Fred Goodwin, CMA
2006-05-04 19:18:22 UTC
Pep and Circumstance: Five questions with a Texas cheerleader
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/sioncampus/05/04/texas.cheerleader
http://tinyurl.com/mlxvw
Posted: Thursday May 4, 2006 11:23AM; Updated: Thursday May 4, 2006
1:08PM
By Jacob E. Osterhout
A lot of men -- and women too, for that matter -- spend a lot of time
staring at cheerleaders, but few can answer what's going through the
minds of these pretty peppy people on the sidelines. So I went out and
found me a true Texas cheerleader who could explain her mysterious art.
Mia Adams is a sophomore at the University of Texas. She is in her
second year on the co-ed cheerleading squad for both the Longhorns'
national championship football squad and Elite Eight hoops team.
SI On Campus: How accurate a portrayal of cheerleading was Bring It On
with all the cat fighting and trash talking intersquad rivalries?
Mia Adams:Bring It On was not an accurate portrayal of cheerleaders. It
made us look too focused on our physical appearance and less
intelligent than we really are. But yes, we have rivalries -- they
follow the football team loyalties. Texas Tech is our biggest rival,
though it doesn't really show on the field because it's not like we
(the cheerleaders) are competing head to head with each other.
SIOC: Do people recognize you guys off the field? Do they expect you to
be all bubbly and somersaulty when they approach you?
MA: One time I was at a TCBY and I was wearing clothing that said Texas
cheerleading and this father comes up and asks me to do a cheer for his
daughter. Then he bought me an ice cream.
SIOC: You mean a fro yo? How often do those big aerials end in bad
spills?
MA: I once saw a girl fall and break her wrist. That was bad, but we
get to use the training facilities if we get hurt. I've fallen once. My
freshman year, during the first game of the season, I was tumbling out
during the introductions and I over-rotated and tumbled to the ground.
It was more embarrassing than painful but everyone was looking at the
players so I don't think anyone noticed.
SIOC: Now the $64,000 question: What's the best way to pick up a
cheerleader?
MA: Be one of those enthusiastic fans and just go crazy. Those are the
people we look at the most. That's the best way to catch my attention.
(At games) we get hit on a lot. People will flirt with me and I'll just
kind of smile and say, "Go Texas." If they keep going I'll just say, "I
have a boyfriend."
SIOC: Is it hard to put on that winning smile if you're having a bad
day or if your team's losing?
MA: Getting started can be difficult, but once you get in the stadium
and people are going crazy you kind of just get in the mood. It can be
more difficult when your team is losing, but that's when our job is
more important, though at Texas our football team wins all the time.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/sioncampus/05/04/texas.cheerleader
http://tinyurl.com/mlxvw
Posted: Thursday May 4, 2006 11:23AM; Updated: Thursday May 4, 2006
1:08PM
By Jacob E. Osterhout
A lot of men -- and women too, for that matter -- spend a lot of time
staring at cheerleaders, but few can answer what's going through the
minds of these pretty peppy people on the sidelines. So I went out and
found me a true Texas cheerleader who could explain her mysterious art.
Mia Adams is a sophomore at the University of Texas. She is in her
second year on the co-ed cheerleading squad for both the Longhorns'
national championship football squad and Elite Eight hoops team.
SI On Campus: How accurate a portrayal of cheerleading was Bring It On
with all the cat fighting and trash talking intersquad rivalries?
Mia Adams:Bring It On was not an accurate portrayal of cheerleaders. It
made us look too focused on our physical appearance and less
intelligent than we really are. But yes, we have rivalries -- they
follow the football team loyalties. Texas Tech is our biggest rival,
though it doesn't really show on the field because it's not like we
(the cheerleaders) are competing head to head with each other.
SIOC: Do people recognize you guys off the field? Do they expect you to
be all bubbly and somersaulty when they approach you?
MA: One time I was at a TCBY and I was wearing clothing that said Texas
cheerleading and this father comes up and asks me to do a cheer for his
daughter. Then he bought me an ice cream.
SIOC: You mean a fro yo? How often do those big aerials end in bad
spills?
MA: I once saw a girl fall and break her wrist. That was bad, but we
get to use the training facilities if we get hurt. I've fallen once. My
freshman year, during the first game of the season, I was tumbling out
during the introductions and I over-rotated and tumbled to the ground.
It was more embarrassing than painful but everyone was looking at the
players so I don't think anyone noticed.
SIOC: Now the $64,000 question: What's the best way to pick up a
cheerleader?
MA: Be one of those enthusiastic fans and just go crazy. Those are the
people we look at the most. That's the best way to catch my attention.
(At games) we get hit on a lot. People will flirt with me and I'll just
kind of smile and say, "Go Texas." If they keep going I'll just say, "I
have a boyfriend."
SIOC: Is it hard to put on that winning smile if you're having a bad
day or if your team's losing?
MA: Getting started can be difficult, but once you get in the stadium
and people are going crazy you kind of just get in the mood. It can be
more difficult when your team is losing, but that's when our job is
more important, though at Texas our football team wins all the time.