Cheerleading Forever!

I confess…I have a slight addiction to being tan! Having been raised on the beaches of Florida with a surfboard under one arm and a fishing pole in the other, I grew accustomed to having a year round golden glow. I have fond memories of spending my high school and college years on a board in the ocean, lying out on the beach or on a wakeboard behind our boat. My fair skinned Irish mother actually tried to convince me in college that the “browning rays” didn’t come out until 4pm in an attempt to keep me out of the sun. When “Jenny Corace” was called out for the indoor tanning package prize from my dorm at FSU, my roommates just laughed! I didn’t need it – I was already damaging my skin by spending countless hours at the beach and in the saltwater! Tanning took a backseat to the real world as I got older until I discovered “turbo tanning beds” and the Mystic Tan. Despite having several moles removed and starting off last fall with 16 stitches in my back and stomach, I still yearn to be tan!

After having a conversation with the high school cheerleader who works at the local tanning salon, I am shocked to discover that former beach bunnies and college co-eds are not the only ones who frequent the fake bake palace. There are women in their 60′s who want to be bronze beauties and sadly, girls in elementary school who are also trying to be tan. Many of these girls are cheerleaders who feel that they look better in their competition uniforms with a darker skin pigment. I understand that being a little darker hides cellulite, makes you appear thinner and looks better in pictures for the ever important world of My Space. (I admit it – my default picture was taken after spending the day at the beach.) Are elementary aged girls already concerned with these issues too? I guess I would be considered ignorant if I wasn’t already aware of this. I vividly recall going to the tanning salon and waiting behind a local high school cheerleader who was bargaining with the clerk about “trading time” from her mother’s account to her younger sister’s account. This was the first time that I was aware that it was even legal for preteens and elementary school aged children to tan. Apparently, with a parental release form, anything is possible.

After googling “cheerleading and tanning,” the very first sight that popped up was Varsity.com, the cheer industry’s powerhouse that owns EVERYTHING from NCA to uniforms. Obviously, the golden glow is heavily promoted in the cheer world! Although they offered sunless tanning solutions, I still felt it odd that an organization that deals primarily with young girls would emphasize the importance of being tan. To their credit, Varsity did stress that spray tans were the safer solution, however with the cost of one spray tan being $30 versus an unlimited tanning membership costing the same amount per month, it is easy to see why so many young girls favor the salon. Mystic Tan, marketed as the Official Tan of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and Jessica Simpson, is my sunless tan of choice. After getting a “wrist slap” from my dermatologist, I started visiting the spray tan booth more frequently and ignored the spray tan smell in exchange for healthier skin. This was a short lived experience however as my bank account could no longer afford my tanning quick fix. I understand the need to be tan, really I do, but is it worth it and at what cost?

My heart sank to my stomach as I clicked on the link entitled, “TANOREXIC Young Mother Dies of Skin Cancer.” I read the article about this young woman who died after years of tanning that started at the age of 14. The picture of her one year old daughter, who is now motherless because of a need to be tan, brought tears to my eyes. It reminds me of the time a mother stopped me in grocery store and said that she wanted to thank me. I was puzzled until she explained that her daughter heard me tell a group of girls at dance practice that I would not be visiting tanning beds anymore, favoring my Mystic Tan, after having several stitches removed earlier in that day from precancerous mole removal. She went on to explain that she really was grateful that someone changed her daughter’s opinion of fake tanning and sincerely hoped that I would continue to promote my favorite tanning sunless cream (Jergens) because it could potentially be saving the lives of many young girls.

I sit here now with a guilty conscious knowing that I have wasted more time at the beach and tanning parlor since that time than I have in a spray tan booth. I feel even worse thinking that I was looking forward to teaching my children how to surf this weekend knowing that I would be much tanner by Sunday afternoon. The “Saltwater Cowgirls” mother-daughter summer surf camp is now looking less appealing especially after a stranger remarked on how my children and I looked like the “picture perfect beach family with our healthy tans and blonde hair.” Although I have laughed and related to Kelly Ripa’s jokes about being a “tanorexic,” I suddenly feel the need to rekindle my relationship with Mystic Tan, call my dermatologist and step up on my soap box once again!

While thumbing through a catalog recently, I came across a selection of “CHEER MOM” t-shirts and bags and pondered, “Would I actually wear that?” Saying that you’re a cheer mom in the south can actually work for or against you. Amongst the cheerleading community, being a cheer mom represents dedication and support of your child. It means spending hours at cheer practices several days a week, participating in fundraisers on Saturday afternoons and of course financially supporting the endless supply list of corker bows and bloomers!

Being a cheer mom also has its negative stereotypes… no thanks to the Texas cheer mom who was jailed for attempting to hire a hit man to kill the mother of another cheerleader! Some women seem to lose focus of their children being part of a team and instead attempt to make their child, or in many cases, themselves, the star of the cheer program. At the local tanning salon, it is common practice for mothers of cheerleaders to sign their elementary school daughters up for spray tans or tanning packages before competitions. There is a nine year old girl in my community whose mother signed a wavier to allow her to tan against salon recommendations…and apparently this little girl is not the only one. At practices, I have seen five year old girls in sports bras and tiny cheer shorts which I feel is a bit much for girls in kindergarten. Last time I checked, sports bras were there to support things that girls in kindergarten and first grade do not need to concern themselves with… so it’s a bit odd to see a five year old and an 18 year old wearing the same thing.

The biggest surprise to me as been the hierarchy of cheer mom status within the cheer community. There is no doubt a competition amongst the mothers..whether it be about the skills of their child or the mother’s own appearance at the gym. It seems to be that there are three distinct groups of “cheer moms”:

1) The “team mom-fundraising-crying in the stands” parent – These moms are the ones who sit through every practice in the non-air conditioned gyms to see their child genuinely succeed in their sport (and yes it is one.) These are the moms that carry the cheer mom bags with the team sponsored water bottles in them and the moms that spend hours making bows for the team! In my opinion, probably the most neutral of all species of cheer moms.

2) The “former cheerleader-glamour queen” parent – Many moms of cheerleaders participated in the sport themselves so often times there is a sense of almost entitlement there…as if their daughter should be the flyer or front and center in the dance routine. There is definitely a group of moms who congregate together in the cheer gym who stereotypically would probably have been the prom queens and captains of their own high school squads. There are no shortages of heels, expensive jeans or lip glosses in this group. (I have to admit that I feel a bit of pressure to “clean up” before taking my daughter to practice.) I actually saw one of these mothers at the beach one afternoon in HIGH HEELS and a bikini asking her daughter to cartwheel in the sand.

3) The “high pressure-you will do a back tuck” parent – I am specifically thinking of the mother who I saw stand over her daughter yelling on a tumble mat after her daughter could not get her back tuck. After a two hour practice and a full day of school, I can’t imagine why a 6^th grader would have difficulty failing throwing herself into a back flip after attempting it and exhausting herself 42 times earlier in the night! This is the mother who refuses to leave practice until the extra set of ab exercises is performed or whose child perfects the latest tumbling pass. This species of cheer mom tends to be the parent that most often fights with coaches over technique or who becomes the coach’s best friend in an attempt to push their child to the top of the cheer world. I can’t help but think that “crazy Texas cheer mom” fell into this category or if David Archuletta from American Idol was a cheerleader, his father would DEFINITELY be in this group!

It boils down to this…do I buy the cheer mom shirt or simply promote the cheer gym??? I’ll let the audience decide!

Read more on the Cheerleading scene LINK

I had a brief break in the world of cheer website development to focus on building content for BASEBALL …which meant that I got to spend a couple of days with a minor league team! The Durham Bulls, the AAA team for the Tampa Bay Rays, graciously hosted me and my camera crew for four days as we documented the life of one of the Rays’ top prospects, Chris Mason!

Chris, known best for his pitching arm and various colors of hair, agreed to let SportsGist follow him around to let the viewers see what exactly goes on during the five-day rotation cycle of a pitcher! I have to admit that although I’ve heard players complain about road trips, little pay in the minors and the heat, the life of a baseball player is not a bad gig! Although… being the only girl at a ball field can have its ups and downs too. There were certainly some odd looks and comments when I first got to the field and an occasional ball would get thrown my way during fielding practice. I definitely felt a little out of place at first, especially when the grounds crew checked out my shoes each day to ensure that I wasn’t wearing heels. By day four and rain delay #2, I just switched to tennis shoes and a baseball hat and gave up on looking cute!

Pitchers throw every five days and on the day he pitched, Chris strolled up at field at 5:30 for a 7:05 pm game – rough! The game didn’t go as well as he would have hoped as he earned the loss off a 3-run homer! On Friday, Chris made an appearance at an elementary school where he fit right in discussing Wii Sports! He fielded very difficult questions like, “Umm when you play the Wii, what guy do you like to be” and “How hard do you serve in Wii tennis?” I think the kids totally lost interest in anything baseball when they discovered that Chris played video games…and by play, I mean compulsively compete until 5 am with his roommates. Interesting fact however, Chris Mason NEVER missed one day of school in his 13 years of schooling! His dad was a strong believer in the theory, “If you’re breathing, you’re going to school.” To me, this is much more impressive that winning Southern League Pitcher of the Year. Thirteen years and not a day absent? Remarkable.

The following two days, Chris arrived about two and half hours prior to game time to work out on the field and throw a bull pen. I also played a little catch with Chris and to many players’ surprise, did very well! Little did they know that the girl on the field was also quite the athlete in high school! During field time, different coaches and trainers worked with Chris on his mechanics, endurance and body strength. I got out there with Chris and had the trainer show me a couple of exercises. (Thank goodness the power went out in my hotel for two hours which left me without a hair dryer or straightening iron so I was already appropriately dressed in a baseball hat and workout clothes!) My favorites were the Crazy Eight torso twist with the medicine ball and the “woodchopper,” although I didn’t do this one for vanity’s sake. By the time Chris was being filmed doing these exercises, a small crowd had already developed making us seem far more important than we actually were.

Finally, game four of the week was delayed over two hours for a torrential down pour that blanketed the field! This left me sitting criss-cross applesauce in a corner, sharing pizza and funnel cakes with the team announcer and camera crew. I also spent a lot of time texting my friend on the opposing team. Apparently there was talk of some “tarp sliding” by the Charlotte Knights but apparently the GM did not think highly of that idea!

In my next life, I’m coming back as a baseball player…and I’d like to think that I’d be a first or second rounder due to my highly enhanced athletic prowess! After spending several days with a pitcher, I think I’d like to be an infielder so I could see a little more action and most importantly, so I could hit! I DEFINITELY could hit it over “The Blue Monster” in Durham so if there are any scouts reading this, keep me on your radar, I’m sure to be a “draft and follow” player!

Over my years I have seen a lot of good and bad in cheerleading. I’ve seen horrible spills, fantastic spins, jumps, and landings, as well as both positive and negative behavior that affects one’s cheer ability. Now I feel it’s imperative for me to show you the best ways to make sure you make the team you want to be on. Surprisingly to some, athletic ability is not the major attribute of a successful cheerleader. Positive mental attitude, a good look all mold the perfect cheer(excuse the Will Ferrell SNL reference). Here are five ways to ensure you make the team!!

1. Confidence Breeds Success- Be proud of your abilities as a cheerleaders and be confident in every move that you make. When a difficult stunt is thrown at you, be confident that you are the right person for the job and that you can complete the task at hand. Make sure you talk the talk and cheer the cheer.

2. Smile!!- No one wants to see a sad cheerleader. That’s why the word cheer is in the word, ok maybe not but smiling is key to putting the crowd in a good mood. Also make sure your smile is genuine. Don’t over-do it and make sure it’s relaxed so that you can prove to the judges that you truly love what you’re doing and not just faking it.

3. If You Don’t Stick the Landing…Keep Going!- Just because a landing didn’t go as planned and everything didn’t turn out perfect doesn’t mean you should just give up. Judges like to see perseverance in a cheerleader and seeing that you can overcome a mistake and still put on an awesome performance says a lot about your character.

4. Ask Questions- Don’t be shy or embarrased that you don’t fully understand a routine or what is going on in a tryout. Make sure you make yourself heard and fully comprehend what is going on. If you don’t you will look lost and confused and more embarrassed than if you asked the question.

5. Stand Out!!- Make sure the judges and instructors can see just who you are and how good you are. Don’t fade in the back where you’re best moves won’t be showcased. It doesn’t matter if you make some mistakes that probably wouldn’t be seen in the back, instructors are looking for cheerers who show that character that they love to be seen and perform well in the spotlight.

So there you go, my tips on being the best you can be. So now, go out there with the right positive mental attitude, proper physical shape, and perform you’re best!

By Sean Connolly

Dipali Patel was recently named the head cheerleading coach of the Clemson University Cheerleading Squads. Patel, who was hired in the summer of 2007 as the coach of the All-Female Basketball Cheer squad, has now taken over the reigns of both the All-Female Squad and the Co-Ed Squad that cheers at football games.

Patel, who is a Clemson graduate, has 12 years of cheerleading experience. She has worked for Varsity Spirit as a choreographer and a camp instructor. She has judged competitions across the country and even taught cheerleading internationally. Patel has also taught safety, nutrition and coaches seminars throughout the southeast. “I am extremely excited to be the head cheerleading coach at my alma mater,” said Patel. “I look forward to continuing Clemson’s great cheerleading tradition and helping make all of our venues even more spirited.”

Listen to Dipali in her podcast above.

The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, the smell of a ball park hot dog and now the vision of irridescent pom poms between innings? America’s favorite past time is now introducing its other favorite past time, scantily clothed women, into its games! The NFL and NBA have cheerleaders, the NCAA has them at a majority of their sports, boxing and mixed martial arts have ring girls and even high school wrestling teams are now being cheered on for the pin! 

Leave it to the Walt Disney World Corporation to start this trend nearly 12 years ago to increase attendance at the California Angels games. In the beginning, the “Angel Wings” danced for booing fans on top of the dugouts and were criticized for blocking views. However, after management moved the team to right field and increased their role by holding dance offs and contests, fans quickly turned coat and the Wings were a success. Since that time, the Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinatti Reds, former Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres have all added cheerleaders to their entertainment lineup. Reviews of cheerleaders are mixed and leave owners and fans pondering the question, “Do cheerleaders belong in baseball?”

According to a poll on Yahoo sports, 54% of readers voted to bring on the poms while the other 46% voted to leave the cheerleadering to football games. The American public seems nearly split down the middle but fans in the Mexican, Korean and Dominican leagues are all for dancers on the diamond. In some foreign leagues, cheerleaders wear nothing more than a sports bra, boy shorts and thigh high boots so its no wonder why their popularity has increased throughout the years. Cheerleaders in these leagues become equally as famous as the players on the field.

I originally thought that my friends who currently play professional baseball would think that cheering on the dugout would lessen the integrity of the game or would cause distractions on the field but I could not have been more wrong! One player said, “One of the best parts of playing in Mexico were the cheerleaders!” When I asked about them being a distraction, he said, “Distractions can be a great thing, especially if the girls are hot, you’re not playing and you have to sit in the dugout or bullpen.” Another player in the big leagues said, “If it brings more fans to the game, I think its a great idea. What’s not to love? Hot girls, little outfits and baseball?” Only one player that I spoke to didn’t feel that cheerleaders and ball go hand in hand.  He stated, “Baseball has historically never had cheerleaders because we haven’t needed them. Its not as intense of a game like football or basketball. I like them for football, I just don’t think we need them on top of our dugouts.”

I’m still on the fence. As the granddaughter of a man who played baseball throughout the 30′s and 40′s, I respect the tradition and image of the game where fans came to see the hometown hero belt one out of the pak and the boys of summer played for passion and not acclaim. However, as a fan of the game and a former cheerleader, I can see why owners and management are looking to add a little something extra to increase the sport’s popularity. If baseball is America’s past time and cheerleaders are America’s sweethearts, why the difference of opinion?