Let’s dig into the big L.A. Times story on the song girls and former coach Lori Nelson, whose removal was long overdue.
First, you might think USC would be embarrassed by the story. Well, I don’t think everyone is. It wouldn’t surprise me if Mike Bohn (or a subordinate) helped leak the story. Bohn certainly came out of the story looking good.
Now my own song girls story: Around 2007-08, my blog pointed out the lack of transparency involving the selection of the song girls. The tryouts were closed to the public and the identity of the judges was not revealed.
So you never how anyone got selected.
But I knew that athletic dept. spokesperson Tim Tessalone was a long-time judge and also close to Nelson. That was a scenario ripe for favoritism.
Current and former song girls complained to me about the favoritism displayed by Nelson and how miserable she could make their lives. Her daughters were song girls and it seemed like quite a few members came from their high school at the time.
Nelson was furious with me and Tessalone made me meet with him to discuss the coverage of the story. At one point, my press credential was given to me on a game-by-game basis instead of the normal season pass, a clear message that I was on thin ice if I persisted in writing about the song girls selection process.
It was yet another example when USC had people in positions for power for years who thought they were above the law. It was the same thing with the Varsity Blues scandal.
The reason the judges are not made public is so they don’t get harasses by the press, or overbearing parents whose daughters didn’t make the squad. I know for a fact that Ms. Nelson does not participate in the judging and the panel of judges is appropriately and culturally diverse with a combination of Univeristy employees and outside participants. Only their scores are used to select the girls each hear.
A couple of the girls in this article were not selected for a second year due to other girls being better dancers. Over 150 girls try out each year and it isn’t guaranteed you stay on the squad each season...you must try out every year.
Scorched earth??....methinks the reader and the journalist who wrote this hit piece should have done a more thorough job and interviewed more than those of recent years with negative issues.
Last year there was a song girl reunion with over 125 song girl alumni....all extremely proud of the tradition and never a complaint.
Unfortunately, the current regime's way of dealing with a problems is a scorched earth policy. This may be the end of the Song Girls, with the tag line about "they" are there for young women. Meanwhile, they are still holding on to the internal report on Tyndall, showing it's the same 'ol. There's a way of dealing and fixing all of this, unfortunately you have the wrong people in charge making the wrong decisions.