While attending the past few Lawrence athletic events, I noticed a new addition to the sporting family: the cheerleaders. For those members of the Lawrence community who are not sports enthusiasts, let me inform you of the group.All members are Lawrence students who wish to show their school pride. There are two squads, if you will, presumably the Varsity and Junior Varsity. The Varsity squad is much larger then the JV, and comprised of mostly men. Their uniforms and cheers, however, are non-traditional.
Instead of school colored uniforms, the male cheerleader at Lawrence will wear some sort of sporting paraphernalia with any other odd accessories. Accessories such as aviator sunglasses, leis, seed hats, or sweatbands are common.
As for the cheers, they are just as new and different as the attire. A spectator may hear the chants of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” during basketball free throws for the opposing team.
The Junior Varsity team is considerably smaller and made up entirely of freshman females. They wear the traditional uniforms of skirts and shirts with school colors. Their accessories differ, as they actually have pom-poms they cheer with.
However, they do not have practiced routines like the Varsity, and other then their uniforms, their presence is virtually unnoticed.
Unfortunately, neither one of these squads is school-sponsored. I think it is great that as a school we have so much representation and spirit this year. However, I believe that instead of these imitation cheerleaders, we should have a genuine team. There is definitely a call for them, so I believe that these squads should collaborate and work with the administration to get a real, authentic squad started.
Go Team!
-Robin Humbert