Clap the Thunder

Angela Power drops in on Gateshead's cheerleaders and applauds their daring aerial stunts and style.

Bumps and bruises - and that's just the cheerleaders

When I was expecting bundle-of-joy number two, I secretly wanted a girl. I already had a boy, and I thought a little girl would give our family unit gender equilibrium (plus someone to shop with later on). When Lucas appeared, with his mop of dark hair and long eyelashes, I was smitten. And now I am more than glad to be mum to two lads, especially in a world where image seems to be everything and the pressure on girls to live up to airbrushed super model standards is all-consuming. What's this got to do with rugby league? Well, my boys love the game. Match nights chez Powers invariably turn into rough and tumbles, when the two try to emulate what they've seen on the screen. They aspire to be just like their heroes.

Girly

Now girls love rugby just as much as boys. But little girls also like girly things. And what's more girly at rugby league games than cheerleaders? With their bright shiny outfits, tumbling golden locks and beaming smiles, they dance and shimmy to the music while thousands watch on admiringly. Then the little girls plead with mum to take them to cheerleading classes so they can be just like them. What's wrong with that? Now you can call me a party pooper, but I'm not sure it's such a good role to aspire to. I've been to games where I've seen so-called cheerleaders take to the field wearing outfits that look more like bikinis, and showing more cleavage than a lingerie catalogue. Smiling and pouting at the crowds, they gyrate provocatively. They are not so much cheer leaders as leer-leaders. Before you go all indignant on me, I know there are a lot of cheerleading troupes who cover up, dance without being suggestive and add to the overall razzmatazz of game day. Overall, they add to the atmosphere and show an exceptional level of dancing talent. I went up to Gateshead recently to see the Thunder cheerleaders at a training session and I was very impressed. This is what I call proper cheer leading .... you know, where they actually lead cheers? Their version owes a lot to the American style of cheerleading - all strong arm movements, lots of gymnastics and careful choreography.

Stunts

They also perform aerial stunts which take your breath away with their daring and style. This is the sort of cheerleading that demands courage, sporting ability and imagination. Not for them the trauma of spoiled manicures - these girls have to deal with bumps and bruises on a daily basis.

Guidelines

The Rugby Football League provides guidelines for cheerleading groups, aimed at encouraging them to perform in a manner appropriate for a family audience. They are working on bring all the teams' troupes together as part of the UK Cheerleading Association, in order to create common goals, offer training support and even encourage competition between them. Click in the link here to see Gateshead Thunder's chant and their coach Rachel Garbutt explaining the way forward for cheerleading. I for one would be happy for my little girl to aspire to taking part in this kind of activity. Or my little boy for that matter.