Nothing to Cheer About Print
Thursday, August 04 2016

A Florida high school student is threatening to sue her school district after she was denied a spot on the cheerleading squad.

According to news reports, the Leon County (Florida) School District is considering whether to bypass the selection process to make room for the aggrieved girl, an action that has occurred in the past.

Caylen Berry, Leon’s head cheerleading coach, is against this move. Leon has an "open tryout" and cheerleading hopefuls audition before multiple coaches. Berry said the girl threatening to use legal action is not the only senior who didn't make the team. During the recent tryout, she fell twice during the same tumbling routine and was ranked too low for a place on the varsity squad and school rules do not permit seniors to be on junior varsity.

“They should not put an athlete on the team that doesn’t deserve to be on the team,” Berry said. “A decision like this would question my integrity as a professional. It also questions the entire legitimacy of tryouts and cheerleading as a sport.”

Chris Petley, a spokesman for the district, did not provide additional details about the decision, but said officials were "made aware of a parent's complaint" and have "forwarded information back to Leon High School."

Source:  tallahassee.com (Tallahassee Democrat)