Cheerleading has long been regarded as more glamorous than athletic. But as most cheerleaders will tell you, that image has proved a major obstacle in gaining recognition as a sport -- and the respect and resources that go with that. PNS correspondent Caille Millner is a junior at Presentation High School and a reporter for YO! Youth Outlook, a newspaper by and about youth published by Pacific News Service.

SAN JOSE, CA. -- Once they were icons of glamour and popularity, worried only about their routine and the possibility of a dead crowd. Today cheerleaders face hostility from all sides -- from feminists who claim cheering is sexist, and school officials who refuse to give high school squads money and facilities, to fellow students who taunt and bully them. Even the players they cheer for sometimes turn against them. Earlier this year, football players at nearby Santa Clara High School were accused of harassing their own volunteer pep squad, and most of the squad quit in protest.

Sean, an 18-year-old track star and varsity soccer player from Santa Clara, wouldn't mind if cheerleading became obsolete. Cheerleaders are "annoying," he claims. "They distract the players. They try to be someone they're not. They put on an act for everyone."

In fact, cheerleading, as any cheerleader will tell you, is a highly competitive activity requiring both athletic skill and acrobatic prowess. Contrary to Sean's "ditzy" stereotype, cheerleaders submit to hours of grueling practice. The biggest hurdle they face is that cheerleading is not yet recognized as a sport. It gets neither the respect it deserves nor the financial support it needs. Many squads go without proper safety equipment or have to provide it themselves, and must use other teams' practice facilities at ungodly hours.

Megan, 14, began cheering competitively three years ago. Even though she's only in seventh grade, she's already experienced many of the problems associated with high school cheering. "We always have to do fundraising, in addition to paying all our fees," she complains. And we rehearse constantly -- everything HAS to be perfect."

Most discouraging, Megan says, is that "the football players say we annoy them when we cheer." But she also admits that squad members aren't always supportive of each other. "We get in silly arguments over things like who stands where, who looks like what, who goes up in stunts. We get fed up with each other."

Even though Megan -- a tall, willowy blonde -- epitomizes the classic vision of a cheerleader, she hasn't experienced the social perks associated with that image. "I thought I would be one of those cheerleaders who always gets the guy," she says. "But I found out it doesn't work that way. I just don't have time."

Jennie, 17, is a five-year cheering veteran who plans to try out for the 49ers cheer squad after graduation. She's part of an award winning high school squad that will go on to national competitions soon -- but that doesn't have a place to practice at school. "I get bruises just like the other athletes," she notes, "but they get more money than we do."

Those same athletes -- especially the female ones -- have hassled members of Jennie's squad on occasion. But Jennie shrugs off negative comments, claiming that "If they saw how we practice and work, they'd think differently." Anyway, she adds, "cheering gave me confidence. It taught me not to care what people think."

Jennie is adamant that cheering will be part of her future. "I love cheering. I love doing routines. If not cheerleaders, then who'll get the crowd involved?"

But is cheerleading truly sexist and out-of-date? David, 17, doesn't think so -- perhaps because he cheers himself. David is a leader of his high school's Yell Squad, which performs most of the tasks a cheer squad does with one notable distinction: the members are all male. "When it's guys, it causes people to notice more," he explains.

For David, being on the Yell Squad as "an extension of what I love -- acting. You're in front of all those people, and you're the center of attention." He admits that not all the attention is positive. "Being called a homosexual or being physically threatened happens more than I'd like but not as often as I thought it would." But the experience has made him more sensitive to his own stereotyping of female cheerleaders. "I hope one day people will understand that it's OK for guys to be cheerleaders, that it doesn't mean we're aspiring to be female."

The Yell Squad members wear matching jackets and ski caps -- a far cry from the skimpy shirts and sweater vests that Jennie and Megan wear -- and never practices. Their routine is completely improvised -- "We try to make it look semi-coordinated, that's about it," David shrugs. "It's really an excuse to go to all the games and be really loud and obnoxious."

Some female cheerleaders believe co-ed squads may be the way of the future. "Male cheerleaders show that cheerleading isn't sexist," says Megan.

They also believe that cheering, despite its difficulties, is here to stay. "Getting in front of all those people and directing them to cheer -- there's nothing like it," David enthuses. As long as the crowd is willing to roar, someone will be willing to cheer.