UMaine cheerleaders need financial support

Although the athletic department did give the team $1,000 at the beginning of the school year to pay for badly worn uniforms, why is the University of Maine athletic department not supporting the UMaine cheerleaders who are traveling to Daytona Beach, Fla., to compete at a collegiate level?

This year the Maine cheerleader team has been asked by the NCAA to perform in Daytona Beach, Fla., on April 4-8. I can honestly say that, being in Daytona last year, the team truly represented both the state of Maine and University of Maine very well.

This year the team has raised several thousand dollars to pay for the airline tickets, food, and lodging while they are in Daytona, yet have fallen short of the cost for the transportation from Orono to the Manchester, N.H., airport and back. The team has asked the athletic department for assistance, but has not received a response.

Is it that the university feels that the cheerleaders do not need support? We are in crisis mode and need to secure the transportation quickly to avoid the alternative of the team members driving personal vehicles to and from the airport.

I wonder if the football, basketball, or hockey teams have had to pay for transportation to a game or event? We are looking for suggestions.

Michael Hill

Glenburn