The Death of the Spirit Fingers

I feel kind of bad for posting about SUCH a fluffy subject after talking about the surgery but I've been without internet for a few days at home so I couldn't do it Thursday night when it was really "on my heart". So, whatever, here it goes.
Ashley just joined the middle school spirit squad. The only reason she joined is because you have to do Spirit Squad for a year before trying out for cheerleader. So if she's even thinking about cheerleading, she's got to do this first. She feels a little forced into it and is really bummed out because she literally does not have one close friend that is doing it with her. Her only duties on Spirit Squad are to sit together at the pep rallies and attend all the home football games. Ashley's not into football either. This week was her first game and she begged me to go. Derrek, Blake and I showed up at halftime to find Ashley having a miserable time. She was doing all she was supposed to do but she was sitting with the group not really talking to anyone and watching two middle school football games back to back. I mean middle school football is touch for almost anyone to get excited about unless you have a child on the team. Ashley wasn't the only one that was bored.

However, I was entertained thinking about my high school cheerleading days (don't laugh!). First, I was thinking how hard it was going to be to start yelling for the Billie Goats. The mascot in Brownwood, where I grew up was the Lions. Lions are tough and they roar. It's still so hard to get the words "Go Billies!" out of my mouth. But I do want Blake and Ashley (and #3) to have school spirit before they get to high school so I'm getting over it. I promise.

Then, as I watched the cheerleaders, I realized, with devastation that spirit fingers are dead! The infamous spirit fingers that popped up after a cheer or during a great play with such passion, they're gone. I mean, remember the spirit-fingers (both arms by your head and straight up with wiggling fingers), double fist pump (leave one spirit hand up and bend one a couple times from the elbow with a fist), back to spirit fingers, full arm pump to one fist up and one on the hip with your knee up routine cheerleaders a decade ago mastered? You'd throw in a hurkey or high kick when it was really good but the spirit fingers were the icing on that cake. What was a touchdown without spirit fingers? What was a perfect toe-touch without some spirit fingers to follow. I mean, I know things evolve but how did that evolve? Now, the cheerleaders do some kind of V action with their arms. It may be both arms in a vee with the fingers open (more spirit finger like but no wiggling) or closed. Sometimes they keep one arm down by their side and just throw out one arm in the same way. I mean WHO came up with that? Someone had too. I probably just don't like it because it means I'm old and can't relate. I thought I'd always be able to relate. I'm still cool right? Not that being a cheerleader 10 years ago makes me cool but whatever.

So I tried to get some pictures but people kept walking in front of me but picture #1 shows the mascot. And if you look closely at picture #2, you can see a girl (3rd from the left) showing her modified spirit fingers. I think it looks like she's about to get in a gang fight and she's throwing up her hands like "what? come on, *expletive**expletive*". The girl next to her is doing a good, ol' fashion "number 1". Now that's more like it.

*Disclaimer: If you are reading this and we went to high school together and you think I'm a loser now because I'm talking about cheerleading, uh, kiss it.