Under the direction of Galaxy Cheer’s Ronda Thomas, the Redmond High School (RHS) cheer squad won its first-ever state championship at the WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) competition last spring.

The Mustang cheerleaders planned to compete on a national level this school year “and went from being considered a joke, the stereotypical student-run program,” to being respected and revered by RHS athletes and the student body, said Kimberly Nielsen, the mother of a cheer squad member.

But something cryptic happened Oct. 9 at a football team dinner.

According to Nielsen and several more parents, RHS principal Jane Todd pulled the cheerleaders aside and told them they couldn’t do their planned routines at that event or at the Homecoming assembly — and couldn’t do any tumbling at the Homecoming game. They could only stand on the sidelines to cheer.

“’Your coach is not going to be here the next couple weeks,’ was the only explanation given — and the kids were told to not ask questions,” said Nielsen.

By WIAA rules, a stunt-certified coach must be present during the execution of stunts. And the students didn’t know why or how long Thomas would be absent.

Another mom, Gail Frank, told the Redmond Reporter that before the incident at the football dinner, the cheerleaders were summoned to the RHS office and interrogated about Thomas’ coaching style and whether they thought she was “dangerous.”

“She is really intense, but she wants kids to work really hard. It’s intense like any other coach,” said Frank.

She also remarked that the RHS squad’s tumbling and stunting lessons were conducted at Galaxy Cheer’s gym, which has a special spring floor.

“Ronda cares about kids’ safety,” Frank insisted.

Another mom, Desiree Michael, said that parents who called or e-mailed the school or the Lake Washington School District (LWSD), asking why Thomas was under investigation, were either ignored or received a rote response — “We can’t discuss personnel matters.”

Malena Grundel, also a cheer squad parent, concurred, “I found out about it, more or less, from rumors everywhere. … Then we found out it was a ‘done deal’.”

Thomas had been dismissed as the RHS cheer coach, for reasons undisclosed to the cheerleaders or their parents.

“It was very, very hush-hush,” said Grundel.

These parents also stated that a communication from the LWSD’s Human Resources (HR) department “didn’t even get her name right — they called her Linda instead of Ronda.”

And according to Frank, Thomas was issued a “no-trespass” letter from the school district, forbidding her to set foot on RHS property.

In an e-mail received on Oct. 22, Thomas told the Redmond Reporter that she is unable to discuss why was dismissed. She provided the following statement:

“The situation has been a very sad one, to say the least. I miss the team and it’s sad to let go of the phenomenal program built over the past two years, that truly took cheer in our area to heights never before seen at the high school level. Though it won’t be the same, the memories are sure to last a lifetime and will always be cherished.

“Most of the kids, I still have the pleasure of keeping in contact with, which I’m thankful for. I will never forget the positive kids and parents I had the honor and joy of coaching and getting to know and the amazing and supportive teaching staff we had the opportunity to represent in such tremendous ways. We made history — state cheer champions 2008 — and that will live forever in our minds and hearts. I will always love the green and gold.”

NO COMMENTS

When asked why Thomas was dismissed, LWSD communications director Kathryn Reith told the Reporter that neither she or the RHS administration could comment on specifics of personnel matters. She gave a general overview of how a coach might be disciplined or terminated.

“We would have received some sort of allegations from one or more parties,” Reith explained.

Serious allegations would go to the human resources department. District staff would talk with the complainants, the person against whom the complaints were launched and others involved.

Depending on what was determined, the district could close the case, or in the case of a criminal offense, notify police. For a less serious offense, the person might receive a reprimand, to be included in their personnel file.

“In the case of coaches, they are on a year-to-year-contract,” Reith added.

Factors which might result in a reprimand or termination could be related to “student safety, which is first and foremost; following WIAA rules, because if rules are violated, the entire team or program could be disqualified; inappropriate conduct, or any combination thereof,” said Reith.

Nielsen and Michael don’t know who accused Thomas of wrongdoing or what the allegations were. They were told that a complaint came from “someone outside of the school.”

They said Thomas received no warning before being told that her services were no longer needed, but had heard that the LWSD paid her for the full extent of her contract term.

THE FALLOUT

Nielsen said this situation has crushed the Mustang cheer squad’s morale and cheapened their opportunity to make RHS shine — not only at competitions, but in the community at large.

“When Ronda came in, they were non-competitive, not collegiate, had very little crowd interaction, did no community service,” she said. “Before Ronda, cheer squads supported only boys’ football and basketball teams. Ronda expanded the cheer program to support girls’ and other teams, too.”

On a more personal level, Nielsen cited the impact on her son, “whose whole life was changed because of Ronda. He is who is he because of Ronda.”

She said her son had been relentlessly bullied at Evergreen Junior High, because of his activities at Galaxy Cheer. He transferred to Chrysalis School but decided to attend RHS when he found out that Thomas would be coaching there. His attitude toward school and his grades improved because of Thomas’ influence and his recognition as a “Redmond High Hero,” a trailblazing male cheerleader, Nielsen said.

“He has decided not to stay with this team … not to disrespect the athletes or other students, but because the only way he knew how to protect her is to stand up and not be a part of this madness,” Nielsen explained.

Michael added, “This coach could have taken this group to a level Redmond has never seen. The athleticism and excitement factor of this cheer squad were unprecedented.”

Frank agreed. She said football boosters had told her, “Finally, the cheerleaders are worth watching. They really rallied the fans and the team.”

Now, without a stunt-certified coach, “they can’t even do a cartwheel,” said Frank.

Michael commented that the kids who are staying on the Mustang cheer squad don’t necessarily agree with the action taken against Thomas but feel obligated to fulfill their commitment to the RHS student body.

WHO’S TO BLAME?

Rumors keep flying. According to the grapevine, some parents thought Thomas pushed the cheerleaders too hard and others balked at the expenses of traveling to competitions.

But the mothers who contacted the Reporter said the cheerleaders and their parents reviewed expectations, time and money commitments at the beginning of the school year — and signed contracts agreeing to them. Any concerns should have been discussed at group meetings, they asserted.

“The kids are caught in the middle,” said Michael. “They have lost something they’re never gonna get back. Ronda is one of the best coaches in the state. There’s no protocol here. … They also drew a line between sports and cheerleading.”

She clarified, “Is (Thomas) always an eloquent speaker? Is she always nice? What’s the difference between a football or a basketball coach being tough? Did she push them? In no way that another coach wouldn’t.”

Nielsen agreed, “Cheerleading is a sport. They train as hard or harder than any other athletes.”

As for financial hardships, “Ronda would never leave a child behind. If someone couldn’t afford to go to a competition, she would have found a way,” said Nielsen and Frank.

There also have been rumors that someone was unhappy when a younger student from Galaxy Cheer — Nielsen’s daughter, in fact — stood in to perform a stunt with the RHS squad when a regular member was sidelined.

We asked if the substitute cheerleader or anyone else was injured during this “illegal” stunt. The parents said no. They stated that putting in substitutes isn’t unusual in cheerleading, but if someone objected, Thomas could have been issued a warning instead of being terminated.

In Michael’s opinion, the most disturbing aspect of this situation has been the evasiveness of the RHS administration and the LWSD. She said parents have a right to know what happened.

“You trust your kids to them six to seven hours a day. You would expect them to reciprocate that trust,” said Michael.