[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane]
I had no idea. She is one of the girls who gets thrown around, though - I guess they are hard to come by.
[/QUOTE]
Especially when they are getting thrown around.
[QUOTE= J J]
Who the heck invented this move? It almost looks illegal.
[/QUOTE]
Whaddya think of this one?
[QUOTE=Nava]
Juggernaut, are you a guy? That would explain why it hurts for you. Sitting like that doesn’t hurt me.
[/QUOTE]
Yes, I’m a guy. But it sort of hurt throughout the entire area. Not just the testicular region. I’m about 155 pounds. That’s alot of weight on a fairly small (and sensitive) area.
[QUOTE=Nava]
I don’t know what is el espagar called in English and don’t want to google for it (at work), but it’s just opening your legs all the way, either on the floor or during gymnastic exercises.
[/QUOTE]
In English … this maneuver is called either “a split” or “the splits”. Commonly, the verb do precedes the term: Nava can do a split.
[QUOTE=Nava]
Juggernaut, are you a guy? That would explain why it hurts for you. Sitting like that doesn’t hurt me.
I don’t know what is el espagar called in English and don’t want to google for it (at work), but it’s just opening your legs all the way, either on the floor or during gymnastic exercises. I’ve known one guy who could do it and who wasn’t a professional dancer; all the girls in my HS class could do it without any pre-warming and while wearing jeans. There’s certain bits that simply don’t behave the same way in a guy and a girl, you know.
[/QUOTE]
As **bordelond **says, it’s called “the splits” or “a split” and one “does” them or it. And almost no girls who weren’t in cheerleading could do it in my high school - not even those of us that danced in the musicals and such, and likewise only one guy that I can remember. Which probably says more about the physical fitness and flexibility of kids on either side of the pond then convoluted case studies and exams ever could.
[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane]
The daughter of a friend of mine is one of those pixies and was offered a full tuition scholarship to a major university for cheerleading. I had no idea. She is one of the girls who gets thrown around, though - I guess they are hard to come by.
[/QUOTE]
Yes, I had a friend who had a full ride as well. Who knew?! She ended up leaving the squad because she felt the way they worked was unsafe.
[QUOTE=Charger]
After a semester of cheering experience, I tried out for the next semester. My stunting partner didn’t try out, so I was partnered with someone with whom I hadn’t done stunts before. This girl was tiny. I lifted her and straightened my right arm, and she literally went above my hand and then landed on it, even though my elbow was locked into position. <snip>
[/QUOTE]
A friend of mine in college had a similar experience, only it involved an overhead split. Apparently, where the base places his hold for the split varies from flier to flier based on how limber they are. My friend’s regular partner wasn’t as limber as some, so he had to hold her out closer to her knees to help flatten her split. One day, when she was out (either sick or recuperating from an injury) he was paired with a much more limber girl. When he grabbed her out near her knees, she promptly sat on his forehead. It wouldn’t have been quite as much of a spectacle if he hadn’t tried to use his head - repeatedly - to try and throw her back up to the proper position. They almost had to stop the game temporarily after that one.
SC
[QUOTE=Charger]
After a semester of cheering experience, I tried out for the next semester. My stunting partner didn’t try out, so I was partnered with someone with whom I hadn’t done stunts before. This girl was tiny. I lifted her and straightened my right arm, and she literally went above my hand and then landed on it, even though my elbow was locked into position. I couldn’t believe how light she was, especially since I had previously been partnered with the heaviest girl and she was the lightest.
The key to these stunts is doing them quickly and with confidence. You “pop” into position. If you have to slowly muscle your partner into the air like that, it’s going to be a major challenge, even with the tiny girls. You would, after all, be lifting a 100 pound living weight over your head with one arm. If you do it right, there isn’t much lifting, but there is holding. But the right timing and “feel” of it makes it work every time. We always counted it out in practice, “One-two-down-up” and she jumps as you lift, right on the “up.” So, you’re basically adding power to her jump so that she gets the height, then you focus on holding and balancing until the stunt is over, at which point you focus on “catching” and slowing her descent. Music is helpful to routines because it keeps everyone’s timing synchronized. That’s why cheerleading routines have to have a thumping beat, besides it just sounding cool.
[/QUOTE]
I’m a former varsity & all-star squad flier. Stunts like that (the OP photo) hurt the butt muscles more than anything. If the flier wants to stay off the ground she has to keep every muscle in her body as tight as possible.
They almost always paired me with the new/weaker guys 'cause I am light. I loved stunting with the bigger, stronger guys. It was effortless. Like **Charger **said, you just pop into place.
What is scary is doing basket tosses with 2 big guys, then being eyelevel with the rafters of a 30ft ceiling! :eek:
And no, we’re not a different species… but it sure helps being tiny!
I miss stunting - that was fun stuff.
Thank you guys, I doubt there’s a single bilingual dictionary in the world that has that translation!
[QUOTE=Nava]
Thank you guys, I doubt there’s a single bilingual dictionary in the world that has that translation!
[/QUOTE]
Interesting - my Spanish-English dictionary gives two verbs for “to do the splits” - despatarrarse and esparrancarse. Espagar is not in there.
Nava and Colophon, this is why one should always consult the ultimate translation source, namely Ballerina Barbie (Barbie Bailarina):
“Her legs can make pirouettes, spaghetti and potatoes”
I’ll take three.
It certainly must be the only known female whose legs make potatoes. Guess she doesn’t wash much!
Both despatarrarse or (local to Aragon/Navarra) espatarrarse and esparrancarse (which comes from Catalan) imply by accident; esparrancar (without the -se meaning “oneself”) would be something like to dismember. Hacer el espagar is with intent.
[QUOTE=Mrs Johnson]
I’m a former varsity & all-star squad flier.
[/QUOTE]
Ever do one of these?
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal]
Ever do one of these?
[/QUOTE]
:eek: Did I see what I think I saw!?!
[QUOTE=gigi]
:eek: Did I see what I think I saw!?!
[/QUOTE]
I think probably not, actually, but I am not sure if the video has been confirmed/debunked.
[QUOTE=Mrs Johnson]
And no, we’re not a different species… but it sure helps being tiny!
[/QUOTE]
Would you mind telling us your size (ht/wt)–or what it was back then?
VeryCoolSpouse makes the girls swear they will never be cheerleaders, but a full-ride scholarship offer is mighty powerful motivation. I’m quite sure a couple of our Chinese daughters will be microscopic even when they’re full grown.
[QUOTE=gigi]
:eek: Did I see what I think I saw!?!
[/QUOTE]
It’s not real, don’t worry.
An interesting Times article about the perils of cheerleading. Registration required.
