[Fuzzy5118]

How did this whole three squad deal come about?
The black squad and the gold squad should cheer their ballgames. District & Region included(if they get to the region). They started this year and should darned well get to finish it.
Game situation and Competition situation are two totally different things. One has NOTHING to do with the other. One is involved with an entire game, where the crowd is very involved, the cheer surface is the actual hardwood, and you're being judged to boot. You can choose not to be judged and let 'er rip (hoopin it up and having fun) or you can let 'er rip and be judged (but know your chances of success may be diminished) or you can be judged and follow the guidelines to see where you stand compared to your peers. Competition will find you in a division (see thread KAPOS 2006) decided by your size. Since you're speaking of JCHS, they've opted to cheer small varsity 2-1/2 minute routine. They will perform a 2-1/2 minute routine that will contain cheers, stunts, gymnastics, and dance. This requires good music, good choreography, lots of practice beginning in the Summer, and dedication to a goal. Many things factor into a 2-1/2 minute routine and to understand what all that might be, would take some folks a long time to understand, so I won't go there, but direct you to www.kapos.org for further explanation. These routines are performed on a special cheer mat. (and not on hardwood like they do in West Virginia) I guess what I am trying to say is this, if you have a school large enough to support two 20 member squads and they are of equal talent(as prescribed by Title IX & the KHSAA) you should darned well compete them both. Giving 40 young ladies a chance to shine and giving your school a doubled opportunity to be victorious. This is something to be proud of instead of winnowing your talent pool down to nothing & killing your program in one fell swoop. Take a hint from schools who send (2) squads to competitions and are successful. Everyone loves a winner, Success breeds success.