Lumberton High School Cheerleaders 9/11 Tribute Deemed ‘Tasteless,’ Video Goes Viral [Watch]
Lumberton High School cheerleaders 9/11 tribute routine sparked intense controversy after a video of the performance went viral. Many online commenters have deemed the 14th anniversary tribute of the September 11 terror attacks “tasteless” and “cringeworthy.”
The Lumberton cheerleaders posted a video of their 9/11 tribute routine online in what they felt was an effort to show respect for the lives loss on that tragic day. The viral video of the September 11 cheerleading routine has now been viewed more than 20 millions times. The school is located in Texas, according to a Facebook page from a local photographer who shared a team photo of the cheerleaders.
Texas high school goes viral for cheer routine set to audio from 9/11 attacks: http://t.co/DBGpvMhns4 pic.twitter.com/ythUSxRNnD
— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) September 13, 2015
“God Bless the USA” played as the Lumberton cheerleaders performed their 9/11 tribute routine. News footage from the September 11 terror attacks plays in the background as the girls dance on the gym floor. The cheer routine also highlights what President George W. Bush said after the first act of terrorism on American soil. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost after the hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The Lumberton High School cheerleaders tumble and build/toss one another into the air in standard cheerleading routine fashion during the tribute. An American Flag is unfurled, and the girls use patriotic-colored tinsel to spell out USA at the end of the 9/11 cheerleading routine, Buzzfeed notes.
The Lumberton cheerleaders did a great job performing their 9/11 tribute live this morning! pic.twitter.com/mLAebJ8BSy
— 12NewsNow (@12NewsNow) September 14, 2015
The school cheerleading squad has reportedly performed a September 11 tribute routine annually since 2002 and take the event “very seriously,” according to their coach, Laura Sheffield, the Daily Mail reports.
9/11-Themed Cheerleading Routine: Honorable or Horrible?:
The cheerleading team at Lumberton High School in… http://t.co/9v22Cxz80Z
— Alessandra Benedetti (@Kaositsme) September 14, 2015
“We do this because we believe it is very important to honor and remember the first responders, those who gave their lives, and those who still mourn the hole left by lost loved ones,” the Lumberton High School cheerleading coach said. “The girls are very dedicated in all they do. They take it very seriously, and know that being a cheerleader is more than just Friday Night Lights; It’s making a difference in the lives of our community.”
What do you think about the Lumberton High School cheerleaders 9/11 tribute routine?
[Image via Video screengrab/Facebook]
