Pom’s vs Cheer
The rivalry between the dance team and cheer team. They both compete for the top social status.
November 9, 2015
At Iowa City West High, the POMS dance on the field during half time with the marching band while the cheer team tumbles and gets the crowd fired up. Cheerleading and POMS are a significant part of West High for those who watch or participate in sports.
In California, a new bill was passed that officially made competition cheer a high school sport. This makes one wonder if West High students think of their cheer or dance team are really a sport and if so, which one they prefer.
When Quiana Starling, a sophomore on the West High cheer team was asked, do you consider cheerleading a sport, this is how she responded, “Competitively, yes. But sideline cheering, not really.” A similar response was received from former West High Cheerleader, Kaitlyn Bernhard. “I consider competitive cheer a sport, but sideline cheer is not.”
According to a survey of 69 students at West, some of them think that the dance team is pointless or the cheer team is not as cool as POMS, some happened to leave nice comments about each. A quote from the POMS vs Cheer survey, “They’re very talented as well, but they don’t get as much recognition as the POMS, I feel.” This quote was in regard to the cheerleaders. Students believe that the cheer team is more fun and entertaining to watch during events. Not all of the comments about the POM’s were negative, however, students also said some good comments like, “They’re very talented,” or, “They are very good dancers.”
The purpose of cheer is to pump up the crowd, boost team spirit, and compete with other schools. The cheer team isn’t just for sideline cheer. They compete for state as well as other competitions, such as nationals if they wow the judges and qualify. In contrast the purpose of the dance team is for entertainment as a half time show. The dance team also goes to many competitions as well including state, regionals, and nationals.
When a POMS team member was asked, what is the first thing you think of when you hear the word, cheerleading, this is how she responded. “I think of, tumbling, skills; like the lifts they do in the air, but I think of things of what I see them do,” said Maddy Floss ‘19. Maddy claims being able to do the split jumps, turns, sharp with movements, and be really strong are what it takes to make it on POMS.
73% of students, however, presume the cheer team is for showing spirit, support, boosting crowd moral, and keeping spirits high during football games. While 42% of West High students surmise that the dance team is for dancing and entertaining.
The survey shows that the cheer team is preferred by the students at West High.