“Shake Your Booty or Get Booted!”

Kennedy Tesche, a 6 year-old cheerleader from Detroit, Michigan, was allegedly kicked off her squad -the Madison Heights Wolverines- after Tesche’s parents questioned a coaching decision that had the squad performing a cheer they felt ‘too racy’ for their 6 year-old. “I think it’s inappropriate. It’s suggestive and outdated,” comments Jennifer Tesche, Kennedy’s mother. Even though the incident involving the “booty shaking” cheer occurred over a month ago, the Tesche family’s concern was not addressed until earlier this week at a team meeting. During the meeting, Jennifer Tesche – a former cheerleader and cheer coach – expressed her dissent, much to the dismay of coaches and parents alike who were quick to gang up on the Tesche family. In a statement regarding the Tesche family’s issue, Susan Murdock, a league member, comments, “This [Madison Heights Wolverines Cheerleading Team] is like a family and to me if you attack your family what are you going to do? You know people are going to be upset.” Enraged and unwilling to accept the criticism, other Wolverine cheerleaders’ parents came up with another solution. Rather than address the issue of the “booty shaking” cheer, the focus of the discussion quickly turned towards getting rid of the cheerleader and her family. “This meeting was supposed to be about keeping this cheer or not, and all of a sudden it turned into getting rid of us,” says Kennedy’s father, Dwayne Tesche. After Wolverine cheerleaders’ parents got rid of the 6 year-old Tesche, her mother Jennifer, contacted a local news organization that was not only willing to hear her story, but offer it enough coverage to gain attention in the national spotlight. Almost immediately, news agencies throughout the United States began taking a closer look at the Tesche family’s story, ultimately earning them a guest spot on Good Morning America. Last Friday, September 10, 2010, Jennifer Tesche made her guest appearance on Good Morning America, expressing her frustration with Wolverine cheerleaders’ parents for punishing their daughter, Kennedy, for their attempts to get the cheer removed, rather than the parents, Dwayne and Jennifer Tesche, themselves. During the same interview, Tesche pleaded with viewers not to hold her 6 year-old daughter, Kennedy, responsible for the incident, as she was only obeying her parents wishes. “Why punish her? It’s her that’s hurting,” added Dwayne Tesche. “It’s her that can’t cheer with the organization anymore.”