SUMTER, S.C. — A rumor concerning the future of cheerleading at Lakewood High School has proven false, but communication issues and changes coming to the program have caused concern among parents.
"I loved it," Lakewood graduate Miranda Westfall said. "I loved it so much."
Westfall was captain of the cheerleading team at the school last year as a senior.
"Cheer made me really happy. Cheer brightened my mood. It kept my mind off of things," Westfall said. "I loved the experience. The coaches were amazing. The teammates were amazing. The athletic director was amazing. I absolutely loved the experience there, and I would totally recommend anybody to go there."
But now, parents and students are concerned after practice was canceled. This confusion seems to have arisen when former football cheer coach Jessica Collins sent a message to the team on Monday evening.
Collins forwarded the message, which said that the athletic director and principal "have decided to suspend cheer practice until further notice. They do not agree with the split teams we have set up. They have decided to reopen the coaching positions and would like the coaches to reapply as they only want to keep four coaches on staff. ... They expect to make a decision by Wednesday."
Cheer parent Abbie Tisdale said Collins sent a second message to the team, informing the cheerleaders that she and her assistant coach would no longer lead the team bringing into question its future.
"People were so infuriated because the girls have worked so hard through the summer to get where they are now," Westfall said.
"I was concerned because, for one, the cheer squad was chosen last year so that these girls had already known that they were going to be on the cheer team; captain was already chosen; they've already gone through work and practicing during the summer," Miranda's dad, Jason, said. "I know they've put on fundraisers already that they've been a part of and was able to raise money. I was more concerned with the 'Why' and what was the reason for it; then, anything else because it just didn't seem like there was a reason. Why? Why did that rumor mill start if that's not really what's happening."
The Sumter County School District confirmed that the team is not going away. Lakewood announced on Thursday afternoon that a new coach, Sekenyia Williams, has been hired.
"Chaos," Tisdale said of the recent incident causing a buzz at Lakewood. "It's just lack of communication, really, is all I can say. I don't know. It's frustrating, but it's more frustrating to see the girls upset."
Tisdale's daughter, Olivia, is a junior on the team.
"It's been amazing. She has really loved it. We actually were thinking about switching schools last year, but she wouldn't let me because she didn't want to leave her cheer friends and coaches," Tisdale said. "They practice the entire year round. They're always together. They're always, you know, doing events and having like a cheer prom and doing all this. This is a huge part of these girls' lives."
Tisdale said she's felt confused through this process.
"I think it would be a lot easier if they would have reached out to the parents and said, 'Hey, we think we need to make a change, and this is what we're thinking,' or however, and then we'd all be on the same page and understand what's going on instead of saying 'We're suspending cheer practice and looking for new coaches,'" Tisdale said.
This change in cheer leadership comes as Westfall said the team was trying something new with its structure.
"Last year, we did traditional cheers, but this year they changed it up. They did traditional cheers for football season," Westfall said. "And then for basketball season, they changed it up to doing 'Stomp 'n shake.'"
According to "The Society Pages," which is an open-access social science project headquartered in the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota, Stomp' n Shake "uses African American dance/stepping aesthetics and African American bragging and insult traditions (dozens/snapping) to "pump up" their audience. Some Stomp 'n Shake squads include tumbling and stunts in their repertoire, while other squads don't."
Former football cheer coach Jessica Collins said the team split into two different teams: one for football season and one for basketball season. Each team was set to have a varsity and a junior varsity team. Then, a third competition team was to blend cheerleaders from both football and basketball.
Collins said her team practiced all summer for the upcoming football season until a recent meeting with the school administration. Collins said she was told she needed to reapply for the position.
Ultimately, Collins said she was not offered the job, despite leading the team for nine years.
The district did not elaborate on why it was looking to hire another coach, only saying it concerned "personal matters."
The cheer team is set to resume practice as usual on Monday. On Thursday, a mandatory meeting for parents is scheduled at 6:15 p.m.
