Augusta County youth cheer competition canceled after threats on social media

by Junna Base November 9, 2024

FORT DEFIANCE — A youth cheer competition scheduled for Sunday has been canceled due to threats on social media, according to a Facebook post on the Riverheads Little League page.

“Due to the massive concerns, threats and issues surrounding all social media platforms in all areas, the ACQC Board of Directors has unanimously decided to cancel the 3rd cheerleading competition of the 2024 season at Fort Defiance for the protection of all athletes, coaches and spectators.” , the post says.

Based on a post from earlier in the week, this should be the final cheer competition for the Augusta County Quarterback Club (ACQC) of the season.

The reason for the threats apparently stems from an incident at a recent ACQC youth football championship game at Buffalo Gap High School. It involved a youth player from Waynesboro and an adult coach from the Riverheads youth soccer team, although there are conflicting reports about exactly what happened.

“The number of ongoing threats impacted the Fort Defiance Cheer Competition scheduled for this Sunday, November 10th^Th“, the post read. “Safety measures were in place, but due to social media posts from certain individuals from other leagues, parents throughout Augusta County raised concerns with the Augusta County School Board. Therefore, the ACQC was forced to cancel the competition.”

Andrea Monique Tinsley told The News Leader that the incident at the football game began when her son Trayson, who plays for Waynesboro, attacked a Riverheads player near the sideline.

“The (Riverheads) kid kind of flies into the sideline,” Tinsley said. “Trayson is standing… and you can just see Trayson hit the ground abruptly.”

Tinsley admitted she didn’t see what happened live, but other Waynesboro fans told her what they saw and eventually she saw a video taken from across the field. The video was shared on Facebook. However, due to the distance and the number of people on the sidelines, it is difficult to see exactly what happened.

Tinsley said the story her son tells is that a Riverheads coach grabbed him by the shoulder pads and threw him to the ground. Her son ran to the Waynesboro sideline and told them what happened.

The News Leader contacted both the Riverheads Little Gladiators Booster Club and the Augusta County Quarterback Club. We have only received a response from Riverheads, which released a statement Friday evening.

In that post, the organization said the coach was simply trying to stop the two players from “slamming into a metal bench, which could have resulted in serious injuries to both players.”

The organization also said in the post that the Waynesboro player, apparently Tinsley’s son, returned to the field and “tripped over someone’s foot.”

Tinsley said members of her family actually made their way to the field after the incident, but were stopped by Buffalo Gap officers. The game was briefly delayed, she said, and the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office was eventually called. Tinsley believes a school official called the authorities about her family’s actions.

“She seemed much more interested in my family members getting on the field and making a scene,” Tinsley said. “And we said, ‘Hey, this adult just threw our child on the ground.'”

The Riverheads Little League Booster Club said in its post that it was understandable that there was confusion about what happened because it occurred on the sideline across from Waynesboro, nearly 50 yards away.

“Although referees assured there was no ill intent from the Riverheads coach, the situation was escalated by a misrepresentation on social media,” the post said. “If there had been malicious intent, the Riverheads coach would have been ejected from the game by the referees.”

The support group said it was “devastated for our cheerleaders and all cheerleaders from our county and neighboring towns who were unable to show how hard these young ladies have worked all year for their final cheerleading competition.”

Tinsley said she understands that incidents sometimes happen in the heat of the moment. All she wanted from the coach was an apology.

“All the coaches stepped in front of their coach like they were trying to protect him,” Tinsley said. “No one on the Riverheads sideline helped Trayson get up. No one has contacted me.”

She said members of other youth soccer teams, including Fort Defiance, Staunton and Wilson, contacted her to inquire about her son’s health.

“But no one from Riveheads has contacted us,” she said.

— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips are always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at [email protected] and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

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