I Just thought you should know!

Date: Wed Nov 29 7:34 PM, 2006

RE: I Just thought you should know!

Date: Wed Nov 29 9:21 PM, 2006

I clicked on the site listed above and I'm speechless. How do you go about shutting down something like this. I find this extremely distrubing and quite helpless and how to stop it. If one of those pictures were of my daughter I'd be livid. What can we do??

Date: Wed Nov 29 9:36 PM, 2006

Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do. It's legal (I was going to say perfectly legal, but there's nothing perfect about it). There is no nudity of the underage people, so there's not a thing we can do. Isn't it mind boggling frustrating!?!?

If one of us did have a kid on there, we could request they remove it - but who knows how long they'd take to do it.

Date: Wed Nov 29 9:40 PM, 2006

Good god, has no one heard of boy-cut briefs?? None of those pictures would be nearly as appalling (aside from what the clear intent of them is) if they were more covered up!

Date: Wed Nov 29 9:48 PM, 2006

That is truly criminal. That has got to be illegal. That is not what I pictured any child of mines photo looking like when I've signed those release forms that the competition companies make us sign.

Date: Thu Nov 30 9:16 AM, 2006

anothermom wrote:

http://www.realcheer.com/
This would be the type of photography that worries us as parents. It makes me want to put pants on my teenage cheerleader!! I don't know how many sites there are like this one out there, but it is a valid concern.

Well, I'm so pleased that this topic has recieved such a great response from all the parents & coaches!
This dialogue is definetely productive, and long overdue!!

(Look, if we don't step up, and speek up on behalf of our kids, then WHO WILL??)

I, like most of you, am completely SHOCKED, SADDENED, but mostly ANGRY, by that website listed above, those poor girls!
This HITS home for me & all of us, it feels like one of our own girls has been VIOLATED! Cause that's exactly what it is!!
I truly felt my heart "race" looking for that site, with the thought that I might find a picture of my own daughter on there!!
If your daughter is a flyer, as mine is, encourage the coaches to allow them to wear "boy cut" bloomers, for practices or at least competitions!
I mean do you think that the judges will frown on their performances becuase of it?? I don't, infact, my daugher doesn't even ask for permission, she just shows up with her extra bloomers on under her regular uniform, and no one questions it or notices!! Nor have any of the judges said otherwise!

So getting back to the topic, lets be more cautious of whose around us, and yes whose taking pictures of the girls!!

Last year I noticed a man sitting near our group taking pictures of almost every sr. team that was perfoming, and again "snapping" at ODD times of the performances. I kindly asked what group he was with he just seemed to name any team, and he included that he was a professional photographer. SO??!!
Well, when my daughters team came up to perform, I KINDLY asked him not to take pictures!! Suprised, he asked why?? I looked at him and told him that I was not comfortable with him taking pictures!!!! So he didn't!!!
So just ask, and speak up, but be tactful, as you'd like to be asked, but 9 times out of 10, I'd bet the farm on it that these guys are up to NO GOOD!

Keep your eyes open, and for me, I'd obstruct their view if they didn't ablidge my KIND request!

I just thougt you should know!

Date: Thu Nov 30 10:13 AM, 2006

I'm just wondering if anyone else is upset that these awful website addresses are being posted here for everyone to see. Aren't we promoting them by keeping the address listed? Do I want my child to come on here and go to those websites? No.

I appreciate bringing up the awareness, but I have a major problem promoting the sites by listing them and making them available for young eyes (male and female) to see.

Or am I going to be viewed as one of those parents that stick their head in the sand and ignore the danger? I hope not. Someone let me know if I am off base on this one because I really am upset that these sites are listed on this message board.

Date: Thu Nov 30 10:27 AM, 2006

Mom wrote:

I'm just wondering if anyone else is upset that these awful website addresses are being posted here for everyone to see. Aren't we promoting them by keeping the address listed? Do I want my child to come on here and go to those websites? No.

I appreciate bringing up the awareness, but I have a major problem promoting the sites by listing them and making them available for young eyes (male and female) to see.

Or am I going to be viewed as one of those parents that stick their head in the sand and ignore the danger? I hope not. Someone let me know if I am off base on this one because I really am upset that these sites are listed on this message board.

Maybe something could be done about this!! I don't think that it is good to keep posting these web sites!! We all know that they are out there! & it is sad!! I can't believe that this isn't illegal!!! Are you sure??

Date: Thu Nov 30 10:49 AM, 2006

Mom wrote:

I'm just wondering if anyone else is upset that these awful website addresses are being posted here for everyone to see. Aren't we promoting them by keeping the address listed? Do I want my child to come on here and go to those websites? No.

I appreciate bringing up the awareness, but I have a major problem promoting the sites by listing them and making them available for young eyes (male and female) to see.

Or am I going to be viewed as one of those parents that stick their head in the sand and ignore the danger? I hope not. Someone let me know if I am off base on this one because I really am upset that these sites are listed on this message board.

Maybe you're right, but, would you've believed it if you didn't see it for yourself??? Would you be as aware from now on if you didn't actually see it???
Maybe, maybe not!!
But with all the money we spend on cheer (year after year), I think us parents & coaches would be heard by officials if we let them know how important an issue this is!
Money talks!!!
With all the venues to choose from, if they want us to continue to attend their functions, maybe they'd make a better effort to stop this, or atleast minimize the frequency in some way!!!
So to address your question are we advertising for these sicko's???
No!! I don't think so, we won't be subscribing anytime soon!!
If our girls see what's out there, maybe they'll be more careful, and for once believe US, when we tell them to watch out!
(I HOPE!)

Date: Thu Nov 30 11:02 AM, 2006

One way the companies can "prevent" this is not allow photography at their competitions. And guess what. They've tried doing that and all the parents scream and yell that it isn't fair they can't take pictures of their kids and have to buy expensive photos. You can't have it both ways. How can a company prevent "unwanted" photographers except by not allowing any photography except by the professional company they hired?

Date: Thu Nov 30 11:13 AM, 2006

Mom wrote:

One way the companies can "prevent" this is not allow photography at their competitions. And guess what. They've tried doing that and all the parents scream and yell that it isn't fair they can't take pictures of their kids and have to buy expensive photos. You can't have it both ways. How can a company prevent "unwanted" photographers except by not allowing any photography except by the professional company they hired?

I am sure if more parents knew about this then maybe they would understand it is for the safety of the children!! I know I would!!

Date: Thu Nov 30 11:44 AM, 2006

I you looked at the site mentioned it is all High School Cheerleading. Anyone can sit in the stands and take pictures. It could even be family or friends that are posting these pictures. Bet even money it's not all strangers. By telling parents they can't take pictures of thier own kids is not going to stop things like this from going on. It just makes you aware how you need to be careful and keep your eyes open to what is going on around you. As for internet sites like this they are pictures of very young girls and to me that could be reported as child porn. You read in the paper where local and Federal agency are surfing the web for this type of thing. Question who do you report it to.

Date: Thu Nov 30 12:54 PM, 2006

I think naming the site on this message board and others only draws more attention to it and is unnecessary. Just the mention that there is a site out there is enough. Just like when someone mentioned a specific gym that had inappropriate pictures, there was also no need for that. Telling people you did a search on a gym and found pictures is enough for all of us to search our own gyms to make sure there isn't anything like that around.

Maybe we can all try harder to drive the point home without the specific details, for the sake of the younger readers of this message board.

Date: Thu Nov 30 1:24 PM, 2006

Yes, and can the Moderator edit the posts that have the addresses so we can prevent our kids from getting the sites and viewing or promoting them anymore?

Date: Thu Nov 30 1:30 PM, 2006

Or just take these posts off completely??

Date: Thu Nov 30 1:33 PM, 2006

I totally disagree about not allowing photography. Of course the photography companies would love it. I will continue taking all the pictures I want with my little digital camera. The better advice is to be aware of the professional looking ones with high speed lens taking pictures throughout the competition. Pretty harmless to ask why they're taking pictures, especially when your teams come up. But don't penalize the rest of us by forbidding all photography, that would be ridiculous.

Date: Thu Nov 30 1:34 PM, 2006

Come on mom's these kids are better on the computer than we are!!! If they want to see it they will find a way unless YOU restrict it. Set your computer settings so they can not view that type of material. If your child has free access to everything that is out there they could see much more than innappropriate spankie shots.

Date: Thu Nov 30 1:36 PM, 2006

wow, you totally missed the point, crazy cheer fan. It's one thing to search through sites, quite another to point someone right to it. come on...

Date: Thu Nov 30 2:09 PM, 2006

No I got that point. What I was saying was more along the lines of limiting what web sites the kids had access to since everyones concern was the kids looking at the web sites. Sorry if I was not clear enough...can't type, work and talk!!!

Date: Thu Nov 30 5:04 PM, 2006

It is my job as a parent to monitor what my children do on the internet, a simple search will bring up many more inappropriate sites. I do not think that putting the website name here is an issue...if you do not know what your children are viewing online, you are asking for trouble!!! Teenagers should not have unlimited, unsupervised access to the internet. There is monitoring/parental control software available, use it!!! I am looking into the legality of that particular website, but I am not sure what, if any, laws are being broken.