Does anyone believe it is a Cheer Leaders responsibility to help control their crowd or pep sections? If so, please explain and perhaps give examples how this is done. If you do not believe this is their responsibility, please explain your views.
I'll add my opinion later in the thread. I'd love for us to have an honest discussion without any finger pointing or getting ugly. Let's don't discuss what we've seen in the past or who is the best or wrost... let's keep this to a discussion on how we can improve if improvement is what's needed!:Thumbs:
Honestly, I don't think a crowd would listen to the cheerleaders. Not saying a cheer team shouldn't try, I just think it would be really hard to stop the fans from acting foolish. I think its more the administrations responsibility.
I see what you're saying, but I also believe that @ the beginning of each school year when the school handbooks are handed out and signed... OR Like in a Pep Rally... Each school's Principal, AD, and perhaps even the Big Cheese... Super.... should give their input on such issues and the ramifications of such infractions to their school's adopted policies concerning such... this way, when little Johny or l'il Susie makes a horse's peetoot out of themselves in the pep section of a ballgame, they realize what the outcome will be @ school the next day. Now having said all that.... it is the "Cheer Leaders" obligation to LEAD THE CHEERS. BE PREPARED FOR ALL SITUATIONS AND KNOW HOW TO HANDLE THEM. If their peers begins yelling ugly chants... instead of standing there giving them the "devilish grins and eye contact" (like they know what their friends are yelling is inappropriate, but giving the "gee what can we do about it"... Look...) isn't gonna cut it. They should use all of that crowd energy to enlist their help to yell something worthwhile for their team. Hence... "Cheer Leading". I also deplore bands playing while cheer leaders are on the floor... and I deplore crowds yelling ugly stuff or even yelling at all while the opposing cheer leaders are on the floor... another instance where cheer leaders can stand and actually walk over to their peers and ask for them to show some sense... in a nice way of course. But there again, it never hurts for teachers to attend a few games and sit in student sections or even for parents to come out every now and again to monitor their children's behavior!
I agree that cheerleaders should try to lead the crowd in respectful and motivating cheers. I've seen alot of pep sections who are involved with cheerleaders and cheer with them. However, we all know that once a pep section gets going, they become a self-involved group; feeding off eachother and the actions of the other team.
I feel that school officals should be the ones monitoring pep sections and I like the idea of a pep rally at the beginning of the year explaining rules. This way everyone knows what to expect. You never want to discourge students from coming to games and participating.
But, I don't think that cheerleaders should be responsible for trying to control the foolishness of out of control fans.
I agree IISnakE, can't stand when bands play over their cheerleaders either, and screaming fans from the other team is just as worse!
No way is it the responsibility of the cheerleaders to control the student section. Mostly we are talking about 15-20 young ladies trying to stop 150-200 of their peers? I don't think so. Try to stop someone what weighs twice as much as you, not gonna happen. It is the administration that is in control. When I was in school, our Principal along with usually out Assistant Principal and Super. They would watch the students (as it is their job) and control signs and, yes, even chants. They were always no more that 20 feet away from the students so they could jump in quick. And they would kick someone out of the just ASAP. Trust me on that, I know from experience
But Administrators take care of the students and the Cheer Coach/Sponsor take care of the Cheerleaders.
Beef Wrote:No way is it the responsibility of the cheerleaders to control the student section. Mostly we are talking about 15-20 young ladies trying to stop 150-200 of their peers? I don't think so. Try to stop someone what weighs twice as much as you, not gonna happen. It is the administration that is in control. When I was in school, our Principal along with usually out Assistant Principal and Super. They would watch the students (as it is their job) and control signs and, yes, even chants. They were always no more that 20 feet away from the students so they could jump in quick. And they would kick someone out of the just ASAP. Trust me on that, I know from experience
But Administrators take care of the students and the Cheer Coach/Sponsor take care of the Cheerleaders.
I can agree with you Beef... but the cheer leaders are there to make the effort to lead other more appropriate cheers... I didn't mean they should don "wadders and hit the bleachers"....
They should always make that effort to lead the crowd in a supportive constructive fashion rather than standing there mute and rolling their eyes....:thumpsup:
IISnakE Wrote:I can agree with you Beef... but the cheer leaders are there to make the effort to lead other more appropriate cheers... I didn't mean they should don "wadders and hit the bleachers".... They should always make that effort to lead the crowd in a supportive constructive fashion rather than standing there mute and rolling their eyes....:thumpsup:
Hey hey hey now....you better watch it
I'm not saying that they should quit cheering, but the students don't always follow what they do. They can just try their best. But by no means are they in charge of the students.
But if they want, they can suit up and join!
irateSho
IISnakE Wrote:I see what you're saying, but I also believe that @ the beginning of each school year when the school handbooks are handed out and signed... OR Like in a Pep Rally... Each school's Principal, AD, and perhaps even the Big Cheese... Super.... should give their input on such issues and the ramifications of such infractions to their school's adopted policies concerning such... this way, when little Johny or l'il Susie makes a horse's peetoot out of themselves in the pep section of a ballgame, they realize what the outcome will be @ school the next day. Now having said all that.... it is the "Cheer Leaders" obligation to LEAD THE CHEERS. BE PREPARED FOR ALL SITUATIONS AND KNOW HOW TO HANDLE THEM. If their peers begins yelling ugly chants... instead of standing there giving them the "devilish grins and eye contact" (like they know what their friends are yelling is inappropriate, but giving the "gee what can we do about it"... Look...) isn't gonna cut it. They should use all of that crowd energy to enlist their help to yell something worthwhile for their team. Hence... "Cheer Leading". I also deplore bands playing while cheer leaders are on the floor... and I deplore crowds yelling ugly stuff or even yelling at all while the opposing cheer leaders are on the floor... another instance where cheer leaders can stand and actually walk over to their peers and ask for them to show some sense... in a nice way of course. But there again, it never hurts for teachers to attend a few games and sit in student sections or even for parents to come out every now and again to monitor their children's behavior!
Some Pep Clubs are great. I think ours was awesome last year. We had teachers helping. It was clean, but edgy enough to be a crowd effort.
However, to lead, the cheerleaders have to be respected all aronud and frankly they are not. They act like cheerleading is a job and they complain about how they hate it. Maybe they would be happier if they didn't try out.
The Pep Club is a great asset. It was a nice job last year. It was GREAT & A REFRESHING CHANGE TO SEE PHS TEACHERS FINALLY GIVING BACK, LIKE THEY USED TO!
#1TigerFan Wrote:Some Pep Clubs are great. I think ours was awesome last year. We had teachers helping. It was clean, but edgy enough to be a crowd effort.
However, to lead, the cheerleaders have to be respected all aronud and frankly they are not. They act like cheerleading is a job and they complain about how they hate it. Maybe they would be happier if they didn't try out.
I don't know what cheerleaders you're talking about, but I know many squads who are respected by faculty, students and the community. These girls love what they do, and have cheered for many many years. However I agree if girls are going to complain, then don't try out.
*-* I love when the crowd gets pumped up, but I hate when they turn ugly. We aren't allowed to turn around to the "Hawk's Nest." So we aren't able to tell them to calm down or shut up. When they get loud, we get louder.
For instance if they yell "Air Ball!" We wil start yelling "Central" or "Basket" even louder. We jsut try to cover them up which is really difficult, because there are more of them
I agree! It's hard to calm a crowd down when a squad is out numbered!
5_blush_5 Wrote:I agree! It's hard to calm a crowd down when a squad is out numbered!
Cheerleading squad vs. 30+ screaming fans. Who do you think will be louder?
It is hard... but the effort must be made none the less... if cheer leaders just stand there and do nothing... then their lack of effort to take the lead and model appropriate behavior is saying, "We're as "red" as we can be and we agree with the goof balls showing their peetoots & bringing shame upon our school". That may sound antiquated, but perception is reality!(like it or not)
I agree with the CCC.... efforts must be made to yell another cheer or chant... no matter how "uncool" you think not playing along with your crowd may be.
I agree. But, it is hard for the girls when the front line of the majority of your Pep Sections (In Basketball) are football players. As for the ones showing their peetoots and acting stupid. I blame that on ANY faculty that witnesses it and does nothing about it. If we started yanking these kids out of the stands and banning them from that game or the next. I think it would settle them down pretty quick.
The football players on the front row are not in charge & need to let the cheer leaders do their job. They certainly would pay no mind to some cheer leaders @ a football game trying to tell them what plays to run..... Cheer Leaders are there to do just that, LEAD CHEERS. If this is a problem for them then they can ALWAYS TRY OUT!
As for faculty... many are never there unless they are in some school capacity... however, our Administrators are generally there in abundance!
Don't get me wrong... I love the "Bleacher Creatures" but they need to understand they are there to ASSIST..... not LEAD!
IISnakE Wrote:The football players on the front row are not in charge & need to let the cheer leaders do their job. They certainly would pay no mind to some cheer leaders @ a football game trying to tell them what plays to run..... Cheer Leaders are there to do just that, LEAD CHEERS. If this is a problem for them then they can ALWAYS TRY OUT!
As for faculty... many are never there unless they are in some school capacity... however, our Administrators are generally there in abundance!
Don't get me wrong... I love the "Bleacher Creatures" but they need to understand they are there to ASSIST..... not LEAD!
:Thumbs:
#1TigerFan Wrote:Some Pep Clubs are great. I think ours was awesome last year. We had teachers helping. It was clean, but edgy enough to be a crowd effort.
However, to lead, the cheerleaders have to be respected all aronud and frankly they are not. They act like cheerleading is a job and they complain about how they hate it. Maybe they would be happier if they didn't try out.
That is really sad to hear! The cheerleaders are supposed to be out there to do just that: LEAD CHEERS! They are supposed to get the students, faculty, parents, etc. excited about the games, and lead the effort to get behind all of the players and coaches. When you put a bunch of students together cheering against another team, there are always going to be a few choice words or chants that emerge. That is just the competitive nature of students when it comes to sports. They will do anything that they feel will give them an edge! The cheerleaders can obviously not prevent students from saying those types of things. HOWEVER, they CAN get the students involved by setting the tone for what games should be like before the game even begins. For the sake of the argument, let's say that the game is on a Friday....a big game...a big district rivalry, let's imagine. The cheerleaders, along with a Pep Club if your respective school is lucky to have one, should create "Spirit Week" for the entire next week to build school spirit and excitement for the game. All students should be given notice about what each day is designated as so they can participate and exhibit their school pride! If you focus more on having pride in YOUR school, and not necessarily bashing the other school, then students will be more likely to want to cheer for their team rather than cheer against the competitor. (Oh yes, there is a difference! Just consult the KAPOS in-game judging sheet!) This school spirit should snowball into Friday: the day of the big game AND the big pep rally. This IS a cheerleader's/squad's responsibility. If arrangements have not been made to have a pep rally, it is a cheerleader's responsibility to go the principal to ask for 15 minutes, a small chunk of the day, to rally school spirit for the game and possibly give students who may otherwise not even consider going to watch the game a reason to reconsider. If you go into the game after an entire week of "I'm so lucky I go to -----!", then you're more likely to be able to lead the students in that direction. Cheerleaders should start cheering a great deal before game time in order to gear the student section in the direction that they want them to go. It's alot harder for the students to get out of hand with slander and low-blows toward the other team if you beat them to the punch in cheering for your team. After all, if they have pride in their school and the players on the court, it would be a no-brainer for them to decide whether to yell something awful at an opposing player, or to yell something positive at one of their player's that could help pump them up to play a great game. Wow...that was my SoapBox for today, :redboxer: but I can't help but get upset when I hear about cheerleaders not doing the job they signed up for!
CheerVeteran Wrote:That is really sad to hear! The cheerleaders are supposed to be out there to do just that: LEAD CHEERS! They are supposed to get the students, faculty, parents, etc. excited about the games, and lead the effort to get behind all of the players and coaches. When you put a bunch of students together cheering against another team, there are always going to be a few choice words or chants that emerge. That is just the competitive nature of students when it comes to sports. They will do anything that they feel will give them an edge! The cheerleaders can obviously not prevent students from saying those types of things. HOWEVER, they CAN get the students involved by setting the tone for what games should be like before the game even begins. For the sake of the argument, let's say that the game is on a Friday....a big game...a big district rivalry, let's imagine. The cheerleaders, along with a Pep Club if your respective school is lucky to have one, should create "Spirit Week" for the entire next week to build school spirit and excitement for the game. All students should be given notice about what each day is designated as so they can participate and exhibit their school pride! If you focus more on having pride in YOUR school, and not necessarily bashing the other school, then students will be more likely to want to cheer for their team rather than cheer against the competitor. (Oh yes, there is a difference! Just consult the KAPOS in-game judging sheet!) This school spirit should snowball into Friday: the day of the big game AND the big pep rally. This IS a cheerleader's/squad's responsibility. If arrangements have not been made to have a pep rally, it is a cheerleader's responsibility to go the principal to ask for 15 minutes, a small chunk of the day, to rally school spirit for the game and possibly give students who may otherwise not even consider going to watch the game a reason to reconsider. If you go into the game after an entire week of "I'm so lucky I go to -----!", then you're more likely to be able to lead the students in that direction. Cheerleaders should start cheering a great deal before game time in order to gear the student section in the direction that they want them to go. It's alot harder for the students to get out of hand with slander and low-blows toward the other team if you beat them to the punch in cheering for your team. After all, if they have pride in their school and the players on the court, it would be a no-brainer for them to decide whether to yell something awful at an opposing player, or to yell something positive at one of their player's that could help pump them up to play a great game. Wow...that was my SoapBox for today, :redboxer: but I can't help but get upset when I hear about cheerleaders not doing the job they signed up for!
As far as spirit week, come to PHS. We do it for all tourneys and "big" games. As for the chants, there are those that will be "edgy" and since our cheerleaders don't care enough to cheer KAPOS, they don't care what the judges sheet says. (SNAKE II ~ we know how you feel ~ no need to give the speech again :howdy: ). PLUS ~ cheerleaders are that for a reason. They are the ones coordinated enough to do the cheers in a rhythm. Those in the stands are not so coordinated. So,,,,,, when you start and offense cheer with 30+ words, your fans can't follow it and we all sound stupid trying. Sometimes the expectations are just too high.:Cheerlead
#1TigerFan Wrote:As far as spirit week, come to PHS. We do it for all tourneys and "big" games. As for the chants, there are those that will be "edgy" and since our cheerleaders don't care enough to cheer KAPOS, they don't care what the judges sheet says. (SNAKE II ~ we know how you feel ~ no need to give the speech again :howdy: ). PLUS ~ cheerleaders are that for a reason. They are the ones coordinated enough to do the cheers in a rhythm. Those in the stands are not so coordinated. So,,,,,, when you start and offense cheer with 30+ words, your fans can't follow it and we all sound stupid trying. Sometimes the expectations are just too high.:Cheerlead
Oh, I am not disputing that one bit! I agree that the cheers should be simple for the fans to cheer along with at those times in the games when it is really needed. I agree with you completely on that! (Oh, and every cheerleading squad that competes @ the district tournament is being judged by a KAPOS judging crew for their performance and ability to lead the crowd in-game....completely different than going to the actual KAPOS competition.) It seems like the cheerleaders and the fans need to get on the same page here! I don't feel like that it should ever have to be that complicated!
IISnakE Wrote:The football players on the front row are not in charge & need to let the cheer leaders do their job. They certainly would pay no mind to some cheer leaders @ a football game trying to tell them what plays to run..... Cheer Leaders are there to do just that, LEAD CHEERS. If this is a problem for them then they can ALWAYS TRY OUT!
As for faculty... many are never there unless they are in some school capacity... however, our Administrators are generally there in abundance!
Don't get me wrong... I love the "Bleacher Creatures" but they need to understand they are there to ASSIST..... not LEAD!
It is not the cheerleaders responsibility to do crowd control. That falls upon which administrative official that is watching the game that night. Unfortunately their is a lot times where these officials fail in their duties as administrators.
#1TigerFan Wrote:As far as spirit week, come to PHS. We do it for all tourneys and "big" games. As for the chants, there are those that will be "edgy" and since our cheerleaders don't care enough to cheer KAPOS, they don't care what the judges sheet says. (SNAKE II ~ we know how you feel ~ no need to give the speech again :howdy: ). PLUS ~ cheerleaders are that for a reason. They are the ones coordinated enough to do the cheers in a rhythm. Those in the stands are not so coordinated. So,,,,,, when you start and offense cheer with 30+ words, your fans can't follow it and we all sound stupid trying. Sometimes the expectations are just too high.:Cheerlead
NO speeches here... I agree with CheerVeteran. I also agree with hillbilly... to a degree... but still believe cheer leaders should make the effort to redirect their crowd when things get tacky. Edgy chants... HILARIOUS... :howdy:
Cheerleaders can not "control" a crowd.....even if they try to redirect chants and cheers....its a joke to even think that a handful of young girls can control a crowd of 100s....If you have one ( excuse my French here ) ...jackass in the crowd then it spoils it for the rest no matter what the cheerleaders say or do...and most of the time the cheerleaders have to basically stay on the sidelines and cheer and the crowd doesnt even pay attention to half of what they are saying or doing.....the crowds are more interested in the game and not the cheerleading chants.....as a mother of 2 cheerleaders I wish this was different, but its my opinion....as far as there being anything about fans in the handbooks.....if you ever pay close attention at the games, its usually an ADULT who gets something started at the games and leads the fans into insulting the other team and fans.......I dont think punishing students for having what they "think" is school spirit will do anything except lose fans in the stands....end result....those all mighty dollars from ticket sales.....KISSED GOODBYE!!!
Someone made the remark about bands playing while cheerleaders are on the floor. I noticed this in the WYMT. Perry Central's band is really bad for this. Every time our cheerleaders came out on the floor PCC's band would play as loud as they could. Hazard High School band director Pauletta Smith does NOT do this. She waits until the cheerleaders leave the center of the floor. At the Hazard-JBS ALL A final game the Band of Gold starting playing the school song, we all stood up to clap and then the band stopped playing. JBS's cheerleaders had taken the floor and Ms. Smith stopped the band until the cheerleaders finished their routine. Then they played the school song. I thought this was very respectful and shows that Ms. Smith is a class act.
I think cheerleaders should do cheers to maybe help control them! but i don't believe that it all the cheerleaders responsibility!
It is not the cheerleaders responsiblility to control the other students at a game or a pep rally. All though it is the cheerleaders responsibility to lead the crowd, and to set a good example. Beleive it or not the fans actually notice the cheerleaders more than what they think