Sports Nut: ?Males?Minimize Exaggerated or Theatrical Movements?

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Sports Nut "Males—Minimize Exaggerated or Theatrical Movements" The controversial new "etiquette guideline" that has rocked the world of competitive cheerleading. By Lily Rothman Posted Friday, Apr 27, 2012, at 10:24 PM ET On the afternoon of March 28, Kyle Gadke was busy with a private cheerleading lesson. When his student took a water break, the 26-year-old, Illinois-based coach looked at his phone and saw an email from the U.S. All Star Federation. The message was about a series of changes to the rules of competitive cheerleading that would take effect next season. Gadke scanned the note quickly, then kept working until late in the evening. By the time he got home, he'd received a torrent of voicemails, texts, and Facebook messages. The new USASF rules included an "image etiquette" guideline that Gadke, who is gay, hadn't noticed on his first read-through. Under the header "minimize the negative," the document said, "Males—minimize exaggerated or theatrical movements." This weekend, as teams from around the world convene at Orlando's Walt Disney World for the world championships of competitive cheerleading, controversy will compete with choreography for the cheer world's attention. Reaction to nearly every aspect of the March rule changes has been negative. Some think that restrictions on acrobatics—"Consecutive bounding, twisting skills are not allowed"—will limit competition. Others feel that restrictions on hair-bow size—"Bows should not be excessive in size (acceptable bows are generally no more than 3" in width) and shouldn't be a distraction to the performance. Bows should be worn in a manner to minimize risk for the participants"—are needlessly draconian. A change.org petition has been circulating that asks for the rules ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Saletan: It's Wrong To Use War for Political Advantage—Unless You're a Republican Teaching Ex-Orthodox Jews How To Date in New York How Bad Would a Cyber Attack Be? Would People Die?	Advertisement
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