Cheerleader Describes Being Trampled by High School Football Team
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This is a rush transcript from "The Big Story With John Gibson and Heather Nauert," October 30, 2007. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
HEATHER NAUERT, CO-HOST: It is hands down, today's big-talker.
A high school cheerleader who also happened to be homecoming queen, becomes first down on the football field, literally.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}GIBSON: The pom pom princess got tackled by her school's football team when she put herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you're laughing at the video, it is OK. Even she is laughing about it tonight. BIG STORY correspondent Douglas Kennedy just spoke to her. Douglas?
DOUGLAS KENNEDY, BIG STORY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John and Heather, she is laughing today over what she calls a silly mental mistake that is now giving her her 15 minutes of fame.
Last week, she was voted queen of her prom. This week, she has been voted one of the most watched videos on the World Wide Web.
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KENNEDY (voice-over): Cheerleaders are supposed to support their teams, not get trampled by them. But that is exactly what happened to 18- year-old Cali Kaitschmidt. She tried to adjust the banner for her high school football team's homecoming.
CALI KAITSCHMIDT, TRAMPLED CHEERLEADER: The next time they should see if there's anybody standing behind the sign before they run right through it.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}KENNEDY: But wait. Why exactly did you walk in front of the sign at that moment?
KAITSCHMIDT: There has to be holes in the sign, rip holes in the sign before the boys can run through it so it can rip easier. And there were no holes in the sign, so I ran behind there to rip the hole and at that second, the coach gave them the go to run through the sign and then they ran through.
It hurt really bad.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}KENNEDY: Cali is a senior at Auburn High School in Washington state and is a member of the student government. She says she has been cheerleading for two years, but she has never had anything like this happen before. KIRO Channel 7 was at the football game when it happened and talk to her right after.
KAITSCHMIDT: And then I got smacked into by those freaking boys. Thank you Zach Tate.
KENNEDY: Offensive lineman Zack Tate and linebacker Thomas Garbe were the first players to bust through the banners.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}So you guys must have been shocked that she was there.
THOMAS GARBE, LINEBACKER: We really felt bad for her, but we kind of had to just help her off and run off because you have to get ready with the halftime warm-ups and everything.
KENNEDY: YouTube features dozens of cheerleading falls, slip ups and missed catches. The Trojans trampling of Cali has been YouTube's No. 1 viewed video, garnering thousands of hits.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}So what do you think of your newfound celebrity on the internet?
KAITSCHMIDT: Well, it is not something I would like to be known for, I guess. Because It is kind of embarrassing. But I mean, better than nothing, I guess.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}KENNEDY: And luckily for Cali, she was not seriously hurt. She says she attended her prom that night with a black eye and a bruised shoulder. Clearly John and Heather, not nearly as bad as it could have been.
GIBSON: No, it — it really wasn't. You have to ask, what was she thinking?
KENNEDY: You know, she said that apparently in order to get the banners to rip properly, they put some holes in them and it's supposed to rip much better. And one of the cheerleaders noticed there were no holes in the banner and sent her out there. She said she checked, but she didn't see the football players running through the banner
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}GIBSON: Douglas Kennedy, thanks, great video.
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