All-Star 2012-2013 Changes To The Usasf Age Grid

[CheerBank]

I would assume it is to keep the less-than-savory gyms from exploiting the division with their normal teams. it's really hard to pull 30 seconds out of your routine when its been choreographed to 2:30.

So happy to see this as well as no crossovers from all star to all star prep to stack a team. Our former gym used to compete their half year teams under all star rec and then little by little add many of their full year all stars onto their rec teams to ensure a higher chance of winning. If I had been a parent of a rec kid on that team I would have been pissed.

 

[DJ]

Anyone notice two ages for Restricted SR 5

First list was 10-18

Second page 18 & under.

 

[cheermommaRN]

Also did anyone notice they dropped the Junior age cutoff from 15 to 14? or was it always 14? It was highlighted yellow so I assume it is new this season?

 

[CheerBank]

Also did anyone notice they dropped the Junior age cutoff from 15 to 14? or was it always 14? It was highlighted yellow so I assume it is new this season?

Junior was always 14 & under

 

[hopskipandjump]

I will say this over and over and over again, but I really wish tiny division was 6 and under. A barely 6 year old often cannot hang in mini 1, especially if it is the first year and first all star experience. For those that can hang, great-keep them on minis. But there really needs to be a better option for younger ones.
Beyond that-loving Open 4. If there was a team around me, I'd do it in a heartbeat. My old body does not need to be trying to get my full back.

I KEEP saying this too, but let's face it; it is just not an "important" division to most organizations. If they really wanted to help their gyms, they would change this age division. Because this, and all the younger ages, are where you capture families.

 

[hopskipandjump]

What do they mean by Small Gym issues? Do they mean they are evaluating the division of small gym or the age rules as they relate to small gyms?

I think the Senior age division is what the issue is: 18/under vs. ages 10-18
What do you do with that 9 year old with the skills and talent? Especially if there is no level appropriate team option. Most small gyms do have some sort of issue with those betweeners; not enough gym participants to make another team to fit them.

 

[CoachMandiCF]

I think the Senior age division is what the issue is: 18/under vs. ages 10-18
What do you do with that 9 year old with the skills and talent? Especially if there is no level appropriate team option. Most small gyms do have some sort of issue with those betweeners; not enough gym participants to make another team to fit them.

I just wish they'd decide this so us small gyms know what to do with the kids we can put on a Senior Team who are 9. I have two 9 year olds with standing tucks, whips to layout stepout and amazing standing thorughs but they have to be on my J3 because they can't be on my S4. And they're both fliers...AHHH!!! Would love to know either way which one it will be for small gyms.

 

[BlueCat]

I KEEP saying this too, but let's face it; it is just not an "important" division to most organizations. If they really wanted to help their gyms, they would change this age division. Because this, and all the younger ages, are where you capture families.

Why exactly does having the age cutoff be 5 instead of 6 mean that USASF doesn't care about families or doesn't think that age group is important? No matter where the cutoff is, there will be people who just miss the cut and someone will think it should be moved. If you move it to 6, then the 4 year olds would basically get squeezed out of the Tiny division. Does that mean that YOU don't care about 4 year olds?

 

[BlueCat]

I just wish they'd decide this so us small gyms know what to do with the kids we can put on a Senior Team who are 9. I have two 9 year olds with standing tucks, whips to layout stepout and amazing standing thorughs but they have to be on my J3 because they can't be on my S4. And they're both fliers...AHHH!!! Would love to know either way which one it will be for small gyms.

It is a floor of 10. 99% sure.

 

[CoachTamara]

Why exactly does having the age cutoff be 5 instead of 6 mean that USASF doesn't care about families or doesn't think that age group is important? No matter where the cutoff is, there will be people who just miss the cut and someone will think it should be moved. If you move it to 6, then the 4 year olds would basically get squeezed out of the Tiny division. Does that mean that YOU don't care about 4 year olds?

Here is my thinking about the tiny division:
First, tiny should be exhibition only. If you are "cutting" 4 year olds because you want your tiny team to win, then yikes... However, mini 1 is competitive. VERY competitive. My tiny team from last year has just moved up to minis, and I'm a little worried. They have the tumbling, but they are young. The difference between 6 and 8 is huge. They have full squad tumbling, but will struggle in things like learning dances and routines that are much more fast paced than tiny. Because they were a cute little tiny team though, I think they'll do fine in the long run... The kids that won't be fine are the 6 year olds that are too young to not have the stepping stone and will be thrown into mini 1.
I understand there are 5 year olds that will be fine in mini 1, and they should go there. But, there are a lot of kids that need that transition period, and tiny is where you get them hooked. It seems like a logical way to grow the sport if these little young ones can get in earlier and cheaper. I've also discovered that many parents around us (although I'm sure this is not the case in TX) do not even comprehend their child can be in a competitive sport before they start school. We get lots of calls, and the majority of them are 5 and 6 year olds. Personally, we've had about 4 or 5 kids come in that are just missing the age cut off for tinys and are not ready to commit to minis and the Florida trip that involves.
I know that people will disagree with changing things, but I just don't think this can be a bad thing, especially since we do not have age floors. If you want your 4 year old to be competitive, then they can go on a mini team. For those that aren't ready, here is the place to start.
However, I do think this has to be done in conjunction with making tiny exhibition only. Otherwise, it's stacked-team city waiting to happen.

 

[BlueCat]

Here is my thinking about the tiny division:
First, tiny should be exhibition only. If you are "cutting" 4 year olds because you want your tiny team to win, then yikes... However, mini 1 is competitive. VERY competitive. My tiny team from last year has just moved up to minis, and I'm a little worried. They have the tumbling, but they are young. The difference between 6 and 8 is huge. They have full squad tumbling, but will struggle in things like learning dances and routines that are much more fast paced than tiny. Because they were a cute little tiny team though, I think they'll do fine in the long run... The kids that won't be fine are the 6 year olds that are too young to not have the stepping stone and will be thrown into mini 1.
I understand there are 5 year olds that will be fine in mini 1, and they should go there. But, there are a lot of kids that need that transition period, and tiny is where you get them hooked. It seems like a logical way to grow the sport if these little young ones can get in earlier and cheaper. I've also discovered that many parents around us (although I'm sure this is not the case in TX) do not even comprehend their child can be in a competitive sport before they start school. We get lots of calls, and the majority of them are 5 and 6 year olds. Personally, we've had about 4 or 5 kids come in that are just missing the age cut off for tinys and are not ready to commit to minis and the Florida trip that involves.
I know that people will disagree with changing things, but I just don't think this can be a bad thing, especially since we do not have age floors. If you want your 4 year old to be competitive, then they can go on a mini team. For those that aren't ready, here is the place to start.
However, I do think this has to be done in conjunction with making tiny exhibition only. Otherwise, it's stacked-team city waiting to happen.

I don't see the massive jump between the purposes of Tiny and Mini. To me, there is a gradual change as you go through the age ranges (and skill levels) for how "competitive" it should be. Sure, mini is (and should be) a bit more about the competition element than tiny, however, it's not like 6, 7, and 8 year olds should feel that a sporting event is life of death either.

The best "transition" into regular all-star is the new set of all-star prep divisions.

I get that some prefer different age ranges. However, insinuating that the Rules Committee doesn't care about children because of where they decide to make the age cutoffs is insulting.

 

[CoachMandiCF]

It is a floor of 10. 99% sure.

Great thank you :) We made our teams based on that and then saw the highlighted part yesterday and said ahhhh.

 

[CoachTamara]

I don't see the massive jump between the purposes of Tiny and Mini. To me, there is a gradual change as you go through the age ranges (and skill levels) for how "competitive" it should be. Sure, mini is (and should be) a bit more about the competition element than tiny, however, it's not like 6, 7, and 8 year olds should feel that a sporting event is life of death either.

The best "transition" into regular all-star is the new set of all-star prep divisions.

I get that some prefer different age ranges. However, insinuating that the Rules Committee doesn't care about children because of where they decide to make the age cutoffs is insulting.

I don't think the Rules Committee doesn't care about children-that's just silly. If anything, they do care about children and are trying to make the best decisions possible FOR these kids.

Maybe it's location, but the mini division is usually 5-10 deep here at even the small competitions. And silly me, I thought tiny would be a fun division for a small group of siblings that wanted to start cheering. At the first competition, I was mortified and seriously thought to myself: "This is the worst idea I've ever had." The "tiny" teams were GIANTS and competitive as could be. Hats off to the coaches that had flawless tiny routines in November, but that was not us. And although my tiny team ended up being a great team in the end, it was a struggle and a real eye opener.

I think some of the problem is that tiny teams are not generally that big because it's hard to find 20 five year olds, and I'm thinking in my head that maybe some smaller gyms could produce these tiny teams if there was another age included. CA will probably always have a long line of young ones waiting to get in the door and start, but that's not the same as my small gym in a small town.

Also, I agree with your comment on the prep division. We did it last year, and I have nothing but great things to say about it and how I think it should and will take off. I think the difference is getting these kids in the door at 12, or getting them in the door at 6.

 

[mia4life06]

I didn't see any postings on it yet but whatre your thoughts?

The USASF and IASF has released the Age Grids for 2012-13. Noted Changes to the USASF version include:

• Youth L5 and Youth Restricted have been combined.
• Junior Coed is only listed for L5.
• Senior L1-4.2 have a minimum age of 10. Senior L5 remained at 12.
• International L5 divisions now have a minimum age of 15, up from 14.

Open Level 4 (17 Years and Older, 1-15 Males, 5-24 Members)
An event producer must request a “waiver” from the USASF to offer this “trial” division for the 2012-13 season. This is a non-sanctioned division that does not count toward any Cheerleading Worlds bid. Event producers are requested to complete at USASF “waiver” to offer this division.

All Star Prep
An event producer must request a “waiver” from the USASF to offer “trial” divisions for the 2012-13 season. These are non-sanctioned divisions that do not count toward any Cheerleading Worlds bid. Event producers are requested to complete a USASF “waiver” to offer this division. The following criteria must be met in order to compete in these divisions:

• Maximum routine length is 2 minutes
• At any given event, an athlete may not crossover between teams competing in a standard division and teams competing in a ‘Prep’ division (and vice versa).

In addition to the criteria listed above, Event Producers may apply their own additional unique criteria when defining eligibility requirements for these divisions. Event Producers must declare what criteria they used to differentiate their ‘Prep’ divisions from the standard USASF divisions (ex: for half year teams, for teams not allowed to practice more than 2 hours a week).

Small Gyms
The USASF is still evaluating options to address the concerns of Small Gyms (75 athletes or less).

So my question levels 1-4 if they are coed do they still have to do coed stunts? Do coed teams get points for coed stunts? Do all girl team have to do 2-mans to get coed point huge gray area there for score sheets?

 

[Mom Jeans]

If this stays the same then that makes it 10x worse.

and we get mad we people dont take us seriously, I have never heard of a "real"sport who has diff rules depending on where you are from...

Then you bring these teams together to compete against each other and rewards you based on where you are from. Its nuts