A sex offender tricked cheerleading officials by having a relative register her gym. Then, she got away with it again. Marisa Kwiatkowski and Tricia L. Nadolny, USA TODAY
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In October, the governing body of competitive cheerleading banned a program owned by a former sex offender, saying the gym could not participate in any of its sanctioned competitions.
Yet members of that Ohio gym, Empire All Stars, performed in a cheer competition in December and registered for another competition this weekend in Indianapolis. The program is still listed in the U.S. All Star Federation’s (USASF) club directory.
In a statement, USASF told USA TODAY that it suspended the program last week pending an investigation. It declined to answer questions about why it allowed the gym to regain membership.
“Athlete protection is our top priority and we will take all steps possible to prevent anyone from circumventing our membership policies,” USASF said in a statement.
USA TODAY reported in September that Robinson planned to put her son Austin in charge of the gym’s cheer program while she focused on its dance program. She was banned by USASF in October but remains involved in the business. Robinson’s cellphone is listed on the gym’s website, and she posts the schedule – for cheerleading and dance classes – on her Facebook page nearly every day.