Getting girls into sports where you can be pretty?

it's news to me, Pogs & Mamie, that cheerleading doesn't actually involve cheering on a bunch of guys ( or even pretending to do that).
that being the case, it should definitley be renamed, in the interests of encouraging more girls into sport by making it sound like something they might want to do.

Not remotely offended Hollydaze. Just pointing out that from my experience of actually watching my GDs' Cheerleading class that there isn't a skimpy costume or a pom-pom in sight. Perhaps the Cheerleading classes that you have watched are different?

Aka - yes, my school did offer more sport (in Birmingham) but the Isle of Man offers much the same as I experienced. I didn't realise there was not as much on offer.

Mamie - both of my granddaughters did pom-pom dancing and baton twirling so I have nothing against pom-poms per se; I just don't see the point of cheerleading - I'm not trying to be offensive and my comments aren't intended to offensive, I'm just giving my opinion on cheerleading.

My GDs are at primary school. They do hockey, netball, football, athletics, cross-country and swimming, plus a few other sports.
Out of school one does ballet and the other gymnastics. They both do cheerleading which I will repeat for the third time, is about gymnastics, tumbling and team work and has nothing to do with pom-poms, skimpy costumes and cheering on boys, of which there are none.

You must have had a better curriculum then Holly
At primary school we it had netball, tennis and dance. Boys had football and cricket. There was the odd game of rounders and when the Annual Town Team Competitions, there was a quick flurry to find a couple of sprinters, long jumper and high jumper.
I was always chosen for the high jump but only got to practice about twice before the competition.

What sports are offered at school nowadays? I can only speak for what is offered on the Island where I live and the activities on offer are very good and mirror my own school experience. Are there after school clubs as well?

It's not all about winning. It's about staying fit and healthy. Not everyone is competitive and isn't it better if girls/women can find an activity that they enjoy. I agree that the 'just cheering the boys on' is not to be applauded, but as POGS pointed out that is not what these after-school activities are about.

There needs to be more variety offered in sport at primary level, for both sexes, and more specialists bought in to offer coaching.

I am a bit upset that there is a perceived attitude that cheerleading is fluffy and to titillate the male sex.

POGS - no need to be upset, it's just opinions and we all view things differently. If boys wore skimpy outfits, waved pom poms around and did athletic jumps and dance to entertain whilst the girls got down to winning the game, I might change my mind

Yup I agree re Cheerleading. No cheering, no chaps, no ra-ra; just acrobatics, gymnastics and dance. Unlike POGS I am a feminist and though my initial reaction was negative based on all the American stuff, once I saw it I realised it was fine. My GDs do lots of dance and gymnastics, but cheerleading has a very strong element of trust and teamwork which makes it a bit different. Outfits are no different from gymnastics (although inevitably not the same colours and involving more expense for DD).

My DiL is training as a TA. Because she was a dancer previously, she was coerced into asked if she could help with an after school Cheerleading Club.

She is uber fit, swims 50 lengths front crawl for fun, is taking part in the Moonwalk (26 miles) soon. She found this class quite a challenge good work out!

Or Artemis if you prefer.

Diana was a huntress and archer.

I'm sure Bags would agree that archery can be feminine as well ( although if you look at my photo you'd think I was an old geyser) little did you know I was hunterF in disguise!
Remember people to make sure you put your £15000 into yourISA!

Ana

You've got it!.

(Hmm - think that should be 'do'!)

I agree, POGS. Unless they're training specifically to 'cheerlead' a particular team for example, why on earth call it that? Team Acrobatics sounds much more fun - like the sort of stuff Diversity does.

I am a bit upset that there is a perceived attitude that cheerleading is fluffy and to titillate the male sex.

My grandchild is 7 nearly 8 years old for goodness sake.

As for doing gymnastics, she did try a gymnastic class but they pushed her too hard and it was hurting her. Cheerleading is more social as it is a group activity for 4 to 15 year olds in her particular group, they obviously learn to work as a team and she prefers that. I don't see it as anything other than being similar to a circus acrobatic act!

I am not silly enough to accept that cheerleading by nubile young wenches at sports venues 'could' be seen that way but it is a bit narrow minded to club all cheerleading groups into the one basket.

Perhaps the term 'Cheerleading' is the problem and it could be called Team Acrobatics, that might stop the stereotyping of what is a good source of exercise for youngsters.

If women's sport were more highly valued, then perhaps girls would be more enthusiastic about taking it up.

I think that sums up why a lot of women don't go in for sport. Take the ladies England football team - they seriously outplayed the male England football team and yet little coverage of those games and hardly a mention in the press.

Both of my GDs play sport (football, hockey, netball, swimming) for the Island and I don't think it has ever entered their heads if they look attractive or not and I'm not sure why it should

I agree with those who are not fans of cheerleading and their reasons for it. I can appreciate that it takes a fair bit of skill and gymnastic abililty - so why not just do gymnastics instead? It does smack too much of fluffly little beauties jumping around to encourage their men to success; we have moved on from that.

Yes!

No. My particular feminist heroine of the games was. www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2187395/Joanna-Rowsell-suffers-alopecia-refused-wear-wig-accept-gold-medal.html

Does anyone remember who it was who just before the London Olympics described Jessica Ennis as fat? Says something about attitudes towards women and sport.

i am sure cheerleading is great fun and a good way to keep fit. if girls just do it for those reasons and they enjoy it, that is great.
cheerleading, tho, is usually set in the context of scantily-dressed girls and young women cheering on teams of boys and men to success. that is the part that i object to.

Sorry not a feminist so I don't see what the fuss is about.

My GD does attend a Cheer Leading Group and she loves it. It is very nice to see her interacting with such a lovely bunch of girls with ages from 4 - 15. The older girls are really kind and it most certainly does not, as the implication on here goes, concern being cute and beautiful.

What is the harm with it?. Did the W.I have to suffer such clap trap when they were 'I must, I must improve my bust'. Perhaps they did.

The fact is Cheer Leading, Snow Boarding, Street Dance etc. are nothing more than modern activities and I for one would rather my GD did something she enjoyed and kept fit as apposed to what, playing games on a computer.

By the way she did rugby too but gave that up, her choice.

As for the OP I look at the topic not as telling girls to simply go out and do 'girly' activities. I think she was simply trying to remind girls that there was a diversity of sports/activities that they could consider where maybe they hadn't thought about them. Better to do something rather than nothing.

If women's sport were more highly valued, then perhaps girls would be more enthusiastic about taking it up. David Cameron's excited comments about Murray's Wimbledon championship, completely writing former British women champions out of the picture, displayed all that is wrong with attitudes to women's sport in Britain. Apart from the Olympics and some tennis, sportswomen rarely feature in mainstream news in the UK.