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Cheerleading: Sport or Activity


bellgo
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You are right, most school coaches do determine whether or not their teams will compete. I do make $5 or $6 dollars per girl. The difference is it's per YEAR, not per practice /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> I need to know where coaches are making this much money...I'm applying for a new coaching position! Just kidding.

 

In all seriousness, though, I am actually secretary of the Tennessee Cheerleading Coaches Association, and we are trying to work along with the TSSAA to streamline tryouts, rules, etc. The coaches are a committed group trying to make changes, but the TSSAA won't even entertain a meeting with us (to date). They are satisfied allowing a corporation (Universal Cheerleading Association) to run our events in this state rather than taking on the issue themselves. These competition companies come in and charge enormous registration fees, none of which go back to the individual schools. It would be like playing a football game and every penny of gate and concessions going to the NFL or some other sports organization. It's amazing how much money leaves our schools because we aren't sanctioned. Most of us (coaches) hate the same things about cheerleading that many of you have voiced on this forum. We just can't get anyone to talk with us about how to make the necessary changes state-wide.

 

 

Bolton High, Bartlett High, Arlington Middle, Elmore Park Middle...... coaches at these schools make $5 and $6 per practice, per girl. This I know for a fact, because I've paid them. My coaching fees were quite often $100 per month. At Bolton one year Jimmy Lassiter coached Varsity and JV (35 girls combined) and quite often practiced at the same time. He made aprox $3500.00 a month. Keep in mind, the coaches are not school affiliated, they are hired by the sponsors. With that kind of money, we could hire a top notch coach who also teaches!!!!!

 

If you get an opportunity to ever have rules, the coaching fees should definately be part of the discussion. We paid cash, and most of us wondered if the sponsors got a cut. Not that we would mind them being compensated for their time, but just to be upfront, when it cost over $3000.00 a year to cheer for a public school, someone needs to regulate it. Cheer coaches making over 20,000.00 a year for 12 to 15 hours a week is astounding. I'm not saying they are not worth it in the free market and award winning coaches can demand higher fees, I am saying that as parents we can fund a teaching position in the school for that.

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You are right, most school coaches do determine whether or not their teams will compete. I do make $5 or $6 dollars per girl. The difference is it's per YEAR, not per practice /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> I need to know where coaches are making this much money...I'm applying for a new coaching position! Just kidding.

 

In all seriousness, though, I am actually secretary of the Tennessee Cheerleading Coaches Association, and we are trying to work along with the TSSAA to streamline tryouts, rules, etc. The coaches are a committed group trying to make changes, but the TSSAA won't even entertain a meeting with us (to date). They are satisfied allowing a corporation (Universal Cheerleading Association) to run our events in this state rather than taking on the issue themselves. These competition companies come in and charge enormous registration fees, none of which go back to the individual schools. It would be like playing a football game and every penny of gate and concessions going to the NFL or some other sports organization. It's amazing how much money leaves our schools because we aren't sanctioned. Most of us (coaches) hate the same things about cheerleading that many of you have voiced on this forum. We just can't get anyone to talk with us about how to make the necessary changes state-wide.

 

Okay, when you finally get the TSSAA to meet and the discussion comes to tryouts, rules, etc. make sure squads are selected by the CHEERLEADER COACHES! Having a judging panel, student body, or any other group select the cheerleaders is totally unfair! We, coaches, are many times stuck with unpleasant, disruptive girls who, as coaches, wouldn't have been selected. The football, basketball, baseball,soccer, hockey, lacrosse, wrestling, volleyball, rugby coaches don't have outsiders come in and select their teams so why do cheerleaders have to. And the administration of each school should support the cheer coaches with the same vigor as they do the 'other sports' - not caving into parents who are disgruntled because their daughter didn't make the team/squad.

And why shouldn't men's sports sacrifice scholarships for DESERVING female athletes! Get real....If the athlete deserves a scholarship, what does it matter if they are male or female...get off your sexist high horse and join the 21st century, ksgovols

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Okay, when you finally get the TSSAA to meet and the discussion comes to tryouts, rules, etc. make sure squads are selected by the CHEERLEADER COACHES! Having a judging panel, student body, or any other group select the cheerleaders is totally unfair! We, coaches, are many times stuck with unpleasant, disruptive girls who, as coaches, wouldn't have been selected. The football, basketball, baseball,soccer, hockey, lacrosse, wrestling, volleyball, rugby coaches don't have outsiders come in and select their teams so why do cheerleaders have to. And the administration of each school should support the cheer coaches with the same vigor as they do the 'other sports' - not caving into parents who are disgruntled because their daughter didn't make the team/squad.

And why shouldn't men's sports sacrifice scholarships for DESERVING female athletes! Get real....If the athlete deserves a scholarship, what does it matter if they are male or female...get off your sexist high horse and join the 21st century, ksgovols

 

 

 

I too am a huge proponent of coaches choosing their own squads. I have done so for the last six years. My four years in coaching prior to this, I had a set of judges come in. Each year that I hired judges resulted in major issues with parents (even a lawsuit in one case...it was thrown out). Since selecting my team myself, I have not had one issue with a parent complaint. Parents at my school know that I, along with the other coach are both highly qualified and are going to choose the best participants for our team. It's impossible to defend why a set of perfect strangers didn't choose a cheerleader. I can defend my own rationale in a heartbeat.

 

The problem, I realize in many schools, is that administrators are scared to death of cheerleading in general, and more specifically, cheerleading mamas /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> That's why cheer coaches in this state need to have a voice with the TSSAA. Guess where most everyone hires their tryout judges from? UCA...the same corporation making hundreds of thousands off our cheerleaders for competitions and camps. With that said, I'm about to leave this minute to take my team to the UCA regionals in Franklin today. As much as I hate the situation, if I want my team to be competitive, I have to play the game.

 

Hopefully, we can do the things that need to be done it this state to legitimize cheerleading as a sport and we can stop having to constantly defend ourselves on message boards like this one.

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I too am a huge proponent of coaches choosing their own squads. I have done so for the last six years. My four years in coaching prior to this, I had a set of judges come in. Each year that I hired judges resulted in major issues with parents (even a lawsuit in one case...it was thrown out). Since selecting my team myself, I have not had one issue with a parent complaint. Parents at my school know that I, along with the other coach are both highly qualified and are going to choose the best participants for our team. It's impossible to defend why a set of perfect strangers didn't choose a cheerleader. I can defend my own rationale in a heartbeat.

 

The problem, I realize in many schools, is that administrators are scared to death of cheerleading in general, and more specifically, cheerleading mamas /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> That's why cheer coaches in this state need to have a voice with the TSSAA. Guess where most everyone hires their tryout judges from? UCA...the same corporation making hundreds of thousands off our cheerleaders for competitions and camps. With that said, I'm about to leave this minute to take my team to the UCA regionals in Franklin today. As much as I hate the situation, if I want my team to be competitive, I have to play the game.

 

Hopefully, we can do the things that need to be done it this state to legitimize cheerleading as a sport and we can stop having to constantly defend ourselves on message boards like this one.

 

Amen!

I started choosing my squad in 1997.... a very innovative principal.... and didn't have problems with the selection process. When I changed schools, my new principal was not of the same mind...10 years later he's a believer!

I stopped coaching competition six years ago.... I am a much happier person!

Good luck with UCA regionals....and keep the fight alive for legitimizing cheerleading as a sport and cheerleaders as athletes! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

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  • 2 weeks later...

Whoah, I don't think ksgovols is the only one on a high horse. Get off yours, feminist. The point is that there are more male athletes. The scholarship ratio shouldn't be 50-50 men/women, it should be determined by total participants on each side. To think otherwise just doesn't make sense.

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  • 2 months later...

I think one of the reasons that many schools still make the cheer sponsor pick their team with judges is because the coaches aren't strong enough to tell the complainers where to stick it. Too many coaches run to the principals and ask them to protect them against the mean parents (which they are). The principals don't want to deal with it so, they just say "The Judges did it" which gets them off their back.

 

My biggest beef against cheer is that you can be a national champion while competing against one other school. And then they come back from Florida or wherever they spent their thousands of dollars and tell everyone they are national champions while competing against hundreds of teams. That is truly a joke.

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my opinion on cheerleading, stupid, pointless, distracting, not difficult. the only hard part is to do flips? i mean if some1 realy wanted to do flips they could practice. lets throw some pom poms up in the air and scream some annoying lame chants. i mean how can cheerleading be a "sport"? how can you even judge that? hey they are chanting together. wow. that's super hard. it's a big distraction and no1 can even hear them even with their high pitch voice.

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My opinion: We need two "sets" of cheerleaders. One competitive squad that goes to competitions and maybe performs at halftime of games occasionally. Before I get crucified, I would argue with anyone that these are true athletes.

 

We need another set of cheerleaders who truly love the game, love the team, pay attention, know when to cheer, know when to be quite, lead the fans to help the team, and honestly care whether the team wins or loses.

 

The big problem, in my humble opinion, is when the competitive squad are your game cheerleaders. I feel that in the growing majority of cases, these cheerleaders are there for their sport and not the sport they should be supporting. They look bored during the game and only waiting on the next time out so they can flip down the floor. (Ok, now you can crucify me - but I calls it as I sees it)

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My opinion: We need two "sets" of cheerleaders. One competitive squad that goes to competitions and maybe performs at halftime of games occasionally. Before I get crucified, I would argue with anyone that these are true athletes.

 

We need another set of cheerleaders who truly love the game, love the team, pay attention, know when to cheer, know when to be quite, lead the fans to help the team, and honestly care whether the team wins or loses.

 

The big problem, in my humble opinion, is when the competitive squad are your game cheerleaders. I feel that in the growing majority of cases, these cheerleaders are there for their sport and not the sport they should be supporting. They look bored during the game and only waiting on the next time out so they can flip down the floor. (Ok, now you can crucify me - but I calls it as I sees it)

 

These are good points, especially in the third paragraph.

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  • 3 months later...

I am not a cheer Dad. My Son played football and my Daughter plays basketball. In high school Friday Nites Lights would be much different without the Cheerleaders and the Band. High school football is plain and simply...entertainment. It is a show that is made complete with the Cheerleaders and the Band. Granted, sometimes one of the group of three is lacking. At my school the band is pitiful. But that doesn't detract from the fact. And that is that it is the total entertainment package. Therefore, the money should proprtionately be available to all three entities. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that all three are sports. And it doesn't mean that Football should subsidize all sports. All it means in my view is Football has to subsidize all it's entertainment facets. That does not include softball or soccer or any other sport. Does it include the Dance team? Well I guess so if it is part of the package then yes. However, when I say proportionately that means which of these facets is the most dominant one. Title IV is discrimination against the Football program. One good example in Tennessee is the Kingsport Dobyns Bennett Band. Their Band census is around 350 participants...not including Dance Team members or Cheerleaders. Fully 1/3rd of the gates home ticket sales are due to the Band and it's entertainment ability. After halftime 1/3 of the stadiums home seats are vacated by people who came just to see the band. Then yes, they are desirving of a proportionate percentage of the gate. Who is to decide that proportion? Good question. Most definately it is not equal from one program to another. It just so happens that Kingsport Dobyns Bennett has a Football program that is comensurate with its Band program and therefore are complimentary. This proportion can be drastically different from one school to the next. I think it is safe to say that even under extreme circumstances the events main focus is the actual Football game. So am I saying...get yours we got ours? Maybe. Should colleges be forced to provide equal athletic scholarship money to all sports regardless of said sports money making ability. Definately no. In a pizza shop does the dishwasher make the same money as the pizzaman? NO. Maybe the pizzaman started out as a dishwasher and he was motivated to learn a new skill in order to make more money. The reality is Cheerleaders are not going to be Football players and neither are Band members. But because they are part of the program then they are entitled to some benefits. Which, by the way, inherits them major responsibilities. First, they must be there...every game. And they must be in uniform. Makes no difference if it is 95 degrees in the first 4 games. Do the Football players get to play in shorts and Tshirts? There should be standards. And these standards should be enforced by the high school officials. And the distribution of money? Seems to be the AD's job. Which would require the AD not be a coach of any sport. Then you ask, what about the sports that are not spectator rich? Then I say, they must support themselves. Our society loves to watch Football and Basketball. We couldn't care less about the other sports. Sound cruel? It's reality. I am not against the other sports. I am just against Football subsidizing them. My view.

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