Pretty is as pretty does...

My youngest daughter, Ann, is a six year-old little league football cheerleader in this photograph. Perhaps because her older sister was a lifelong cheerleader, Ann wanted to try her hand as well, if you can really "want" anything at six years of age.

Ann gave up cheering long ago, after her talents were clearly better suited for the softball field, the basketball court and, later on, on the running track.

But that was before Ann grew up into a decent looking young woman who, at 14 is 5' 8" tall and maintains a very proportionate weight. In other words, she has an impressive wingspan.

I never cared for cheerleaders, to tell the truth. When I was younger and in school myself, I thought cheerleaders were brainless, redundant and the equivalent of the debutante ball. I was proven wrong when my oldest daughter very enthusiastically chose cheerleading as her primary extra-curricular activity. Jessica cheered very well for six of her twelve years in school She received awards for it and I didn't know that was possible. She garnered respect and admiration that I had no means of anticipating.

But that was Jessica. I was incredibly proud of her effort, particularly since she refused to participate in any sport other than cheerleading. It IS a sport, you see, or so I found out. When Jessica graduated from high school and turned down an offered cheerleading scholarship because she was sick of doing it, I thought that part of my life was over.

But it's not.

I'm not sure how my youngest, an 8th grader, managed to finagle an invitation to try out for the high school cheerleading squad. I'm not even sure that's legal. But Ann's basketball team apparently decided it was time that they took back the the social status barely maintained by those girls who had previously jumped around as our football cheerleaders. The team collectively decided to REMIND everyone that cheerleading is a sport that, just like all sports in our small town, seem to effortlessly belong to them.

Like I said, I'm not sure how this happened. They had cheerleader judges from a local college. They had practices and tense tryouts. They wore their basketball shoes. In the true sense of competition, which Ann and her team love, there were several girls who competed heartily for the seven spots on the high school cheerleading squad.

I wasn't there for the finals. I take off work to watch early basketball games and track meets. But my mother, who just happens to be the only teacher ever employed by our school who took a cheerleading squad to Nationals and won, was in attendence. Mother wasn't sure why Ann was allowed to compete for a spot on the high school cheerleading team but Mother was supportive.

Maybe it was because Ann made a decent showing at post forward in basketball. Or maybe it was because she ran a 17 flat to win so many medals in track. Looking back, maybe it was because her Nanny was the cheerleader who led the town to watch Ann's grandfather (her future husband) take his football team all the way to the state finals in 1958. Maybe it was because Ann has an incredible wingspan and decent grades. Or maybe it was just because, well, damn, she's very comely.

At any rate, Ann is the newest and youngest Alex High School football cheerleader. Her basketball teammates will be firmly alongside her, having bumped off a few of those who they obviously considered "wannabees."

Let us see what happens when "pure sport"meets beautiful. I can't help but think that sport will win...