Jayda Redden is used to cheering for others — she’s been doing it since she was round 3 years previous and was on a mini crew coached by her dad.
Now a whole lot of hundreds are cheering for the 19-year-old who not too long ago went public a few head harm she sustained final summer season on the primary day of observe for members of the College of Central Florida’s cheer and dance team.
The teenager from Johns Creek, Ga. — about 30 miles northeast of Atlanta — nonetheless has severe lingering results, she says. She is in search of compensation from UCF, and hopes sharing what occurred by means of movies on social media will assist others and result in change on the faculty.
“Once I lastly went public with it, with the ability to see all of the folks which can be reached and all of the assist that I’m getting from it, it’s simply overwhelming,” Redden advised the Sentinel.
She auditioned in Might 2024 for the college and earned a spot on its Spirit Group. On June 20, 2024, throughout observe a stunt went horribly flawed, she mentioned, and she or he hit her head.
Precisely one 12 months later, she posted on Instagram a photograph of herself superimposed with textual content blocks telling the story. Then when ZenGame Podcast, which covers school sports activities, posted an interview together with her Aug. 15 it went viral.
As of Sunday a 51-minute video on the ZenGame Youtube channel has over 34,500 views and greater than 550 likes. A five-minute clip of the video posted Aug. 17 on TikTok by @cheerleadingcenter as of Sunday has greater than 3.1 million views, 247,000 likes and 1,650 feedback.
Redden was injured throughout a basket toss — a stunt the place often three or extra folks launch a flyer into the air who performs a midair trick earlier than being caught in a cradle.
“They’d thrown me within the air and from what I’ve been advised is … the primary base, the suitable base and the again spot stepped out so the coach caught my ft and so my head went again and I hit just like the again proper aspect of my head,” she mentioned.
She mentioned she remembers being unconscious and waking in a confused state to paramedics asking primary questions (identify, birthdate, and so forth.) about herself (she was unable to reply most of them) and if she needed to go to the hospital — which she declined. She mentioned coaches on scene discouraged her from going however her coach insisted. Whereas there she bought a CT scan which she was advised was clear.
The subsequent day she noticed a UCF physician who identified her with a concussion. Afterward her mom, Mary Lynne Redden, drove her residence to Georgia.
Days later her dad and mom requested if she needed to return to UCF. Stung by how coaches interacted together with her and her household within the aftermath of her harm, she responded: “No, they’ve fully damaged my belief.” Her father, Micah Redden, contacted college officers to allow them to know she wasn’t returning. For the reason that incident she hasn’t talked to anybody with the faculty or Spirit Group.
About two weeks after she was injured her household reached out to legal professional Kyle Schmitt, a accomplice within the Jacksonville workplace of Wicker Smith. Along with being a lawyer, Schmitt is a U.S. All Star Federation licensed competitors choose and abilities advisor in aggressive cheerleading.
Redden mentioned her legal professional despatched a letter to the college late final 12 months and it was rejected March 6. She mentioned among the many calls for have been a monetary settlement in an quantity she didn’t need to disclose together with adjustments to the cheerleading teaching workers and entry to video of the incident.
Throughout a telephone name Friday morning with the Sentinel, Schmitt mentioned no lawsuit has been filed however extra authorized choices are being mentioned. “The college has primarily shut Jayda down by saying, ‘Oh, properly, you signed a (legal responsibility) waiver,” she mentioned.
An emailed assertion Wednesday from Adam Widman, UCF senior affiliate athletics director for model communications, mentioned the college prioritizes well being, security and well-being of its athletes.
“Our coaches, power and conditioning workers, athletic trainers and medical professionals are dedicated to following established protocols within the prevention, remedy and rehabilitation of accidents and sicknesses,” Widman mentioned. “Whereas we can’t touch upon particular person medical conditions, we stay dedicated to sustaining the best requirements of care and repeatedly reviewing our practices to make sure we serve our spirit squads and student-athletes in the absolute best method.”
Redden mentioned her signs grew worse within the quick aftermath of the accident.
After transferring to Miami in August 2024, for a spot on the Top Gun All Stars cheerleading crew, she mentioned her hair began falling out, she was always drained and needed to sleep, she was nauseous, and had muscle ache and complications.
“So we bought in contact with the neurologist and he mentioned that I had a chemical imbalance in my mind,” she mentioned. “So it made all the things simply go loopy. Every little thing was bizarre.”
Paperwork she offered from her go to in November to Panda Neurology within the Atlanta space said the physician believed her to have signs of post-concussion syndrome. In accordance with the Mayo Clinic, signs could embody complications, dizziness, fatigue, nervousness, sleeping an excessive amount of, nausea or vomiting and bother with focus and reminiscence, amongst others. They will final weeks to a 12 months or extra.
One other lingering impact is change in style and scent: “Some meals I used to like style completely disgusting. And a few smells make me so extremely nauseous.” She nonetheless takes a day by day stimulant to assist with fatigue together with treatment to assist forestall complications.
Redden mentioned her aim from sharing her expertise is change on the college.
“I hope UCF rebuilds that cheer program with new teaching workers as a result of there’s a lot flawed with them and there’s a lot darkness that they’ve swept beneath the rug,” she mentioned.
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