NYSPHSAA now allowing limited, fully vaccinated spectators at Competitive Cheerleading State Championships

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) is allowing limited spectators at the Competitive Cheerleading State Championships on Saturday as long as they’re fully vaccinated.

The NYSPHSAA says it worked with the Rochester Insitute of Technology, which is hosting the event, to increase the capacity limit for the event from 400 to 500 so that unvaccinated cheerleaders could still compete and some family and friends could still attend.

Each student-athlete will be allowed to bring two fully vaccinated spectators. The deadline for schools to submit their spectator list to the NYSPHSAA was Thursday at noon.

Masks are required to be worn at all times.

This comes after families were initially calling for the NYSPHSAA to change the venue since RIT’s vaccine requirement was going to exclude unvaccinated cheerleaders from the championships, which led to the NYSPHSAA announcing the decision to bar spectators, which also upset parents.

The NYSPHSAA will stream the event online when it happens.