It isn't easy being a male cheerleader. Never mind that any cheerleading above the junior high school level requires not only coordination, commitment, skill, and athleticism but also just plain balls. Cheerleading carries a stigma of being fluffy, froofy, and effeminate: if sports were food, many people would consider cheerleading cotton candy. And that's just for women. God forbid you should have a Y chromosome and think it might be fun to do back tucks, throw people into the air, or dance in sync with 20 other people. If you're a spirit-squad hetero, you probably spend all your time proving it. And if you're gay? Better bone up on those self-defense classes — and then get ready for your career as a wisecracking, flamboyant sitcom roommate.
That is, unless you're a member of CHEER SF, the world's first and longest-running LGBT-identified cheerleading squad. Yes, you've seen them at practically every major queer-oriented event, but what do you really know about them? Though the all-volunteer squad is officially coed, its makeup of more than 30 members now tends to be 75 percent male, and most of them are gay — CHEER SF started in 1980, in fact, as an all-gay male squad of five members.
Even more important, they're serious cheerleaders, performing gravity-defying stunts, remarkably syncopated dance moves, awe-inspiring gymnastics, and all. Volunteers are asked to make a one-year commitment, show up for three-hour rehearsals every Tuesday, and promise to perform 10 times a year (with another 20 events optional). Not to mention the financial investment: polyester performance uniforms, plus T-shirts, shorts, and shoes, which can add up to $400 before cheer camp and travel costs.
No, this is no swishy, ironic version of Will Ferrell's famous SNL skits. This is the kind of squad that, if you saw them compete on CNN, would make you go, "Holy crap, they're amazing."
I BELIEVE I CAN FLY
Look closely and you'll see something else that sets CHEER SF apart, aside from its dude-to-dudette ratio: inclusiveness of ethnicities, sizes, ages, and gender identifications. And if you have any familiarity with cheerleading, you'd notice something else unusual: men in the air.
In traditional cheerleading, men and women have traditional roles. Men are bases and tumblers, valued for strength and stability. Women are fliers and dancers, valued for lightness and cuteness in a short skirt. Not so with CHEER SF, which has been sending men into the air for 20 years. The result is not only revolutionary — something that, like sideways haircuts and oversize sunglasses, the mainstream has finally picked up on way after the gay community discovered it — but also spectacular.
"Guys that fly, they're awesome," said main choreographer and creative director Morgan Craig, a former dancer and gymnast who joined the squad after he was handed a flyer in the Castro 16 years ago. "Right now, one of our male fliers does a double full basket."
I'm not touching that comment with a 10-inch pole.
Of course, not all guys can, or want to, fly. That's why women were invited to join the squad eight years ago: there just weren't enough small men who wanted to be thrown into the air to execute collegiate-level stunts. Now, with a coed squad, CHEER ...
I was able to access a less blocked computer , however , I thought there were boards here .
I wanted to post about my likely not going to Pride's festival/fair , due to my lack of $ .
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