As stated on the main page, though this trope is a really common one, it's an inaccurate representation of cheerleaders and cheerleading.
For starters:
- Despite what a lot of people think, cheerleading's a highly competitive, very physically demanding, very high-paced and very technical sport (which can affect this character's personality).
- Contrary to the stereotype of cheerleaders being unintelligent, as with most school based sports teams, cheerleaders need to maintain a passing grade point average to remain on the team. So while individual cheerleaders may be dumb, they are no dumber than any other athlete.
- Also as previously mentioned, cheerleading's a very physically demanding sport, and besides practicing routines and cheers/chants, people who do cheerleading exercise and workout a lot, and typically have to be very physically strong, especially if they're bases and/or spotters, who're the ones that lift flyers in stuntsnote .
- Compared to a lot of other sports, being part of a cheerleading squad is also a really big time commitment since aside from practicing (obviously), cheerleaders also typically perform at sports games (especially football, basketball, and sometimes baseball) and compete at various cheerleading competitions.
Competition-level cheerleading also requires fitness levels around the same as any other professional athlete and cheerleading is one of the most likely causes of female sports injuries due to the gymnastic stunts performed and lack of protective gear. Anyone performing at that level has the same drive and dedication as any other athlete.
