11-year-old kicked off cheer team for not straightening her hair

Makayla Fallaw, 11, was told to leave her cheerleading team in Tomball when her mother said she couldn't straighten her daughter's naturally curly, thick hair for a competition. Makayla Fallaw cheered with Woodlands Elite Cheerleading Company. At past gyms, she wore her curly hair in a ponytail without a problem. Staff at the gym suggested Makayla use relaxer to match the hairstyle the team wanted for an upcoming competition. Photo courtesy Makayla Fallaw less Makayla Fallaw, 11, was told to leave her cheerleading team in Tomball when her mother said she couldn't straighten her daughter's naturally curly, thick hair for a competition. Makayla Fallaw cheered with ... more Photo: Photo Courtesy Makayla Fallaw Photo: Photo Courtesy Makayla Fallaw Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close 11-year-old kicked off cheer team for not straightening her hair 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

HOUSTON - Makayla Fallaw loves tumbling and cheering. She also loves her naturally thick, curly hair. But the 11-year-old was told to leave her cheerleading team when her mother said she couldn't straighten Makayla's hair to match the rest of the girls for a competition.

Makayla has been practicing at Woodlands Elite Cheer Company's location near her family's home in Tomball five days a week since April, her mother, Jenny Fallaw, said. The family has spent nearly $2,000 on uniforms, makeup, hair bows and fees.

When it came time to plan for what would have been Makayla's first competition with this gym, moms and coaches for the group suggested a straight hairstyle for the team. Fallaw joined two other mothers concerned about damaging their daughters' hair to achieve the designated look.

Fallaw says they suggested alternative styles that would work with their daughters' hair and the look the team had chosen. The disagreement ended up going to Woodlands Elite's general manager Allen Shearer, who Fallaw said made the decision on Tuesday that if the three girls involved would not straighten their hair, they would not be able to compete. One mother agreed to straighten her daughter's hair, Fallaw said, and another girl ended up leaving the team along with Makayla.

Most of the girls on the ages 8 to 16 team are white, with naturally straight hair, and Makayla is Hispanic and biracial. In the conversations about styling, Kevin Tonner, the program's all-star cheer director, told Fallaw, "I know other mixed kids and you can put relaxer in her hair," Fallaw recalled.

Relaxer isn't the right tool for Makayla's hair, and Fallaw didn't want to damage it with heavy heat or chemicals.

"He just doesn't understand her hair," Fallaw said.

At Spring Creek Athletics, where Makayla used to cheer, her hair was never a problem. She wore it curly, in a ponytail to match the other girls for competitions.

Tonner told ABC 13 he tried to negotiate with Fallaw.

"When you come into the sport, you understand there is makeup to it. There's hair to it," ABC 13 reported Tonner said. "We were trying to make the exception. We were trying to find a compromise and a happy medium. And she wasn't willing to have a compromise. She was very defensive."

Fallaw isn't sure if Makayla will continue cheering. She plans to research other gyms and programs in the area so that her daughter can keep tumbling at least.

Besides the administrative staff who made the decision in this matter, the coaches who worked with Makayla five days a week were "amazing," Fallaw said.

"Makayla is very sad. She misses her team. She missed a huge show today. She was really, really upset," Fallaw said by phone Sunday night with Makayla by her side. "She's been practicing since April with this team. She just told me she misses gym, her tumbling coach, her cheerleading coach. They're amazing and we miss them."

"It makes me sad she was kicked off for such a silly reason," Fallaw added. "She's such a good athlete. She showed so much dedication, and it makes me so sad for her."