A new cheer policy at Clarksville School District in Arkansas is under fire as parents and cheer professionals question why the district is restricting male cheerleaders from fully participating in cheerleading routines.
The policy, which was recently revised and put in writing, limits male cheerleaders to stunting and sideline crowd engagement but prohibits them from participating in full dance routines. Clarksville school officials claim the rule is meant to “prepare male cheerleaders for collegiate cheerleading,” but parents and industry experts argue the reasoning doesn’t hold up—especially since no other schools in the area have similar restrictions.
One of the students affected by the policy is Draegan Denton, an All-American cheerleader with strong tumbling skills. But instead of being given equal opportunities, he was forced to sit out during dance routines.
“We would learn the camp dance, and I had to go sit. That’s it,” Draegan explained. “I was just the person who played the music because I wasn’t allowed to participate.”
While he was permitted to tumble and stunt, he was told that male cheerleaders had to kneel during dances and keep their feet planted on the sidelines during games.
“I felt left out. I felt like I wasn’t as good and didn’t belong,” he said.
Draegan and his family paid over $600 in team fees—the same as every other cheerleader on the team. His mother, Stephanie Denton, questions why male cheerleaders must pay the same but are denied full participation.
“It was never about the money, but if we’re paying the same as everyone else, he should be allowed to fully participate,” she said. “All we’re asking is for coed dances and routines. That’s it.”
After multiple meetings with school administrators, including the athletic director, superintendent, and assistant superintendent, the district confirmed they have no plans to change the policy.
“They basically all agreed with the policy and said they weren’t willing to reconsider it,” Stephanie said.
During the last school board meeting, Clarksville officials formally revised the district’s cheer policy, officially putting the restrictions in place.
Parents argue that Clarksville’s cheer program isn’t preparing any athletes for collegiate cheer—male or female.
“Before our meeting, I printed off several collegiate cheer tryout requirements to compare,” Stephanie said. “None of our cheerleaders are being trained for any version of collegiate cheerleading. The varsity group doesn’t tumble, and they do very limited stunting. The varsity coach is not a licensed teacher and, by her own admission, has no tumbling experience.”
Clarksville school officials claim their policy mimics collegiate cheerleading, but cheer industry professionals disagree.
Stephanie Denton reached out to Stan Tabor, state director of the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA), who confirmed that Clarksville’s policy does not reflect the reality of collegiate cheer.
“The description for a spirit squad may match the University of Arkansas, but most other Arkansas colleges compete under NCA, where male cheerleaders do dance,” Tabor explained.
That means Clarksville’s policy is only preparing athletes for one school, ignoring major Arkansas universities where male cheerleaders perform full routines.
A major issue with Clarksville’s argument is that they misrepresent what collegiate cheerleading actually looks like.
- UCA (University of Arkansas Model): Focuses on game-day cheerleading, emphasizing sideline presence, traditional cheers, pyramids, and crowd leadership. In this style, males primarily tumble, base, and stunt, while females stunt, lead chants and dance.
- NCA (Used by Most Arkansas Colleges): More performance-based, incorporating high-energy routines, elite tumbling, fast-paced stunting, and choreography that includes male dancers. Schools that compete under NCA, including University of Central Arkansas, Arkansas State University, UAFS, SAU, UAM, and HSU, design routines that integrate both male and female cheerleaders in all aspects of performance.
This major difference highlights the flaw in Clarksville’s reasoning—they claim to be preparing male cheerleaders for college, yet most collegiate programs in Arkansas follow NCA, which encourages male participation in dance routines.
Parents have also pointed out a major inconsistency in how Clarksville enforces gender-based participation rules.
Clarksville’s Junior High Band flag line includes male students—who are allowed to fully participate in dance routines.
“We asked why male students in the flag line are allowed to dance, but male cheerleaders aren’t,” Stephanie said. “They just keep digging their heels in, even when we present evidence that this policy makes no sense.”
To compare, Stephanie contacted 10 other area schools and found that none had a written rule barring male cheerleaders from dancing. Some schools don’t have male cheerleaders, while others focus on game-day-style routines where nobody dances—but no other school specifically restricts boys from participating in dance elements.
Despite the pushback, Clarksville’s school board has made the policy official, reinforcing the restrictions.
For Draegan, this fight isn’t just about performing a dance routine—it’s about fairness and opportunity.
“I don’t understand why we’re so closed-minded,” he said. “We just want to stick with what we’ve always done, but that mindset is holding us back.”
Parents, coaches, and cheer professionals continue to challenge the policy, calling for equal participation opportunities for all cheerleaders—regardless of gender.
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