Close your eyes and picture this as a football player who is crying due to pain caused by an ill-conceived drill from a bad coach. This would never make the news. Was this an example of bad coaching? I think most of us agree that it is. But forced stretching is not that uncommon in cheer-leading, gymnastics, and dance. Maybe it is bad coaching and maybe it justifies firing the coach, as has been done, but this is happening in other places. It is false to accuse the school of not responding. The principal, AD, and coach met with the family the day following the mother making a complaint. They thought the issue had been addressed, but the family was not satisfied with the response - what assurances were made to the family at that time have not been publicly disclosed. So the family sent the video to a local new channel. Again, maybe this is proof that the coach is so bad he had to fired, but a criminal investigation? Suspending the AD and principal who responded to the parents in one day? Should we fear, as coaches, pushing our kids to keep running hard even when they are uncomfortable? How many times have you had a girl crying at the finish line of a race - it is like an every race occurrence on our team. Is that criminal abuse? They all voluntarily come back, but is there a guarantee that there is not a crazy family out there that will accuse me of abuse for encouraging a runner to finish and run hard all the way? BTW, other girls on the team still supported the coach. The media has focused on a sensational video and blown this up without context. Also, the injuries were limited to "possible hamstring pull." How many of those are in the training room everyday at your school?