Male Cheerleading is a Sport!

Im a 13 yr old male in the 8th grade and try outs for the High School's JV and Varsity squad will be comming to our school soon and I really wanna try out but I'm afraid of what people will say and even what my parents will think of me. I'm a former cheerleader/dancer and have been doing that in elementary school for 3 years and back then it was really cool. I told someone that I wanted to do it in Middle School and then I was quickly critized. None of my guy friends would speak to me and i felt disowned and un cared about but yet still, In elementary school.... all the boys i mean EVERY1 wanted to be on the squad.. Luckily I made it and everyone was happy. I think im gonna go try out but I'm not gonna join the squad if I get chosen. I'll wait until my sophmore year to actually cheer. Someone Please Help Me

Hi! I live in Miami Senior High School and I am one of the most spirited guys in my school. I have learned color guard and I want to get involved in cheerleading when I get into college. Sexual-orientation wise, I really don't know what I am. Does anyone know what colleges are the best for co-ed cheerleading?

okay, I'm more than happy to see cheerleading as requiring athleticism. And I think it's a good thing that both men and women are involved. However, I have real problems defining cheerleading as a sport. The reason being that (based on observation, not personal experience) all cheerleaders are uniformly good-looking. So, my question: if someone is athletic but ugly (male or female, but I guess the issue applies more to females), will they get on the cheerleading squad? If not, then cheerleading can't be a sport. Incidently, respect to all the guys who put up with the aggro.

I was a cheerleader my senior year. I wish that I had done it sooner, but I couldn't be more happy with the decision to go through a year of pain, agony, and hell, to get semi-good at lifting talented women, and tumbling. However my career in cheerleading was put to a screetching hault, when I got into a bicycle accident in Aug '06. I was on my local All-Star cheerleading team, and was biking home from practice, when I was violently thrusted into the pavemtent, due to my chain snapping. I broke three bones in my face, and had to have reconstructive surgery, I was unrecognizable on the right side of my face, before the surgery. I was unable to cheer for a month, and by that time, I was unable to get back onto the team, due to a loss of skills. So I have been out of practice for a year and a half, but am excited to say that I will begin cheering again in the Fall for a college in Kansas. Their team, I've heard is not all that great, but I am going help to change that, and if it's not changeable, then I will better myself as a male cheeleader. I hope that by the time I am a sophomore that I will be able to try out and recieve a scholarship for cheer, for the remaining three years of my eligiblity.
Anyway my point is, I'm gay, but I'll tell you, not all guys who cheerlead are gay. I was the only cheerleader out of the 8 from my school that I knew, who was gay. And does it really matter? If you're straight and you know it, who cares?

By accident I discovered this topic page about male cheerleading.

Consider this, in 1957, I was the very first elected black or male cheerleader in a high school of 1200 stduents in which about 110 were minorities (all four grades) in the Mid-west-Sandusky,Ohio. and the second black cheerleader in the entire Buckeye Athletic Conference of nine different high schools. For four years straight, teams of minorities girls had tried out at our school and none ever made it into our cheerleading squad of six girls. At the same time, some of the stars of the sport teams were African Americans. Also election to be a cheerleader was based on a closed poll of the student council members and I was the only Africian American on student Council that year. Plus I am sexually straight and most of the cheerleading skits consisted of fonding, and grabbing some of the cutest and best built girls in school.

Strange how it happened. I had just resigned from the wrestling squad in an argument with the coach and later when I went to a match, and was yelling from the stands for a friend still on the squad, the wrestling coach lost his cool. He went to the public loudspeaker and in front of everyone said, "Hey E.... if you want yell so much. Why don't you become a cheerleader and join the rest of the girls>" I answered back, "I just may do that" Guess what? I thought about it some more and remembered that black girls have been trying to get on the cheerleading squad for years. Besides, I was in great shape, could do flips and spilts. I practiced, and three weeks later quietly told my fellow student council members what I was going to do and would they vote for me. I want just a few votes to get back at the coach and make a statement. But at my audition I jumped higher and made spilts better than anyone else. Plus it was fun and leading the students through the cheers was an additive form of power.

When I won, as the top ballot getter of the one boy (me) and 27 girls who tried out, for the six open slots. They had a rule that each year, all girls must re-try-out. In fact the same year the current captain of the squad was voted off because she crossed too many other members. She was from the wrong side of the track, became the girlfriend of a very popular boy who had previously gone with a popular student, was not a virgin , drink beer and so on was the whisper campaign against her. When she lost, she walked out in tears and later switched high schools for her Senior year. To be a cheerleader was the top slot for a girl in high school...mothers and families spent time and monies throwing parties and inviting the voting members of the student council

What an explosion and time of change...In my case, there were meetings with the principal and chaperons of the cheerleaders, plus two parents of the girl members wanted me to kicked off the team. For two days I was constantly being called into meetings with this and that proposal. First they offered me to be head of a new pep squad they were establishng as they were aware that the black kids were not being presented. I learned much later that two of the teachers stood up for me and said they would file charges if I was not offered the slot as a cheerleader. The problem,as it was explained to me, that with six people, all the routinues would be off balanced with me as one boy with five girls. Previously they had two boys acting as cheerleaders but they were offically called the cheer squad and were appointed by the school...yelled through big megaphones and did flips independent of the girl squad.

Another proposal was to increase the squad to seven with me in the middle. The problem was that next three girls all had the same number of votes after the top six top votes getters. In the end, I was not allowed to travel with the girls to away games. They created a new school mascot for varsity games, who was me. And I agree to be the reserve member of the varsity squad and to start a second reserve squad with four other girls. I was on both squads for two years. My first year on the squad letter stated that I was a member for the varsity squad and also on the reserve squad. No one else letter stated this. The next year, my letter said I was on the reserve squad only. Also I agreed not to place my hands on the bodies of any girls. The next year, a policy was made that before a student could try -out for cheerleading, the supervising teacher had to agree before the student could appear before the student council. I understand it was years before there was another minority cheerleader and decades before another boy.

Great Fun and after a while I enjoyed all the pleasures being a boy cheerleader when they decided to enter our squad in a statewide contest...having a boy member gave us an advantage -EDA.

I WANT TO BE A MALE CHEERLEADER TO BUT I JUST DON' KNOW
HOW TO CUT A BACKFILP

I'm a junior, soon to become a senior. I've been on the Cross Country team for 3 years so far and plan to do it my fourth. I really want to become a cheerleader. I honestly look up to tumblers and flyers. I'm really scared being the first guy wanting to try out for cheerleading at my school. With all the stereotypes flying around, I'm not up for it. Is being picked on my senior year to become a cheerleader worth it?

I go to Lower Merion high school as a sophmore. this is my first season cheerleading. ive been a gymnast since a fourth grade and ive required a considerable amount of skill in tumbling. just like everyone says, its torment from your friends for a little bit. but the people who really come to realize what i can do are amazed. and its true, nothing is more rewarding. i have depression which kicks in often, and cheerleading just shapes me up. no one says shit to me anymore, cause i dont look remotely gay and i know what im doing.

theres a t-shirt that says "hold my drink while i stunt your girlfriend". thats the perfect symbol for what the sport is. anyone who is thinking of trying, straight or gay, it doesnt matter, do the shit. it's the most fun youll ever have. if youre straight, youll enjoy the girls. if youre gay, youll enjoy them cause you can relate to them. soo you win either way.

so do it.