Ozarks cheer groups face chaos at Dallas tournament
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Families across the Ozarks are rattled after chaos broke out due to a fight at the National Cheerleaders Association All-Star Championship in Dallas over the weekend.
Bailey Simmerman's aunt, uncle and cousin were at the tournament. She says she felt helpless being so far away.
'There's nothing we could have done. Even if my parents were on their way, that's still a seven, eight-hour drive,' said Simmerman.
Multiple cheer groups from around the Ozarks are at the tournament this weekend. Originally the panic was thought to be caused by an active shooter.
'I got a call from my mom and she was like, 'Hey, your Aunt Jackie and Uncle Mike are in the convention center,'' says Simmerman. 'They're currently locked in a closet with the lights off.'
Springfield flight headed to Houston makes emergency landing
After a preliminary investigation, it was found that chaos was caused by a fight that broke out between two people. Multiple poles were knocked down during the fight, making a loud noise, leading to visitors stampeding outside.
'This is happening. We need to work together to figure out what's going on because my aunt and uncle weren't responding. And so that was super scary,' says Simmerman.
Ten people were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Dallas Police Department. Simmerman says she's grateful her family was not hurt and that incident has made her think about the future.
'I think it's important to have a game plan. Going to baseball games and football games and conventions and like anything can happen and it's best to just have a plan if something were to happen,' says Simmerman.
An investigation into the incident is still ongoing. The tournament did resume on Sunday, March 2.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Big Rock blog: Just one boat fishing on Day 2
MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (WNCT) – Day 2 of the 67th Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament is underway but just one boat is out in the water. There are 271 boats laying today. Wave Grader is the lone boat competing. Boats have two lay days where they must stay at shore during the six-day tournament. Follow our coverage of the 67th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament on our daily blog and on our Big Rock page. WNCT will provide live coverage of every blue marlin weigh-in throughout the tournament on and the WNCT 9 mobile app. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Families Sue Organizers, Operators Over Cheer Competition Pandemonium
Several families have taken legal action against the organizers and venue operators of the 2025 NCA All-Star National Championship over the chaotic incident that occurred at the event in March. As reported at the time in The Dallas Express, the annual event turned into a nightmarish scene following reports of the presence of an active shooter within the facility. The confusion led to widespread disorder, prompting attendees to flee in panic. The incident occurred on Saturday, March 1, at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, the site of the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) All-Star Championship. Nine families are suing Varsity Spirit, Varsity Brands, OVG Facilities, Oak View Group, Global Spectrum, and Omni Hotels Management Corporation, alleging the organizers and operators failed to provide basic security measures. According to the Dallas Police Department, a fight between two people led to multiple poles being knocked over, resulting in loud noises that attendees mistook for gunshots. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege the ensuing chaos left them physically and emotionally injured because of a lack of safety planning. 'If they're going to put on an event of that size, they provide adequate protections and safety that those patrons deserve,' said Ashlea Schwarz, an attorney with Paul LLP representing the families out of Kansas City, Missouri, per WFAA. In one instance, says Schwarz, one of her clients awoke in the ICU with brain bleeds after being trampled and knocked unconscious during the mayhem. 'There were no serious injuries—no life-threatening injuries? Tell that to my client who was in the ICU for days with a double brain bleed,' said Schwarz. The plaintiffs, seeking more than $1 million in damages, allege that despite the cheer event being governed by the Convention Center's safety and security protocols, no emergency plans were executed during the disorder. They further claim that security staff, rather than assisting people, were running alongside attendees. 'The security was running with all of the patrons there… They weren't stopping to help direct,' Schwarz said. According to Schwarz, many more families have contacted her law firm. 'This is believed to be the first lawsuit filed in connection with this incident. But we've had roughly 200 families reach out to us. Each one has a case,' she said.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
SeaWolves' Valencia named Eastern League player of the week for first time
Erie SeaWolf Eduardo Valencia earned Eastern League player of the week honors for the first time. Valencia hit four home runs in the club's series win over Richmond. Erie leads Akron by 1.5 games heading into the final two series' of the first half playoff race in the Southwest division. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
