So I'm watching tv Sunday night and I see the same colored walls and floor of the gym I was just sitting in four hours earlier in the preview for next weeks episode. I have a WTF moment and I talk to some other parents about it the next day. I get the heads up to check out the first 10 minutes of the up and coming episode and needless to say I am not a happy mama.
As you can see by my avatar, I am African American. I take offense to any implied notion that I am from the 'ghetto' or my child is an 'inner city kid'. The audacity of some rich woman who probably hasn't worked a day in her life inferring that crime has gone up because I (or any other person of color) am now frequenting her area is offensive and ignorant to say the least. Because I know this will be talked about next week as with everything else that is associated with the gym and the owner, I want to be very clear. I am a single mother of two. I go to work every day to pay my bills and make sure my child can do what she loves. My child was not sponsored to cheer so I paid the gym fees, comp fees, uniform, and shoe fees. My child does not need to be mentored or assisted in any way to be a better or more productive person. The children of color at this gym are talented, educated, and motivated kids. I've watched young people take books in to the gym so that they can study during any breaks in practice and maintain a 4.0 GPA while enduring extra practice the entire season. Each and every kid at that gym worked hard to live up to hype that was generated by people who had nothing better to do. An allstar gym is a business, not a non-profit organization. For an owner to portray an image of the savior of little black kids that otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it is hogwash! Majority of the children came from very successful gyms to be a part of something that we thought would be new and great. I personally didn't bring my cp in an effort to be used to enhance the reputation of anyone that sits in a country club and brags about the good that she is doing. If you want to do something good, donate to a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen. Don't bring all of these athletes to your gym to make yourself look like a Good Samaritan.
Words cannot express right now just how disgusted I am at what has transpired this season. Now I have to find a new gym and figure out a way to explain to my child why she won't be cheering wih girls she's grown to love over the season. It should've been about the kids but every time you turn around it was about adults who viewed competitive cheerleading as a joke. Just plain ole disrespectful.
