Letter to the Editor: Cheerleaders Need Clarification on Competing this Fall

Dear Editor: By now, many in our community are aware of the story of our Scarsdale High School cheerleaders this year, but the summary, for those that do not, is simple:

-The Cheerleading team was the only Scarsdale High School team that was prohibited from competition during the 2020-2021 school year.

-While the athletes were able to fully practice, they were not cleared to compete by the Scarsdale School District due to a sentence in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guideline that states , “Face masks should not be worn for competitive cheerleading...because of the theoretical risk that the mask may get caught on objects and become a choking hazard or accidently impair vision.”

-The theoretical risk was deemed a liability for the District and, therefore, the girls were not allowed to compete.

-30 neighboring schools, including Ardsley, Eastchester, Byram Hills and New Rochelle, competed during the competition season with the approval of their districts.

The result was a group of young women from Scarsdale practicing routines for competitions that they would never see. It was emotionally devastating in a time when they needed emotional support the most.

As guidelines from the Westchester County Department of Health have remained unchanged since the beginning of 2021 and the New York State and AAP guidelines continue to shift and change, the path forward for the Cheerleaders is unclear.

-AAP guidance was updated last week, but not the wording noted above for competitive cheerleading.

-AAP guidance does state that athletes can participate without masks for vaccinated individuals, but at the moment, mask wearing is still required indoors in school settings.

Nothing aligns, therefore, no guarantees are currently in place from the District for the team. The athletes and the families are confused.

In a recent email to Alice Granger, President of New York State Section 1 Cheerleading, the parent of a cheerleader inquired about incidents in New York State related to AAP guidance. In Granger’s reply she stated,

“In Section 1, we had at least 30 teams compete at some point during the 2 seasons. All of those teams practiced multiple times a week and I did not hear of any instances of any problems with a mask. [In addition], I am on the state committee and cheer teams competed throughout the state. We have had a meeting since the season ended and I did not hear of any problems with the mask from around the state. The athletes had no issue with practicing, tumbling or stunting with masks.”

Similarly, the coaches of the Scarsdale team noted that this year the game day and competition teams practiced after school in the spring without a mask-related incident, providing additional data that the theoretical risk associated with mask use is invalid.

Our cheerleaders, our athletes, are emotionally exhausted from living in a state of continuous uncertainty. While the fall season begins on August 23, 2021, preparations are beginning now. The cheerleaders have continued to pursue in person clinics with the coaches and private tumbling and stunting lessons at off-site locations. The summer will include our athletes perfecting stunting and tumbling skills while the coaching staff will be working with experts to procure music and choreography. The athletes and coaches deserve to know that a clear path to competition exists.

Cheer families are grateful for the support of the Scarsdale community, but need clarity from the Scarsdale School District that the team will be allowed to compete during the fall and winter seasons of 2021-2022. You can share your support for our athletes by adding your name to our list of community members that support the Scarsdale High School Cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/SupportSHScheer

Thank you,

Deirdre Angus
Felicia and Matthew Block
Isabel and Jonathan Finegold
Peter and Jennifer Godshall
Melissa Goldberg
Jaime Goodman
Yuki Hirose and Eric Brenner
Pamela Jakubowicz
Kristy and Greg O’Hare
Natalie and Jeff Reich
Ella Sosner
Batia Wiesenfeld
Debra and Matt Zik
for the parents of Scarsdale High School Cheerleading