High school cheerleaders suffered burns after coach made them ‘bear crawl’ on hot track as punishment

LUBBOCK, Texas (Gray News) – Cheerleaders at a Texas high school suffered first- and second-degree burns on their arms earlier this month after a coach allegedly forced them to crawl on a hot outdoor track as punishment.

Thirteen Evans High School cheerleaders in Lubbock suffered burns after performing a bear crawl on Oct. 9, according to local KLBK reporting.

Eighth-graders told KLBK that they were punished for cheering at a football game, which their coach allegedly did not want.

The girls said they were told to crawl a mile, but most were unable to continue after two laps due to pain in their arms.

One of the fans said she told the coach that her hands were burning, to which the coach replied that she “didn’t care” and made them continue.

After hearing about what happened, one of the parents went to check the temperature at the track that day and said it was at least 125 degrees.

KLBK reported that at least one cheerleader was taken to the burn unit at University Medical Center.

Numerous photographs of the girls’ hands show large blisters and burns.

The coach, who is a teacher at the school, has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the school district and police.

The parents said they hope for criminal prosecution.

The Lubbock Independent School District confirmed the incident in a statement and said in part: “We want to express our deep concern and regret for the pain and suffering this has caused to students and their families. No child should ever be harmed in a learning environment and we are fully committed to ensuring incidents like this do not happen again.”

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