Something to Cheer About

When the nerd-herd arrived in Portland last Sunday, there was a convention already underway at the Oregon convention center -- the Pac-West Open National Cheer and Dance Championships. This consisted mostly of 10-13 year old girls in cheerleading outfits, carrying stuffed pink unicorns or similar, doing cartwheels down the hallway. I’m glad that they thought that the arrival of 6000 Physicists was something to cheer about (and it is about time, I might say). Nonetheless, the combination of physicists and cheerleaders made a bit of an odd mix for a day or two.

Fiona Burnell commented that it would be pretty awesome if some physicist would dress up in a cheerleader outfit, carry a pink unicorn, and go sit in the front row of some of the physics talks and start drilling the speakers with nasty (but valid) physics questions. Everyone agreed that this would be pretty awesome. Sadly, she confessed that she didn’t have the guts to do it herself (and alas, before getting tenure, it would probably not be such a good idea). I don't think I could pull it off either -- I've never been able to do a proper cartwheel. But honestly, someone should do it.