We've Got Spirit: The Life and Times of America's Greatest Cheerleading Team

As a journalist and a woman still smarting from trying out for cheerleading seven times without making it, I have read Mr. McElroy's book several times and keep going back to it. Many of the reviews you will read here are of the "Harper Valley PTA" variety, which may satisfy some primitive gossipy fascination with the individuals in the book, which is unfortunate. This is not about any stereotypical cheerleaders - nearly all of the girls on the Greenup County Kentucky squad know poverty or are just above it. They are not Daddy's princesses. They don't drive sports cars.Yes, we do want to know what happened to the stars of the Greenup County Cheerleading team. This was their chance to escape a section of the country where women's opportunities are still limited. And in Greenup County, cheerleading is and has been a ticket out - a place where being able to land a standing back tuck (a relatively difficult tumbling stunt) can be the ticket to a college scholarship and dreams of a bright future.Another update, nearly five years after the original printing, would be welcome, except I sure hope that all the girls don't all have babies and are working at Wal-Mart, that they haven't lost their dreams. I want to know that they made it, but according to the reviewers here, only Rachel Brown made it to continue to cheer in college. Right now I am using the first edition of the book for reference as I lent out my newer edition with the update, so please forgive my lack of clarity with this part.I hope that Mr. McElroy, for all the abuse he has taken, is proud of the in-depth masterpiece he produced. Yes, he has a few facts wrong but when you consider the amount of comphrehensive information that he consumed and put forth, especially for a first book, I think it can be forgiven. I only say this because of the huge amount of criticism reviewers have blasted him with - people took this book real personally! Some of his critics believe that he took advantage of the confidences of the girls. I think he was doing his job. If he were to go and do an in-depth story in any place - a ghetto, a debutante ball, the same technique would be used. As a journalist, I understand. He was right. Anything less would have not been this great book. It was necessary and right.This book is a study in sociology. Mr. McElroy is going in-depth on a group of young women in a place that that probably no one else would bother with and does it with great insight and compassion. I hope to hear more from him in the future. I have read both the original hardback and the paperback with added foreword. If any additional editions are published, I would recommend a different cover because the cover makes the book look like fluff. It is far from that. Also the title, "We've Got Spirit" is somewhat misleading. This book is no Afterschool Special. Another minor annoyance is the captions for the pictures are in the back of the book rather than with the pictures, making me have to work a little bit t

As a new coach for our school, this book was a great eye opener. I finished it just before our first parents meeting and it helped to prepare me for some of the "usual" concerns and questions.This book helped me to realize where our team is and what we need to do to get where we want to be... Disney World 2004.Thanks for the info on what it takes to be the best. Hard work, dedication and alot of desire to be the best. I bought 5 copies for our school library and have made it a requirement for tryouts that this book be read by both the cheerleader and the parents.

As a mother of a competition cheerleader in New Jersey, I was interested in reading this book to find out about those amazing GC cheerleaders. I thought the book was realistic, not offensive and portrayed high school life and cheering like it is and not like most teenage trash movies portray it. My daughter's team has won the Garden State competition 4 years in a row and it's true -- it's much harder to stay on top than it is to try to get there. The jealousy from other towns and parents -- the scorching remarks about the girls -- it happens here in New Jersey as well. This book is a very fast read - and one that is hard to put down. Definitely recommend it.

"We've Got Spirit" gives an honest and touching portrayal of cheerleading and life in rural America. I felt that the book, which was wonderfully written, was very objective and allowed the reader to come to their own conclusions. I don't understand why people (mostly those from Greenup)are complaining! Nothing in the book is licentious or overly personal. I don't think anything less of the GCHS cheerleaders, quite the opposite in fact. The personal details are what made the book so moving. The struggles and hardships those girls in Greenup had to overcome is what makes them so special. If it were easy, everybody would do it. Greenup County should be proud, and those girls have reason to hold their heads up high. This book dispels the myth that cheerleading isn't a sport. It's a must read for all!

I commend James McElroy for his keen observation and attention to detail. "We've Got Spirit" offers a striking vignette of rural America, a charming time-warp juxtaposed against contemporary issues. It portrays a vivid picture of the perseverance of these cheerleaders, the dedication of their coaches, and the tremendous pressure they must impose upon themselves day after day, month after month, in order to reach a national championship level year after year. But while they aspire to be the best of the best, they are still teenage girls, burdened with teenage problems, exhibiting teenage behavior. If you are a female, you will recognize yourself somewhere among these girls. We have been there, done that. Much of it is familiar. The friendships, the boyfriends, the jealousies, personal challenges, family dynamics. It is part of growing up. What is different about these girls, what is extraordinary, is the intensity of their athletic training, the high expectations placed upon them, and what they must forego in order to succeed. I would say to these girls, you have much to be proud of. I found the author's reportorial style easy to read - a nice blend of rich descriptive passages contrasted with breezy dialogue. I like the way he takes the reader back and forth, introducing a scene, then retracing steps and leading you back to the present. He has an incredible eye for detail - body language, dialogue, the intricacies of interpersonal relationships. He paints a very convincing protrait of Candy Berry and her team, as well as of Greenup County. I highly recommend this book. Even if you never imagined you'd be interested in cheerleading. You'll be impressed.