Two trustees from a California school district have been criticised for comments they made about members of a high school water polo team.
The backlash followed a photo of Temecula Valley High School athletes cheering on their peers at a baseball game while wearing their competition swimwear.
The water polo team attended the baseball game between swim meets on 28 April and showed their support by pulling down their trousers and removing their shirts to reveal their Speedos, with the word “B-E-A-R-S-!” written across their chests.
The photo was later posted to the Temecula Valley baseball team’s social media accounts with the caption: “Our fans > better than yours. GO BEARS.”
The post has since been removed.
Trustees’ comments spark backlash
Before the post disappeared, Temecula Valley Unified School District Board President Joseph Komrosky and board member Jen Wiersma commented on the image.
Komrosky said the high school athletes were “one step closer to Chippendales”, while Wiersma reportedly compared them to an “OnlyFans crew”.
Their comments were widely criticised as inappropriate, particularly given that the students involved were high school athletes wearing their competition uniforms.
Speaking to Press Enterprise on 9 May, Sharon Sardina, a parent of one of the water polo players, said the students were simply showing school spirit.
“The fans loved it, the team loved it, the baseball coach loved it. Everybody loved the support and thought that was pretty cool because that’s typically what water polo players do as far as cheering on their teams.”
Sardina said she would not be “sweeping this under the rug” and has met with the school’s superintendent, principal and compliance officer to raise her concerns.
“I would love a written and verbal apology, not just to myself, but to the kids involved in our team,” she said. “I honestly, I would love a formal resignation [of the board members]. This pattern of behavior has created discomfort among so many families that I just think that they need to resign.”
Sardina said Wiersma had posted an apology to her stories, but that it had since expired and screenshots were not available.
Both Wiersma and Komrosky declined to formally comment.
For many families, the controversy has raised concerns about adults sexualising student athletes and turning a moment of harmless school support into something inappropriate.
