Your view: Flawed process

Dear Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our basketball team for their recent trip to the Final Four in Columbia. Although academics are the main focus of an exemplary educational system, extra-curricular activities and sports have a tremendous impact on the school climate as well as community involvement.

This brings me to the topic of "sports." Basketball is classified as a sport and I am sure we can all agree on that. However, should we classify cheerleading as a sport, or have we lessened this activity at Sikeston High School to nothing more than a popularity contest? According to MSHSAA the Philosophy of Spirits Teams is "being a privilege and honor with spirit team members the most effective student leaders. Spirit teams are in a position of great influence and high standards of conduct are essential." In my opinion, as well as others in the community, when we allow a body of students to "judge" cheerleaders who will represent their school, we are taking away some of the essentials of the sport. Do teacher evaluations, school citizenship and mastering the art of cheerleading not matter? They should.

I have been in the field of education for a number of years. I have been a former cheerleading coach, both in high school and junior high. I have also been asked to judge at former cheerleading tryouts. In all my years of being involved in the sport of cheerleading, I have yet to see a school which allows their students to vote on the cheerleading squad. Students are not experts at the sport. They do take into account the behavior and student conduct of the young ladies both on and off the court. I am aware this has been "tradition" at Sikeston High School for a number of years. Sometimes "traditions" lose their effectiveness and should be left behind.

I am also quite concerned with the procedures used when the young ladies try out for cheerleading. They perform for the students who will vote for them, have to wait two weeks to find out who made the squad and some are then publicly humiliated at the luncheon by not receiving the coveted rose indicating they have "made it" on the squad. Personally, I believe this method of finding out whether or not you are popular by the voting standards set forth is borderline cruel.

I have surveyed a number of area school administrators who believe this method of selecting cheerleaders is very flawed. Actually, a few of them could not believe what I was telling them. I have also talked to cheer coaches who would prefer not to coach a squad of cheerleaders selected by their peers. Most schools use teacher evaluations, good school citizenship and academic achievement as part of the selection process. All of the schools I talked to use judges. Some utilize college cheerleaders as judges, some utilize cheer coaches from other schools, but they all use judges who know the fundamentals that make a good cheerleader. Judging, coupled with teacher evaluations, school citizenship and academic performance takes away the one criteria Sikeston uses, which is solely popularity.

Let me give you a scenario for my case. Basketball is a sport, as I maintain cheerleading is. Would we get a group of students who belong to a club, have each basketball player "perform" in front of the students shooting from the free throw line, shooting from the three-point line, doing drills, passing the ball with another player and then let the students vote for who they want on their basketball team? No, we would not.

I have no dog in this fight. However, I do know a number of the cheerleaders and young ladies who tried out for cheerleader. I have maintained this position for a number of years and believe the system is flawed. Please pass this letter along to whomever you see fit. Of course, I will not reveal my identity as I know the politics of living in the Sikeston community.

Sincerely,

A concerned citizen