‘Give me a d (for dollars)’

Jessica Garrison

COSTA MESA -- Being a cheerleader at Costa Mesa High School just got more

cheerful -- and more expensive.

Last week, the girls -- they are all girls -- learned they were one of

three squads from their cheerleading camp picked to go to an all-star

competition in Hawaii next February.

The only problem? The girls have to raise almost $20,000 to get there.

And that’s in addition to the $12,000 they need for uniforms and training

fees.

“We pray a lot, and we fund-raise,” said Coach Jennifer Roark.

Though it’s hard to imagine football games without cheerleaders, the

squad gets only $500 per year from the school -- and not one cent of the

proceeds from football game tickets.

“You can hold a football game without cheerleaders, and that’s just the

way it is,” Roark said of the sum allocated to cheerleading team.

So in addition to two hours a day of practice, and three hours a week of

gymnastics practice, plus countless hours spent lifting weights, the

girls have to fund-raise like a group of politicians.

They hold monthly car washes, host Little League cheer clinics and

regional cheerleading competitions, and they also sell ads in the

football program, for which they get to keep 75% of the proceeds. The

other 25% goes to the football team to help pay for printing expenses.

But the girls say they don’t mind all the work. They are just happy that

cheerleading is finally beginning to get the respect at their school they

think it deserves.

“It was out for a while, but it’s coming back,” said junior Darlene

Vasquez, who has endured taunts of “she’s an airhead. She’s a

cheerleader” for asking questions in class.

Teammate Erika Pedersen said she thinks earning the trip to Hawaii will

help the squad win even more recognition. Erika was also picked to cheer

in a New Year’s parade in London.

“I think Hawaii would be great,” she said. “We get a lot of negative

stuff. This would be positive.”

Erika’s mother, Jackie Pedersen, tells horror stories of the time she

came to watch her daughter cheer at a rally and the squad got booed.

“I was aghast and appalled,” she said.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” her daughter responded. “It’s not like

we’re out there to impress them.”

In fact, in contrast to the stereotypical image of cheerleaders from

football games past, the girls say they are out on the field not just to

yell for the boys, but also because they see themselves as athletes in

their own right.

“We’re really pushing that these girls are all athletes,” said Assistant

Principal Peggy Dawson.

To donate to the girls’ trip, call Roark at (714) 424-8700 or send checks

to the Costa Mesa High School Cheerleaders Special Fund, 2650 Fairview

Road, Costa Mesa, 92626.