Where are our Cheerleaders?

As another football season comes to an end, our stands feel quieter than ever. Not too long ago, Vanier’s cheerleaders filled those spaces with rhythm and school spirit. It has now been three years since the Cheetahs Cheerleading team was quietly dismantled, dismissed as an unnecessary component to Cheetah pride.

In trying to align with a feminist cause, the school ended up silencing one of the few places where femininity was celebrated through strength, teamwork, and discipline. Cheerleading wasn’t vanity — it was athleticism, artistry, and community. Its absence mirrors our fading roar on the field.

Maybe it’s time we realize that empowering women through this female dominated sport doesn’t mean erasing what they’ve built through it. Maybe it’s time to bring them back…

Picture Source: https://www.flickr.com College Cheerleaders, Vanier College Cheetahs, Montréal, 24 November 2012 by proacguy1.