Families in Farmington Hills say they paid for a competitive cheer season that fell far short of what they expected: their children’s 26-member team attended one of six competitions, parents say the team received T-shirts and athletic skirts rather than the costumes they expected, and the stunt camp was run by someone other than the company parents had been told would run it. The allegations concern Diamond Cheer All Star Team LLC and were reported by CBS News Detroit. They remain allegations; the outlet said it did not name the coach because she has not been charged with a crime.
The gap between fees and services
Seven parents interviewed by CBS said families paid as much as $800 to join, with monthly practice fees of up to $80, along with additional competition and uniform costs. Parents also paid $200 for a stunt camp, the report said. The company expected to provide the camp told CBS that the coach contacted it but did not follow through; another person ultimately ran the camp.
Parents told CBS that the team attended just one of its six planned competitions. One competition told the outlet it had received no money from Diamond Cheer All Stars LLC, and the coach reportedly canceled some events shortly before they were scheduled. Jillian Hukill said the team wore T-shirts and athletic skirts at its first competition rather than the costumes parents expected. A supplier could not confirm to CBS whether uniforms had been ordered.
The unresolved questions extend beyond what families say they received. CBS reported that the church where the team practiced told the outlet the coach owed about $1,700 in space rental. The station also reported that the coach attempted to refund some parents $200, with an accompanying email making confidentiality about Diamond Cheer All-Stars a condition of accepting the refund. CBS said the coach did not respond to its later attempts to discuss where the funds went, though it had contacted her in several ways and received an email response.
Putting youth-sports costs in context
The amounts families described are part of a broader youth-sports cost picture, though national averages cannot show what this particular team charged or whether its fees were appropriate. The Aspen Institute’s Project Play survey found that U.S. families spent an average of $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46% from 2019. That figure covers a child’s primary sport nationally; it is not a direct comparison with the fees reported by the Farmington Hills parents.
Michigan’s Attorney General’s Office says it informally mediates consumer complaints, but cannot act as a private attorney if mediation does not resolve a dispute. That is an available complaint route, not a determination about this team or its coach. In a separate example, the office announced a $19,500 settlement in 2019 with Grand Rapids’ Crown Jewel Spa and Salon concerning gift cards sold when the business was unlikely to provide the promised services. The spa case involved different services and circumstances and does not establish what happened in the cheer dispute.
For the Farmington Hills families, the central issue remains what happened to the payments and which promised services were actually arranged or delivered. The parents’ accounts and the information CBS obtained describe a substantial shortfall, but do not by themselves establish a legal violation or resolve the unanswered questions.
Sources: CBS News Detroit; Aspen Institute Project Play; Michigan Attorney General’s Office consumer complaint guidance; 2019 Crown Jewel settlement announcement.
