Cheerleading Forever!

Some call it an art; others consider it a sport. While dancing includes many of the same factors that sports do yet involves art and expression, the question may not have a clear answer.

By Ansley Vanover

Speed, power, concentration, endurance, balance, discipline, physical demand. Believe it or not, these are all characteristics of not only sports but dance as well.  When asked if dance is a sport, many dancers would agree that yes, dancing is a sport (if not beyond one). Others may reply that no, dancing is an art. I am here to argue that dance is, indeed, a sport. In fact, dancing goes far beyond athleticism.

I have been a dancer since age two. Around the age of five, I began picking up tennis, baseball, soccer, and swimming. Between all of my sports and being the younger sister of a dedicated baseball player, I have been around sports my whole life. It was not until age 9 when dance became my passion, and I dropped most sports so I could devote all of my time towards dancing. For me, dance was not just a hobby or a fun thing to do during the week. I spent about eight hours a week at the studio. When I got older, I did competition team, which involved practices during the week and competitions on the weekend. It was at that point when I realized dance is very similar to the sports I had participated in and been around all my life.

Dancers are athletes in a special way. Serious dancers must watch their nutrition, stay fit, follow certain routines, and practice, practice, practice. We are goal oriented; just like athletes, we want to perform at our top level. When we perform, we want it perfect. We are hard on ourselves because we know they can always do better. On dance teams, we rely on each other and must work as a team to be successful. While dancers and athletes share all of these things in common, dancers take it a step further: we must look glamorous while doing it.

In the studio, however, things are not so glamorous; in fact, there is a lot of sweat and pain involved.  Just as athletes must be open to criticism from their teammates and coach, dancers are expected to listen to criticism and apply it to their dancing. Demands such as “Point your toes! Straighten your legs! Elongate your neck! Round your elbows! Pull your stomach in! Relax your face! Look like you’re having FUN!” are common. While having to perfect technique, such as pointing toes, and remember multiple dance routines (sometimes of different styles), dancers must also perform with their face: smile, look sad, look angry, etc. Since practice makes perfect, dancers must practice the technique, steps, and personality at all times so that once it’s time to perform or compete, they are ready to go.

At performances and competitions, dancers have a disadvantage to athletes. During games, athletes can hear their coach scream plays and corrections from the sidelines, take time-outs, be swapped out for a different player, and most importantly, not worry about how they look while doing it. Dancers, however, do not have it as easy. Once they are out on stage, they must hope that all of their practices pay off at that very moment. Dance instructors cannot call out in the middle of the dance, “Fix your lines!” No one can be swapped out for another dancer in the middle of the piece. There are no time-outs. The team must make the dance look effortless while praying that their costume straps do not break and that their peripheral vision is enough to stay in sync and in line. Dance is definitely not as easy as it looks.

Out of 60 sports, researchers have concluded that the “toughest sport” is ballet! In hopes to improve flexibility and grace, famous athletes such as Lynn Swann (Pittsburgh Steelers in the 70’s and 80’s) and Herschel Walker (Dallas Cowboys running back) have practiced ballet and yoga regularly. “Dancing with the Stars” TV show has featured former wide receiver Jerry Rice, former running back Emmett Smith, boxing champion Laila Ali, and Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, to name a few.  At first, they struggled with the steps and performance aspect, but they found their athleticism to be a major help in dancing since dancers must be physically fit. Emmett Smith, who won “Dancing with the Stars” season 3, inspired many men to pick up dancing after seeing someone as manly as Emmett enjoy and succeed in dance.

Dance and sports share many qualities. So why isn’t dance considered a sport? At Ponte Vedra High School, the dance team was denied a Varsity letter and funding from the Booster Club because the state of Florida refuses to call it a sport. Audiences may think dance looks easy, which it should- that is part of a dancer’s job. However, dancers go through all the pain and practice that most athletes go through (52% of dancers suffer a chronic injury by age 18).

In addition to all of a dancer’s hard work and physical strain, they must go beyond athleticism and remember to express themselves, and that is where the art aspect comes in. So the question remains, is dance a sport or an art? I guess it depends on whom you ask.

Growing up in the South, I’m no stranger to four wheelers and a little dirt! I’ve been stranded in a field of bulls at midnight and have even flipped one a time or two. However, nothing I have experienced on any Polaris would equate to my off road adventure thru the desert in Arizona.

After scouring several internet sites for “quad adventures,” I landed on the site that allowed you to “roam free” on their four wheelers. Nothing like turning loose a group of potential non-experienced riders to experience the desert alone! After signing my life away, our group was given our gear – Fox goggles and a bonafide motocross helmet! If any of us didn’t know how to ride, at least we looked like it! The only exception to this might have been the father of two of the riders who thought Velcro white tennis shoes and tight jeans were appropriate riding clothes!

After we were led down a dirt road, we arrived at a stopping point and were told, “See you back here in three hours!” Just like that…”here’s the desert, you have your water, have fun!” So…off we went and ripped through the desert paths and mountainous bases in 4^th and 5^th gear at speeds of 35 mph. Having never really experienced the desert, I felt like I was at Disney’s Big Thunder Railroad or in a Wild West movie scene….only the cacti were real and the sun was a huge obstacle at times. I now understand the reference to “sun devil” because when the sun shines off the sand that is kicked up, you are completely unaware of anything in front of you – no visibility whatsoever! The blinding sun almost caused a severe accident when I didn’t see the fork in the path and stopped about a foot short of careening over a very steep cliff that would have certainly sent me to the emergency room. This is in addition to the 80 degree vertical climb that I made in 1^st gear and the alternate descent on the other side that had me preparing to bail off the quad at any moment. This is really the only part of the ride where I thought to myself, “You have no business being out here!”

At the base of the mountain, we came to a beautiful river that took me right out of adventure mode and straight to tourist mode…snapping pictures for a good 15 minutes. Why not test the limits of my four wheeler against the power of Mother Nature? These things are made to go in the water so why not give it a whirl? The answer to this question would be because your quad will then stall, your quarter panel will float away downstream and you will be stranded with a waterlogged machine that will only power to idle! Not to mention the disapproving stares of the rest of the group when two people return on one four wheeler. Like they didn’t enjoy the extra free hour back down the mountain where the crew had to literally tip my ride upside down to drain the water!

Like nothing had happened, my quad and I (although both of us a little beaten and weathered), made it back to base camp and sheepishly parked behind the trailer. So she wouldn’t start up again…maybe she just needed a little rest? I expected to get a little heat from the owner but he looked right at my dirty face and said, “I’ve had to ride up and down the mountains for some of the girls we’ve had out here! You’re pretty good…for a girl!” Story of my life!

In the ever popular world of athletic apparel, it is perfectly normal to see the names of teams, schools or mascots written across the backside of cheer shorts. In the cheerleading community, it is not unusual to even see these names printed on the backs of bloomers. So why did a high school team in California get suspended by administration for their surprise conclusion to a cheer routine that spelled out the school mascot on the backs of their bloomers?

The location of the letters I-N-D-I-A-N-S on the behinds of Ripon Valley High’s bloomers created a media whirlwind in the Sacramento suburb. The vice principal suspended the team, with mixed reviews, for two days after seeing the unapproved ending. He felt that the move was too suggestive and that it went against school board policy. Although many cheerleaders agreed that it perhaps wasn’t appropriate, many felt the punishment did not fit the crime. Other students and parents felt that the VP made the right decision. Was it poor judgment on the part of the cheerleaders? Sure. Did it warrant a suspension that will now be included on the college application process? I don’t think so. I would hate to think that a college admission would be contingent over the ill-fated placement of the letter “I” on the backside of someone’s bloomers.

This is a rather mundane incident amongst the several that I have seen or heard about on the news. Several years ago, Texas lawmakers attempted to pass a bill that reduced funding to schools who displayed sexually suggestive cheer routines. The San Jose State University Dance Team appeared in the national spotlight after getting suspended for the remainder of the year after performing a routine that was deemed inappropriate. Hip thrusting and “horizontal dance moves” on the floor are unfortunately all too common in all ages of cheer. Many cheer and dance teams are inspired by music videos and incorporate the exact choreography from the video directly into the cheer routine. As a former dance coach, I remember girls coming to practice with Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” video choreography perfected down to the eight-count. I am guilty of watching NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” at least 50 times to copy the boy band moves (although not suggestive I might add.) However, I also recall my mother pulling me from my fourth grade jazz class after our teacher wanted to use the slightly suggestive song “Mercedes Boy” for our recital. Although brutally embarrassing then, I now applaud her decision to not include her daughter in a somewhat evocative routine.

What is the feeling in the cheer community regarding these routines? Am I showing my age when I say that I am saddened that girls feel the need to be “cool” by continuing to test the limits of suggestive dancing? Do we need stricter rules and definitions of dance moves to clearly spell out what is and is not appropriate? Or do I need to Ti-Vo the latest Ciara or Huey video and practice my “Pop, lock and drop it?

“I want you to think of what you ate today. Got it? Now cut that in half, this is called a diet, people, everyone start one today! Darcy, you should stop eating. You see, when you skip a meal, your body feeds off its fat stores. And if you skip enough, maybe your body will eat your big behind!” Bring it On made a joke out of the stereotypical cheer coach “pep talk,” however do the latest trends in cheer uniforms subliminally put the same pressure on young girls to look a certain way?

It is no secret that female cheerleaders and dancers succumb to body image issues. With many squads setting certain height and weight requirements, it is easy to see why so many young girls feel the pressure to be thin. Add in the developing trend of midriff uniforms and hot pants and it is no wonder why image can be just as important as athletic ability in the cheer world. I have been to many cheer competitions this year and have seen enough rear ends to last me a life time. I know that hot pants are gaining popularity over skirts due to the fact that they are easier to tumble in and don’t flip up during routines. Although I don’t really see how cheering with a wedgie and all that is exposed with that look is any more appealing.

As a former cheerleader and dancer, I can surely relate to image concerns! My sports physical my freshmen year of high school read “4 feet 11 inches, 86 pounds.” I had been a flyer since my Mighty Might days in fourth grade and was nicknamed “Peanut” by the neighbors because of my size. Puberty set in and by senior year, I was no longer in the coveted flyer position but a base at 5’7” and 117 pounds (what I would give to be that size today!) I struggled with my growth and change of cheer position – I went from being front and center in the dance routines and at the top of the pyramids to being the tall girl in the back and the base in every basket toss. I vividly remember doing the Cindy Crawford work out tapes in my living room; focusing on my hips and stomach to make my cheer uniform fit better. Thank goodness I cheered at a Catholic school where our uniforms were conservative – I don’t think I could have handled the pressure of bearing my stomach in front of a crowd of people at 17!

Even NFL uniforms are decreasing in size which unfortunately rubs off on the teen cheer culture. I can not think of one NFL team that does not show their stomachs on the field. When I first heard that Vera Wang, famous for her wedding dresses and popularity amongst celebrities, would be designing the Seattle Seahawks cheerleaders’ uniforms, I was secretly excited for the unveiling. However, when they came out, I was disappointed to see that it was nothing more than a black and white sports bra and boy shorts – surely something more tasteful and attractive could have been designed. (Sorry Vera..I still love your wedding dresses!) Outfits like these leave nothing to the imagination and no room for forgiveness in the ab and hip area. It also doesn’t help that some NFL teams come out with lingerie calendars and when doing research for this story, numerous adult websites popped up with cheerleaders as their stars!
Of course cheerleading uniforms put pressure on girls to be thin and look a certain way! My question is this…what can parents, coaches or the media do to help reinforce positive body image if you cannot change the uniform?