Blue Bombers’ cheerleading squad goes co-ed

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers' cheerleaders will look a little different this year. The team announced Tuesday that their "Blue Lightning" squad will become co-ed this year and add athletic stunts to their repertoire. That makes them the third co-ed squad in the league (following Saskatchewan and Edmonton). It's an interesting move, and one that could be a good one.

Here's the information from the Bombers' website on the changes, which also includes an invitation to open auditions on April 22:

Personally, I'm not convinced of the need for cheerleaders of any gender; they're not a necessary part of the game in my view. However, the CFL's cheerleaders do often make plenty of positive appearances in the community, and they can help promote the game and the league, so they're not all bad. Moreover, if you're determined to have a cheerleading team, a co-ed one that actually does athletic stunts instead of an all-female dance team seems a bit more family-friendly, and may be sending a better message. It's not unprecedented, either, as most CIS cheerleading squads are co-ed and do stunts (and the University of Manitoba Bisons' cheerleading staff will be helping the Bombers with the transition). It does mean the games will look a little different this year, though. For comparison, here's a video of the Blue Lightning team during the 2011 Banjo Bowl:

This will be a change, but with help from those U of M coaches, it looks like the Bombers will have things set on the cheerleading front for this year. Now, about that stadium...