My first encounter with Jewel was met by a sincere, genuine smile and a warm-hearted friendliness that is, unfortunately, rare to come across these days. I recall thanking her for taking the time to introduce herself to my husband and I in a crowded room, something that her predecessor had never done. For months we watched her from the sidelines, doing her thing, coaching these girls and cheering them on. All of them. Over 100 of them! She practiced with graciousness, strength, dedication, empathy, positivity, discipline, pride, encouragement, success and most importantly, a strong sense of teamwork. It was apparent to us from the very beginning that Coach Jewel stood out as a dedicated, firm, and compassionate leader who consistently prioritized the well-being and development of the girls she coaches. She has spent countless hours with our daughters, training them to shape them into the athletes they are today, and they are continuing to become. She took us from a brand new program that had a very limited amount of cheer experience, and coached these girls to be Champions! We have earned 1st Place titles, medals, banners, ribbons, and trophies that prove how amazing our girls have become, and most importantly, our girls are happy to be a part of this program and are proud to be Jr. Panthers. All of this is possible because of our awesome coaches and Jewel Grossi.

We recognize Jewel for going above and beyond. She is our Vice President, our Coach, and our Friend. Her love for cheer and our daughters is evident. We see her. We see her laugh. We’ve seen her cry. We have seen her frustrated, and we have witnessed her unwavering desire for their success. That’s what great coaches do! They can be demanding and strict, but they are fair. They dedicate the time. Jewel has worked tirelessly to get these girls where they need to be. She is consistent with her expectations and holds all of her athletes accountable for their actions, whether it be completing assignments, staying focused during practices, or maintaining respectful conduct, both on and off the mat. In addition, she applies these expectations fairly and equally to each girl, including to her own daughter. She takes pride in strategically putting together her teams and makes use of each and every girl’s strengths on that squad. She spends money out of her own pocket to purchase special gifts to make the girls feel awarded and appreciated. She holds team parties at her own household and makes each event a magical time to remember.

Several days ago, Jewel was informed by the Board that a few members of our WPJP family brought forth allegations against her that she was displaying unfavorable behavior while coaching. There were anonymous emails sent to the board, along with a few parents who attended the board meeting in person to elaborate on these allegations. Jewel was told that she could not attend the board meeting and therefore was excluded from being able to defend herself. Before a full and fair investigation was complete, including hearing Jewel's side of the story, she was voted out of her board seat as Vice President of Cheer. Furthermore, still without a proper investigation, she was then relieved of her Head Coach position of 14u cheer. In all of the years that we have known her, we have never witnessed her speak harshly or inappropriately to any child. She is always respectful, encouraging, and supportive. The recent allegations against her do not reflect the person and coach that we know. We firmly believe that they are false and unfounded and may have been influenced by these few families to secure specific roles on specific squads for their athletes.

This is not the way our program should be run. Altering the integrity of the West Park Junior Panthers program to accommodate personal preferences would be a disservice to the foundational goals of this organization. It should be run with fairness, equality, and transparency. We should have best practices in place. Jewel was treated unfairly and was blindsided and taken out by some of her peers whom she worked alongside and respected. Our girls deserve their coach, and she deserves to be heard. Coach Jewel has upheld the tradition of preparing our 7th and 8th grade cheerleaders to transition into high school-level cheerleading. She has maintained the purpose of West Park Junior Panthers as a true feeder program into the high school. We deserve to see our daughters, especially this last 8th grade year, shine through this season with Coach Jewel leading the way. Let’s Go Panthers!

Our Call To Action:

We urge you to sign our petition in support of Jewel Grossi being granted a fair chance to address the board and be heard, and to be reinstated as 14u Head Coach for the Sideline and Competition season.