THE EDITOR, Sir:
RECENTLY JAMFIT and the Ministry of Health attempted to stage a cheerleading competition.
JAMFIT and its judges seem to have forgotten that in these days of cable Jamaicans have seen cheerleading on ESPN or at football, basketball or baseball games and now know that cheerleading has nothing to do with "pon de river or pon de bank".
Sunday's result at the inaugural competition was a blatant miscarriage of justice where Hillel, Ardenne and Queens were the teams who attempted to do cheerleading as one should and they came 2nd, 4th and 3rd respectively, while the "winners", Immaculate, went as far from cheerleading as to have expletives in their music and turned the competition into a dancing one.
I am an American who is here on vacation and was pleased to hear about the competition because I know that Jamaica is a country with amazing talent so I was looking forward to the competition. I think I know a little about cheerleading since I have gone to several UCA cheerleading competitions.
In my humble opinion only Hillel academy would even qualify to enter a real cheerleading competition. They had tosses, stunts hurkies, pyramids, liberties, chairlifts, shouldersits, arabesques, full extensions, elevators and even a scorpion and three whirlybirds, now I ask the organisers why wasn't the best squad rewarded?
I am urging JAMFIT to rethink this entire cheerleading thing. Go back to the drawing board and decide what you are looking for and change the name if necessary because dancing is just a small part of a cheerleading routine, not the entire routine.
Hillel, you may not have won in the judges' minds but you were the winners in the hearts and minds of the entire crowd. Children keep up the good work, do not get discouraged and maybe next year the competition will be up to your standard.
I am, etc.,
American visitor
