Another Cheerleader in the Family

Homecoming isn't a huge deal at our high school--they cancelled the dance while Ellen was still there due to lack of interest.  Still, there are a few traditions that hang on which catch Craig's interest.  Spirit Week, which features Crazy Day, is one of his favorites, but Craig has been looking forward to cheering for the powderpuff football game ever since he was a freshman.  The powderpuff game is played on Friday afternoon of homecoming week.  The junior girls take on the senior girls and the boys take over the cheering duties.  The cheer squad used to be comprised of whoever was interested, but they've gotten serious about it and now you have to try out.  I'm not sure why, maybe it's due to the squad from two years ago that gained national exposure thanks to You Tube and ended up appearing and performing on morning talk shows around the country or maybe there was a problem.  Anyway, Craig came home from the Monday meeting and said, "Can you help me?  I need to perform two jumps, a gymnastics stunt and two 8-count dance routines."  I knew the dance routines wouldn't be any problem.  Craig just needed help figuring out how long 8 counts was.  We tried several jumps until we found a couple that he could do and keep his balance when he finished.  (Teaching him to land gracefully, instead of like a block of cement was a different problem.)  I was stumped by the gymnastics stunt.  Craig has poor balance and due to the rods and screw in his back, he doesn't really bend or curve.  I suggested he play the mercy card--"I have 2 rods and twenty screws in my back.  I can't really do gymnastics.)  Then I discovered that he can do a perfect sommersault.  With a little practice he figured out how to finish it off on one knee with "ta-duh" arms.  Perfect.  Auditons were the next day and two days later he came home with the news that he'd made the squad and he'd automatically get to do it as a senior.  For the next three weeks he has three 1-hour practices a week.  The game is September 9.  There is a pep rally that afternoon where the boys perform a dance routine decked out in the girls cheerleading uniforms.  I mentioned a hair cut today, but he insists that will ruin his dye job.  "What dye job," I asked.  "I'm going to dye my hair blue for the game and it will be too short if I cut it."  He can't wait three more weeks for a haircut and the temporary dye that Abby was talking about (washes out after a month)  won't work either because he can't bless the sacrament with blue hair.  We'll have to find a way around that.  He may have to settle for the spray-in stuff.  It feels like hairspray when it's on and it rubs off on everything if you aren't careful, but it will do the trick.  On the haircut end we might have to compromise on a "half-the-distance cut".   I'll have them cut off half as much as I would like and we'll cut it again after homecoming.   We may have to cut it again if his hair is still blue!  And don't worry everyone.  The boys all wear gym shorts under the cheerleading skirts.