Hard-Working Cheerleaders Still Smiling

Bruises All Over Due to Leg Stretching–

In an underground training studio at Shincheon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, beautiful women who all look tall and slim gathered one by one and stretched their bodies in the morning of April 3. They shake their arms to Cho Yong-pil’s lively dance music, “Let’s Go for a Trip” and hold up their legs. The movement of the five of them was impeccably in unison. They are CNC cheerleaders for Doosan.

Park Jeong-hee, the team leader, kept saying, “Smile! You need to keep smiling,” in the middle of the practice. That is because spectators can relieve their stress, enjoying the game only if the cheerleaders wear a bright smile.

Leg stretching is essential for them to show fancy kicking movements. Ms. Park said, “We have bruises on our thighs all the time, but it is a must to make the body flexible.”

From Belly Dancers and University Students to Cheerleaders -

Cheerleaders come from a variety of backgrounds: not only dance and physical education majors, but also office workers and university students.

Lee Yu-ri (25) used to be a belly dancer. She applied to be a cheerleader as she loves to feel the thrill of the game along with the spectators. She said, “While colorful dances stand out in the belly dance, cheerleading is fun because you dance along with other teammates.”

Park Sang-hee (23), a tourism major in college, got a part-time job as a cheerleader on her mother’s recommendation, and it turned out to be her calling. Lee Eun-mi (24) entered the field as she yearned to do something active as she used to work in an office.

“I was a poor dancer at first, but dancing makes you more and more ambitious as you learn more.”

Naughty Spectators are Real Headaches -

“I was cheerleading as usual, and I felt something was weird. A spectator was taking a photo of my lower body with his mobile phone. I had to step back and keep dancing and smiling.”

Cheerleaders are exposed to such experiences once or twice. Han Yun-mi (25) said, “Sometimes I wonder ‘whether or not I should keep doing this’ when my eyes meet with those with pervert attitudes.”

But they are professionals. They don’t frown even if they are offended because they are there to please their fans.

There are some crazy fans of theirs who come to the stadium even three hours before the game. They even change their seats to see them if the cheerleaders they love belong to another baseball team.

Park Yeong-boon (23) said, “I feel impressed to see my fans who give me some snacks or ask for my autograph.”

Lead Roles in the Stadium -

Most cheerleaders in Korea belong to agencies involved in organizing events. About 200 cheerleaders are actively working for about 10 teams.

Cheerleaders with almost five years of experience earn 25 to 30 million won annually. Although there is the basic wage, the amount totally depends on how busy they are.

Their daily routine starts and ends at a stadium. On average, they practice five to six hours a day with almost no private life. They have almost no time to celebrate their family birthdays or to go out.

But they said they were “so happy,” because they dance with a self-esteem and because they also play lead roles in the stadium.

beetlez@donga.com