Red Bank Regional cheerleaders in an undate photo on the school website. (Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
In the wake of a complaint, Red Bank Regional High has temporarily halted cheerleader pushups after every score by the football team, redbankgreen has learned.
Superintendent Lou Moore confirmed Thursday that he put the kibosh on the custom last Friday after someone complained that the pushups were “belittling” and “not respectful” to the cheering squad.
Moore declined to identify the complainant, except to say that he or she is a member of the Little Silver-based RBR community.
“I try very hard to respect everyone’s voices,” he said. “So for that reason, I temporarily stopped the practice so I could work with” the cheerleading squad, coaches, students and other to discuss the complaint, he said.
Moore said he planned to meet with cheerleader captains Thursday afternoon, in the expectation of having a decision on whether to resume the push-ups in time for Friday night’s home game against Toms River East.
“I believe their perspective is most important,” he said.
Cheerleading Coach Kristine Finck did not respond to a request for comment.
At last Friday’s come-from-behind, 23-13 home victory over Ocean Township, the cheerleaders honored the ban on pushups, but a number of parents came out of the stands and did them instead, redbankgreen has confirmed.
Moore said he was at the game, and though he didn’t see the adults doing pushups, he told redbankgreen, “that’s fine — they’re a good form of exercise.”
Friday’s kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
