I liked how the faculty judges at Jan Brady's school appeared to take their Pom-Pom judging duties very seriously in Her Sister's Shadow. It was obvious that not just anyone was allowed to make the Pom-pom squad, so Jan shouldn't have felt too disappointed when she didn't make the cut.
To assuage her fragile ego she could have claimed the tryout was rigged. She could have told everyone that if it hadn't been rigged, the judges would have picked her in a unanimous landslide. But we know Jan has way too much character and integrity to resort to such shenanigans.
At any rate, I wonder if Jan would have found true happiness as a Pom-Pom girl? Her second place showing for her essay reveals an individual capable of profound and deep thinking. Perhaps I am being unfair, but I don't associate scholarly ambitions with the Pom-Pom squad. I think Jan was lucky that she didn't get swept up into the shallow and intellectually un-stimulating Pom-Pom world.
To assuage her fragile ego she could have claimed the tryout was rigged. She could have told everyone that if it hadn't been rigged, the judges would have picked her in a unanimous landslide. But we know Jan has way too much character and integrity to resort to such shenanigans.
At any rate, I wonder if Jan would have found true happiness as a Pom-Pom girl? Her second place showing for her essay reveals an individual capable of profound and deep thinking. Perhaps I am being unfair, but I don't associate scholarly ambitions with the Pom-Pom squad. I think Jan was lucky that she didn't get swept up into the shallow and intellectually un-stimulating Pom-Pom world.