Twenty-Six Cheerleaders

Did you ever wonder how many bodies it would take to overload an elevator - or what would happen if you did overload it.  Today is the anniversary of an event that happened at the University of Texas back in 08.

Twenty-six girls thought they would all fit within
Twenty-six girls both the fat and the thin
Twenty-six girls and there could have been more
But the twenty-sixth girl had to close the damn door

The lights were too hot so the girls said to dim it
But not before one of them read the lift’s limit
And using round figures they added up weight
But got to the answer a little too late

So twenty-six girls in a box fast descended
Till they hit the ground floor and their fall quickly ended
Shaken, not stirred, they all wanted out
But the door wouldn’t budge so they started to shout

Twenty-six girls in a movable box
They’re on the ground floor and the door somehow locks
They shimmy and shake till a cell phone appears
911 is soon called so they practiced some cheers

And the serious firemen all had to grin
Thinking twenty-six cheerleaders all crammed within
Twenty-six bodies pressed all to the wall
And all of this happened in old Jester Hall

Mdailey     08/07/08
Police free 26 cheerleaders from elevator at University of Texas' Jester Hall
11:19 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - - - By RACHEL SLADE / The Dallas Morning News
Police and firefighters were called to the University of Texas' Jester Hall to free 26 cheerleaders who had crammed themselves into an elevator. A group of 14- to 17-year-olds attending Texas Cheer Camp in Austin decided to see how many girls they could squeeze into the elevator around 6 p.m. Tuesday, campus police said. The elevator successfully descended from the fourth floor to the first, but the doors refused to open. The panicked girls managed to wiggle a few cell phones free to call for help. But it took about 25 minutes before a repairman was able to fix the door, police said. “It’s dangerous actually,” said Rhonda Weldon, director of communications for the UT Police Department. "They’re lucky that that’s all that happened." One teen fainted and was treated and released from a nearby hospital. Two others were treated at the scene. “Take the sign seriously,” Ms. Weldon said. “There are signs everywhere: No more than 15 people or 3,000 pounds.” (those 26 cheerleaders had to average under 115 lbs to stay within the load limit of the elevator)