My new boss

[flexmaster33]

Don't you just love it when a unrelenting parent thinks that paying 50 cents for the paper makes him/her your Managing Editor. Ughh.

Dealing with one of the worst I've encountered in nearly 15 years of this job...and get this, it's dance team. Whoopee. Everything from daily checks to see if I've called the coach, to constant reminders about upcoming practices and wanting to know when I would be there to do interviews, to now suggesting she throw the idea to other staffers.

I've been cordial in replies, and assured her the story would get what coverage it merited once we saw how they finished at the state competition. They ended up 11th out of 13 teams. Hello, sports briefs...looking forward to that phone call in the morning

 

[jlee]

Give her the number of a swim mom, a cross-country dad and the cheerleading coach. Maybe they can start a support group.

 

[Football_Bat]

Dance team ... now that's a new one.

 

[rpmmutant]

At least when I'm asked to cover a dance team, they actually win something.

 

[slappy4428]

It's an activity. An athletic activity, but not a sport. Lady, try the features section.

 

[mustangj17]

There has to be some way to politely explain to parents what constitutes as news.

 

[schiezainc]

There has to be some way to politely explain to parents what constitutes as news.

"Hi, Ms. Dance Parent, it's LOCALREPORTER from the Podunk Press,

I just wanted to let you know that we will be unable to cover this weekend's spirit fest/camp out smore fest/dance jubilation party. Unfortunately, we no longer have the staff to send to as many events as we would like. If you'd like to, please feel free to submit photos, results and a recap and, space permitting, we'll publish it as soon as we can. Thank you and have a nice day."

 

[Ace]

Tell the caller that you are very sorry but that your religious principles dictate that you don't give coverage to young ladies gyrating in a sexually suggestive way to hip-hop music, while wearing hair extensions, glittery makeup and little else.

 

[ucacm]

The ongoing feud between the dance team and cheerleading squad at my high school was always good for a few laughs.

 

[Ace]

The ongoing feud between the dance team and cheerleading squad at my high school was always good for a few laughs.

It seems that the dance team has relegated the cheerleading team to second-class status in many schools.

 

[ucacm]

The ongoing feud between the dance team and cheerleading squad at my high school was always good for a few laughs.

It seems that the dance team has relegated the cheerleading team to second-class status in many schools.

Well, it was quite the opposite at my high school. This was ten years ago, so I don't know how things have changed.

The dance team was made up of two parts. The first was African-American girls that actually wanted to be on the dance team. The other part was made up of the white girls that didn't make the cheerleading squad. The white girls were routinely whining about a lack of recognition.

 

[Ace]

The ongoing feud between the dance team and cheerleading squad at my high school was always good for a few laughs.

It seems that the dance team has relegated the cheerleading team to second-class status in many schools.

Well, it was quite the opposite at my high school. This was ten years ago, so I don't know how things have changed.

The dance team was made up of two parts. The first was African-American girls that actually wanted to be on the dance team. The other part was made up of the white girls that didn't make the cheerleading squad. The white girls were routinely whining about a lack of recognition.

At my son's school, the dance team is front and center at football games cheering on the crowd. The cheerleaders are off to the side.

I think it may stem from cheerleading being more competitive so that looks aren't as big a factor as they maybe used to be and gymnastics experience and size are huge factors.

Whereas, the dance team seems to attract the popular hotties and wannabes.

 

[flexmaster33]

It's an activity. An athletic activity, but not a sport. Lady, try the features section.

Exactly

 

[albert77]

We're lucky around here, I guess. Only the larger schools have dance teams, and they are all an adjunct of the band, not the cheerleading squads.

 

[TwoGloves]

Tell the parent you'll be pleased to cover the members of the dance team when they graduate and move on to working the poles at the local strip joint!

 

[txsportsscribe]

for a while at my old rag the dance/drill team was regularly on the front page, not just front of sports. of course that was because of feuding moms and accusations that eventually involved the police and the local justice of the peace. best accusation was when one group of girls was accused of trying to run another off the road.

good times.

 

[Birdscribe]

It's an activity. An athletic activity, but not a sport. Lady, try the features section.

Which is almost verbatim of what I used to tell the odd cheerleader mom who would call.

Some took it better than others.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

It's an activity. An athletic activity, but not a sport. Lady, try the features section.

Exactly

The folks in features are going to be pretty cranky. It probably took a couple of years for them to convince mom that it was a sport.

 

[Ace]

It's an activity. An athletic activity, but not a sport. Lady, try the features section.

Which is almost verbatim of what I used to tell the odd cheerleader mom who would call.

Some took it better than others.

That's because they work just as hard as the golfers you are always writing about.

 

[Ace]

One thing with cheerleading that's especially a pain, is that they must have dozens of national championships every year. We have a handful of local colleges and high schools that win national championships every year and want coverage.