2009: Not so "Cheer"ful

As a blurry-eyed PV High freshman, I could never keep straight all the various flavors of "Cheerleader" at my school. There were so many uniforms, and all the girls looked so cute to me, how could I ever know who was on which squad? Looking back at my yearbook, the source of my confusion is clear. We had all of the following: Cheerleading, Songleaders, Drill Team, Novelty Drill Team, Military Drill Team, Dance Drill Team, Pep Squad, Flag Twirlers and Tall Flags.








I am exhausted just writing that list! My theory was that PV High was so status-conscious that everyone wanted to say that they were somehow a "cheerleader." By offering that mind-numbing list of cheer-light flavors, everyone gets a piece of the action. And I'm sure there was no shortage of parental support for all of these programs, given what I know of the competitive nature of PV Moms.

Today, the list is down to two: Cheer and Song. Simple, right? Although the uber-cute black outfits and red hair ribbons are almost indistinguishable. And both seem to employ pompoms, hmmmm . . .





I'm not convinced that this list won't grow, though. PVHS was closed for about 10 years in the 90s and only re-opened in 2002. I bet the slate was wiped clean when the school re-opened, and there will be a proliferation of dancey-girl-groups in the coming years.

My favorite thing about this topic is the social heirarchy that developed at 1980s PVHS. I could never ever keep track of it. To this day, I have a friend, who is pushing 40, mind you, who still gets livid every time I say, "You were on Rifles, right?" Her reply is always a vehement, "I was NOT on RIFLES!" Ohhhh, so sorry, you were a Flag Twirler? Not Novelty Drill Team, or was it? HA!