Tammy League and Tangela Legg couldn’t believe what they heard as they sat in the West Limestone High School band room with the mothers of two other majorettes.

The women said second-year band director Matt Dobbs told the group he felt that — in their uniforms — the majorettes looked “inappropriate” and “unladylike” on the football field.

“He said, ‘it bothered him as a male’ that the girls were wearing the uniforms,” said League, whose 15-year-old daughter Brittani is a majorette.

They were stunned by his comments.

“He told the girls, ‘If you were my kids, you would not be out there in those uniforms,’ ” said Legg, whose 15-year-old daughter Heather is a majorette.

“He said, ‘I knew what majorettes in high school were and I knew what majorettes in college were,’ ” said both League and Legg.

Three of the mothers said they took the statement to mean their daughters and other majorettes were, as Brittani said, “trash.”

“Unladylike,” League said, correcting her daughter. “It sounds better.”

The fourth mother at the meeting could not be reached for comment.

The mothers said they offered to dress the girls in shorts or pantsuits for performances.

“He said he would think about it and get back to us,” League said. “He never did.”

Instead, Dobbs pulled the four baton twirlers aside at school a few weeks later and told them the Wildcats Marching Band wouldn’t include majorettes this fall. He said the decision would be reconsidered in 2008, the mothers said.

Dobbs told The News Courier by e-mail the majorette program was “tweaked” not discontinued, and only because such programs are on the decline. Making no mention of the uniforms, he said, “The band boosters, the principal and myself are in agreement that this is in the best interests of the band program at this time. Considerations to once again include the majorettes in the half-time performances may be entertained for the 2008 football season. There is no story and nothing to report in a public forum. We have been rather open about not having majorettes during the 2007 football season.”

The four girls were told they could play their instruments or carry flags as members of the color guard. Two of the girls — Jessica Barnett and Andrea Patterson — joined the color guard. Brittani and Heather decided against it.

When asked the reason for eliminating the program, Dobbs wrote, “As a teacher, I look out for the best interests of my students. As a band director, I am aware of the actual existing trends in all major aspects of modern band and music education in general. The fact is that the use of majorettes is on the decline. Personally I don’t believe it significantly adds to the performance of the marching band. That is my call to make as director.”

Of the six high schools in the county, only Ardmore High School and now West Limestone do not have majorettes in its band, said Principal Mike Owens. He said the number of twirlers has dwindled in the past few years and the school made the choice to use a color guard. From time to time, a twirling performance has been featured in the band’s half-time show, he said.

There are majorettes at Elkmont High, East Limestone High, Clements High and Tanner High, but the number of majorettes varies from year to year.

Tanner’s band had only one majorette this year, band director Staci Donahoo said.

Donahoo said majorettes add an element of interest to the group.

“The visual effects are especially beneficial in a high school setting, where the spectators are not high enough to see the marching drill design clearly,” Donahoo said.

The mothers say Dobbs and some conservative band boosters’ board members eliminated the program.

Legg said the decision was made by people “who think divorce is wrong and anything showing from the knee up is not ladylike.”

The mothers believe Dobbs’ offer to reconsider the majorette program in 2008 is a dubious one.

“They said they would reconsider next year, but they aren’t going to reconsider,” Legg said. “It’s just a way to hold us off; keep us from stirring up trouble.”

League hopes the public — possibly other majorettes — will speak out against the change.

“He insulted everyone who is twirling now and who has twirled in the past,” League said. “People need to rally around these girls and help them.”



It’s only twirling

After 10 years of whacking themselves on the arms and legs, dropping batons, finally learning to twirl like professionals and hoping to someday perform with the high school band, one teacher’s opinion stands in the way of that goal for Brittani, Heather, Jessica and Andrea.

“I thought it would be an honor to be a majorette with our school,” said Heather.

To become a majorette, the girls first had to learn to play an instrument and march in the band for a year. Once a majorette, they had to make up their own routines because they have no sponsor, schedule their own practices, attend an extra week of band camp and practice all summer.

They are confused and hurt that their effort ended the way it did.

“He made us feel like we did something wrong,” said Brittani.



Response from officials

School officials have been reluctant to discuss the matter.

Principal Stan Davis has not returned repeated telephone calls and e-mails for comment.

District 4 School Board Member Darin Russell, who represents residents in West Limestone, acknowledged that a couple of parents had spoken to him about the matter. He said he was told “other schools were doing away with majorette programs” and that “the school might look at the program again in a year.”

When told about the comments attributed to Dobbs by the mothers, Russell said he couldn’t comment until he received word from the superintendent about his investigation.

Band Booster Club President Tom McClung came to The News Courier office May 4 to speak with an editor about the story. However, he would speak only off the record and referred all questions to Dobbs, whom he said had his “full support.”

Dobbs would not respond to repeated requests for comment about the mothers’ claims.

Superintendent Dr. Barry Carroll said May 4 he would look into the matter.

“I’m going to investigate it and talk to the band director myself,” he said.

He had not made a determination as of Thursday.



The uniforms

Thumb through a 1980 yearbook from West Limestone High School and you will find a page of majorettes sporting white, one-piece satin uniforms with halter necklines, wearing white boots and posing with their batons.

Fast-forward 27 years to 2007.

Until a few weeks ago, West’s four majorettes were sporting blue, one-piece sequined uniforms with one-strap, wearing white boots and twirling their batons.

The uniforms of then and now are different, but unexpectedly so.

The new uniforms cover more skin than those worn nearly 30 years ago. Unlike their predecessors, the new uniforms have 9 inches of blue fringe obscuring the bottom and upper thighs of the wearer.

And, unlike their predecessors, today’s majorettes slip into warm-up suits as soon as they are finished performing, in the interests of both warmth and modesty.

What confounds the mothers is that Dobbs chose the uniforms he allegedly ended the program over, the mothers said.

“These are uniforms that he had chosen last summer; we never saw them until they arrived,” League said.

“He picked out the uniforms and now he is trying to get rid of them,” Legg said.

Dobbs did not respond to requests for a reply.



Resolution

The mothers believe Dobbs is out of line and that school officials should address the issue.

“I feel our daughters’ batons are as important as the football players’ football and the cheerleaders’ pompoms,” League said. “This is a door to scholarships that is closed.”

“This is a public school, not a Bible school,” Legg said.

Like any parent, the mothers of the majorettes dread seeing their children hurt.

“You always hope your child will have teachers that want to see them succeed as much as you do,” League said. “We are proud of our girls and I hope they keep that in mind and I hope that things being said don’t change their way of thinking about themselves as young ladies.”