All-Star Bullying

[CoachJulie]

Things like "why don't you try doing a real sport??" etc. really ticked me off, but I learned to just ignore it because chances are the person saying it is jealous, clearly doesn't know the sport, and probably could never do what we do ;) Point blank. It's the truth.

Things have changed some since I was in school. I always had muscular arms and didn't cheer in high school. I did "real sports" - volleyball and track. I was called a "d_ke" by others because I was athletic and never once wore a sleeveless/very short sleeved top to school. I was made to feel ashamed of my fit body. Today, the "Nike" woman is celebrated, but then...not so much. A lot of things have changed for the better. Some not so much, even got worse with social networking and texting. I do know the face of bullying has changed and it's being pointed out more often, changing perceptions and habits for the better! Let's keep talking!!!

 

[ALittleBitTwisted]

Things have changed some since I was in school. I always had muscular arms and didn't cheer in high school. I did "real sports" - volleyball and track. I was called a "d_ke" by others because I was athletic and never once wore a sleeveless/very short sleeved top to school. I was made to feel ashamed of my fit body. Today, the "Nike" woman is celebrated, but then...not so much. A lot of things have changed for the better. Some not so much, even got worse with social networking and texting. I do know the face of bullying has changed and it's being pointed out more often, changing perceptions and habits for the better! Let's keep talking!!!

I had a similar experience to yours back in my earlier days in high school/middle school...I actually arm wrestled a guy who wouldn't stop talking about my biceps and I won! :D I don't think I could ever forget it. He never talked down on cheerleading again and ironically were pretty close friends today! Times have definitely changed like you said, especially the cyber bullying is a real big issue because these really hurtful things I'm sure (I've never bullied before) are much easier to say via technology versus face to face. The best thing we can do is try to catch it early and stop it when we see it without creating more conflict.

 

[XoxLibertyallstarsxox]

we have had some problems with a girl on the team. it started with some snide comments one being "i was the best one on the team until you came to ____" keep in mind my cp was 6 and she was 7. she also told my cp "i'm the show star, i'm the best one on the team :::::poked her hard in the shoulder::::: you're never going to steal my spotlight." somehow they got paired up for stretching and the bully was stretching my cp and my cp said 'stop you're hurting me' and the girl said "too bad" and pushed harder. the bully's whole stunt group high fived eachother when my cp fell out of a stunt at practice, too.
at that point i went directly to the gym owner. i'm not sure exactly what was done, if anything, to the girl, but it has more or less stopped.

ugh how horrible. If any coach at my gym saw or heard that the girl giving your daughter a hard time would be running the stairs

 

[XoxLibertyallstarsxox]

People love trying to tell me oh you'll never be able to do a back handspring or be on a senior level five team or your motions are horrible or you are the worst dancer on our team. I tell myself, people think I can't do certain things but they need to shut up and watch because I will prove my haters wrong

 

[as1angelino]

Ive been a male cheerleader now for 4 years and i get bullied constantly it doesnt bother me though, to me it just means that your insecure and you have problems when i first started cheering it was a secret for 2 years and no one knew,but i eventually didnt want to keep it a secret, i was proud of what i did, and i cant begin to tell you how many times i had to tumble in school to prove myself, plus its fun to show off haha :), but its sad because many people think that all guys that cheer are gay, and i have nothing against gay people, i give them alot of respect, recently i have been getting comments from my teacher! and its so annoying he knows im not gay and that i have a girlfriend but still bugs me about it, and embarsses me in front of my class, i stopped talking in that class and i think he got the message, whatever i guess you cant change some people. Point is this goes out to all the male cheerleaders gay or straight, dont hold back, dont keep secrets and most importantly dont be afraid to be you and be proud of what you do! I will and i know others will as well to represent allstar cheerleading to its best abilities.

 

[gofriars610]

Just by reading this thread makes my skin cringe...I actually stuck up for a close boy cheerleader who was constantly teased even moreso when he got to college. It's really unfortunate because these guys are indeed athletes just like the linebacker on the HS football team. My favorite proof of this is my former teammate on my college cheer team-here is an article my school wrote about him-He did both hockey and cheerleading :) http://www.thecaptainslog.org/2010/11/17/cheerleader-to-hockey-goalie-overnight/ Such a great story and he is the sweetest guy ever..I could not stand people making fun of him or teasing him, especially behind his back..that's when my "not so nice" side comes out!

That story made me smile. I both cheered and played hockey in high school too! My hockey teammates gave me a much harder time about it than my cheer teammates.

 

[ALittleBitTwisted]

That story made me smile. I both cheered and played hockey in high school too! My hockey teammates gave me a much harder time about it than my cheer teammates.

That's awesome that you did both in high school-especially in high school where I'm sure it was difficult when everyone still very immature and says things without thinking. I love how the two sports don't really have anything in common, but I am sure there's a reason you and my teammate Jacob love 'em both!

 

[CoachJulie]

Make a fierce statement right at your gym door! K, so I hope a few are watching this thread... We just announced our contest and challenge to gyms and businesses! Isn't this window sticker cool?

Make a difference & take a stand to spread the message that bullying is a serious problem & has no place in our Cheer & Dance World!


The cheerleading and dance community is one of the most accepting and unified groups in the sports world. And yet, in our world, bullying is still a problem.

Submit a YouTube video to [email protected] in support of the cause to receive a free window decal plus be entered in a contest to win a “Bully FREE ZONE” banner for your gym or business! Stay tuned all month long as we share video and stories of athletes whose lives have been impacted by the affects of bullying. You can also purchase a "Bully FREE ZONE" window decal for your gym or business at our web store here.

Get the contest guidelines, read stories, watch the videos and lots more...right here>>

 

[xoxbeastbackspotxox]

I was bullied constantly before joining cheerleading. People called me fat, they called me ugly they told me I was stupid or retarded because I have a learning difficulty. I would come home crying and think I am the fattest ugliest and stupidest person in the world and I wanted to die. Then I found cheerleading which pretty much saved my life.

 

[Katybugmom]

If you enjoy reading- I suggest 19 minutes- I haven't finished but it opened my eyes up to how big of a problem bullying can be.

 

[Keep_Believing]

What if a team member is bullying another child on team? What do you do if you can't get your child to be assertive enough to stand up to the bully? My daughter (age 10) just gets real quiet, withdrawn, tries to ignore it, but after a while it starts to really get to her. The bullying seems to start up whenever she gets jealous about something. This girl (only 11) has also bullied other team members. She seems to stop & leave them alone when they stand up to her. Unfortunately, my daughter won't do this. She never bullies when the coaches can hear or see it.

 

[CoachJulie]

Hi Kris. As parents, coaches, teachers and friends, it's our responsibility to stand up for others and raise awareness to stop bullying. I found this resource for you on stopbullying.gov

http://www.stopbullying.gov/parents/my_child_is_being_bullied/index.html

 

[cupieqt]

Last season a gym near us had a problem with their kids making mean posters about our program and hanging them up at school. I think they might consider it a rivalry because they do teach their kids to hate us (since many of their newer customers only stay a year and then join my program it's been confirmed to me on numerous occasions). I don't consider that a rivalry though. They're just rude.

I know rivalries are sometimes friendly and sometimes intense but the good ones are never ugly. And being the snobby, bully, team is so 10 years ago.

 

[HotcheerJazmine]

Ive never been physically bullied, but, ive got made fun of when i was younger for being a cheerleader, and being the only BLACK girl on my team. Ive been competiting since I was 10, now 23, but ill never forget how i felt when I got made fun of for doing something that i love.

 

[Deleted]

My gyms anti-bullying campaign