To some, they may seem closed off, intimidating, overly confident and unintelligent. However, the image of a typical ditzy cheerleader quickly disappears as the University of Oregon cheerleaders consistently prove these stereotypes wrong.
UO junior and cheerleader Molly Neumeister had just finished her burrito with her legs crossed comfortably beneath her when she started to describe her day: 6-8 a.m. cheer practice then two education classes followed by a biology class and then weights practice from 5:30-6:30 p.m. with the plan to finish the night by catching up on homework and studying for midterms.
With a 3.53 GPA, Neumeister is often doubted for her scholastic achievements. “There is the cheerleading, ditzy, dumb stereotype,” said Neumeister, “It’s frustrating because if you put in so much time of hard work in class and then people just assume you are dumb and are shocked with your grades, it gets frustrating.”
In addition to the stereotype of being unintelligent, Neumeister encounters other stereotypes such as the perception of being arrogant, excessively confident and intimidating.
UO cheerleaders have been included in numerous rankings for being some of the hottest college cheerleaders in the nation. Fans voted UO No.5 for hottest college cheerleaders on coed.com in 2012 and were also included in the top-25 hottest cheerleaders by the examiner.com among various others.
“Being cocky and into yourself is another stereotype and also being intimidating. If you know me, I am the least intimidating or cocky person!” Neumeister said as her roommate and UO cheer teammate Nicole Dellamaggiore laughed from the kitchen with approval.
The expectation of looking beautiful and fitting into the tight two-piece uniforms is not a major concern for both Neumeister and Dellamaggiore. With dance, weight and conditioning practices weekly, both girls believe their physical appearance is earned from their training and workouts.
“We don’t think about it as much as you think,” said Neumeister. “You are always working out so you don’t have to worry about it and to be honest, we don’t have time to think about it. You don’t care. Our coach is really big on not being too thin and more about looking and feeling healthy. You do your own thing.”
Dellamaggiore similarly added to Neumeister’s thoughts by stating that they are in better shape than 50 percent of the people in the stands due to constant and intense workouts.
“It’s because we do work out all the time. If someone is going to make a rude comment about our appearance, we just have to realize that we work really hard and at the end of the day we are just normal people like everyone else and we don’t need to add that extra pressure on ourselves,” said Dellamaggiore.
While walking in a line for sorority recruitment in the rain, Dellamaggiore overheard a remark from a girl behind her regarding the cheerleader’s physical appearance at a previous football game.
“One girl yelled out, ‘hey guys, at least we don’t look as bad as the cheerleaders did at the last football game!’ It wasn’t a big deal,” said Dellamaggiore. “Girls will say stuff like that but I don’t take it to heart. I take it more personally when people comment on our intelligence.”
With their precision in dancing and stunting, UO cheerleaders make it look effortless, yet it only seems that way. Whether performing, practicing or working out, from the beginning of tryouts the cheerleaders are always expected to better themselves. For example, the cheerleaders were recently tested on their athleticism and endurance at the end of summer. Each cheer member had to complete a three mile run in under 27 minutes. Neumeister completed her run just below 22 minutes and was then expected to lower her time for the next fitness test in which she succeeded with a time of 21 minutes.
The cheerleaders use this stamina and strength to endure almost nine hours of constant movement during game-days, arriving five hours before they even start.
“You’re not going to stop doing something you love just because of the negative stereotypes,” said Neumeister, “We devote our time and commitment because we love performing and entertaining.”