bubble1 I totally agree. People come here to share their experiences, not to get harsh comments from other people. I think that I have pretty thick skin, but I can't stand it when people get on their high horse and start blowing their own trumpets.

Fair enough, the cheerleading in Australia may not be up to the standard that it is in America, but competitive cheerleading is still very young here. Our squad will be competing at the Down Under Spirit Championships in July and we will be competing in three divisions - Pom, Dance and Stunt and Tumbling. So UCOtwistinBABE, explain to me again how we are not 'REAL' cheerleaders. If you want to have a look at the competition requirements, feel free to look it up on the Gymnastic's Australia website. We are also competiting in another 3 competitions throughout the year.

This is my first year doing cheerleading and the first year I've danced in a while, so it has been a VERY steep learning curve, but I'm loving every minute of it. The competitions are going to be a huge shock for me, but I'm really looking forward to! The girls on our squad are so helpful and I love them all!! LOL Soppy I know

Anyways... I think I've blabbed enough!

Thanks again to all those great comments. Our comp costumes still haven't arrived, so no photos of them yet

Kell

my daughter works very hard to teach the girls, she gives up all her time with practices and planning the routines, she is still only 17. I am very very proud of her and i still think Her CHEERLEADING team is the best.

GO Chiefs

What competition is your daughter taking her squad to? BCA is a great one to start out with because they are really helpful. I cant wait to compete this year!

Baby xxx

She is going to blackpool, she is not in the team but competiting in solo, they have practiced ssoooo hard for this comp and it is there first one, eek

Good luck girls and boy im so proud of you all, lets show them all and bring home some silver !!!!!!!

mum xxxx

I think you all look great! Don't forget to post pictures of your new costumes and the competition itself when you can!

What I have learned from this thread...

1. Your team is not a 'cheerleading' team unless UCO says you are.

2. Bad sportsmanship and cattiness does exist, even at the college level.

3. Cartwheels and back flips are not tumbling, even if boots are used for added difficulty.

4. If your squad is a non mount squad, they are not 'real' cheerleaders.

*rolls eyes*

allarounda- I think your CHEERLEADING team looks fantastic! I love the uniforms too.

i agree
i thought that cheerleaders where meant to cheer and encourage people not put them down
just because your team doesnt do stunts doesnt mean that its not a cheerleading team!

wow.. those are very, um, different looking uniforms. Well, actually the uniforms are cute, but those boots. Yowza. Can you stunt in those???

"Cartwheels and back flips are not tumbling, even if boots are used for added difficulty."

cartwheels aren't really considered tumbling in cheerleading competitions. they're more of a transition thing or choreography if you actually use them. and who said back flips aren't tumbling? i'm pretty sure i said cartwheels aren't back flips. maybe you should go back and read more carefully. and if they are doing REAL hardcore tumbling and stunts, why in the world would you wear boots that could take an eye out or break an ankle. they're not "used to added difficulty." they're to look pretty. but anyway, you can just keep bashing me all you want. go on, have a blast

A few people have asked about stunting and tumbling in our boots. Our first game we danced at I personally did a cartwheel along with another girl in our squad, while other members did things like roundoff back handsprings... all while wearing our boots. We also do basic lifts at our games, but nothing overly major.

As I said before. We save all that kind of stuff for our COMPS! One of which we have in 2 weeks! At our first comp this year we are competing in 3 divisions - pom dance, open dance and stunt & tumbling. So YES... my squad does do stunting and tumbling, just not when we are cheering at the football.

Hope that clears it up...

But you DO stunting in those boots? That must be so hard! That would kill my hands!
You'll have to pardon me, I don't want to be rude, I just want to explain something. I assume that you are not from the United States... I think Australia, you mentioned. Your uniforms are very retro in the US, (I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just stating a fact) they look like something the Dallas cheerleaders would have worn in 1973, with the big poms, and white pleather platform boots. In the US, the Dallas cheerleaders are not taken very seriously because they are really just sex symbols, so you can (hopefully) see how the style of your uniform can bring up a negative connotation for some people. Even the way you are posed is very "show girl-ish". I understand cheerleading is very different in other countries, so I am just trying to show you my American POV.
Now people like Katie and myself who fight so hard to show cheerleading is a sport, take one look at your pictures and it's like a slap in the face. I take one look at your boots and think "sex symbol" and it hurts because I've worked my butt off to be considered an athlete, not a sex symbol. When I see things like the Dallas Cheerleaders, sometimes I feel like my hard work is all for nothing because I know cheerleading is rittled with stereotypes.
Now, I'm not sayin anything about the ability of your squad, I don't know how good you are, so please don't think this is a cut against you. I am merely trying to explain my thoughts.
Good luck in your competitions What kind of stunts do you do?

i don't mean to be rude, but that is incredibly stupid to tumble in those sorts of boots. do you know how DANGEROUS that it? how many tendom and ligament tears can occur?!

Hi
i dont mean to be rude either, but why is there so much negitivity on this site, my daughters CHEERLEADING team is fab, they dont tumble because they are not allowed.
They work so hard and all help each other Big girls and small girls alike, if some of them behaved they way you lot do (not all of You) i would be ashamed of them.
They all encourage each other and, have been working so hard for their first comp which is the nationals, If they read all the comments above they would be very disapointed, who is to say what is cheerleading and what isnt.
I thought it was about team spirit and cheering and not who can somersault or back flip the best.
Sorry to rant
But come on You older ones should be encouraging and not condeming them, whether they stunt or not, cheer on all cheerleaders
proudmum4ever
GO CHIEFS AND GOOD LUCK IN BLACKPOOL

Nice Pics! but you said you were the fat one, I see know fat one!!!!

"Now people like Katie and myself who fight so hard to show cheerleading is a sport, take one look at your pictures and it's like a slap in the face. I take one look at your boots and think "sex symbol" and it hurts because I've worked my butt off to be considered an athlete, not a sex symbol. When I see things like the Dallas Cheerleaders, sometimes I feel like my hard work is all for nothing because I know cheerleading is rittled with stereotypes."

well put, Amy. that's exactly how i feel. not to mention other non-cheerleaders see those boots and don't see how anyone could do anything athletic in those boots. true athletes won't sacrifice ability and safety to wear "sexy" boots...

ProudMum4ever - i'm having a hard time imagining a cheerleading squad (especially a "fab" one) that doesn't tumble or stunt. that sounds more like dance to me.

Hi!

I'm not really into that type of cheerleading, but I guess as long as you'r having tons of fun its great, with our wihtout you boots *lol* I bet your great though, but please be carefull tumbling and stunting with your boots :S You can really hurt yourself! Please post more photos!

*cheer on*

(I dont see any fat persons in that picture so I don't know who you are *lol* You are all slim!)

UCO twisting Babe
i do not see why you have a hard time imaging a CHEER team not doing stunts, in uk things are very different depending which association you cheer with.
The cheer team you find very hard believing in Actually came 2nd at the nationals today, and yes they were fantastic as i said before, we also got two girls and one boy through to finals in Solo cheer they all came second in different age groups.
SO YES i am very proud of them and especially my daughter who taught them
Go Chiefs and A MASSIVE well done at your first comp
Luv jac xxxx

Katie, you have to remember things are WAYYYY different in other countries. In other countries, they actually CHEER during the competitions (remember when we did that back in the day.. hehe). It's not bad, just not at our level.

yeah, i guess... if they want to get to the level we're at in the US though, they need to ditch the boots and get real sports shoes.

oh, I agree. those boots need to go, they are just waaaayyy to dangerous. But just because they aren't at our level yet, doesn't make them any less of a cheerleader. Give them time

my point is if they're not trying, how can they call themselves cheerleaders? i coach several young squads that aren't that good either, but they try. i'm confused how anyone can try to tumble in those boots. no athlete would wear something that dangerous if they planned on doing something athletic. :/

I have to say, I'm with UCO 100% on this one. I'm a British cheerleader and coach, and even though I only started cheering 2 years ago at uni and had no previous gymnastics experience (except when I was really young!), I'm really pushing myself to be the best cheerleader and coach I can be - at the age of 23 I've just started taking tumbling classes 2 times a week (I've just started landing my punch front woohoo!!!). I want people to respect the SPORT that I love but for that to happen we really need to get our act together and push ourselves in the UK! Stunting ability is beginning to get better and better, and there are a few squads that can really fly the flag for british cheerleading, but our tumbling needs to improve so much if we're ever going to be able to say "look at us - we're atheletes" and really challenge the americans at their own game!!
Anna xxx

Also, proudmum4ever - which nationals have you been at this weekend? I didn't know there was a competition!
Anna xxx

Good morning

We have been to the UKA national championships medalist of the year
and who said anything about them not trying to tumble THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED to tumble at this comp.
MAYBE you should tell the 21 teams that took part that they are not proper cheerleader when they were competiting and putting in all the practice im sure they thought they were.
My daughters team have only been together for 3 months so give them a go and stop putting them down for not doing back flips, my daughter can actually do all this but it is NOT ALLOWED to teach it.
I will pass on your message which i think is THAT they are not proper cheerleaders and they are giving cheerleading a bad name and they are not athletes so they should give up.

BY they way i will pass on all your congratulations for comming second and was it to keep up the good work, Oh no not one person has said that have they.

WE all think they ARE FAB and dont really care what you all think.
I will not comment on any more cheer items as our team is not a proper team aparently
jackie

GO CHIEFS !!!!!
p.s what is cheer spirit again maybe some of you should look it up

im sorry that last message was from Proudmum4ever i just used my daughters sign in name because i couldnt remember my pass word sorry
jackie