Newport Cheerleaders Told Original Picks Will Stand

Newport Harbor High School officials announced Tuesday that they have finally decided which girls deserve a spot on the cheerleading squad: Only those who were picked by a panel of judges six weeks ago will be guaranteed a set of pom-poms and a sweater.

The question of who should be on the team has been the subject of an increasingly bitter fight among girls and their parents since some complained of inconsistencies in judging after the Nov. 29 tryouts.

Earlier in the dispute, Principal Michael Vossen attempted to resolve matters by allowing all 48 girls who had tried out to be on the squad. But on Tuesday, as many would-be cheerleaders dissolved into tears, Vossen said he was going with the original squad of 30 but would soon hold additional tryouts for four more spots.

Practices, which had been suspended pending the outcome of the fight, will resume today.

“This decision is the only fair one they could have come up with,” said Michael Johnston, the father of two cheerleaders who made the original squad. Johnston filed a formal complaint with the district protesting the principal’s first solution of putting all the girls on the team.

He pointed out that all the girls and their parents agreed in writing before the tryouts to abide by the judges’ decision.

Other parents and cheerleaders disagreed.

“It’s not right,” said Megan Romenello, who did not make the original squad. Megan said she quit her job when she got the happy news in early December that she would be a cheerleader after all. And she said she will not be trying out again.

“I can’t go through the process of not making it again,” she said. “They’ve crushed a lot of girls.”

Jaime Castellanos, assistant superintendent of secondary education for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, acknowledged that the ups and downs of the process have been painful for many girls.

But if school officials had hoped Tuesday’s decision would resolve a dispute that has pitted friends against each other and ruined the holidays for many families, they were wrong.

One woman whose daughter made the original squad said she intends to file a complaint with the school district today, protesting the way the administration handled the problem.

“Do you see all these girls crying?” said Sherry Blake, gesturing around her as red-eyed girls collapsed in each others’ arms or were led away by their mothers.

Another mother, Annette Kerr, said some parents are considering a lawsuit.

It would not be the first time the composition of the cheerleading squad at the coastal campus ended up in court.

Since a 1994 lawsuit in which the district paid tens of thousands of dollars, the high school has gone to great lengths to prevent controversy over cheerleading tryouts. The judges are professionals from outside the school district who don’t know the girls. A certified public accountant tabulates the scores, watched over by a representative from the League of Women Voters.

Nevertheless, after the Nov. 29 tryouts, Lisa Callahan, cheerleading coach for the last 13 years and a former Raiders cheerleader, was upset. She said she had never previously complained about the selection process.

Callahan, who was in the room during tryouts but did not vote, said that the judges’ marks were “inconsistent.” Girls who performed the mandatory routine were scored lower than girls who smilingly improvised. What’s more, Callahan said, judges were talking to each other during the tryouts.

Parents Unhappy With Previous Decisions

Others, including the team’s faculty advisor, Jennifer Cilderman, said the tryouts were fair.

The coach, who is paid by the booster club and is not a faculty member, complained to administrators. When the mothers of girls who had not made the cut found out about her concerns, they began complaining as well.

Vossen stepped in on Dec. 12 and said everyone could be on the team. He sent out a letter promising to fix inconsistencies in the tryout process next year and urging the girls to get along and have a great season.

But after parents of girls who had made the original team put up a fuss, district officials formed a committee to investigate the tryouts. It found the process had been fair and recommended reinstating the original team and, as a compromise, adding four more spots.

While this decision pleased some parents, others reacted as if it was a bad call in the final seconds of a high school championship football game. Some said the principal’s actions were tantamount to child abuse. Many refused to leave a Dec. 21 meeting with the principal until he changed his mind.

Vossen put the matter off until students returned from winter break.

Now many girls said they hope they can just go on with the season.

“Cheerleading has been my life since I was a freshman,” said Savannah Romero, who made the original squad but thinks all the girls should remain on the team. “I’m glad to get back to it.”