All-Star Secret Diary Of An American Cheerleader

[ztaprincess]

when is this show premiering and where?

I don't think it is on network TV, at least from what I have seen it isn't. It is for Cheer Channel Inc. or something like that which from my understanding is all online. Someone can correct me if I am wrong though.

 

[coachbd]

I don't think it is on network TV, at least from what I have seen it isn't. It is for Cheer Channel Inc. or something like that which from my understanding is all online. Someone can correct me if I am wrong though.

I think you're right. As far as I know it is only being aired online (with their hope being that a TV network will pick it up..)

 

[CheerChick123]

I ment the new gym Gabi is going to is NOT a major program.

 

[Num1Stunta]

Not foreseeing too many Shimmy's to this post, but there is way too much affirmative action going on in here. Why does everybody feel that just because somebody promotes cheer in some way, it's their obligation to pick up some flag and wave it around as some shining beacon of justice for all things politically correct?

I don't know what the selection process was, but it doesn't surprise me, they went with popular well known girls for the most part. I'd venture to say that if someone took a poll asking to name your top 5 cheerleaders whether it was because of skill, popularity, or whatever, that 90% of the answers would be pretty close. Personally, in no order I'd say Maddie Gardner, Whitney Love, Kelsey Rule, Kiara Nowlin, and a tie for about 5 other girls. OMG.....not enough diversity...racism!!!

If you asked me to name 5 top NBA players, I'd say Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Dwight Howard. OMG.....not enough diversity....racism!!! Folks, sometimes it just is what it is, and there isn't anything more to it.

"way too much affirmative action" leads me to believe that you don't really know what affirmative action is.... and your comment about how minority children should just "figure it out" leads me to believe that you've never studied anything about psychology of media.... In terms of your NBA analogy... these girls aren't the Top 5 talents in our sport, just the most overexposed (no disrespect to their skills, and all of the work they've put in to get there). You don't get into the NBA without having some kind of talent, so you could very easily pick the bottom 5 players in the league and still have them be talented enough for a TV concept like this. That's what I'm trying to get at.... The bottom of nationwide level 5 kids, or even a level 3 or 4 athlete could have been a good choice.

This has nothing to do with "political correctness"(again, something I'm not sure, by looking at your context, that you understand), and nowhere in my comments did I call it "racism"... I'm saying, look, all we have been talking about on the boards in the past few months is how our sport has an image problem, and it isn't really growing. Everyone on the outside still looks at cheerleading as an activity for pretty, white, blonde girls who like to get dolled up and wear short skirts. When TV shows like this are in the works, that are going to be reaching a large audience, it's absolutely vital that the sport of all star cheerleading is portrayed in a way that appeals to EVERYONE- not just the type of girl who is going to join anyway. I get that they want to pick "cheerlebrities" so that current cheerleaders will watch. BUT, my position is that it would be much more beneficial to the growth of our sport if they had chosen girls who a current non-cheerleader would be able to look at and say, "hey, maybe I can do that." That means girls who are racially diverse, it means girls who aren't necessarily pretty, it means girls who are all ages, it means girls who may not have level 5 skills, it means girls who can base, it means picking males as well (another underrepresented group in our sport), or what about the girl from PrimeTime last year with alopecia? She's sick fierce, and would add much more substance to a show like that. I think it was Just-a-Mom who also mentioned that this sport tends to weed out kids from a lower socio-economic status. That is more of an internal issue, BUT think about all of the "reality"shows about cheer. They are all following suburban, wealthy, white kids... how does that help us to grow as a sport, when that is where the bulk of our participants already lie?

Maybe those girls are "cheerlebrities," but I could have picked you a cast of NO white girls and had the same level of talent for this show. Or I could have picked you a cast of white girls with less talent that would still appeal to a broader group of people. IMO

It's not about "fairness"... it's about accuracy and it's about putting our sport in a position to continue growing.

 

[Rudags]

I really cant believe race has truly became in issue in this thread. Lord help us.

 

[Num1Stunta]

I really cant believe race has truly became in issue in this thread. Lord help us.

lol..... Race is just one of the many issues I have with these shows.... the least of them, actually.

 

[Rudags]

lol..... Race is just one of the many issues I have with these shows.... the least of them, actually.

I have merely only glanced over this thread and the Trinity thread.... so Im not fully educated, but I guess it is what it is.

 

[Deleted member 1556]

I have merely only glanced over this thread and the Trinity thread.... so Im not fully educated, but I guess it is what it is.

Get your popcorn if your heading on over to the Trinity thread.

 

[The Sixth]

"way too much affirmative action" leads me to believe that you don't really know what affirmative action is.... and your comment about how minority children should just "figure it out" leads me to believe that you've never studied anything about psychology of media.... In terms of your NBA analogy... these girls aren't the Top 5 talents in our sport, just the most overexposed (no disrespect to their skills, and all of the work they've put in to get there). You don't get into the NBA without having some kind of talent, so you could very easily pick the bottom 5 players in the league and still have them be talented enough for a TV concept like this. That's what I'm trying to get at.... The bottom of nationwide level 5 kids, or even a level 3 or 4 athlete could have been a good choice.

This has nothing to do with "political correctness"(again, something I'm not sure, by looking at your context, that you understand), and nowhere in my comments did I call it "racism"... I'm saying, look, all we have been talking about on the boards in the past few months is how our sport has an image problem, and it isn't really growing. Everyone on the outside still looks at cheerleading as an activity for pretty, white, blonde girls who like to get dolled up and wear short skirts. When TV shows like this are in the works, that are going to be reaching a large audience, it's absolutely vital that the sport of all star cheerleading is portrayed in a way that appeals to EVERYONE- not just the type of girl who is going to join anyway. I get that they want to pick "cheerlebrities" so that current cheerleaders will watch. BUT, my position is that it would be much more beneficial to the growth of our sport if they had chosen girls who a current non-cheerleader would be able to look at and say, "hey, maybe I can do that." That means girls who are racially diverse, it means girls who aren't necessarily pretty, it means girls who are all ages, it means girls who may not have level 5 skills, it means girls who can base, it means picking males as well (another underrepresented group in our sport), or what about the girl from PrimeTime last year with alopecia? She's sick fierce, and would add much more substance to a show like that. I think it was Just-a-Mom who also mentioned that this sport tends to weed out kids from a lower socio-economic status. That is more of an internal issue, BUT think about all of the "reality"shows about cheer. They are all following suburban, wealthy, white kids... how does that help us to grow as a sport, when that is where the bulk of our participants already lie?

Maybe those girls are "cheerlebrities," but I could have picked you a cast of NO white girls and had the same level of talent for this show. Or I could have picked you a cast of white girls with less talent that would still appeal to a broader group of people. IMO

It's not about "fairness"... it's about accuracy and it's about putting our sport in a position to continue growing.

I’m pretty sure I’m clear in what I’m talking about. The fact that you’re referencing a comment that I never even made in my post, leads me to believe you’re the one who is a bit confused.

The NBA analogy is absolutely valid. Nowhere did I ever mention I picked that NBA list based strictly on skill, and hence is completely analogous to the same reason why I believe the cheerleaders who were picked.

Fine, I’ll agree to substitute the word “diversity” rather than racism, even though you said it yourself “way too many BLONDE white girls” regardless of being facetious or not. Not that it changes my position at all. You can cry that they are all thin and don’t represent the entire industry, it’s still the same ideology.

I think you VASTLY underestimate the amount of draw there is to some obscure webisode, and somehow think this is going to be viewed by millions of people who don’t know anything about all star cheer. It’s JUST a freaking tv show for ENTERTAINMENT!!! They have no obligation to represent our sport, grow our sport, or do anything other than make something entertaining. If this was some CNN or ESPN documentary, then by all means worry about it representing the industry accurately. Otherwise, quit complaining about the show/girls, which has already been pointed out, were voted by members of the very industry you keep saying is misrepresented.

Even though this statement “They are all following suburban, wealthy, white kids... how does that help us to grow as a sport, when that is where the bulk of our participants already lie?” has no bearing on anything, I’m just going to address it to point out the hypocrisy of your stance. Because I’m pretty sure I don’t recall Midwest Magic from that Lifetime pilot fitting that mold at all.

 

[Num1Stunta]

I’m pretty sure I’m clear in what I’m talking about. The fact that you’re referencing a comment that I never even made in my post, leads me to believe you’re the one who is a bit confused.

The NBA analogy is absolutely valid. Nowhere did I ever mention I picked that NBA list based strictly on skill, and hence is completely analogous to the same reason why I believe the cheerleaders who were picked.

Fine, I’ll agree to substitute the word “diversity” rather than racism, even though you said it yourself “way too many BLONDE white girls” regardless of being facetious or not. Not that it changes my position at all. You can cry that they are all thin and don’t represent the entire industry, it’s still the same ideology.

I think you VASTLY underestimate the amount of draw there is to some obscure webisode, and somehow think this is going to be viewed by millions of people who don’t know anything about all star cheer. It’s JUST a freaking tv show for ENTERTAINMENT!!! They have no obligation to represent our sport, grow our sport, or do anything other than make something entertaining. If this was some CNN or ESPN documentary, then by all means worry about it representing the industry accurately. Otherwise, quit complaining about the show/girls, which has already been pointed out, were voted by members of the very industry you keep saying is misrepresented.

Even though this statement “They are all following suburban, wealthy, white kids... how does that help us to grow as a sport, when that is where the bulk of our participants already lie?” has no bearing on anything, I’m just going to address it to point out the hypocrisy of your stance. Because I’m pretty sure I don’t recall Midwest Magic from that Lifetime pilot fitting that mold at all.

1. You literally said the "top 5" NBA players.... not the most popular, or your personal favorite, or the most black.... but the "top 5"

2. Everyone on this thread is griping about yet another disastrously inadequate portrayal of our sport. I don't see how my issue with it is any different.

3. And how did that Midwest Magic thing work out? LOL.... Seriously though, I would encourage you to please understand that just because a team has a lot of ethnic diversity, that does not mean that they come from some poor, urban or rural neighborhood. There are many affluent minority communities that exist all over the country. That particular part of my post was referring to the inaccessibility of our sport to those who are not in the middle to upper middle classes. Following a surburban gym with a large percentage of minorities doesn't negate that particular issue. What I said is absolutely relevant and accurate... our sport needs a different kind of media attention, plain and simple.

You're making this into WAY more than this has to be lol

 

[caobsession]

That entire "movie production" is a deduction.

I feel like crawling under Patrick Star's rock and never coming out after watching those 4 minutes of absolute garbage.

 

[icequeen]

1. You literally said the "top 5" NBA players.... not the most popular, or your personal favorite, or the most black.... but the "top 5"

2. Everyone on this thread is griping about yet another disastrously inadequate portrayal of our sport. I don't see how my issue with it is any different.

3. And how did that Midwest Magic thing work out? LOL.... Seriously though, I would encourage you to please understand that just because a team has a lot of ethnic diversity, that does not mean that they come from some poor, urban or rural neighborhood. There are many affluent minority communities that exist all over the country. That particular part of my post was referring to the inaccessibility of our sport to those who are not in the middle to upper middle classes. Following a surburban gym with a large percentage of minorities doesn't negate that particular issue. What I said is absolutely relevant and accurate... our sport needs a different kind of media attention, plain and simple.

You're making this into WAY more than this has to be lol

I agree with most of the stuff you are saying. As an African American when I really started to love all star one of the first teams I fell in love with and still love is F5. Why? They are extremely talented each and every year and they are extremely diverse. I love to see teams like that.

 

[allstarmom#1]

Well I can say that when my daughter came to me and told me she wanted to join all star cheer, at no point did race come into play. I had no background other than what I saw in movies such as bring it on, but I never considered it to be a sport that race had any bearing on. I don't think that the race of the cheerleaders on a show is going to be that big of deal one way or another on how people view all star cheer. The whole race part of this thread is kind or ridiculous IMO.

 

[crazyredhead]

I voted down the thread as we havent discussed the show in maybe 3 pages. The girls chosen whether we agree or not will appear in the show. No race issues, stupid cheerlebrity references or pointless drama. Let it be.

 

[The Sixth]

1. You literally said the "top 5" NBA players.... not the most popular, or your personal favorite, or the most black.... but the "top 5"

2. Everyone on this thread is griping about yet another disastrously inadequate portrayal of our sport. I don't see how my issue with it is any different.

3. And how did that Midwest Magic thing work out? LOL.... Seriously though, I would encourage you to please understand that just because a team has a lot of ethnic diversity, that does not mean that they come from some poor, urban or rural neighborhood. There are many affluent minority communities that exist all over the country. That particular part of my post was referring to the inaccessibility of our sport to those who are not in the middle to upper middle classes. Following a surburban gym with a large percentage of minorities doesn't negate that particular issue. What I said is absolutely relevant and accurate... our sport needs a different kind of media attention, plain and simple.

You're making this into WAY more than this has to be lol

1. Sorry, but you're just grasping at straws here. No where did I say the top 5 "skilled" players. Anybody who follows the NBA, could easily argue that those are NOT the top 5 skilled players.

2. The "everyone" that are griping in this thread are all wrong, just like you.

3. How it worked out isn't the point. I did not make any statements or assumptions of any ethnic diversity/economic background relationship as it pertained to those kids featured, so you don't need to encourage me to understand anything. You stated that all the shows are following white, suburban, wealthy kids. And by that, you are wrong.

Newsflash for you.....we landed on the moon! The MOON!!! The fact is, this sport as most of us know it, is no different than lots of other youth sports. It's NOT as accessible to less affluent families. Highlighting the minority percentage of those families who choose to make the sacrifices necessary to participate will not change that fact. It could quite possibly have the exact opposite effect you envision. When they see these families struggle to pay tuition, comp fees, uniforms, practice wear, etc. they are going to say "I love my child, but no thanks, not worth it".

You stated yourself previously that the socio-economic issue was most likely an internal issue, and you're correct. So blame the USASF, the EPs, and the gym owners, on that one, not some show produced for entertainment.

Again, if anybody is making it out to be more than it is, it's you. Seriously, I'd be on your side if this were some negative documentary. But it's not...it's a show for entertainment!

And btw, normally I'd say if you're going to address anything (with bulleted statements no less), then address everything as opposed to whatever points suit your argument. But seeing as you just went 0/3 anyway, I guess better to fail a little bit, that fail a lot a bit.