RHS gets Surprise Addition to Poms

The Rangeview Junior Varsity Poms step out onto the field. There’s clapping, there’s cheering, yet amongst all the noise, the whispers are still heard loud and clear. “Is that a guy?” “What’s he doing down there?” “Is he actually on the team?” The answers are quite simple: yes, that is a guy. Yes, he is on the team and that is exactly why he’s down there.


17 year old Junior Brandon Jones has taken his passion for dance to a whole new level. By actively participating in team events, Jones is officially the first male member of the RHS Poms squad. Many people wonder why he would even want to be on the team. All he had to say about that is “It’s what I love.”

Jones first discovered his passion for dancing around age nine. He started with hip-hop then progressed to different styles, like those taught in Mrs. Tammy Strouse’s Introduction to Dance, a class which he is currently taking.

“The class is kind of what inspired it,” said Jones, referring to his decision to join the squad. Up until that point, the majority of his dancing was hip-hop, but after he tried out different styles, he decided he liked it. He only wishes that he would have tried out for the team sooner.

“I didn’t know boys could try out,” said Jones, “so when I found out at the end of sophomore year, I decided I would.” Although Jones is not the first male to make the team, he is the only one to ever follow through with it.

Instead letting people get to him, he followed his passion and now others are following his path. “I feel like I’m inspiring people,” he said and to him that’s all that matters.

Ever since Jones tried out and made the team, “we’ve had four or five guys ask if they could join,” said Poms instructor Ms. Jennifer Minor. She made it clear that everyone is welcome to try out.

All she said is that since it is primarily a female sport, “when guys dance, they have to dance like guys.” Meaning that males are not permitted to pop there hips, flip their hair or wear rhinestones on their uniforms. “It’s for looks,” said Mrs. Minor. One example she gave was the TV show, dancing with the stars. The men on that show dance fantastically and still manage to look like men.

Brandon doesn’t mind any of the rules, as long as he’s dancing he’s happy. A friend of his, sophomore Missa Parfrey said, “He dances everywhere, even in the halls. It’s just what he does.”

Since he joined, the RHS team has even attracted the attention of members from different schools. Apparently certain school districts do not allow males on the squad because they say it is a “female sport.” This, however, is not true. Mrs. Minor clarified that it is not stated anywhere in the Poms regulations that males cannot participate, there is just a separate set of rules for them. So after hearing about Brandon, one male, who was told he could not participate on his school’s team, decided to try out for the RHS team. Unfortunately he was unable to participate due to the fact that the school he attends has a squad.

Varsity Pom, junior Alyssa Tabar believes this is positive for the team and that it “opens it up for boys. Plus,” she said, “it shows that we aren’t sexist,” which, clearly, is more than some other schools can say.

Principal Pam Turner also believes that this is positive for the school and said “I would like to see more boys on Poms or cheerleading.”

As great as all of this is, not all of the feed back has been so positive. “Guys have negative things to say about it,” said Jones, but he tries not to let it get to him. Several students have said that Poms and Cheerleading are “girls’ sports” and that “he shouldn’t be on the team,” but they refused to be quoted.

Other students, like senior Cody Fleming-Aguilar said that “If he wants to be on the team and is good enough to be on the team, than he should be on the team. Nothing else should matter.”

One of the things that aggravated Jones the most is that several of the rude remarks he has heard were from football players, but as always he said “I keep my head strong and keep walking because in the end, I’m cheering for them.”

Senior Alec Maybin, a RHS varsity football player said, “If the team [Poms] is open for it, then it’s cool. I don’t have a problem with it.”

Varsity football player, senior Brandon Solomon, also agrees that “There’s nothing wrong with it. There should be some guys on the teams.” It turns out that once upon a time, it wasn’t so uncommon to see male faces on the Poms and Cheerleading squads. Today, however, it is pretty rare.

All Jones is asking is for those who are against him to “open your eyes and realize that I’m not hurting anyone, I’m just being who I am.”

Many people have complimented him on his courage and determination and to those people he would like to say “thank you for supporting me and I hope I can make you all happy.”

Brandon is as determined as ever and plans on going out for Varsity next year. “I’ve been told I can do it, I just have to buckle down and keep working hard.” Hopefully he’ll be able to prove that hard work and determination will once again pay off.