Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Women's College Cheerleaders Challenge Stereotype
SMITH COLLEGE IN NORTHAMPTON IS ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST ACADEMICALLY RIGOROUS WOMEN'S COLLEGES -- AND ALMA MATER TO SEVERAL NOTABLE FEMINISTS, INCLUDING GLORIA STEINEM AND BETTY FRIEDAN. SO ONE THING PEOPLE DON'T EXPECT TO FIND ON CAMPUS...... ARE CHEERLEADERS. A NEW 'SMITH SPIRIT SQUAD' IS BUCKING THAT STEREOTYPE, AND RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT WOMEN'S ROLES IN ATHLETICS, AND WHO OWNS THE DEFINITION OF FEMINIST. WFCR'S KAREN BROWN REPORTS.
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Time: 92s
Title: cheer amb - take it to the floor
Description: cheer amb - take it to the floor
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Ambi.... "take it to the floor, come on smith let's score...0:25:39.2 ... 'much better'... that looks really good.
ABOUT TWO DOZEN YOUNG WOMEN IN TANK TOPS AND SWEAT PANTS ARE LINED UP IN TWO ROWS..... LEARNING TO CHANT AND CLAP IN UNISON. THEY'RE HOLDING CHEERLEADING PRACTICE ON A GRASSY FIELD OUTSIDE THE CAMPUS GYM.
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Title: cheer amb - how does that feel
Description: cheer amb - how does that feel
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how does that feel?? good... Wooh!
THIS IS THE SMITH COLLEGE SPIRIT SQUAD, A TWO-YEAR-OLD TEAM OF WOMEN WHO CHEER ON OTHER WOMEN FROM THE SIDELINES AT RUGBY, VOLLEYBALL, AND BASKETBALL GAMES. UNLIKE TRADITIONAL CO-ED SPORTS SCHOOLS, THIS SQUAD IS MOSTLY MADE UP OF WOMEN WHO HAVE NEVER CHEERED BEFORE -- LIKE NICOLE ROTHENheber.
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Title: cheer ax - mixed feelings1
Description: cheer ax - mixed feelings
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Title: cheer amb - background cheering
Description: cheer amb - background cheering
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0:06:27. i went to a high school where cheerleading was very stereotypical, very catty. and i definitely had a lot of mixed feelings about joining the cheering squad, just bc i'd been an upper level gymnast, and a lot of times, yo'ure either a cheerleader or definitely against cheerleading..
ROTHENheber'S TEAMMATES ALSO SAY IT TOOK SOME SELF-CONVINCING TO EVEN TRY OUT. NINETEEN YEAR OLD ALEX GOLDEN HAD BEEN A JOCK IN HIGH SCHOOL.
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Title: cheer ax - never saw myself
Description: cheer ax - never saw myself
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i never saw myself as a cheerleader. i always saw myself as a varsity athlete, softball player..
AND LORNA SYLVESTER WAS A DRAMA KID -- WHO MADE FUN OF THE CHEERLEADERS.
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Title: cheer ax - ditzes
Description: cheer ax - ditzes
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we used to just call them ditzes and airheads … -- 'so how do you figure you guys aren't like that?' ...well, the sheer fact that this is smith college provides a bit of intelligence to the squad
THE MAJORITY OF SMITH CHEERLEADERS ARE SCIENCE MAJORS..... WHAT GOT THEM TO PUT ON THE RED-AND BLACK MINI-SKIRTED UNIFORMS.... WAS THE REALIZATION THAT THIS CHEERING SQUAD IS A TWIST ON THE TRADITIONAL STEREOTYPE. AGAIN, NICOLE ROTHENheber.
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Title: cheer ax - very different
Description: cheer ax - very different
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it's a very diff atmosophre, cheering for a women's college, cheering for women who are so academically focused, but at the same time, want to show their spirit and enthusiasm for athletics on smith college.
BUT WHILE THESE WOMEN HAVE MADE PEACE WITH THEIR PRECONCEPTIONS OF POM-POMS.... THE SAME CANNOT BE SAID OF THE ENTIRE SMITH COMMUNITY. THIS FALL [sept 26], WHEN SMITH OFFICIALS POSTED A VIDEO OF THE SPIRIT SQUAD ON THE COLLEGE'S FACEBOOK PAGE, A LIVELY DISCUSSION ENSUED -- CURRENT STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES WERE LARGELY SUPPORTIVE, BUT MANY OLDER ALUMNAE WERE SHOCKED.
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Title: cheer ax - gut reax
Description: cheer ax - gut reax
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'my gut reaction, was, i can't believe there's cheerleaders at smith!'
LISA HYDER GRADUATED FROM SMITH IN 1983 -- ON THE HEELS OF THE FAILED EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT. SHE WAS AMONG THOSE CHIMING IN ON THE FACEBOOK PAGE -- MOST RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SCHOOL'S FEMINIST CREDENTIALS.
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Time: 32s
Title: cheer ax - coming from diff places
Description: cheer ax - coming from diff places
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we're coming from a different place, and cheerleaders, to us -- they're very stereotypical. 0:02:33.1
sort of the anti-feminist ideal of a woman, a pretty woman cheering on the guys to victory, while they're out there on the field actually doing something.0:02:47.2 sometimes it seems to me like young women today take for granted some of the things that feminists... fought for.
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Time: 23s
Title: cheer ax - pro-feminist
Description: cheer ax - pro-feminist
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if anything, i would say the spirit squad is pro-feminist, in the sense that we're a group of strong women, supporting strong women.
CHEERLEADER NICOLE ROTHENheber......
and in my view, feminism is more about being able to have freedom, and not having boundaries set in front of you, and by pp saying, cheerleading is not feminist, it's like setting a boundary saying we can't do it.
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Time: 42s
Title: cheer amb - more practice, beat rivals
Description: cheer amb - more practice, beat rivals
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AMB: more cheering.... B-E-A-T the rivals!
BRIDGING THE FEMINIST GENERATION GAP….. IS NOT THE ONLY CHALLENGE FOR THESE NEO-PHYTE CHEERLEADERS. THERE'S ALSO THE ... JUMPING, YELLING, DANCING, AND GRAVITY-DEFYING HUMAN PYRAMIDS. SMITH HIRED CHEERLEADING COACH GARNET SHERRY -- WHO HAS TRAINED MORE TRADITIONAL CHEERLEADERS AT COED SCHOOLS -- TO BRING THE TEAM UP TO PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS. SHE SAYS THE WOMEN ARE CERTAINLY SMART AND COMMITTED ENOUGH TO LEARN THE MOVES. THEY JUST NEED TO MOVE BEYOND THEIR CEREBRAL TENDENCIES....AND EMBRACE THE SHOWMANSHIP.
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Title: cheer ax - had to practice
Description: cheer ax - had to practice
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when it comes to them being naturally excited, that was something we had to practice.... they had to get over that fear of being judged. and really take on the role of leading the crowd, regardless if it felt silly or awkward, they realized they got a much more positive response.
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Time: 63s
Title: cheer amb - beat the rivals
Description: cheer amb - beat the rivals
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amb: BEAT THE RIVALS.....
NONE OF THESE WOMEN ARE PLANNING A CAREER WITH THE DALLAS COWBOYS... BUT THEY SAY THEY'RE PROUD OF HOW FAR THEY'VE COME. LAST YEAR, THE SMITH SPIRIT SQUAD HAD ONLY 9 MEMBERS -- AND STILL WON THE AWARD FOR BEST STUDENT ORGANIZATION. THIS YEAR, THE SQUAD HAS ALMOST TRIPLED IN SIZE, AND THE STUNTS ARE GETTING MORE ELABORATE WITH EVERY GAME. I'M KAREN BROWN.
[let ambi trail off....]
