Bulldogs to reinvigorate Cheer Squad

[bulldogtragic]

How often did you have to meet up during the week. It must of been difficult to get to those meetings if you were busy with work or lived far away. Was it a good overall experience BT.

See above ED.

Although I remember scoring a 5 foot high solid cardboard bulldog off a banner which I somehow obtained to games for a few seasons, I think I gave it up Waverley one day.

[Ghost Dog]

I have told this story on here before, but a few years ago I flew over when we played Melbourne on a Friday night in the driving rain. i decided to brave the elements for a quarter and go sit behind the goals with the brave souls that had stayed in the rain.

I got down there (there were literally empty rows everywhere) and I went and sat on the end of an aisle. This bloke made a bee line for me and very abruptly said "all of these rows are reserved for cheersquad". I thought he was being funny because it was absolutely driving with rain, halfway through the game, and most sensible people had gone for the cover. I chuckled at what I thought was a joke. "If you don't move mate, I am getting security".

So I went across the other side of the aisle. To an almost completely empty bay.

If that was the culture, this change is loooooong overdue.

Ps I was wearing a bulldogs jumper and scarf.

TAC I'm glad you re-posted this because I had a faint memory of this story and you saved me from having to find it. Atrocious.

I've never really had a good vibe from the cheersquad. And there was some incident, a racial thing? involving players who wouldn't shake their hands? or some weird thing?

[Happy Days]

The cheer squad sucks for so so many reasons;

- they invented the "doggy doggy doggy" chant, and also a Barmy Army "everywhere we go" knockoff that sucks as bad as you think it does

- they made a "Peter Rhode our mastermind" sign that we still haven't lived dow

- they ruined the notion of a banner by printing it on the same sheet of white plastic every week

- if you ever sit with them, they force you to buy raffle tickets to weird shit you don't want

- all the members of it are standoffish and pretty ugly

- the worst players get all the sign treatment (Addison and Picken had a dual headed monster this year, not sure if any of you saw it but it did not deserve prime time)

- the bus they go to the game in looks terrible and by being parked outside the ground must rack up thousands of dollars of parking fines for the club every year

Let's be super anti-meta and abandon the cheer squad. Get James Sherry to run around level 3 starting chants until something sticks of we need artificial noise that badly.

[jeemak]

Jesus HD. I can't tell if you're being ironic and actually love the cheer squad, or hate it.

[Remi Moses]

My 2 cents
Cheer squads in General, should go the way of the Dodo bird.

[LostDoggy]

Heard on SEN the guy who ran our cheer squad. He was very negative towards the decision made by the club and acted like he was told nothing as to why the change is happening.

[always right]

I've never been in the cheer squad but it always made me feel a little strange to see the age of the blokes who are still running it. Not surprised that someone described our cheer squad as having a distinct hierarchy.

Cheer squads are a strange phenomenon.....a mixture of wide eyed kids and older people who create the perception that there probably isn't too much else going on in their lives. Perhaps harsh but that's my honest perception of cheer squads in general. Look at Collingwood and Joffa.......there's someone who may be a decent bloke but you get the impression he enjoys a status within the cheer squad that he could never hope to achieve in life outside of footy.

I think this is a good move by the club as our cheer squad is clearly in decline and kind of irrelevant on match days. Despite my concerns however, I would have liked to see the club acknowledge those who have supported the cheer squad over so many years in their release.

As for the future cheer squad, the first thing they should do is appoint someone to create the messages on the banner which on occasions have been embarrassing. My two favourites were from many years ago. Can just imagine how inspired the players would have been when confronted by the following messages;
"PLEASE!"
"RING MARGE FOR CATERING 871 3456"

[LostDoggy]

The Cheer Squad should be all inclusive and fun for youngsters who, because of this experience, become lifelong patrons of the future. To do this to as wide an audience as possible, we should have a core group of people whose job it is is to make the whole experience a delight for other invited groups of children and / or parents each week. The Cheer squad would not only be behind the goals and making banners, but would also be taking groups on tours and generally acting as positive conductors of all things Bulldog. I would want the leaders to be people who are naturally warmed to, who are caring and nurturing and who have empathy for others In short, they should be an advertising agency for the Bulldogs that makes parents and children proud. I'm sure there are many other things that can be done, but it is the ROLE of the Cheer squad that should be examined and / or expanded.

[Dancin' Douggy]

How about the leaders of the cheer squad have some actual skill or training in the field of youth leadership/child welfare/team building or anything along those lines?

[Murphy'sLore]

I think it's pretty telling that in the four (?) years I've been on WOOF, this is the first time I can recall any discussion of the cheer squad at all.

Seems to have been totally irrelevant to most of us.

[always right]

I think it's pretty telling that in the four (?) years I've been on WOOF, this is the first time I can recall any discussion of the cheer squad at all.

Seems to have been totally irrelevant to most of us.

True...but it shouldn't be irrelevant should it? In many respects this is the public face of the club on match day. When people look at our cheer squad do they dissassociate them from the club or do they think they reflect what the Western Bulldogs represent? It's a brand association thing. We want our club to be perceived as progressive, professional, winners. These are not words I associate with our cheer squad.

[Murphy'sLore]

I'm in furious agreement with you, AR, the cheer squad should not be irrelevant and that's why this move by the club seems to have been the right one.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

The right move and a great move by the club. The cheer squad is out-dated and is in desperate need of something from the last century at least!

Needs some smarts and people who know a thing or two about anything really

[Topdog]

Its always been an invite only cheersquad for some reason.

[KT31]

I'm in furious agreement with you, AR, the cheer squad should not be irrelevant and that's why this move by the club seems to have been the right one.

I to agree whole heartedly and the only time cheer squads are noticed is for racial slurs, other stupid acts or because a squad member tries to get their 15 minutes of fame.
Some of the stories I have heard about our squad and others teams squads are pretty sad and very ordinary.

The cheer squad is meant to cheer the team not be cheered by the team.

Great move by the club and hopefully we can see it bring in more members.
Let's make it pro-active and get our squad to be the most enviable for the right reasons.
One idea may be to align the squad with a children's charity such as "Make A Wish" and get them to run out and help hold the banner each week.


or we could be like Storm and have a Cheer leading squad.