Stacked Cheerleaders, Pt. 2
 

:mad:It happened. District playoff game, both teams stacked their cheerleaders in two rows out from the wall, necessitating a tactful but firm request that when we work down to the endline they should revert to single file along the wall and give us room.
No.
Third series of the game, I'm crossing over to rotate as lead and "OUCH!!!", my right foot rolls over some cheerleader's foot, just about knocking me out of the game.
Barely able to work today. Good thing that, albeit an old guy, this happened toward the end of the season where I might be termed reasonably in shape. Earlier in the year I'd have probably broken it.
Lesson: Request to the cheer coach prior to the game the proper protocol to allow us to work deep off the endline, and STAY IN SINGLE FILE!
I'm not a fan of stacked cheerleaders anymore.

Did you have them moved after that?

I figured I'd have to say the thread is useless without pictures.

We tend to work around the cheerleaders here. I won't allow them anywhere near the lane, but my space to work the game isn't usually a good enough reason for me to move cheerleaders. In some gyms, there's simply not enough room.

Slow down a step or two earlier and you won't run into them.

Response
 

I reiterated the request to each team to move to the wall when we were on their end, this time with a little more stringency. Then at halftime I, not seeing the site supervisor available, expressed the request to each cheer coach. The limp with which I approached each of them spoke louder than my tactful pleas. Tomorrow I'm going straight to the site supervisor to have him seek compliance prior to our game. Our safety is his job, I figure.

Ho Hum - Another Misleading Thread Title......
 

Shoulda known..... :(

I've had to move a cheerleader or two back and away from the endline before too. Never tripped over any though. Ouch.

I've also moved a cheerleading team or two to other areas where there was just more room to operate vice the endline.

Full disclosure - I was a cheerleader in college (D2) and had a blast. We normally had a lot of room to work with in our larger arenas/gyms and I can't recall this ever being an issue. HS gyms are obviously much more of a problem.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. :D

Believe me, there's not! ;)

I've found that they'll move back if you "accidently" step on their toes a time or two !! :D:D:D

I was asked to be a cheerleader in college. I declined, because I'm not very talented at those types of activities. (Shooting guard, no problem.)

When I think back to the athletic short blonde Polish girl that asked me to join, I slap myself upside the head. :eek:

ewww. TMI.

Rich - this may be as good a reason as any to not have pictures, despite the mis-leading thread title. :eek: :D

Freddy, does your league, district, state, ets. have any cheerleader-specific rules? Before going to the site supervisor, make sure you have some backup for your requests. Remember, they spent time rehearsing and practicing to be at the game, so try not to unecessarily take away their part in the festivities. Around here, we also tend to work around the cheerleaders, as most gyms simply don't have the room. I have found that most cheerleaders know when you're there, so they have a tendancy to move out of your way as you move along the endline, even though it may seem like there's not enough room.

This is simple...move the darn cheerleaders before the game...I really don't care where the stand or sit...but WE MUST have room to work and MY personal safety and not the players is MY #1 concern. The players are a close second.

Needed Support for Stacked Cheerleaders Issue
 

No local or state rules. Made the request to one cheer coach earlier in the year who went to her AD to complain vociferously and had the AD tell her to shut up and listen to what we were telling her.
I could go to the state associate director, but he probably has about a zillion really important things going on now, so I'll check tomorrow with the site supervisor who is the host school AD and give him my request. If he's lukewarm on it, I can tactfully approach the cheer coaches personally by virtue of that citation in the rulebook which states that the official is responsible for a safe playing area, or something like that.
BTW, what was misleading about the title of the post? Oh...wait...I get it...sorry...my bad. :eek:
I'll be careful not to do that again. Not. :p

:( I was hoping the title of this thread meant something else and the Russian guy was back with more photos.

ROTFL!

Nice, Bob...

For example, is there a post-game cat fight?

Are you kidding me...if the cheerleaders are in our way of the they of the players they are moving...period. I don't care how long they have put in practicing...if there isn't a game where are they going to cheer?

If they're really in our way, of course they get moved. I just don't make a big deal about it if they are close, and *might* get in our way. In most of the small gyms where this is even an issue, I'm not going to be "that guy" who is the one to move them, when they've been there all season without incident.

To me, it's like a coach chirping - if it affects me to the point where I'm distracted from the game, I will address it. Otherwise it's easy to ignore.

Then there are those that move the "less appealing" against the wall, and the "more appealing" forward. :D

A coach chirping at me isn't the same as a potential season ending injury for me or my partner(s). I am "that guy" who will move them somewhere "I" think is safe me and the entire game. I have moved them so they are on the sideline...two years ago in our playoff game in small gym we told them they could use any part of the baseline and they ended up in the first row of the bleachers...the cheerleading coach wasn't happy...I really didn't care.

+1 After all, it is a basketball game. Not a cheerleading competition. During 60 second timeouts the floor is yielded to them if they choose to use it.

So, what about players who come close to you - do you move them to help avoid *your* season-ending injury? :rolleyes:

Ok, I agree that's a snarky comment. And, for all I know, we could walk into the same gym and agree that, for that night, the cheerleaders are a problem at that particular spot and need to be moved. Each gym, and each situation, might be different. I'm only speaking in general terms about small gyms, and making accomodations for everyone. I've worked in many small gyms without any issues where the cheerleaders are on the endline with me, and there's only 10-12 feet between the line and the wall. Usually they've been taught to stay out of our way when the play is at that end of the court, and they do a good job of it because that's where they've been for many years at that school.

Again, having cheerleaders close by is just not a big deal with me, unless something forces me to look at the situation closer.

Most of the time they aren't an issue, but in our area cheerleaders have no clue what is going on in the game and don't pay attention at all. I had a 7th grade boys tournament that I was working for a buddy of mine and these 7th grade cheerleaders are on the endline from the lane line to the baseline. I asked them if they could move about half of them around the corner and we would be good...one of the cheerleaders looks at me and says NO! 7th grade girl telling me right to me face and they don't move. The second free throw goes in and I asked (told) them to move again...the same cheerleader gives me another "look", I then I told their coach who is sitting in the stands by us that if they don't move they can sit with her. She gives me a dirty look...what is going on with young cheerleaders and cheerleader coaches these days? By the way, they moved! LOL

Meanie! :p

'nuff said. :)

You can always tell a cheerleader, but you can't tell her much.

I thought that had to do with wives? :confused:

(I'm glad mine doesn't read this...)