2008 Woodie Awards
Frustration behind Spirit Squad getting cut
Steve Lee
Issue date: 5/4/07 Section: Letters to the editor
The Spirit Squad are the only ones who cheer at every football and basketball game, through the entire game, through the entire season, even when nobody else is cheering with them and even being laughed at by the other CHRIST CENTERED FANS in the crowd.
Point and case: the MIAA Basket Ball tournament. SBU men's basketball team is down by three, seven seconds on the clock, we have the ball and are going to inbound the ball on our side of the court. Everybody on the other team's stands are on their feet. How many in our stand? Not a single person. Not Dr. Taylor. Not Joanne Vaughn. Not Brent Good. The only ones on their feet jumping up and down screaming were the SBU Sprit Squad.
All that to say these are "students that love to come out and cheer on their team and put on a performance for the crowd. They are not on scholarship like the athletes of SBU. These are students who participate in cheering in their school because they have pride in their school. But because they cost so much money to keep as cheerleaders, they are being scrapped and turned into a dance team.
(3) Let's talk about the shifty way this was done. Apparently, there was a meeting involving Dr. Taylor, the Accounting Department (that being Ron Maupin) and others such as Good. They decided that costs needed to be cut. Spirit Squad insurance premiums cost too much.
We need to ground the Squad. Did you miss anybody in this picture? How about the coaches?
Oh yeah, this great "Christian university" did not involve coaches in the future of the spirit squad (they will come back and say, "the coaches were leaving at the end of the year so we did not see it fit to involve them in discussing the future of the spirit squad of next year).
Bull!
They did not want the coaches there (if this meeting did really take place, I'll explain later) because they would have fought tooth and nail on the issue for two reasons: 1. How many people cheer for the Sprit Squad when they dance or cheer? No one. 2. When the Spirit Squad goes to competitions, they advertise for 1,000's of little cheerleaders about SBU. That's right, THOUSANDS (go to a cheer competition if you don't believe me. It's insane).
Point and case: the MIAA Basket Ball tournament. SBU men's basketball team is down by three, seven seconds on the clock, we have the ball and are going to inbound the ball on our side of the court. Everybody on the other team's stands are on their feet. How many in our stand? Not a single person. Not Dr. Taylor. Not Joanne Vaughn. Not Brent Good. The only ones on their feet jumping up and down screaming were the SBU Sprit Squad.
All that to say these are "students that love to come out and cheer on their team and put on a performance for the crowd. They are not on scholarship like the athletes of SBU. These are students who participate in cheering in their school because they have pride in their school. But because they cost so much money to keep as cheerleaders, they are being scrapped and turned into a dance team.
(3) Let's talk about the shifty way this was done. Apparently, there was a meeting involving Dr. Taylor, the Accounting Department (that being Ron Maupin) and others such as Good. They decided that costs needed to be cut. Spirit Squad insurance premiums cost too much.
We need to ground the Squad. Did you miss anybody in this picture? How about the coaches?
Oh yeah, this great "Christian university" did not involve coaches in the future of the spirit squad (they will come back and say, "the coaches were leaving at the end of the year so we did not see it fit to involve them in discussing the future of the spirit squad of next year).
Bull!
They did not want the coaches there (if this meeting did really take place, I'll explain later) because they would have fought tooth and nail on the issue for two reasons: 1. How many people cheer for the Sprit Squad when they dance or cheer? No one. 2. When the Spirit Squad goes to competitions, they advertise for 1,000's of little cheerleaders about SBU. That's right, THOUSANDS (go to a cheer competition if you don't believe me. It's insane).
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Ivry Karamitros
posted 5/04/07 @ 2:26 AM EST
Wow.
I had no idea.
Steve, thank you for sharing that; I'm sure your experience was hard and painful.
Let me know how I can help.
Shawn.Cantrell
Shawn Cantrell
posted 5/04/07 @ 4:18 AM EST
Thank you for your words Steve... Thank you for standing up for us. :-)
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