Cheerleading

[numbr_9]

I think it's a little irrational to blame the girl that fell .. Im sure she didn't do it on purpose. I dont know cheerleading procedure, so I dont know if it was an easily preventable occurrence, or just an accident that inevitably happens from time to time when engaging in risky maneuvers.

I do understand some of the resentment towards the situation though, because i remember clearly what a momentum-killer that delay was. Impossible to say what would have happened, but I do recall that event/delay really changed the direction of that game.

[Stryker]

Purhaps you we could get a few more waves going around the arena. I know we had some last year, but alot of the older fans don't like to jump out of their seats...

[Beninator]

I'd like to know why?

Sure she roots for the opponents and she got an incredible amount of media attention simply by happenstance,
but by all objective measures, she's a nice kid and pretty gutsy as well.

Not blaming the girl and I am glad that she made it ok without any injury. I do think that doing the SIU cheer while on the backboard was way over the top though.. just my opinion...

[tornado]

True, and some of the published reports said she was found to have a "cracked vertebra".
Those arm motions even while she had her neck immobilized could have unknowingly caused serious spinal or nerve damage.

http://www.amiannoyingornot.com/(S(2wbing3wqsz31sblyk0serzn))/view.aspx?ID=17481

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1699301&page=1

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/phil_taylor/03/15/hot.button/index.html

[Beninator]

True, and some of the published reports said she was found to have a "cracked vertebra".
Those arm motions even while she had her neck immobilized could have unknowingly caused serious spinal or nerve damage.

http://www.amiannoyingornot.com/(S(2wbing3wqsz31sblyk0serzn))/view.aspx?ID=17481

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1699301&page=1

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ton/index.html

wow...never heard that part of all this...

[Chico]

What did you expect her to do, give the Bradley cheer? How many times have we seen football players being carted off the field give the thumbs up sign? To me, even though I hated to see the momentum change, I thought she did what a cheerleader is supposed to do, inspire her team.

[Beninator]

For the most part, I think that the football players giving the thumbs up sign is totally different and very acceptable. That sign gives both the players and fans an indication that the backboard and or treatment is a necessary precaution and that the player thinks that he or she will be ok.

[Dubl R 1]

I was at that game in the front row, and believe me, at the time I was extremely annoyed by the whole incident. I turned to my friend and said, well that's it, there it is, Southern's gonna win the game, and all they will talk about tomorrow was that cheerleader leading her team to victory from a stretcher. Really, it was left-handed jump hooks from Randall Falker that kept BU from winning that afternoon.

You can't really blame her for doing what she did, plus, I bet if it had been a BU cheerleader, we would be singing her praises.

[BUrednwhite]

Though I'm sure we are all glad that she had a full recovery from her injuries, that fault does still lie on her and the spots (the men). Being a fomer UCA employee and seeing (and being at the game as a fan) it happen, there was an insufficient number of spots watching the girl. There are rules that apply to how many spots are needed for every girl in the air.

Additionally, the pyramid (which is normally not too difficult) requires that the girl hold on with both hands. The SIU Cheerleader let go of the pyramid with one hand to wave. This resulted in her losing balance and falling to a floor with no one to spot for her.

Again, let me reiterate that I know everyone was glad she recovered well, but it saying it wasn't her fault is incorrect. Just letting you know the complete story.

By the way, I hope this is the end of this topic (SIU) within this thread, for I'm sure we have gotten way off topic.

Go Braves!

[abesimpson]

I think this would be a good place to start for getting the crowd into it: http://www.buscout.com/ver5/sportsar...ate=2007-10-26

Adam's got a point in this column, I often felt weird just standing and clapping. The only exciting part was chanting B-R-A-D-L-E-Y. Maybe the AD could really let students create lyrics to a new song, they opened it up for t-shirt design for the Red Sea.

[Da Coach]

As an ancient graduate of Bradley, we had to learn those lyrics to the fight song as freshmen, because we could be harassed by upperclassmen if we were approached on campus and did not know the words. I am sure some of the other "old guys" who went to Bradley remember this.

I have thought about the lyrics many times and wondered if they should be redone to modernize the song and make it applicable to basketball, since it was obviously written with football in mind. But there is something slightly sacred (if anything could be slightly sacred) about that song, and I would lean toward leaving it alone. Maybe someone could write a new fight song applicable to Bradley basketball, and intended to apply to every year, not just a single season (like yajusneverno). I'd like to see it!

[real fan]

The cheerleaders do a great job of trying to get the fans in the game by going up the rows of the civic center and trying to get the fans to stand up and make some noise; too bad that some of these people only get up once in a great while as they do not have the same passion for the game as some of us do.

[Chico]

Please don't start again on the people who don't go wild at the games. If it wasn't for the community we wouldn't have a Bradley basketball program. Let everyone do their own thing. I know I make up for some that won't, or can't stand ad cheer.

[Da Coach]

Chico is right. Some of those "old folks" that don't stand and cheer all the time donate thousands of dollars to Bradley and have done so for years. We should be thanking them because they more than anyone have helped make Bradley something special, and not just another midmajor struggling to draw fans and compete. We have to find ways to raise spirit and increase the home court advantage that encourages and includes all the season ticket holders.

[thefish7]

I don't think there's any lack of appreciation of the contribution, or desire to put them down... But like Chico said, "Let everyone do their own thing." This, I think should include standing and cheering when appropriate.