“Sis boom bah” will never have the same meaning again at a California high school after the family of an ousted cheerleader ratted out a coach for posing nude on a Playboy Web site. But the family insists it was a matter of morals and respect -- not sour grapes -- that led them to full dis-clothesure.
Adelle Geniella appeared live on TODAY Monday with her parents, Scott and Heather Geniella, to talk about the case that has a high school near Sacramento up in arms -- and debating just what it means to be a role model.
Adelle had been barred from next year’s tryouts for having more than three unexcused absences from Casa Roble High School. But when she learned cheerleading coach Carlie Beck had gone undraped as Playboy’s “Cyber Girl of the Week,” she said it smacked against her sensibilities.
“When I found out about it, I definitely lost respect,” Adelle, 14, told Matt Lauer. “That’s not where my morals stand.”
Divided community
When parents Scott and Heather Geniella informed a school administrator at Casa Roble High School about Beck’s extracurricular activities, the coach was promptly given the boot. The ouster has Beck, 20, pursuing legal action, and divided the community between Team Carlie and Team Adelle.
Some cheerleaders waved “We Want Carlie Back” banners in front of the high school, with one rooter telling NBC that Beck “was always so professional” and “was a really good role model for us.”
Still others applauded the decision to give Beck her walking papers. And dad Scott noted to Lauer Monday that Beck wasn’t living up to the standards that are in effect for her cheerleading charges.
“This is a leader of young women,” he said. “They want to hold the children to a very high standard. These cheerleaders are not allowed to have racy pictures on MySpace, there’s a lot of things they’re not able to do, or shouldn’t.”
Heather Geniella says she understands that some people view the family’s whistle-blowing as revenge for her daughter’s not being allowed to compete for a spot on next year’s cheerleading squad. But she insists they would have brought Beck’s nude modeling to the school’s attention no matter what Adelle’s situation was.
“I would if it was a football player’s coach or it if was a teacher or anybody that worked at the school,” Heather told Lauer.
“When Adelle was not able to try out because she was absent one day of school that I failed to excuse, that took away from the fact that she’s an excellent student, she hasn’t cut a day of school in her life,” Heather Geniella said. “And when they say, ‘Well, we’re trying to set the standards very high for these girls,’ that upset Adelle,” the mother added.
“She said, ‘Mom, there are rumors that she has been on the Internet naked.’ So she was upset at the double standard, that [Beck] is good enough to be in a leadership position.”
Morals debate
Speaking with NBC, Carlie Beck -- or Carlie Christine, as she is identified on the Playboy site -- said she respects all viewpoints about her nude modeling, but feels that it should not have affected her employment at Casa Roble.
“I understand that morals are a subject of opinion, and although parents may have different opinions than I, they’re entitled to those,” Beck said. “As far as [whether] the job can be based on someone’s opinions of morals, I don’t know that that is true.”
Ironically, Case Roble’s own strict standards prevented the school from finding out about Beck’s modeling activities during their background check. Heather Geniella said in an interview school officials had “Googled her from a school computer where there’s blocks on it and they can’t see those sites.”
Lauer asked Heather Geniella whether she would be willing to let bygones be bygones if Adelle were allowed to try out for the cheerleading team, and Beck was allowed to keep her job as a coach.
Heather said absolutely not.
“I get to choose who influences my daughter,” she told Lauer.
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