All-Star 2019-2020 Teams

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

It's such a crime. Cheer by nature is so expensive. You need specialized training from qualified people. Which is maybe not expensive per se, but definitely an added expense. It's quite different than buying a kid a thirty dollar basketball and telling him to go practice free throws at the public park. For free (which might be a gross generalization... but not really).

I feel like there are 2 types of tumblers in cheer:

Type A Tumblers can get new skills in open gym or at practice, and take very few privates. Comes naturally. She is that kid who (example) got her full after a couple open gyms and one private.

Type B Tumblers are the ones who need A LOT of coaching to get skills. They are not your natural tumblers. Every skill they have took multiple privates a week for months. Example: This is the kid who took a year to get her full and it basically cost almost $x,000 in privates at different places, classes, etc.

Cheer becomes significantly more expensive for the family of a Type B than it is for Type A.

As far as NT in general: I support NT teams, but I also think that there is nothing wrong with aging out as a Senior 2, 3, 4, 5 athlete due to your tumbling skills. Not everyone is going to age out as a Worlds athlete.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

I don't think it is distasteful at all? You don't have the skills to make this team in this particular year, sorry.

He is an adult who probably full well knew he was on that team to fill a role that was needed those past two seasons, now that they have caught up in the stunting department they no longer need a role-filler. It's the way the world works.

I get that that is not what happened in this particular scenario, but even if it was it was just the gym trying to make a world champion team even stronger - nothing wrong with that. It's not like he would have been kicked out of the gym completely, just moved to NT where his particular skill set is best suited for.

I could not do that to a kid lol. “Thanks for the two Worlds titles. Now please move down to the team that has no cache or respect. Bye.”

Because let’s face it: lots of people feel that way about NT and would look at his placement in that division as a demotion. It’s not right, but it’s true.

 

[DonnaM]

In some ways, though, I think that’s part of the problem. The same thing happens at lower levels when a kid is pulled up to a higher level because the team needs a tiny flyer or strong backspot, and then back to the level/team they should have been on the next season. It is seen as a failure, a demotion, and is what often leads to parents gym hopping. Yet usually the kid will be happier on the team where they can really do it all. Kids are told that they should be embarrassed about not moving up, even when they are happy where they are. Being on a Youth team is seen as better than a mini, even when it is the same level. Stuff like that.

 

[catlady]

I could not do that to a kid lol. “Thanks for the two Worlds titles. Now please move down to the team that has no cache or respect. Bye.”

Because let’s face it: lots of people feel that way about NT and would look at his placement in that division as a demotion. It’s not right, but it’s true.

I can think of nothing more paralyzing or depressing than concerning myself with what others think about what I enjoy doing.

 

[quitthedrama]

I can think of nothing more paralyzing or depressing than concerning myself with what others think about what I enjoy doing.

apparently you don't go on twitter or IG as it happens to many athletes who have hundreds of negative comments directed at them. It's absolutely unavoidable unless you have no access to social media - and even then you will eventually see the screenshots.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

I can think of nothing more paralyzing or depressing than concerning myself with what others think about what I enjoy doing.

Whelp, if you’re on Twitter, you’re fair game. If you put yourself out there, then everyone’s got an entitlement complex about their opinions on your life and the ups and downs of it. It’s not right, but it happens. And while we’d all love to be able to let negative things roll off our backs without a second thought, I think it would take an almost sociopathic level of antipathy to actually be able to do that. We’re social animals. We care what people think. Most of that time that tendency is very annoying — I have to reassure myself at least once a week that the new neighbor is NOT pissed about our cars being the exact same color, because that’s stupid — but it’s not going anywhere.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Whelp, if you’re on Twitter, you’re fair game. If you put yourself out there, then everyone’s got an entitlement complex about their opinions on your life and the ups and downs of it. It’s not right, but it happens. And while we’d all love to be able to let negative things roll off our backs without a second thought, I think it would take an almost sociopathic level of antipathy to actually be able to do that. We’re social animals. We care what people think. Most of that time that tendency is very annoying — I have to reassure myself at least once a week that the new neighbor is NOT pissed about our cars being the exact same color, because that’s stupid — but it’s not going anywhere.

Don't worry.

Hit 30+.

You will struggle to care about what others think.

I guarantee it.

21-22 year old me lost sleep over opinions that current me can barely remember to be upset about the next day.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

Don't worry.

Hit 30+.

You will struggle to care about others think.

I guarantee it.

21-22 year old me lost sleep over opinions that current me can barely remember to be upset about the next day.

IDK about that, but as I get older I’m finding that my memory is slipping. So much so that I literally can’t remember things that bothered me the day before unless I’m explicitly reminded. So that’s almost the same.

I think senility will be a smooth transition for me.

 

[UCFKnights07]

Don't worry.

Hit 30+.

You will struggle to care about others think.

I guarantee it.

21-22 year old me lost sleep over opinions that current me can barely remember to be upset about the next day.

agree, once i was done and out of school peoples opinions of me or my life are basically IDGAF. Career wise, yes i care about opinions, but outside of work i dont lose sleep over strangers. I wish my teenager self realized this sooner...

 

[catlady]

Whelp, if you’re on Twitter, you’re fair game. If you put yourself out there, then everyone’s got an entitlement complex about their opinions on your life and the ups and downs of it. It’s not right, but it happens. And while we’d all love to be able to let negative things roll off our backs without a second thought, I think it would take an almost sociopathic level of antipathy to actually be able to do that. We’re social animals. We care what people think. Most of that time that tendency is very annoying — I have to reassure myself at least once a week that the new neighbor is NOT pissed about our cars being the exact same color, because that’s stupid — but it’s not going anywhere.

Not caring what strangers think about your level in a sport, or your life in general, is hardly a sociopathic level of antipathy, it's healthy. I'm going into mom mode here, if you truly care about what everyone thinks, then I strongly encourage you to reevaluate the difference between healthy relationships and toxic superficial ones. Just because you put yourself out on social media and allow thousands of faceless people to follow you does not mean you give their opinion merit. Social media is toxic and superficial, and you HAVE to be able to let the negative things roll of your back without a second thought.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

Whelp, if you’re on Twitter, you’re fair game. If you put yourself out there, then everyone’s got an entitlement complex about their opinions on your life and the ups and downs of it. It’s not right, but it happens. And while we’d all love to be able to let negative things roll off our backs without a second thought, I think it would take an almost sociopathic level of antipathy to actually be able to do that. We’re social animals. We care what people think. Most of that time that tendency is very annoying — I have to reassure myself at least once a week that the new neighbor is NOT pissed about our cars being the exact same color, because that’s stupid — but it’s not going anywhere.

The decision to be on social media does not mean you automatically consent to harassment and that is not the message we should just accept and perpetuate.

@catlady was spot on with her above post. I'd like to add that having negative things roll off your back is a learned skill that can, and should, be developed into a habit. It doesn't take an "almost sociopathic level of antipathy" to do that - it takes constant self reflection, goal setting, and discipline. Self reflection to evaluate who's criticism is important and why, goal setting to define the life you want and what it takes to get there, and discipline to create and enforce boundaries that align to the goals you have set. These are skills that every adult should have and should be exercising. The inability to do so screams immaturity and creates a lot of wasted time and energy.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

The decision to be on social media does not mean you automatically consent to harassment and that is not the message we should just accept and perpetuate.

No it does not, nor did I suggest it was. It’s just part and parcel of the experience. At least in my view. You almost can’t escape it because some people cannot handle the freedom of anonymity without turning into miserable bullies. And if you mildly offend them, they will find you and tell you to die in a fire. Not just cheerleaders, everyone.

I work in an animal rescue in a super progressive part of the country. We post pics of our adoptions to our social accounts. Some of the adopters are LGBTQ.

The amount of BS we get from people who are “concerned” that placing the dog with an LGBTQ owner amounts to some kind of abuse because the dog will be “confused” is laughable. Here we are, doing (in my opinion) one of the most inoffensive jobs on the planet — finding homes for animals, who can argue with that? — and we’re still the target of trolls. And no, we didn’t ask for the harassment, but it’s not going away anytime soon. We don’t tolerate it, but we’ve accepted it‘s part of the experience. Because Twitter is a cesspool.

 

[UCFKnights07]

No it does not, nor did I suggest it was. It’s just part and parcel of the experience. At least in my view. You almost can’t escape it because some people cannot handle the freedom of anonymity without turning into miserable bullies. And if you mildly offend them, they will find you and tell you to die in a fire. Not just cheerleaders, everyone.

I work in an animal rescue in a super progressive part of the country. We post pics of our adoptions to our social accounts. Some of the adopters are LGBTQ.

The amount of BS we get from people who are “concerned” that placing the dog with an LGBTQ owner amounts to some kind of abuse because the dog will be “confused” is laughable. Here we are, doing (in my opinion) one of the most inoffensive jobs on the planet — finding homes for animals, who can argue with that? — and we’re still the target of trolls. And no, we didn’t ask for the harassment, but it’s not going away anytime soon. We don’t tolerate it, but we’ve accepted it‘s part of the experience. Because Twitter is a cesspool.

people troll people for everything, sports, life, school, looks, etc. Your not going to escape it, until you learn to not let things affect you. Are there moments where i break and do care about peoples opinions, sure. But for the most part as you get older the more you care about making yourself happy then you care about impressing or being well liked by others/strangers for the things you do.
Everyone is an a**hole on the internet.... and once you come to terms with that the easier it is to just laugh and move on. Most teenager and young 20 somethings might not see it that way or believe it, but you do eventually hit an age where opinions from randoms dont affect you as much as they once did.
ill agree twitter is awful, but then again i dont take anything i see on twitter seriously.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

people troll people for everything, sports, life, school, looks, etc. Your not going to escape it, until you learn to not let things affect you. Are there moments where i break and do care about peoples opinions, sure. But for the most part as you get older the more you care about making yourself happy then you care about impressing or being well liked by others/strangers for the things you do.
Everyone is an a**hole on the internet.... and once you come to terms with that the easier it is to just laugh and move on. Most teenager and young 20 somethings might not see it that way or believe it, but you do eventually hit an age where opinions from randoms dont affect you as much as they once did.
ill agree twitter is awful, but then again i dont take anything i see on twitter seriously.

Sure, of course. Older adults understand that social media should not be given much credence in how you view yourself. But this conversation was initially about Bobby from Reckless, so I’ve been referring more to the POV of these younger “cheer-lebrities.” Lots of them are in their teens or early twenties and probably not as dismissive of social media as adults are, like you said.

This age group is 1) already prone to self-centeredness (which is not a dig, it’s just part of growing up) and 2) given to feeling things very intensely (I know we all remember). Compound this with the fact that the internet has literally shaped their social interactions for their whole lives, and I can understand how social media negativity affects them. Maybe not all the time, but at least some of the time. How could it not? It’s a large chunk of their world and always has been. So when these kids — some of whom have followers from all over the world — experience negativity on Twitter, how could they not feel that the whole world is judging them? When you combine their mental/emotional state, life experiences, and the fact that Twitter is inundated with people who are going to troll them no matter what they do, I’d think it’s borderline impossible for them not to worry what Twitter thinks.

That’s where my “sociopathic” comment fits in. I think it would literally take an emotional disconnect for a kid to actually, genuinely not be affected by people calling them fat/stupid/untalented on a daily basis. I don’t know how some of these cheer-lebrities do it. On a good day, they’ve already got a built-in number of people hating them for being good at what they do because some people are just awful. And then on those days when they screw up by saying/doing something stupid, that number skyrockets. I literally don’t know how they do it. I was mortified when a rumour went around about me at my 800-person high school (even though of those 800 people, only like 50 knew/cared who I was). I can’t imagine how I’d feel if that number reached upwards of 10,000, and a good portion were publicly telling me to kill myself in front of my family and friends.

 

[JenR]

Can we get back to finding out if there is a wiki for teams this year?