Backlash š§¾
Prodigy All-Stars face backlash, Cheer Athletics sued & Varsity scoring update
Hey, hello, hi, and welcome to the last newsletter before itās Worlds month! š³ Weāve got a lot to cover today, so letās not waste any timeā¦
In todayās newsletter:
Prodigy All-Stars face backlash & gym director resigns
Cheer Athletics sued over alleged discrimination
Varsity scoring update
Latest results + upcoming competitions
& more!
Prodigy All-Stars face backlash & gym director resigns
Prodigy All-Stars faces a lot of backlash after people have shared their negative experiences at the gym on social media.
We won't share specific details about the stories. Instead, we encourage you to research it yourself and form your own opinions and thoughts (you can find information on Twitter/āXā for example).
The gym director later shared that he resigned, allegedly because of a custody hearing and putting his kids first.
The gym also sent this email to team parents, inviting them to a meeting.
Cheer Athletics sued over alleged discrimination
The mother of an athlete is suing Cheer Athletics, alleging that the gym has discriminated against her daughter:
āPLANO, Texas ā A Prosper mother is suing Cheer Athletics, alleging in the lawsuit that the cheer program discriminated against her daughter, who has hearing loss.
The girlās mother, Alicia Mims, alleged that she repeatedly requested American Sign Language interpreters to help relay coachesā directions āafter watching [the girl] struggle to understand coaches throughout the 2022-2023 season,ā according to the lawsuit.
Specifically, the lawsuit alleges the gym limited where interpreters could be in the gym when they could be there, and more, and āthereby [the girl] misses learning opportunities and safety warnings otherwise available to her hearing teammates.ā
The gym responded with the following statement, and has denied the allegations:
"We are heartbroken to see months of hard work and commitment by the Cheer Athletics staff to help a little girl safely participate in cheerleading ultimately result in a lawsuit that we were first notified of tonight by the media,ā the program said in a statement. āCheer Athletics spared no expense conferring with experts in the field. We spoke with the childās doctor, who said a roger device was the correct accommodation for this athlete in the all-star cheer environment. We immediately purchased the roger device at our sole expense. The mother refused the roger device accommodation and demanded a translator. A translator was then provided at our expense.ā
āWe have advocated for this athlete to ensure she remains an integral part of her squad,ā the statement continued. "Cheer Athletics has decades of success with athletes with hearing loss succeeding to the highest levels in our program- including winning world championships- and will continue to provide a safe and inclusive solution- to the best of our financial ability- for all all-star cheerleaders."
You can read the full article here & the lawsuit document here.
Varsity scoring update
Varsity sent out an update regarding the United Scoring System and the USASF scoring system:
āThe United Scoring Partners have been working with the USASF in preparation of the 2024 ā 2025 season. We listened and have heard your requests to create moreĀ consistency between our scoring systems so that there can be a smoother transition between the United Scoring System and the USASF Score sheet. While the two systems will remain independent of each other,Ā we haveĀ aligned on the following items for our USA based eventsā¦ā
šļø OTHER NEWS & LINKS
8 of the Great Cheerleading Youtube Channels to Follow
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QUIZ: Answer 10 Questions And See What Coed Team You'll Be On Next Season
And share your result in the comments below!
USASF Shares Early Changes for the 2024-2025 Cheer Season
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š COMPETITIONS
LATEST RESULTS & BIDS:
Prague Cheer Open (Czech Republic), USA All Star Super Nationals (California), Revolution Championships Gold Rush Charlotte (North Carolina), Spirit Sports The Ultimate Battle & Myrtle Beach Nationals (South Carolina), Kicks Celebration (Canada).
šļø See the latest Summit bids, D2 Summit bids & Worlds bids here.
UPCOMING COMPETITIONS:
Spirit Royale Honolulu (Hawaii), Revolution Championships Jackpot Tampa (Florida), Maximum Cheer and Dance South Coast Classic (Mississippi).
We can't cover all competitions - for more, we suggest CheerTheory & Varsity TV (not sponsored).
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