Cheerleaders push back on planned Lodi High changes
Changes are on the way for Lodi High School’s cheerleading program, and the news has left many student-athletes and their parents stunned and angry.
On Friday, Principal Bob Lofsted addressed concerns that the program might be canceled altogether.
“Lodi High is not canceling cheer; the intent is to change the configuration from ‘sideline cheer,’ to ‘competitive sport cheer.’ We will be having conversations with all those currently involved in cheer, or intending to be involved in it next year, to explain what we believe are the considerable benefits to making this shift,” Lofsted wrote in a statement to the NewsSentinel.
Lofsted declined to comment on the reason for the change. Interim athletic director Michelle Souza referred questions to Vice Principal Erin Aitken, who could not be reached for comment.
Competitive sport cheer, also known as stunt cheer, is a spring sport, according to Will DeBoard, assistant commissioner of the SacJoaquin Section. Teams choose one of approximately 17 routines given to them by USA Cheer, and perform them simultaneously in front of judges who pick the winner.
Approximately 70 schools in California currently participate in competitive sport cheer, DeBoard said, 30 of them in the Sac-Joaquin Section. The next closest school to Lodi with such a team is Liberty Ranch High School in Galt, he added.
“I kind of see competitive sport cheer going the same route that boys volleyball has. Three or four years ago, about 25 schools in California had a boys volleyball team. Now, there are about 95, so it’s grown pretty substantially. As far as competitive sport cheer goes, it’s definitely a sport in its infancy, but there’s a lot of interest in it,” DeBoard said.
Not everybody shares that interest, however, such as Mikayla Lozano, a Lodi High junior and current captain of the cheer team. Lozano feels the change would waste the hard work she and her teammates have put in over the years, and that Lodi High’s rivalry with Tokay High School would not be as entertaining. She also fears that she will not be able to cheer during her senior year, or earn a four-year patch for her varsity letter jacket.
“As captain of the cheer squad for the last three years, I was planning on continuing my role as leader of this team in my senior year, and bettering our school as a whole by influencing positivity, spirit and confidence. My senior year would not be the same if Lodi High cheer didn’t exist anymore. Games would not be enjoyed as much, we couldn’t boost the crowd’s energy. It is our job as cheerleaders to entertain our student body. Nobody wants this. The student body does not want this,” Lozano said.
McKenna Mitchell, a junior, said that she and her teammates only found out about the change on Thursday, and were not given any say in the matter.
“We, as the cheer squad, feel like we’ve been singled out because we’re a club, and the school isn’t cutting any other clubs. This is what we do. Some of us have been doing this for years, and to get this taken away is the worst thing ever,” McKenna said.
Sam Mitchell, McKenna’s father, said that he learned of the change on Thursday night, when McKenna came to him in tears. He shared his concerns with other parents, he said, and emailed Lofsted multiple times before learning that a meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Lodi High School.
“It’s a club, and this club was singled out. No other club in the district is being removed next year, so why this one? It brings nothing but benefits for the school. It’s a tradition. Every other high school in the district has sideline cheer. Every CIF school that has stunt cheer still has sideline cheer,” Sam Mitchell said.
With 48 student-athletes on the cheer team, each parent pays approximately $1,200 per student to fund the program, which costs between $50,000 and $60,000 per year, Sam Mitchell said.
Lodi Unified School District has no policy on clubs such as cheerleading, according to parent Julia Staley, who said that the district explained to her that each individual principal oversees decisions regarding clubs. Despite not being classified as a sport, she said, cheer teams are still required to abide by the same rules that govern teams such as football or baseball.
“This is not a sport, this is a lifestyle. Parents donate money, time, blood, sweat, tears and broken bones. Colleges don’t just want to see competitions, they specifically ask if you cheered at high school games. I wouldn’t have a cheer bow tattooed on my arm if this wasn’t a lifestyle,” Staley said.
Freshman Kiana Ayala, voiced her concerns that a competitive sport cheer team would not have the same bond as the current team, as they would not compete together.
“What sucks the most about this is we won’t get to be on the mat as a team, we would compete in different sections at different times. That’s really bad for us because we’re such a close team. We have to perform together, or we don’t want to compete at all,” Ayala said.
Jennifer Ayala, Kiana’s mother, explained that some cheerleaders cheer for as many as eight years, beginning with the Lodi Junior Flames, a feeder program, in hopes of one day cheering for Lodi High School. Jennifer found out about the change from her daughter on Thursday night, as many parents did, and shares her daughter’s sadness and outrage.
Madison Rivera, a senior, credits her four years as a cheerleader with teaching her confidence that she previously lacked. She now fears that future students will not have the same opportunities that she had, tearing up at the thought of Lodi High School losing its cheerleading program.
“It’s just shocking that something I’ve been a part of all throughout high school is going to be gone after I leave. It just hurts,” Rivera said.
The cheerleaders started an online petition to prevent the change in their cheer programs, Lozano said, which had more than 1,200 signatures as of Friday evening. The petition can be found at www.thepetitionsite.com/tell-afriend/52114638.