The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Dear Editor:
The headline in the April 24, 2002 Quill should have read, "Southern School Board Eliminates a Girl's Sport!" After talking with board members about their decision, I would like to share a few of my thoughts on this subject.
Cheerleading can be a sport when the coach is able to have it be a primary activity.
One reason given for the decision to eliminate cheerleading and install a pep club instead includes getting more students involved with cheering.
Let me remind you that the primary goal of cheerleading is to get the crowd to cheer their team onto victory.
There is also a No Cut' rule being added. This rule states that anyone who wants to be in this pep club will be allowed. This rule may let many participate, but it is also taking away some of the competition in this sport.
Try Outs is one of the major parts of the year when it comes to cheerleading and I believe that it will give confidence to those that try hard, show up at every practice, give it their all, and eventually make the squad.
This shows them that hard work and dedication can and will pay off in the end. Another thing the board decided on was that each girl will "cheer" a.k.a "sit in the crowd clapping and shouting like ordinary fans" for an equal amount of time.
My question is this, on volleyball or basketball teams will all the players on the team play just as much as the star player?
No, of course not! Yet, in this sport the board has decided just that. And when it becomes difficult to find coaches for other sports, will those teams be restricted to home games only as well? These girls work hard every year and deserve the right to travel to away games as well as tournaments.
In addition, the time when the crowd needs to be pepped up the most is during tournaments when it all depends if we win or lose the current game. My last question is simply this, will this new pep club be able to cheer at boys and girls home games for an equal amount of time?
If you have questions about why and how this decision was made I urge you to contact the board members who voted for this change: Jon Corzatt, Barry Bigger, Doug Brooks, and Mike Bundy.
Sincerely
Tina Waterman-Stronghurst
Dear Editor:
Last week I went to the Southern School Board meeting with a simple request, to allow the junior high cheerleaders to continue to cheer at all boys basketball games.
A request that should have been a yes or no vote ended with the board eliminating cheerlead-ing altogether. The board's vote was 4 to 2 for the new "pep squad" the board dreamed up.
I don't think it will surprise many women that the 4 votes were all cast by male board members and the 2 votes were cast by female board members. Ladies, I think it's time to put more women on the board!!
A pep squad would be a great idea but not at the cost of eliminating the cheerleading squad. With the new pep squad the girls will all have equal time cheering at the games, but the cheering will only be done in the stands.
This means that the girls will only cheer at maybe one game each year!
The board states their reason is to give everyone the chance to cheer that wants to. If this is their intent, then all the sports should be altered to fit the board's logic! This means every player in the other sports should all get the same amount of playing time!!! (It will never happen).
The school board also agreed that the girls would wear t-shirts and shorts. This decision was based on the fact that some girls are uncomfortable in a cheerleading uniform.
Well if these girls are uncomfortable in a uniform, they will also be uncomfortable in the t-shirts and shorts, as these show just as much skin.
Mr. Barber stated that the cost of the uniforms were not an issue, but he also stated that it would save the school about $200.00 per uniform. Well, Mr. Barber, the uniforms only cost about $75.00 each and are worn for 3 years before they are replaced. After the 3 years the uniforms are sold for about $15.00 and new uniforms are purchased. So, the total averages out to $20.00 per year per girl. If this is too high for our school district then I propose a fund raiser to help purchase the uniforms. As for the cost of a sponsor, I have stated that I would sponsor the girls at no cost to the district.
This means that the cheerleading squad would not cost the district anything!!
So why then is our school board so quick to do away with cheerleading? I encourage everyone to call the board members and ask them personally!
I would also like to add that I feel the junior high cheerleaders did a great job last year and instead of getting praise, they got dumped. I know my daughter spent many hours at home working on posters, magnets, locker signs, and snacks for the various games. She also spent time at school decorating and of course PRACTICING!!!!
I request that the board take another vote and bring back the long time tradition of CHEERLEADING! P.S. We have a petition circulating. Please sign & support our cheerleaders.
Tammy Guile
Stronghurst
Dear Editor:
I have received calls from friends and neighbors concerning the discontinuing of Junior High Cheerleading.
I know of several small girls that were really looking forward to this very envied position.
To most little girls Cheerleading and Pon Poms are the ultimate in excitement and social school glory, just like the girls who choose volleyball, basketball, baseball, and track for the love of the game.
It seems that sometimes when money gets tight and times get hard, we choose to leave out the little guys who have no voice in the matter except their hurt feelings. "SCHOOL SPIRIT", are we losing it too?
Sometimes its the yells of the cheerleaders and the roar of the crowd that keeps our ball teams on their toes with a winning game or a last minute score.
Stronghurst and Southern have always had great school spirit. It is one of the things we do best and we do not want to lose it. Without it, we might be lost in the shuffle. I hope you can find room in your budget for our youngest spirit fans.
With Respect
Pauline Oge
Stronghurst