. (File this under "things I said I would never do".) In the spring, t-ball and baseball will start up again, and hopefully cheer will be forgotten. Then we can move on to karate (Hi-Ya!). The Cheer America program is pay as you go, so we can drop out at any time as well - esp if I entice Thing I with basketball. lol In googling for info on Cheer America, I *did* come across a Christian Cheerleader association. http://www.cheercca.com/
That's good to know, as Upward Bound is the basketball league I would choose. Cheer America is non-profit, so I was hoping it would be good and clean. After the first practice parents are not invited due to distraction, so I volunteered.
I don't personally think that the cheer that her parents objected to would be appropriate for teenage girls, much less for a 6 year old. Of course, that's just one Old Fart's opinion. 8)
My daughter was in cheer America through Benson, for one season. She will not do it again. She was 8 at the time, and the music and the dance that they did was not appropriate for girls that age. The only reason that I did not pull her out was because I tell her that if she makes a commitment to do something she must follow thru with it. Lesson learned.
Ugh, I guess I should have started a "What do you know about this program?" thread before I signed them up, but it's pay as you go so we can drop out at anytime - even if I paid up front for all of it - I would drop it. We have a "G" rated household here. There are three different names attached to the program. The flyer got from school was "Campion Youth Outreach" www.championyouth.org The class time/fee sheet says Cheer America. And the optional donation raffle (funds go directly towards your class fees and equip (which is also optional) is Young Champions of America. www.ycoanc.com I have no interest in cheerleading, and volunteered for admin type duties (collecting monies, etc) hoping to have a seat in the gym while they are practicing - I don't want any surprises. AND I agree with dgatsman.
ok, i understand what everyone's saying here. but let's just back up a second. the words in that cheer are just plain stupid and have nothing to do with what's going on out on the field. i cheered as a tiny little thing. i remember all the actual cheers having to do with words at least vaguely associated with leading a cheer for the game itself. now the halftime routines to random pop songs might be a little different....didn't actually have to be relevant to the sport at hand...but those served a different purpose...for entertainment while you waited for the real game to begin again.
I think the original lyrics would have been more offensive for a 6 year old (my back is achin', my bra's too tight...), but I see the parent's point, and I certainly wouldn't have expected that kind of reaction from the cheer organization. Poor kid.
