Down on the ‘Down in the Valley’ Poll

Iam writing you regarding your article “Pranks, Goofs, Revenge and the E-Street Shuffle” which appeared Oct. 6.

I am a senior at Grant High, and I am also the varsity head cheerleader. OK, so our team hasn’t won a game, and yes, they’ve made some mistakes. But that doesn’t mean they don’t work as hard as other teams, and it sure as hell doesn’t mean they don’t have as strong of a desire to win.

We, as students, as young adults, and as athletes, are continuously encouraged to do our very best and strive to be No. 1. Being rewarded for our hard work and effort is wonderful and very necessary in terms of maintaining a high level of confidence in ourselves. Now, don’t you think that losing every week offers a fair share of humiliation, suffering, and pain to each and every member of our team? I do.

Your cynical attitude and heartless comment about North Hollywood’s only chance of winning were cruel and unnecessary. Why do you rate the worst teams, anyway? To provide entertainment?

If you care about what I’ve said, please take note of one request: Don’t make our team look like a joke to everyone else. We are proud of them no matter what, but articles like yours make it impossible for them to even be proud of themselves. That is unfair.

Stacey Sperling

Sherman Oaks