U.S.

Rigged!

August 22, 2001 / 9:56 PM EDT / AP

All 60 girls who tried out for a high school cheerleading squad made the cut after two judges admitted rigging tryout scores at the direction of a faculty sponsor, school officials said.

Lynn Smith, the Brazoswood High School cheerleaders' faculty sponsor, has resigned from her teaching job, superintendent Rudy Okruhlik said.

Students and parents were suspicious about scores from a panel of hired judges after some award-winning cheerleaders didn't score well enough to make the team.

Complaints were made and at least one parent threatened legal action, a teacher who refused to give her name told the Houston Chronicle in Wednesday's editions.

Okruhlik said Smith denied any wrongdoing. Messages left at telephone listings for Lynn Smith were not immediately returned Wednesday.

Okruhlik began investigating in June and interviewed three of the four judges by telephone. He threw out the tryout results after two judges admitted they had not scored the competition objectively.

Rather than disband the cheerleading squad or hold new tryouts, Okruhlik decided to let all the girls cheer.

"There are so many people on the sidelines now, what's a few more?" asked Principal Michael Benedict.

Okruhlik said he doesn't know what motivated Smith or the judges. He said there was no evidence the judges were bribed.

Several cheerleaders said Smith was motivated by favoritism.

"She just wanted certain girls to make it that weren't going to make it," said Katherine Perello, a 16-year-old junior.