John I "short shift" all the time myself, Once you get moving, the engine's torque can handle the higher gears with no problems.
I have on occasion launched in 2nd. when I've been on a down grade, I simply don't make a habit of it.
Beside 1st. gear being rather short, (but no more so than several other popular sports cars) many people don't like the objectionable 1st. to 2nd. shift that often happens. So they avoid using 1st. for that reason alone.
As Drawbar pointed out, many feel the 1st. to 2nd. glitch smooths out if accelerating more aggressively, as opposed to "granny" shifting.
Everybody drives their cars in their own fashion, and do so in a manner that's most comfortable for themselves. As long as you don't ride around with your foot resting on the clutch pedal all the time, there shouldn't be any problems.

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...irst-gear.html