在美国高中，Cheerleading亦即啦啦队特别受学生们的喜爱。为了进这个队，我家二宝子进行了可谓是艰苦卓绝的努力。啦啦队不仅要求申请者要会跑会跳会翻跟头，而且还要会喊会叫会煽情。据二宝子说，啦啦队简直就是体操的反义词。体操需要婉约和优美，啦啦队则需要粗犷和大线条儿；体操是静秋，啦啦队是芙蓉姐姐。

啦啦队的申请(TRYOUT)非常严格，有意进啦啦队的孩子们，首先要通过笔试，表明大脑没受过伤。然后要有长达四天的测试(TRYOUT)，每天测验一个指标。比如，周一测翻跟头，周二测身体摇摆和大喊大叫，周三测集体造型，周四综合测试。

二宝子成功加入啦啦队，我喜忧参半。喜的是，这孩子功夫不负有心人，总算如愿以偿。忧的是，这孩子几乎每天都有四小时的体操训练，如果再加个每天需要训练的啦啦队，这孩子哪有时间做功课呢。体操和啦啦队肯定要取其一的，我这个当妈的偏向啦啦队。各位叔叔阿姨大爷大妈，您觉得体操和啦啦队，到底干啥才好呢？

Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate in competitions. The athlete involved is called a cheerleader. Cheerleading originated in the United States, and remains a predominantly American activity, with an estimated 1.5 million participants in all-star cheerleading. The growing presentation of cheerleading as a sport to a global audience has been led by the 1997 start of broadcasts of cheerleading competition by ESPN International and the worldwide release of the 2000 filmBring it On. Due in part to this recent exposure, there are now an estimated 100,000 participants scattered around the rest of the world in countries including Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Japan,^[1] the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.^[2]