Monday, August 4, 2008
THE NORTH TEXAS CHEERLEADER SCANDAL
OK HERE WE GO KICKING OFF ANOTHER MONDAY EDITION OF THE AFTERNOON SHOW. I STARTED THINGS OFF TODAY TALKING ABOUT THE LIFETIME PRESENTATION OF "FAB FIVE: THE NORTH TEXAS CHEERLEADER SCANDAL" WHICH DEBUTED THIS WEEKEND. I HAD NO IDEA THIS WOULD START THE FIRESTORM OF CALLS THAT IT DID!!!!! EWF!!! NEVER HAD TO ABANDON A BIT BEFORE!!! THIS ONE GOT HOT FAST!!!! I GOT MORE CALLS THAN I COULD TAKE AND SOME WERE VERY HEATED!!!! I FELT A LITTLE LIKE RUSH LIMBOUGH THERE FOR A MINUTE. SOOOOO.....NO QUESTION THERE IS PASSION ABOUT THIS!!! I DON'T BLAME EVERYONE THOUGH. IF IT IS TRUE, HIGH SCHOOL IS HARD ENOUGH WITHOUT THE ODDS STACKED AGAINST YOU AND IF IT IS NOT TRUE, THERE ARE YOUNG FUTURES THAT HAVE BEEN AND WILL BE ILL-EFFECTED BY THIS. I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS AND ANYTHING YOU KNOW TO BE FACT ON THE COMMENTS TO THIS POST, LEMME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. NOW ON WITH THE SHOW.
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3 comments:
Is anyone going to comment? I'd like to know the truth. People are willing to call in on the radio, but are too afraid to make an anonymous post?
I saw the movie, read the newspaper articles, and also read the excerpt of the outsourced attorney's investigation on the ordeal. I also am aware of how 'office politics' is a dynamic in schools among faculty and staff to an infinite degree. I'm appalled that said politics clouded the judgement of an adult in such an esteemed position as Principal of a prominent high school. She allowed herself to be influenced by the parents of the cheerleaders, and her own daughter ruled over her. I feel for the cheerleading coach who under different circumstances may have flourished in that position. She has my sympathy as she was placed in a no win position in many of the situations portrayed. That's not to say that she did not make mistakes as well. However, by not having the support of her supervisor indeed rendered her powerless and ineffective as a teacher and coach. She went to the media because she felt powerless, now she's being hunted by the 'cheer moms'. I mean REALLY people! The attorney summed it up perfectly in his report of the incident. "Kids will be kids. But adults MUST be adults". C'mon you cheer moms...honestly...when you know your kid is wrong, it's appalling to stick up for them the way you do. It teaches them that if you do bad things, if you are a 'star' it doesn't matter. No matter who it hurts and no matter the cost. It makes me ill. It's AS BAD as abuse. Shame on you! Sometimes you have to do the right thing, even if the consequences are not pleasant. That's called INTEGRITY. So your little princesses aren't so royal anymore...at least they may have a degree of humility now before they get into the 'real world' where mommy won't be there to fight those battles for them. In my view, this entire ordeal is the fault of the principal and the cheer parents.
Here's a story on WFAA from the cheerleading coach herself:
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/localnews/news8/stories/wfaa080802_lj_lopez.ad10ce3.html
For months, North Texas watched the drama at McKinney North High School unfold.
Now the cheerleading scandal is a made-for-TV movie which airs this weekend.
Channel 8 talked with the cheerleading coach who inspired it all.
Michaela Ward says she's nervous about the movie about the cheerleading scandal that brought the national spotlight on suburban cheerleaders, their parents and administrators.
"About half is true, a quarter exaggerated and another quarter is completely made up," she said.
The movie is loosely based on what happened two years ago at McKinney North High School.
It's about the scandalous behavior of five high school cheerleaders who thumbed their noses at authority and got away with it. Ward, the cheerleading coach, eventually blew the whistle.
"All it took was one person to say, 'it's not OK' and now two principals are gone and the district has taken measures so it doesn't happen again and that's a lot to be proud of," said Ward.
Ward sold her rights to the movie but it's come with a price.
In the last two weeks, she says she has received threatening phone calls and text messages, from the mother of one of the so called "fab five."
"The one lady told me not to step on my front porch. She would be my worst nightmare. She told me she made over $200,000 a year and she said she would spend every bit of it to try and ruin my life and my children's," Ward added.
The movie focuses on the cheerleaders' behavior but also on Ward's struggle to get the district to allow her to discipline the girls' bad behavior.
Ward says she knew she had a story to tell. She just never imagined it would come to this.
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