Answer Wednesday! (SG Forum)
Some excellent questions in this segment.
Q: So I saw how one of Sports Illustrated's Cheerleaders of the Week this past month was an Oregon cheerleader called Amanda Pflugrad. Very beautiful girl. I then read how her father is Robin Pflugrad, the Wide Receivers coach for the Oregon Ducks. Any chance we can get Pete Carroll to hire Coach Pflugrad and his daughter can transfer to USC and become a Song Girl? It's a win-win situation for everyone involved.
A: I spoke to her during the USC-Oregon game and she was a lovely girl. Her brother is on the football team. With John Morton becoming offensive coordinator, why not hire her father as the WRs coach, bring in the son and add a song girl? I agree completely!
Q: Could we launch a formal investigation into who voted for the USC Song Girls in the poll of the best cheerleaders of the Pac-10? I know true democracy requires a secret ballot, but let's get real, that vote for the USC Song Girls is beyond the realm of acceptable behavior in an industrialized country. A vote for the USC Song Girls is clearly a case of voter fraud. They make the Stanford Dollies look good.
A: I think we would launch the investigation if the Stanford Dollies finished second. But I have asked pollhost.com for a formal response to the voting results.
Q: Steve Sarkisian appears to have offered everyone at USC a job up at Washington, why doesn't he offer to take the coach and advisor of the Song Girls with him too?
A: Wow, maybe you should become sarkisian's player personnel director. He could use sound advice.
Q: The USC Song Girls of the 2000s have openly supported other universities over USC and this has been very well documented. Subsequently, why are members of the athletic department, as well as Lori Nelson and Justine Gilman, opposed to USC alumni and students supporting cheerleaders from other universities? Is this not the absolute height of hypocrisy?
A: Man, I have to say, the reader insight is incredible on the Song Girl Forum. I take criticism in emails from readers who hate the Song Girl Forums, but the opinions are razor sharp.
Q: What evidence is there to suggest Tricia Pillsbury was a print journalism major and what evidence is there to to suggest she was not?
A: She is listed in the alumni directory as a print journalism major. None of the print journalism majors I know her age remember seeing her or hearing she was a print journalism major. I have given this top priority for things to do on Wednesday.
Q: Word is several of the 2008 Song Girls who tried out for the 2009 squad were actually cut last month and this is something that has not happened for several years. Apparently some of these girls are not happy to still remain on the squad for another month and there is currently a lot of drama. What, if anything, have you heard? Do you think returning squad members finally being cut, rather than being guaranteed spots on the next squad, is due to the increased public scrutiny of this past year?
A: I have not heard about this previously. But if it is true, it is only the latest drama surrounding the squad. And it is one more sign that they feel the heat of the readers' scrutiny on this blog. I think every move they made for next year was done with one eye on what people here are saying.
Q: Despite the fact the USC Song Girls were routed by the Oregon cheerleaders in the Pac-10 poll, do you know anything about whether there was any sense of a MORAL VICTORY on the part of those associated with the Song Girls (current/recent members and the administration) over how they still narrowly edged out the UCLA Dance Team?
A: I still they consider anything a moral victory these days when they are not criticized.
Off the top of my head, among the girls from the 2008 squad who tried out for the 2009 squad, the results were as follows:
Cut: Giselle, Keli, Stephanie
Returning: Adrianna, Lauren, Lindsey, Michelle, Rebecca
I am disappointed to hear Keli has been cut as she is one of the very few pretty Song Girl from the 2000s who had Dolly Rouse's definition of "The Look." I have no problems with the other two being cut.
Of the returning Song Girls, only Lindsey has "The Look."
This is probably the first time since 2004 that any returning Song Girls have been cut (and one of those was in the same house as my sister) and the first time since the 1990s that a two year member of the squad has been cut. Things must be looking up!
I will reserve further judgment on the 2009 squad until I see the new members, but I'm sorry to see Keli go.
ashers, do you know how big the squad will be next year? will there be another giant-sized squad for 2009?
I can't believe they let Keli go. She was pretty much tthe only one who probably should've made it and they managed to cut her. There is definitely a lot of mismanagement with the squad.
Maybe Tricia ditched class a lot? It was the 1980s, the halcyon days of the Greek system, and professors had yet to be required to take class attendance. So who would want to spend their time in a stuffy classroom when the allure of the Pacific Ocean was calling?
Amanda the Oregon cheerleader is a real hottie!!!!
Keli was cut?!?!?! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is no God. I have lost all my faith in humanity. I think I will go to law school now. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
None of the girls who were cut are from the South Bay. The streak continues. Hardee har har!
Frankly, the girls who were cut were the right choices and perhaps one other who made it should have cut as well.
What will make or break the 2009 squad are the new girls.
I agree that two of the three girls who were cut should have been cut but I also feel several of the returning girls should also have been cut.
With Keli, it really could go either way. Even though she has a pretty face, she is also somewhat bottom heavy so that could have factored into why she was cut.
Does anyone know how many girls are on the new squad? With so many returning girls cut, it appears changes have been made in the selection process, so maybe we are going back to the old model of only seven or eight Song Girls rather than the unnecessary jumbo sizes of 12 to 14 girls we have had this decade.