Very Disturbing Lawsuit Against Rockstar Cheer,Varsity,etc.

[WEDWDW]

More alleged abusers added to lawsuit.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...ate-law-enforcement-attorneys-say/ar-AA11SRM0

DAMNING accusations against Varsity and USASF.

“Imagine the courage it takes for a rape survivor to report her abuse,” said Fickling. “And how did Varsity Spirit and the USASF reward that courage? They dismissed her, called her a liar and told her she should find another gym. For the defendants, the almighty dollar was far more valuable than the future of these athletes”

 

[amylevan]

Varsity and USASF are no dream governing bodies, but as a parent, if we’re talking my kid, I don’t go to them, I go to the police. Varsity and USASF don’t have investigation or arresting powers. They can, what, ban a coach? These coaches didn’t need to be banned, they needed to be arrested.
Should they have done something when it was reported to them? Absolutely. They should have reported it. And then you can suspend a coach who is under investigation. But other than that, I’m not sure what they could do.

 

[dcassetta]

It seems to me that this is not just a cheer issue, but youth sports in general. The growth of for-profit club sports over the past 30-40 years seems to lead to all sorts of issues. All so adults can get rich off of kids.

Lack of or substandard training and oversight.
Lack of mandatory reporting laws.
Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of young athletes
Overworking young athletes (there is an ortho in our town that treats only sports injuries in kids and he has gotten rich from it)
Lying to parents about the potential for college scholarships or professional opportunities

This doesn't even address out-of-control behavior by adults at youth sports events

 

[momz]

Scott Foster has been doing incredibly shady and creepy stuff for years, and it has been very public knowledge in the cheer world. It's unfortunate that nothing was ever truly done and that his suspension and the gym's probation weren't taken seriously by USASF.
This has been an ongoing issue in the cheer community, particularly all star cheer as that is an "easier" avenue for these people, for as long as I can remember. This is happening way more than most probably think. We are all hoping that change can finally happen.

Curious, why is all star cheer and easier avenue for abusers? What about the culture there.

Money. How often are you going to run background checks? At $40/pop, that could add up. Nothing will show up on them until the offender gets caught.

My second job is with the local school district and I work as a youth softball umpire so I get checked every year by both of the organizations I belong to. Never really had any training in observing and reporting until I signed up to do hockey this year. If you work as a coach, official or volunteer for any of the governing bodies of olympic sports you have to have that training. I think that training should be mandatory for everyone in youth sports/activities.

I don't think these things are happening more, I think they're getting reported on more, and a wider reporting. I knew teammates in 1993 that got abused by our baseball coach, one 20 second hit on the local news.

I'm interesting in training for observing and reporting that you mention here. I worry about a particular individual at our church. Have never known of anything going on, but this person "hangs out" with the youth group an unusual amount of time. We have set a rule that no adult can ever be alone with child. They can be the only adult with a group of children, but never one on one. I thinking we need to learn the best practices for this kind of thing.

I worked at the big Cheersport event a few times in college and this does not really surprise me. I found a lot of what I saw there offputting - the oversexualized young girls and the male coaches that were way too into it.

I have often seen young girls involved in the cheer and dance community who I would judge as "oversexualized", meaning little girls dressed in revealing costumes with make up looking like the innocent flirt kind and put on display basically. This is not new, (remember Shirley Temple?). But it has become normalized. And I haven't even mention their dance moves. Why does a 5 year old need to master the technique of twerking?

 

[luv2cheer92]

Curious, why is all star cheer and easier avenue for abusers? What about the culture there.


I'm interesting in training for observing and reporting that you mention here. I worry about a particular individual at our church. Have never known of anything going on, but this person "hangs out" with the youth group an unusual amount of time. We have set a rule that no adult can ever be alone with child. They can be the only adult with a group of children, but never one on one. I thinking we need to learn the best practices for this kind of thing.

I have often seen young girls involved in the cheer and dance community who I would judge as "oversexualized", meaning little girls dressed in revealing costumes with make up looking like the innocent flirt kind and put on display basically. This is not new, (remember Shirley Temple?). But it has become normalized. And I haven't even mention their dance moves. Why does a 5 year old need to master the technique of twerking?

I was comparing it to other forms of cheer, school, pop warner, rec, etc. All star athletes tend to have more privates with one on one time with coaches in a private gym, they travel more with overnight hotel stays for competitions, the age grid allows 14-17 year old minors to be on the same team as 20-30+ year old men (and women), overall a lot more opportunities for alone time between coaches and athletes.

 

[EACarlson]

Curious, why is all star cheer and easier avenue for abusers? What about the culture there.


I'm interesting in training for observing and reporting that you mention here. I worry about a particular individual at our church. Have never known of anything going on, but this person "hangs out" with the youth group an unusual amount of time. We have set a rule that no adult can ever be alone with child. They can be the only adult with a group of children, but never one on one. I thinking we need to learn the best practices for this kind of thing.

Opportunity and lack of oversight. With no USOC looking over the shoulders of the governing bodies, they can do whatever they want.

The training I received was Safe Sport from https://uscenterforsafesport.org/

 

[NotUrsula]

I have to do SafeSport courses every year and a background check every other year, as I provide costuming services for a USFSA figure skating club. (Note that the acronyms are similar, but not the same!) Every parent who volunteers in any capacity that has direct contact with a skater other than their own child has to do it, too, and all athletes ages 17 years old or older are required to do so annually as well.

In addition, younger athletes are given a presentation on inappropriate conduct (with parents present) so that they will be clear about what will not happen to them if they report something that makes them uncomfortable. We also have an athlete liason board member who takes all parent complaints (about any concern, not just suspicion of abuse) so that coaches will not know which parent complained (we also try to have that board member be someone who has a connection to a mental health profession, such as a social worker or psychologist.)

After the Larry Nasser indictment, USFSA took a long hard look and tightened the rules, then tightened them still more after John Coughlin's suicide. Our rules are now super-strict for interaction with minors, and our club has even added extra rules. Individual competitor coaches may not travel with minors except with a minimum of 3 people in the vehicle, and only if a parent/guardian who has been through SafeSport training has signed off with permission. Skaters and any adults affiliated with the team may not directly communicate electronically without a parent being copied on the messages, skaters under 18 may not share quarters with skaters over 18; the list goes on and on. ALL individual adult contact with skaters must be conducted with two-deep leadership unless in a fully public space with other people in it. (That also goes for any kind of examination or treatment by physicians or physical therapists.)

The underlying rule set is Safe Sport, but due to the extent of our travel, figure skating has added sport-specific structure for us that is called SkateSafe: https://www.usfigureskating.org/skatesafe Also, the names of any official members who have been sanctioned in any way for inappropriate conduct are publicly available on the association's website.

 

[momz]

I was comparing it to other forms of cheer, school, pop warner, rec, etc. All star athletes tend to have more privates with one on one time with coaches in a private gym, they travel more with overnight hotel stays for competitions, the age grid allows 14-17 year old minors to be on the same team as 20-30+ year old men (and women), overall a lot more opportunities for alone time between coaches and athletes.

Wow!!! I did not know this. The adult men as teammates is especially disturbing. Heck, all of the points you made are disturbing. I had no idea.

 

[momz]

I have to do SafeSport courses every year and a background check every other year, as I provide costuming services for a USFSA figure skating club. (Note that the acronyms are similar, but not the same!) Every parent who volunteers in any capacity that has direct contact with a skater other than their own child has to do it, too, and all athletes ages 17 years old or older are required to do so annually as well.

In addition, younger athletes are given a presentation on inappropriate conduct (with parents present) so that they will be clear about what will not happen to them if they report something that makes them uncomfortable. We also have an athlete liason board member who takes all parent complaints (about any concern, not just suspicion of abuse) so that coaches will not know which parent complained (we also try to have that board member be someone who has a connection to a mental health profession, such as a social worker or psychologist.)

After the Larry Nasser indictment, USFSA took a long hard look and tightened the rules, then tightened them still more after John Coughlin's suicide. Our rules are now super-strict for interaction with minors, and our club has even added extra rules. Individual competitor coaches may not travel with minors except with a minimum of 3 people in the vehicle, and only if a parent/guardian who has been through SafeSport training has signed off with permission. Skaters and any adults affiliated with the team may not directly communicate electronically without a parent being copied on the messages, skaters under 18 may not share quarters with skaters over 18; the list goes on and on. ALL individual adult contact with skaters must be conducted with two-deep leadership unless in a fully public space with other people in it. (That also goes for any kind of examination or treatment by physicians or physical therapists.)

The underlying rule set is Safe Sport, but due to the extent of our travel, figure skating has added sport-specific structure for us that is called SkateSafe: https://www.usfigureskating.org/skatesafe Also, the names of any official members who have been sanctioned in any way for inappropriate conduct are publicly available on the association's website.

Thank you for this detailed explanation. I am impressed with the policies you described. On the surface it looks like the sport is taking the safety of young athletes very seriously, as regards their vulnerability to abuse.

They have pulled their heads out of the sand. We live in a sick society.

 

[WEDWDW]

Looks like "under the rug sweeping" STILL being attempted!

https://www.postandcourier.com/gree...cle_c6dffaf6-380e-11ed-be07-67ae1760c279.html

Only one of the men named in the lawsuit appears on a public watch list of troubled coaches maintained by the U.S. All Star Federation, the industry’s governing body. The USASF also is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, which alleges the organization is part of a vast nationwide scheme to make billions of dollars off underage athletes exposed to drugs, alcohol and sexual abuse. USASF has insisted that keeping athletes safe is its top priority.

Several other coaches named as defendants appear to still be coaching — or were recently — including one in South Carolina.

 

[WEDWDW]

Looks like Jeff Webb has come out swinging.

https://www.fitsnews.com/2022/09/21/rockstar-cheer-scandal-varsity-founder-jeff-webb-responds/

 

[WEDWDW]

I was comparing it to other forms of cheer, school, pop warner, rec, etc. All star athletes tend to have more privates with one on one time with coaches in a private gym, they travel more with overnight hotel stays for competitions, the age grid allows 14-17 year old minors to be on the same team as 20-30+ year old men (and women), overall a lot more opportunities for alone time between coaches and athletes.

I saw that one of the alleged abusers coached for a while at Clemson University.

Do you think abuse on the College level is happening a lot as well?

 

[luv2cheer92]

I saw that one of the alleged abusers coached for a while at Clemson University.

Do you think abuse on the College level is happening a lot as well?

It is definitely happening. Whether it is as much I'm not sure of. Though college teams don't typically have as many minors involved, so that part is less. Not that abuse to legal adults that are in college is good either.

 

[WEDWDW]

It is definitely happening. Whether it is as much I'm not sure of. Though college teams don't typically have as many minors involved, so that part is less. Not that abuse to legal adults that are in college is good either.

How awful.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some Clemson Cheerleaders from those years come forward.

 

[WEDWDW]

Lawsuit now filed in Tennessee.

https://www.wkyt.com/2022/09/28/sex-abuse-allegations-spread-against-cheerleading-industry/

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Sprawling allegations of abuse against cheerleaders reached Tennessee on Monday in a case that escalates the accusations facing some of the sport’s top institutions.

 

[WEDWDW]

More disturbing lawsuits.

https://www.postandcourier.com/gree...cle_571530d8-49a2-11ed-8883-17268b8d2918.html

The plaintiff in one of the new lawsuits, all filed Oct. 11, is a Charleston resident who began cheering at Rockstar when she was 13 and living in Virginia. The gym was so renowned that her mother drove her seven hours each weekend so the adolescent could compete on its teams, the filing says.

The girl spent all weekend practicing at the gym where she found herself immersed in a world of “extensive fraternization between cheer parents, coaches and minor athletes,” the complaint says. When she was 14, on numerous occasions, she became intoxicated at competitions with adult coaches and parents of other athletes, the filing adds.

When she was heavily intoxicated at a competition in Florida, the lawsuit alleges that former Rockstar coach Josh Guyton, who was around 21 at the time, took her to his vehicle and sexually assaulted her.

 

[momz]

wow. This environment was a playground for the depraved. My heart hurts for the victims. And for the parents who put their trust in this organization.

 

[WEDWDW]

Varsity apparently laying the groundwork for a Defamation Lawsuit.

https://www.greenvilleonline.com/st...rockstar-cheer-abuse-allegations/69617875007/

Varsity Spirit LLC has hired Thomas Clare with Clare Locke LLP as defamation counsel in response to snowballing lawsuits that allege sexual abuse at Rockstar Cheer was perpetuated by corporate entities of competitive cheerleading.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Bakari Sellers with Strom Law Firm, Clare said his firm, based in Virginia, was hired to investigate whether multiple lawsuits naming Varsity Spirit made “false and damaging allegations” and constitutes as “sham litigation.”

 

[LuvOrlando]

It is sickening to see how pervasive child abuse farms are throughout every corner of our world, nothing is safe. This is the most damaging thing that can happen to a person and yet law enforcement seems to just miss it all time after time until it erupts like a volcano. How is this not in emails and texts? If no-one is looking for this what is it exactly they are looking for because this is way more damaging to society than drugs. I want to let all the users and dealers out of jail and make room for all the offenders, child abusers and the freaks that assist, this needs to be the priority.

 

[WEDWDW]

Jeff Webb sees the problem as limited to a "handful" of abusers.

In a memorandum, Webb said his “contributions to cheerleading do not provide any basis to impose liability… for the alleged conduct of a handful of rogue bad actors.”

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment...ing-varsity-195024742.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall