Cheerleaders, Scotsmen Named For 2014-15
The Highland Park High School varsity cheerleading squad for 2014-15 has been named. Front row: Courtney Horn, Peyton Ward, Emma Ruk, Megan Nash, Bailey Pogue, Grayson Baird, Ashley Farley, and Roslyn Saplicki; Second row: Allie Beth Cowan, Maggie Nolan, Lauren LaDuke, Caitlyn Creekmore, Samantha Hickey, Nancy Neuhoff, and Isabella Lindley; Third row: Lindsay Rather, Alex Novak, Camille McSherry, Mary Michael McCartin, Allison Reece, and Clara Beecherl; Back row: Holly Winters, Laura Hickey, Anna Gribble, and Nicole Gottlich.
The Scotsmen for 2014-15 will be (clockwise from left) David Hammer, Adam Shiffer, Douglas Maclay, Cole Ogden, and Stuart Forrester.
25 varsity cheerleaders? Isn’t this akin to giving people participation medals? I remember when they used to have 12.
@Say What? – apparently you suffer from good old days syndrome. Participation medals? That is insulting if you saw the hard work put into the months and years of work preparing for high stakes tryouts. You should be ashamed to post that below these talented and hard working, deserving athletes. Back when there were 12, classes were much smaller and the girls couldn’t even do a cartwheel or leave the ground and were just picked on popularity….now they perform routines and stunts like gymnasts and acrobats, requiring year round practice, most since they were in elementary. They only increased varsity by 5. There were 20 Varsity last year, 15 JV (all sophomores) and 15 freshman. The cut down from JV to varsity was brutal in the past because the juniors could only have 10 max. 5 had to be cut, guaranteed. Now they have fixed that problem by expanding the squad and changing the mix. With the grades so big and interest so high, there were way more qualified girls than spots and it came down to minute scoring differences from judges and student body votes. Say What?, you should apologize to these hard working, incredibly talented athletes you just offended, but I bet you won’t.
@goodolddayssyndrome
Do you have stats on how many from each grade tried out this year vs. how many made varsity and JV?
@goodolddayssyndrome I am laughing at the cheerleader mom response. I again reiterate that 25 cheerleaders is ridiculous; the football team is only 4 times that size, if that. Clearly, popularity is a part of the selection process as the student vote still exists. And, thanks for making my point for me– according to you, so many girls were qualified that they had to take more. That’s not how it works; only the best of them all should make it. You don’t expand a team just so more people can make it. What a silly thought. You don’t get to make a team just because you worked hard–unless you’re giving participation medals, that is.
@goodoldayssyndrome Thank you for making my point for me. More qualified girls = more spots = participation medals. And if popularity wasn’t supposed to be a part of it, they would have done away with the vote. I do wonder where all of these qualified girls will have the room to do their routines and stunts on the sidelines at a football game…
While possibly not the most artful statement, I agree with @Say what?. Is there a legitimate reason for the very large number of cheerleaders at this point (“more qualified girls than spots” is not legitimate)? Perhaps they needed more girls so that they can have a number of them at a varsity girls game at home and a varsity guys game away?
How can they possibly get any more girls on the floor at pep rallies? No, they don’t have any room on the sidelines at the games, and I don’t think half of them watch or understand the game of football. During my good old days, we had to know all the penalty signs, and we were told to keep respectfully quiet when a player was hurt (gotta watch the game to do that). I know these girls are great athletes, but I do think their activities are geared to competition instead of the crowd motivating aspect the activity used to entail.
No worries about room at pep rallies, the belles have cut their ranks to a record low, the smallest group since they were formed.
How can they get anymore moms at the pep rallies? Maybe, there should be more Scotsmen. Only 5! Surely, there are some more qualified young men. And why at the pep rallies do the performers face the side of the gym that has the boys (and senior girls)? If you are a girl, you get to spend three years watching the backs of the performers until you become a senior. Sounds pretty sexist to me.
Why are all of these comments negative? This is just a lot of happy young people having fun together who also happen to be supporting their friends and their school. Look at them. Do any of them seem worried about parents at pep rallies or room on the field or sexism or whether there are too many girls and not enough Scotsmen? It’s high school 2014. They all look satisfied with exactly where they are. The “adults” commenting here all sound like they are frowning. What a shame. 🙁 Come to a game and feel the smiling and the cheering and the team spirit all around. The concern for injured players on either team, even if someone was not watching at the moment it happened, is apparent throughout the stadium and all are involved in the wait and the relief when the player leaves the field. See you there. With zeal. Shine on.
***
Remember when you were young,
You shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there’s a look in your eyes,
Like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire
Of childhood and stardom,
Blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon,
You cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night,
And exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome
With random precision,
Rode on the steel breeze.
Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!
Wright, Waters, Gilmour = Pink Floyd
Is it so hard to just be happy for these kids? We as parents are supposed to lead by example and I’ve gotta say these negative comments are not following that. I’m proud and happy for all the kids and look forward to watching them have the time of their lives this season. Cheers