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by Lucia Maschler
The zombie-filled crowd roars as STA scores another basket in the basketball game against Notre Dame de Sion. Various members of Spirit Club lead victory cheers at the bottom of the bleachers. Members of dance team stretch on the sidelines in preparation for their half-time performance.
And STA Cheerleaders wave their pom-poms and jump up and down in excitement.
These cheerleaders might be the future; athletic director Mark Hough has gotten interest from several students about forming a cheerleading squad. Though nothing is being planned yet, he thinks cheerleading would be a welcome addition to STA’s athletic program.
‘I really like what [cheerleaders] bring to home games,’Â Hough said. ‘They bring a good atmosphere and work to pump people up. They would add organization and stability to what we already have at home games. It would be great to have [them], but things like this take a lot of time, effort and planning.’Â
Some students, like sophomore Claire McKeon, are already interested in joining the potential cheerleading team. She thinks a squad would be a great compliment to STA’s Spirit Club and dance team at home games.
‘Spirit Club focuses on themes and skits, which is unique and fun to our school,’ McKeon said. ‘Dance team is kind of like an art to be appreciated’¦but they don’t interact with the crowd the way cheerleaders would. Cheerleaders really get the crowd going and they could really bring the energy level up.’Â
However, other students have expressed concern for the dance team and Spirit Club if a cheerleading team is added. They like how STA is one of few schools in Kansas City who do not have a cheerleading squad.
‘I just don’t think cheerleading is for our school,’Â sophomore Jasmine Colhour said. ‘The Spirit Club does a great job with themes and the dance team does a great half-time routine. We are unique and we don’t need a cheerleading team just to be like other schools.’Â
Hough addressed this issue, saying that while the structure of the cheerleading team would be very similar to dance team-it would run two seasons and they would cheer at every home game for varsity volleyball and basketball-the roles of the teams would be very different.
‘I really like what the dance team does now,’Â Hough said. ‘We wouldn’t want to take away from what they do, but cheerleaders are different from dance team. The cheerleaders would actually interact with the crowd. I think we would be able to work it out.’Â
However, this decision is not solely up to Hough; there must be many students interested for a team to be planned. He says the team would have to have at least twenty girls with a dance or gymnastics background to make a decent squad.
‘Anyone can come by and suggest something to be, which I have already have [had] happen a few times,’Â Hough said. ‘I think a cheerleading team could turn into something we all really enjoy, but we will never know until we try.’Â
Anne Miller VanGarsse MD, '91 • Dec 3, 2010 at 10:28 am
I was surprised to read there wasn’t a cheerleading squad. There was one during my time at STA, from 87-91, when did it disband? The dance team started while I was at STA and I remember we had both and it went quite well. The cheer squad really did help increase energy at games and pep rallies. It gave another athletic opportunity for girls who didn’t play any of the other sports we had at the time.
Katie Crow • Nov 23, 2010 at 8:59 pm
As a former competitive cheerleader myself, yes there is the issue with stereotypes, but while going to an all girl catholic school, there are already stereotypes of STA girls. I believe STA could bring cheerleading to a new level of highschool spirit, it would make a great investment. Cheerleading is a sport whether everyone thinks so or not, it requires more than just a pretty face and a short skirt.
Hannah Longstreet • Jul 9, 2010 at 9:59 pm
As STA is definitely a spirited school, I think a cheer leading team would compliment the environment. Contrary to the beliefs of others who’ve commented on this article, cheer leaders aren’t all empty heads and pom poms–they’re spirited people who like to be present at all sporting events. Yes, STA is already a spirited school, but what would be the harm in boosting it a bit?
Gimme an S! Gimme a T! Gimme an A!
Maddie Lueke • May 20, 2010 at 6:22 pm
I fully agree with Addie, Madalyne, Jenny, and Meghan. Those who are tearing down this article clearly have not even thought of the reason it was written in the first place. The question of cheerleading must have been brought up several times to Mr. Hough for him to consider it. I don’t believe Mr. Hough would shut down these girls’ ideas. Obviously if it is a common question, he is going to give it a thought so more girls can participate in what they enjoy to do. Please consider how insulting your comments have been that are degrading cheerleaders. Sure, some over-do it, but remember that we have girls at our school that thoroughly enjoy cheerleading and would like to see it as part of our athletics. To tell them their ideas are basically stupid is so incredibly rude. It’s their opinion and it’s what they like to do, so please give some more respect.
Furthermore, as a basketball player and former volleyball player, I think it’s SUCH an overstatement to say we have an overwhelming sense of school spirit and couldn’t use more cheering. Yes, we do an awesome job cheering, but that’s at the few games girls actually attend. There are countless games during the season that go unnoticed and not a SINGLE STA girl attends to cheer teams on. Mr. Garvin and Mr. Hough even went far enough to ask Fritz and Conner to come to the remaining home games because honestly, the games are dead unless it’s a major game. It is completely out of line for you guys to say that there is enough spirit when you probably go to three games throughout the entire season when we play approximately 24.
Please give more respect to those who want a cheerleading squad and see how it could actually do the school good. I’m not saying I want one, but the level of commitment of STA students needs to increase before we can say we have enough spirit. And I think an apology is owed to Mr. Hough who is doing his best to respect everyone’s desire. He has already done so much for our athletic program and will continue to better it if we allow him.
Jenny Schorgl, Madalyne Bird & Meghan Harper • May 17, 2010 at 10:46 am
We feel that these comments are disrespectful towards the athletic department, especially Mr. Hough, who has done so much for STA over such a short amount of time. Mr. Hough is such a nice guy who respects the mission and independence of the STA community. He is doing whatever he can do to insure that the future of STA athletics is up to par with other, bigger schools. Go and talk to him and ask him WHY he is doing all of this, and his response, we are positive, will be something similar to “I’m doing all this for the girls”.
While we appreciate the uniqueness of STA, having a cheerleading squad will not diminish that quality. A cheerleading squad will allow more members of the STA community to participate in athletics.
Furthermore, we feel like these comments are also disrespectful to cheerleaders as well as the dance team. Cheerleaders are not “seen as second class athletes” nor are they “phony.” Our current dance team uses “pom-poms and the face paint replaced with…lipstick and mascara,” yet they received 2nd place at state and are considered athletes so why would cheerleading not be considered a “real sport?”
FYI: The Spirit Club is not required to attend every sporting event that STA competes in. During winter sports, Mr. Hough actually had to reward people for attending the games, such as using gift cards and food as incentives. With the addition of a cheerleading squad, more athletes would feel appreciated at every single game. We would no longer feel second class to those schools who have a cheerleading squad, who are required to attend every game. Spirit is a huge part of our community and the creation of a cheerleading squad will ensure that it remains this way.
The only stereotypes that come along with cheerleading are the ones the STA community create. “We provide an environment where girls can do anything from sports to academics, and not be valued for their ability to wear a short skirt and jump up and down in front of a crow,” if this is true then STA should have no problem supporting a cheerleading squad with girls who are simply showing their uniqueness and expressing their interests.
Addie • May 16, 2010 at 11:33 pm
I agree the comments, and I do not necessarily like the idea of a cheerleading squad. However, I do not agree with the comment that, “Mr. Hough clearly has not seen what STA is really like.” Mr. Hough has done an exceptional job so far at STA. He is really trying to make some positive changes for us girls. We learned from this article that some students have expressed interest in forming a cheerleading squad. I think Mr. Hough is just being really open and trying to embrace everyone’s suggestions.
Anna Blanck • May 15, 2010 at 10:01 pm
The only issue that I see with a cheerleading squad is one that we already face. Oversexualization. Cheerleaders are frequently viewed as slutty, or sex objects. While this is absolutely not an image any woman should agree with, it is one that we as “Catholic School Girls” cannot avoid. Honestly. I mean, as far as the slut image goes, we perpetuate it every single day in our plaid skirts, despite the fact that it symbolizes something completely different to us.
You all are against having a cheerleadng squad at STA. However, I’m still not sure as to why. The only thing that I can think of is the connotation of the word cheerleader. As well as promiscuous, cheerleaders are stereotypically stupid and superficial. I don’t believe that, were we to have a cheerleading squad at STA, any girls would undergo a bizarre transformation into this image. We are, and always will be, the unique and intelligent individuals of the fine academy; regardless of the extracurriculers we partake in.
In regards to the pom-pons, I’d like to point out that the dance team already wields them. They don’t magically transform girls into bouncing idiots.
I will agree that it seems unneccessary. Our enthusiasm is unmatched, and we are already running at 110% at all of our games. It’s impossible for anything, including a cheerleading team, to get us more excited than we already are. (well, maybe pizza.) Their function would be to channel our energy into a unified force. I can think of several pep rallies in which the Spirit Club did this. While we were already worked up, the girls directed our energy into chants and cheers for ourselves and our teams.
It was fun. it is empowering to feel bonded with the school, shouting out in the same voice. And it certainly would be intimidating to any opponant.
Also, have you considered the impressive physical sport that cheerleading does have the potential to become? Rather than thinking of “boucning cheerleaders,” (yes, I shudder as well) consider that gymnasts may finally have a way to contribute their awesome skill set to the STA community. It could provide an outlet for many tallented girls who do not have the outlet to showcase at St. Teresa’s.
With athletics in mind, many colleges have cheerleading teams. There are athletic scholarships available for cheerleading, the same as there are for soccer or volleyball. Having just finished my own college and scholarship struggle, I adamently believe that we should give our students every oppourtinity to recieve money from their college of choice. Everything helps.
I know the word “cheerleader” does not give a positive impression. But STA is not going to become Mean Girls. It does not turn us into even a typical, average school. The Kansas City Art Institute has a cheerleading team. They do not have a single sport (other than casual intermurals, at which the cheerleaders do not perform) and yet they still have a cheerleading team. The team cheers at different events around the city on the subjects of art and politics. KCAI remains safely seen forward thinking, progressive art school with a great reputation.
I don’t think Mr. Hough understands the student body at STA. But I also do not think there would be any harm to adding a cheerleading team to our army of spirited students. I don’t feel strongly about the subject, and I won’t be insulted or defensive if you disagree. I just think that it’s possible that many girls at STA immediately associated cheerleading with a negative image that we don’t want in our school.
Girls will not be drafted into it. If it truly has no place in the student body, there cannot be a team that has no members.
Cheerleading is not something we should dismiss and close our minds to. That is honestly what I object to; it’s not who we are at St. Teresa’s. We are intelligent women who can look beyond the connotations of a topic and consider the impact that it will make. Ladies, I’m not “pro-cheerleader.” I wouldn’t have joined the team. I disliked the first thing I thought of when the topic was broached. Then I gave it some thought. I don’t believe our lack of cheerleaders is a gaping hole that clearly needs to be filled. I think we have nothing to lose by it, and it has the potential to give back to our community.
What negative impact do you think a cheerleading squad will
have?
Lena • May 15, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Not. Cool.
Do you know why there are cheerleaders?
Back before Title IX, cheerleading was THE ONLY sport that girls could participate in. Cheering for guys.
Cheerleading has too many negative connotations. Cheerleaders are often seen as second class athletes. Our dance team serves a similar function as a cheerleading squad, but is made up of talented, serious athletes who provide amazing entertainment.
Cheerleading is, and might always be, extremely sexist. Even at an all girls school.
Frankly, I find Coach Hough’s eagerness to start one at STA insulting to the character and strong independence STA women are supposed to stand for. It also, dare I say it, creeps me out.
No cheerleading squad. I honestly have not talked to ANYONE who thought that it sounded “like, totally and completely uber cool!”
Anna Rayburn • May 15, 2010 at 11:36 am
I really don’t think we should have a cheerleading squad. I haven’t been to a ton of games at STA, but I have been to several and from what I can tell, the energy level might bring the gym crashing down if we try to “pump it up†any more. Cheerleaders are a stereotype, a very demeaning stereotype, and no matter how hard we try, I don’t think we can ever escape that. It seems to go against what St. Teresa’s is about: we provide an environment where girls can do anything from sports to academics, and not be valued for their ability to wear a short skirt and jump up and down in front of a crowd. Maybe boys need their big manly football-playing egos boosted by a select group of girls cheering on the sidelines, but I don’t get the impression that’s something we need. I think it should be up to the teams. Ask them if they want or feel they need this, and if they do I won’t say another word.
Alysa Turner • May 15, 2010 at 10:46 am
I agree 100% with the previous comments. Why do we need a cheerleading squad when we already have the acclaim of our sisters, which in my opinion is more than sufficient.
A cheerleading squad, or lack thereof is one of the many things that has always set us apart from other schools.
The reputation of St. Teresa’s as being strong, supportive women was not gained over night. Over the past 140 plus years, we have encouraged our sports teams from the stands in our pleated plaid skirts, wearing blue face paint and the likes. How sad would it be for those kilts which we so proudly sport to become shorter, the hands with which we clap out cheers, now holding pom-poms and the face paint replaced with…lipstick and mascara.
Basically, a cheersquad would be an ignominy and huge contradiction to everything for which the Academy stands.
Kristen Wieliczka • May 13, 2010 at 8:51 pm
I really don’t like the idea of having a cheerleading squad. I like the vibe that STA games already have with the Spirit Club. Honestly, when I see cheerleaders I feel like they are phony. But when you have Spirit Club members at the front dressing up like Michael Jackson, yelling and screaming to their hearts’ content no matter how unattractive look, it embodies St. Teresa’s. If I wanted to go to a school that wasn’t unique, I would go to a different school. I chose to go to STA because I want the tight-knit community that isn’t afraid to eat as much pizza as they want, to scream until their faces are red, or to cover their whole body with blue paint.
Maggie Holt • May 13, 2010 at 8:25 pm
I severely dislike the idea of having a cheerleading squad at St. Teresa’s. Actually, I hate it. I can’t even say the term “cheerleading squad” without involuntarily sneering.
When I started learning about St. Teresa’s as a gradeschooler, I was elated to discover that there wasn’t a cheer squad. As a freshman basketball player, I scoffed at the girls sporting pom-poms, oversized bows, and too much rouge whom we occassionally encountered during our away games.
When I first heard about the idea to instate a cheer team, I thought it was a joke. And quite frankly, I am disgusted.
As Mr. Hough said, making a cheerleading team would take a “lot of time, effort, and planning.” Why bother then? I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks it’s a waste of time. What GOOD would a cheerleading team be here? Spirit? In case anyone hadn’t noticed, we kind of already have that.
Mr. Hough clearly has not seen what STA is really like. We don’t need a cheer squad to add “organization and stability” to ANY event. As a small, closely knit community, we already HAVE that. It doesn’t need to be temporarily simulated at home games by bouncing girls brandishing pom-poms.