Do These Songs Really Rock?

MSNBC just came out with a list of what it calls the top five “cheerleader songs that rock.” Of course there are some obvious ones on it- no list of this kind would be complete without “Hollaback Girl” or the classic “Hey Mickey.” Beyond those two, they make some interesting choices. Although it was never released as a single, they include the opening chant from Bring It On, known as “We are Cheerleaders.” I’m willing to give that one to them. Next on the list is “Be True to Your School” by the Beach Boys. While the song does include some “rah rah rah rah sis boom bahs,” which cover the cheerleading part, I’m not sure I would put it under “songs that rock.” But, everyone loves the Beach Boys, so again I’ll let it slide. But the last one is a real headscratcher. Has anyone ever gotten pumped up to “’65 Love Affair” by Paul Davis? I pride myself on my pop-culture knowledge, but I’ve never heard of this song. They seriously couldn’t find anything better to round out the list?

So the question is, what songs would you put on your list? I’m willing to bet you can do a better job than the folks at MSNBC.

If you interested, you can read the full article here.

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Lifting Spirits

A Pop Warner team in California has taken the chance to lift the spirits of children at San Diego’s Rady’s Children’s Hospital to show their support. Six-year old Aidan Inman, who was hoping to join the Pop Warner flag football team this year, was diagnosed with cancer this July. Upon hearing Aidan’s story, the girls on the Temecula Valley Mighty Grizzlies cheerleading squad wanted to help. Starting with three teddy bears from Build-A-Bear for Aidan and his two sisters, they realized they could spread some cheer to more children at the hospital where Aidan is receiving chemotherapy. Each girl on the team purchased and made a stuffed bear to bring to the hospital so the children would have some extra comfort during their appointments.

Pam Cioffi wrote to The Press-Enterprise of Southern California that the girls, “have hearts of gold” and “are trying to do a little something to alleviate a child-in-need’s pain.”

To learn more about this touching story, visit The Press-Enterprise’s website.

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Bring it On! The Vanessa Born Story

Even professional cheerleaders aspire to Bring It On!

Vanessa Born was a professional cheerleader for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings for three seasons, but felt there was something missing. She packed up her bags and made her way to Hollywood, where she landed a string of roles, including co-starring on Hannah Montana and CSI: NY, before coming full circle in her lead role in the fifth installment of Bring It On: Fight to the Finish. Although she may have had more experience than some of the other cast members, Vanessa recalls having to put in some grueling hours and training for the role as Gloria. In her recent interview with Kiko Martinez at Extra News – Chicago’s Leading Bilingual Newspaper, Vanessa admits, “My butt got kicked on that set a lot.”

If a professional cheerleader is feeling the burn, we’re guessing this sets the stage for the most intense story of the Bring It On saga yet! Catch Vanessa’s full interview click here.

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UConn Loses its Cheerleading Squad

The University of Connecticut has decided to replace its cheerleading squad with what it is calling a “spirit squad.” Rather than showing off tumbling and acrobatic skills, the focus of the squad will be fan interaction, as they will be leading cheers and handing out buttons. The news isn’t just sad for the cheerleaders who did not make the new spirit squad, it’s also disappointing for the fans. As former cheer squad member Alanna Ferguson told the Hartford Courant, “They’re disrespecting cheerleaders in general by doing this. I know people really enjoy watching us when we do our pyramid and stunts, flipping people into air.”

You have to wonder why UConn made this decision. As an increasing number of reports come out about the dangers of cheerleading, did they act because they were worried about being sued because of an injury? Hopefully this isn’t the beginning of a disturbing trend among college athletics.

You can read the full story here.

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