UTSA Cheer program changes

[GTRunner]

http://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/utsa-cheer-team-starts-petition-against-program-changes

It's a sport and they should be able to compete. They're also very good and represent the university well.

[Volkmar]

Sure isn't much information given. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that our only national title is in Cheer, when our cheer team won it all in the 2014 UCA College Nationals. They also finished 2nd in 2015 and in 2016. Like GTRunner said, they represent our university well on the national stage, and we wanna take that away from them? The only thing I can think of is that this move might be fueled by budget issues after we spent big money for football and basketball coaches, but I wish our administrators would be more forthcoming on the specifics. These kids put in a lot of hours and are legitimate athletes, so I can understand how they'd be upset about not being able to compete.

[GTRunner]

They also had video that included interviews with cheerleaders. Not sure why it wasn't included with the story.

[forerunner]

That doesn't work for me. There's got to be a way to scrape the money together... they're our best-performing team.

[Volkmar]

That doesn't work for me. There's got to be a way to scrape the money together... they're our best-performing team.

Agreed. I'm donating.

[forerunner]

Agreed. I'm donating.

Just gave for volleyball and COLFA but I'll see what I have. A program of that caliber is worth it.

[UTSA Para 04]

Questions I have:

If enough money is donated will they be allowed to compete?

Or does the new policy specifically say they won't be allowed to?

If they are allowed, how much money would they need and when would they need it?

[LRP]

The A.D. is doing something about the lack of coordinated chants at football games. Too many threads on RT complaining about a lack of game day experiences, it must have caught the A.D.'s attention.


"In reviewing the growing needs of the athletics program, we believe the team's top focus should be on providing an outstanding sideline cheer program for our teams and its fans."

[Volkmar]

It doesn't seem as though it would be too difficult a thing to get coordinated chants going at games though. Some banners, megaphones maybe, and maybe light stunts? I know basically nothing about cheerleading, but it doesn't seem as though we need to take their opportunity to compete away from them in order for them to coordinate more chants at games. Are there any former or current cheerleaders on this board who can provide any insight? Really though, how hard can it be to lead fans in cheers at games?

To me, it's not so much what our cheerleaders are or aren't doing at games, as much as it is our fans' willingness to take part in it. There have been many posters here on RowdyTalk who've flat-out said they have no interest in chants or anything of the sort. And we didn't exactly have a nice crowd turn out the first time we tried to institute our own version of yell practice at the Convo a couple years ago either. I drove all the way from Houston to be there for that thing, hoping I'd be able to witness the making of a new UTSA tradition, and was really disappointed by the turnout and lack of interest.

[Fear The Beak]

Are the cheerleaders that go to nationals the same ones that are at the football games? If so, why don't they do their competition routines (in parts) between quarters on the field? I do agree that the cheerleaders are kinda invisible at the games, but not sure why they have to give up competitions.

[Volkmar]

Are the cheerleaders that go to nationals the same ones that are at the football games? If so, why don't they do their competition routines (in parts) between quarters on the field? I do agree that the cheerleaders are kinda invisible at the games, but not sure why they have to give up competitions.

Part of the reason they're not as visible as some of us might like them to be though is due to all the commercial crap we have going on at almost every conceivable break in action. Our cheerleaders are barely even given a chance to make their presence known. Let our band, our cheerleaders, our pom squad, our dance team, etc. take over the show more often at breaks, and we might see some more involvement from the fans. No one wants to sit on their asses watching all that other crap on the monitors all the time. But don't take their chance to compete away from them.

[Deuce]

The A.D. is doing something about the lack of coordinated chants at football games. Too many threads on RT complaining about a lack of game day experiences, it must have caught the A.D.'s attention.


"In reviewing the growing needs of the athletics program, we believe the team's top focus should be on providing an outstanding sideline cheer program for our teams and its fans."

That's a really good post. It makes a lot of sense.

I can see why there is a backlash, given the team's success at competitions. If they weren't placing near the top at these things, it would probably be easier to accept.

That said, it shouldn't be lost that the primary mission of cheer should be support of our athletic teams. (Note that I'm not insinuating that cheer isn't a sport or that cheerleaders aren't athletes.)

[Volkmar]

That's a really good post. It makes a lot of sense.

I can see why there is a backlash, given the team's success at competitions. If they weren't placing near the top at these things, it would probably be easier to accept.

That said, it shouldn't be lost that the primary mission of cheer should be support of our athletic teams. (Note that I'm not insinuating that cheer isn't a sport or that cheerleaders aren't athletes.)

Again, I don't think anyone denies that their primary mission is to support our athletic teams. Why does one have to be at the expense of the other though? How difficult can it be to provide a sideline cheer program and lead the crowd in chants? Do we really need to take away their opportunity to compete for them to do that? I can tell you right now that if we take away this away, the quality of cheerleaders we attract to our university will go down because the best will want to go somewhere where they can compete against others, not somewhere where they're essentially told, "We don't care how well you represent us nationally, or how successful you are in competitions. Know your role, because you're only here to entertain at games."

I'd like to know how other universities handle this because it's a damn shame that we're taking something away from our kids, that they excel at, and which brings our university more publicity and recognition. And yeah, I know most people who aren't in cheerleading circles don't pay attention to those competitions, but every little bit helps our school.

[JagRunner]

This is part of becoming a Tier 1 University. Go look at the cheer squads of those schools. That is why so many of you are always posting hot pieces of cheer ass all over Rowdy Talk because those schools attract those types of cheer athletes that want to compete.

They cut this out of cheer and we won't have any cheerleaders wanting to cheer for UTSA or on the sidelines at all. They'll go to another school that will allow them to compete.

[Mac290]

I assume cheer is not covered by Title IX, which would allow the university to make the cuts for budgetary reasons without legal implications. That said, how much could it cost to send 15 gals + Rowdy (I guess) to a competition a few times a year?