Posted on 07/13/2011 7:52:29 AM PDT by Tazzo
Aurora High junior Julia Sullivan was born without legs or forearms. The district and her family disagree on whether that should have been taken into account at cheerleading tryouts. more... http://www.omaha.com/article/20110713/NEWS01/707139920#cheerleading-case-stirs-up-dispute
(Excerpt) Read more at omaha.com ...
Oh, please! When will this stop?
How ridiculous.
No arms? I’d say ok,
No Legs? That would be ok too.
But no arms and legs? That’s plain silly.
Well I guess she could be a safety mat.
"Idiots file discrimination lawsuit against Mensa"
Gimme a W !
Gimme a T !
Gimme a F ?
What’s that spell ?
Wanting to do it is one thing, but giving jobs to bumper sniffing lawyers because God made you a certain way is where I lose my respect.
“In the performance portion, Julia received her lowest score in the jumps/kicks category and her highest marks in the communication skills and enthusiasm/spirit categories.”
Should make for an interesting case.
If she had prosthetics, she could try out on equal terms with other students. Amputees and people born without limbs compete in many sports using prosthetics.
The cheerleading team coach, and the entire squad, should have just made her a member right off the bat, and worked out ways for her to participate. It would have been a wonderful story. Teenage girls can be really dumb, mean, and petty ( I know, I raised two)..so I’m inclinded to fault the coach, the school AD,and the principal for not having more smarts.
I shouldn’t laugh but LO F’ing L!!!
Last I heard, cheerleading involves a bit more than sitting and spinning. How'd she do on the back flips? Getting that wheelchair to the top of the pyramid formation would be a bit difficult. Sorry, I'm sure she's a very nice child, but everyone has their limitations. Some are rocket scientists, most aren't. Some are cheerleaders, most aren't. Just because she'd like to be a cheerleader doesn't mean her parents should bully their way into making the school put her on the squad. If that were the case, the school would have to put everyone who tried out on the squad.
This is why there is Braille on the drive up ATMs.
I wanted to play football in junior high but the state had a weight minimum for who was allowed to play. Being one of the smallest kids in my class, I didn’t come close.
I ended up joining the track and field team instead. Still a good experience. What’s the big deal? This girl could do all sorts of activities, but missing limbs knocks you out of cheerleading. Kids need to learn an important sentence: “that’s the way it goes.”
I was thinking the same thing. In a better world, they could have arranged for her to participate according to her abilities, simply as a kindness.
However, in the real world, dozens (hundreds?) of others not chosen to be cheerleaders would throw conniptions and lawsuits, because life is all about winning, darnit, never about simply doing something generous out of love.
While the idea of using law-suits to settle each and every case of this type galls me, I think the school should consider letting her on the squad and allowing her to use her enthusiasm and spirit to help make up for her physical disabilities -- provided her participation causes no demonstrable physical danger to herself or others, of course. She and her fellow cheerleaders might even be able to come up with some routines that used her wheelchair to advantage.
Heck, our country has a president with little or no higher brain function, so why NOT a cheerleader with no legs?
Bingo.
Maybe. Some kind of honorary deal. There are other issues. These squads travel to and from games, have required camps, and perform many functions for the ASB’s.
Seems like if the parents would sue to get her on the squad, they’d sue for anything that happens to her while she’s on the squad.
What does one have to do with the other? Yes, teen girls can be mean. Forcing the squad to take this girl isn't going to make things any easier for her. In fact, it may make it harder.
As to your comment about working out a way for her to participate. I'd be fine with that if she were mentally handicapped. But she isn't. She needs to realize that she is physically handicapped and that is her cross to bear. That doesn't mean the world revolves around her.
When I was in school, the cutest and/or most popular girls were the cheerleaders. I thought that is how it has always been.
I’m surprised no one else has suggested making her a flyer. She’s probably light enough to toss into the air.
Unless they shoot her out of a canon, or swing her up by her hair, I can’t see how she’d get in the air.
When I was in High School, those who had the “spirit” but couldn’t do the routines, were in the Pep Squad.
Excellent point!
Perhaps she could join the frisbee team?
I thought people with disabilities, I mean, special needs just wanted to be treated like everybody else. It sure looks like this young lady wants to be given special treatment.
Let's not be suckers. Hard cases make bad law and rich ambulance-chasers. The likely purpose of her suit—from her lawyer's point of view—and certainly the effect, if she succeeds, is to remove merit or ability as a criterion from selection for anything, anywhere. That leaves maximum opportunity for plaintiffs' lawyers to sue, and Lefty-fascist, nanny-state bureaucrats to help them do it.
A legally irrelevant sob story is the can-opener Leftists use to make war on people's private associations. Why? Because they're envious, and what they hate is people who show glory to God through their natural abilities. That's what the ADA, for instance, is all about: Don't let the market, or community ingenuity, solve these problems.
What the school should consider doing is suspending or expelling this girl, her nasty parents, and the skeevy lawyer she rode in on.
The solution I had in mind would not have involved attorneys.
You make a good point, there.
The school should be grateful she’s not demanding to be on the football team.
Good point.
It said she scored high in communications and spirit/enthusiasm, and lets face it, that’s about 30% of being a cheerleader.
I say give her a modified uniform, put some pom-poms on the wheelchair, and a portable PA system, and let her work the crowd up.
Understandably, minus artificial limbs, I’d say jumping and doing a routine like “Mickey” (ie, Toni Basil) is a little out of the question. But I give her points for ambition. If you’re gonna dream, dream big.
"(When) idiots file discrimination lawsuits against Mensa"
ROTFLMAO! Kinda' shoulda' read . . . "(When) idiots LOSE discrimination lawsuits against Mensa"
And folks, I’m not saying her parents should sue the school. That’s stupid.
It’s been so long since school, I’d forgotten about the Pep Squad. Sounds like a good home for her.
I suggest a real sport.
Maybe she could play third base?
Maybe they should just let her spin in circles with sparklers. n/s
This is why there is Braille on the drive up ATMs.
///
i totally agree, with knowing your limitations.
not even disabilities, but simply being fat, or short,
makes certain things impossible.
the EU declaring that car insurance CANNOT use actuary data,
and must be “gender-neutral”, is another example.
but, that is NOT why there is braille on those ATM’s !!!
blind people often use taxis.
they need to use ATM’s JUST LIKE YOU.
if you were blind, would you want to hand YOUR credit card,
and PIN #, to your taxi driver?
if you were blind, would you want to trust YOUR election poll worker, to cast your ballot?
some things, ARE fair and reasonable.
ATM makers, have said the cost of adding braille to ATM’s,
is less than ONE dollar.
and yes, i know MANY blind people, who pay more in taxes than i do!
Oh. . .you are bad . . .and I’m worse for laughing. . . .
LOL!!!
Disability or not, this gal and her folks are leaches on society. This gal now, if not already, is going to be ostricized not for being disabled, but for being a smarta alec whiner, sniveller, punk.
This retard, is probably going to get grants and scholarships, so she can become a lawyer, and add misery to other’s lives, and abuse the legal system for her own personal agenda. Mark my words, her lifetime is going to be one that we hear more and more about over the coming years.
I know. You were trying to be reasonable. Unfortunately, the other side is not reasonable. They're out of touch with reality, and nasty to boot. There's no way to be nice, when someone has decided to sue. If she gets involved with the squad at this point, it's publicly caving in to blackmail, and it will affect everything that happens with the squad, and also every other team and club at that school, plus every other school in the state.
Will this girl sue when she is rejected for a general surgery residency?
Will she sue a dental school that says, “Sorry! No admission!”
If the dental school is also funded by tax dollars, I’m sure the parents would sue (and win) there too.
OK ... I'm mildly curious.
How does that work? Seems like every taxicab I've been in had those gawdawful rear windows that only roll halfway down. Sitting in front would put the passenger on the wrong side of the car.
I didn’t read the article but blind people can’t be pilots, no matter how badly they want to. I don’t know if this is a school “support the team” thing or one of the competitive cheer teams. Forget the latter, but she can still attach pom poms to her chair and cheer the team — maybe they can even allow her a title of Team Spirit Coordinator and let her be on the football sidelines.
Also, I bet the special Olympics could use a great cheerleader. Of all people she should be very supportive of those athletes’ efforts!
I’m sorry about her being in a wheelchair but if you can’t do the jumps like the other cheerleaders then you can’t cheer.There are many many little girls every year who want to do it but can’t make the team time to put your big girl pants on and deal with life.Most teams have 5 members and 100+ girls trying out for those positions forcing them to give on just because she is in a wheelchair is not fair to the other 99 who could do the jumps and didn’t make it.
Prob’ly! :)
Open wide! ( very wide)
Why a cheerleader? Make her the starting running back on the football team.
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