One after another, a dozen young cheerleaders raced across a springy blue mat and flung themselves into a series of roundoffs and backflips, the thump of their hands and feet reverberating through the open Ohio gym. Mishelle Robinson, the gym owner and coach, called out instructions across the cavernous warehouse.Photos of beaming athletes and a line of golden trophies adorned the walls. Among a row of banners, one emblazoned with the acronym USASF denoted the gym’s membership in the U.S.
And Ricky Despain remained in cheerleading even after his 2008 conviction for abusing two girls at his Virginia gym landed him on the sex offender registry. Until earlier this year, Despain owned a gym that at times has been sanctioned by USASF, despite a 2015 Karrah Pope, who Despain was convicted of inappropriately touching when she was 14, said she stopped cheering competitively because she worried about seeing him at events. Because he kept the sport, she lost it.
Yet as of mid-July, the governing bodies had suspended or banned just 21 individuals, according to public-facing lists meant to warn parents and gym owners about potential threats to children. The lists have since grown to 118 names, with nearly all of the new additions coming in the last four weeks from the names provided by USA TODAY.
In a Wednesday email to its members, USASF defended its handling of Kristen’s reports and provided a timeline. It says that after receiving the first report in May, Clark responded to Kristen and asked if she had reported to police, then confirmed a gym owner had reported the allegations."Based on this information — the mandated reporting requirements had been followed and the USASF would follow the process in place, and let the investigation proceed," the timeline reads.
USA Cheer’s banned list has more than quintupled in size since Aug. 25, when USA TODAY shared the findings of its investigation with cheer officials. And USASF now says any coach banned from another sport is also ineligible for USASF membership. Robinson said her sister is the registered owner with USASF because Robinson knows her 2006 conviction for sexual battery of a high school boy would show up on a background check. She said she buys a spectator ticket and does not go backstage or in the warm-up area of competitions.
Today, USA Cheer has no employees of its own. All six of its staff members are Varsity employees contracted to work for the nonprofit. The same goes for USASF’s president and vice president of events and corporate alliances. Varsity-owned companies also hold a permanent majority of seats on USASF’s board of directors.
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Watch what happened at 1:08 in ZyroFoxtrot's broadcast: PRESIDENT TRUMP HOLDS A PEACEFUL PROTEST IN BEMIDJI, MN - 2020/09/18
TheMightyVigil Luke 10:19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
Amy Clark, USASF’s vice president of membership, said her organization has robust child protection policies and 'leads the way' on athlete safety.
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