My complaint from lastnight

[JayDub]

What good is it to win those NCAA cheerleading "Bring It On"  competitions when you are pathetic at the mission of the role of "cheerleader".

Do we need a separate "pep squad"?

This is something I've thought we've needed since my first UNT game...our cheerleaders SUCK at leading cheers. I will say that there are a few of the male cheerleaders that try to interact with the crowd and try to get chants started...but most of the squad stand there to look pretty.

Why not have UNT CHEERleaders and let this little gymnastics squad continue to do their thing on their own so they won't be inconvenienced with having to go to games?

[MikeG-USF]

As we all learned in Fast Times at Ridgemont High--- it's not easy being a spirit bunny.

[IronMan4]

Last year I felt the same way you all do about the cheerleaders until the NMSU game. The emotion of that game, plus FFR yelling at them a few times woke them up and I thought they did exponentially better for the remainder of the year.

Hopefully they will have a similar awakening this season very soon.

[NT80]

I think our cheerleaders are fine. They look good and perform normal cheers. I saw them split into two groups (pep squad?) and half went to other side then they combined sometimes.

I think most cheer squads (except crazy a$m aggies) have about the same impact on fans at games...little. Unless they're throwing free stuff. I see TV games with sideline cameras on cheerleaders trying to get the crowd going and a few fans close by participate but most are just watching the game. Perhaps if the cheerleaders were up in the stands they'd get a better response?

[IronMan4]

I think most cheer squads (except crazy a$m aggies) have about the same impact on fans at games...little.

That's a good point. I can't remember the last time I went to a football game on any level and saw the crowd look to the cheerleaders for any type of guidance, they are usually ignored.

As for those crazy Aggies, they must be crazy to prefer dudes with military haircuts over beautiful 21 year old girls in skirts.

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

I think our cheerleaders are fine. They look good and perform normal cheers

Two things:

1) Our cheerleaders claim to not be like the *normal* cheersquads. In fact, they have two champsionships in three years to boost their egos.

2) Normally the attendance is so large at the games that people can't even see the cheerleaders. Fouts is much different. We see more of the track than the field... they are on the track... we see A LOT of the cheerleaders. Maybe this explains why their faults are so obvious?

[WeatherfordMeanGreen]

Some of you guys are so clueless.

We have a national championship cheerleading crew, and you say they are pathetic.

We have an award-winning band from the nation's largest music school, and you complain about them.

Sorry guys. The cheerleaders and the band are two of the FEW groups that are getting the job done at UNT games.

Quit dumping on the people that are actually respected in their fields.

Some of you guys have too much time on your hands.

[UNTLifer]

Perhaps if the cheerleaders were up in the stands they'd get a better response?

I, for one, would like to see this from time to time. This would set UNT apart, make our cheerleaders unique, draw attention,.......Oh, who am I kidding, The 21 year olds in skirts is the real reason. Of course my wife would beat me senseless.

Seriously though, I believe our fans, dance team, and cheerleaders all do a great job. I have never watched them solely throughout the game, but when I do, they seem to be doing a great job.

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

We have a national championship cheerleading crew, and you say they are pathetic.

We have an award-winning band from the nation's largest music school, and you complain about them.

Sorry guys.  The cheerleaders and the band are two of the FEW groups that are getting the job done at UNT games.

No my friend.

I never said the cheerleaders are pathetic. I said they can't cheer worth a damn. Oh, they can tumble and dance to music better than all of them. But leading the football fans in cheers and getting them pumped up on big downs -- they are horrible at this. That is where my complaint stems.

I can't help to notice it.. I am 50 yard line in the 10th row. They are right in front of me. I can be heard over all of them and they have megaphones! I would sit elsewhere, but my season tickets are there.

The band school isn't the "largest" in the nation. Last I heard their were less than a 1000 music students. I know UT has more than that -- if you are talking shear "largeness" of the school. They win awards in their Jazz studies... I think everyone at the university is (or can be) proud of that fact. However, the Jazz program doesn't perform at the games. No one is talking about them. I, for one, have no problem with the band at all (well, besides the "Fly like an Eagle" song being played too often! ).

We are talking about the football games -- not what they do outside the game. They get their jobs done in their fields, but not at the football field. That is all. We can complain about thier football performance without bagging on their programs on a whole.

Do you come to the games? Maybe you don't have an accurate opinion.

[Stan R]

I agree with SteaminWillie. They should add a component to the competition that is something like: "The abliltiy to get people in the stands of home games to follow your cheers." If that was in the competition, they would recieve and F.

Now how much of that can they control? Enough that if they keep the cheers simple and consistent, I believe they would have success. But.. just like I blame DD for the losses, I blame the cheerleaders for the lack of cheer. If the gameplan of doing traditional high school type cheers doesn't work, you got to change your gameplan. And since they are doing nothing of the sort, I give them an F.

GMG!

[Stan R]

By the way, I did notice a couple hundred students on the student side doing the NORTH... TEXAS... cheer. That was great, it's too bad it died out. It is so simple but so easy to do and easy to hear. I say keep that going. And almuni side - you can join it too, ya know.

GMG!

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

And almuni side - you can join it too, ya know.

I am in. I will start it. I am pretty LOUD at the games. I was actually told to shut up this last game.

[Rudy]

As for those crazy Aggies, they must be crazy to prefer dudes with military haircuts over beautiful 21 year old girls in skirts.

Hmmm, that DOES make you wonder. <_<

[Rudy]

I can't help to notice it.. I am 50 yard line in the 10th row. They are right in front of me. I can be heard over all of them and they have megaphones!

[i would sit elsewhere, but my season tickets are there.]

Yea, you would not want to try and move to another seat, ESPECIALLY not at NMSU. All 300 of the invisible fans in the section that you sitting will complain and get you aressted.

[TysonThomas]

LOL...You guys crack me up. First of all, the cheerleaders don't have megaphones. Hey Willie? Why don't you buy them for us? Why don't you say something positive for a change? I love the cheerleaders.....they are great. Maybe they aren't very understandable as to what is going on during playtime...but they are good kids. They also love to be there at the games. Anyways....please stop trash talking.....we need more positive people on this board.

[Brent]

Why is this still active? Let's just forget this thing ever happpened.

[OldTimer]

It's my understanding that none of the cheerleaders get scholarship monies.

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

I don't know why this a$$ clown brought it back up.

I am very clear on my opinion -- yet he gets lost in it somehow.

I am very positive about UNT football. I go to every game. I go to some of the away games when possible. I give $$ to the program.

I am not going to act like I don't have an opinion.

Once again, I didn't say the cheerleaders are a bad idea, or that they AREN'T GOOD FOR THE CHILDREN. I said they can do better work getting the ADULTS in to the game. You can like them. You can even love them. I am not telling you what to think. I think they don't do enough to get the fans in the game. Saying that they *may not* understand what is going on the field is degrading. (ha). They aren't airheads. They have the capacity to cheer on the team, the crowd and themselves at the same time.

And yes, the cheerleaders *do* have megaphones. The male cheerleaders are cheerleaders as well. I wasn't only talking about the women.

[Mean Green Fanatic]

Hey Willie, Umm.....Tyson Thomas is the coach of the cheerleaders. I would be careful about what you say about him.

To Tyson, if you are still reading this thread (and hopefully after this post, this thread will come to a close), can the cheerleaders have some new cheers? When they came over to the students' side to cheer, they did the same like 2 cheers over and over. While the cheer, "Green, White, Mean Green Let's Fight" is a good one, can they have some more cheers? And while on defense, let's get something more than "Defense." That gets old QUICKLY!!!! Maybe something like "Hold 'Em, Hold 'Em" or "Push 'Em Back." It is just a suggestion. But as a student and a member of the Green Brigade, please let's get something new going. And if they do have new cheers, tell the cheerleaders to please use them on the student side more because we should not be treated any differently than the alumni/press box side. One more suggestion. I suggest that a couple of walkytalkies are given to the cheerleaders. Half of the squad (with one of the walkytalkies) comes to the student side. The other half stays on the press box side with the other walkytalky. And they coordinate through the walkytalkies to get the North Texas cheer going. They would each prep their respective side (have one side say North and the other side say Texas). And then once the sides have been prepped, we start the cheer. That way the crowd gets into it and all you can hear is North Texas coming out of the stadium.

Okay, sorry this is a long post. And I hope we can let this thread go now.

[the green rokemi]

I don't think that was the coach of the cheerleaders because willie's right they do have megaphones and if the coach doesn't know that, well...?

Cheerleader- defined as a) one who leads a cheer 2) one who cheerily leads 3) one who leads cheerfully...

[Mean Green Fanatic]

Yes, Tyson Thomas IS the coach. Go to the cheerleading website and scroll to the bottom. He IS the coach. And what I think Tyson was getting at was that are not enough megaphones. Only the male cheerleaders have megaphones.

[Brent]

Cerebus!! Pull the plug! Please! Life support is required and this one just needs to be buried.

[the green rokemi]

MGF, I know that is his name I am just assuming that it is possibly a cheerleader who has registered on the board using the coach's name, but who knows, maybe not, if it is I would feel disappointed in their choice of words...

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

If he is indeed the coach and not someone just using his name (like I am not Steamin' Willie Beamin in real life, but I use the name) -- then he should take the criticism and remarks as things to improve on. NOT, and I will repeat for him, **NOT** just make excuses and tell us to be more positive.

This past Saturday, I went in to Bagelstien's cafe in Dallas and ordered the salmon and cream cheese bagel. The salmon and cream cheese were great. However, the bagel was so hard that I couldn't eat it! I picked around the bagel until the manager walked by and asked how our meals were... when I just commented on the quality of the bagel... he looked at me and said I was too negative and I should appreciate the cheese and fish. He said that he would enjoy the bagel if it were on his plate to eat. Get a load of this, he said that if I didn't like the bagels he had in his store, that I could buy his whole store a different kind of bagel to serve! The nerve, eh?

Ok, that didn't really happen. But, if it did, I would hope the manager would wake up and realize how pathetic he acted. I would also hope he would go to the bakery and get new bagels instead of saying I am the problem for pointing them out.

Telling us to turn a blind eye is not the answer. My original post (from a LONG time ago) were about *my* experience that weekend.

Signed,

Tyson Thomas

Oh.

SWB

[Mean Green Fanatic]

I see your point SWB. Okay Cerebus, time to pull the plug on this thread!!!