All-Star 21-22 Teams & Divisions

[4D3CHEER!]

Rust Rays are back this year in IOC7!

I kinda hope that TG Sic6 will make a comeback too. Well, they probably have to change their name into Sic7 haha

 

[luv2cheer92]

Not a team announcement but if we're talking dreams, I would love to see gyms bringing back Youth 5!

I know it's impractical with the Junior grid being what it is, but I was just watching old videos - I miss seeing Youth Elite compete with Y5 Twinkles, Y5 Rays (I think it was Green?), and other gyms having Y5s as well (I think MDT had one once that won NCA, I think Cheer Sport Sharks did, CA, etc.)

Teal Rays!

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

CEA Kernersville posted anticipated 21-22 Teams:

Mini Elite

(small mini 2)
Glitter Penguins

(small youth 3)
Youth Elite

(small youth 5)
Frostbites

(medium junior 2)
Bombs

(Intl Junior CoEd 4)
Smack

(Large Junior 5)
Crush

(Large Junior 6)
Spotlight (Medium Senior 4.2)
C4

(Medium Coed 4)
Open 4

(Open 4 All Girl)
Open 4 CoEd

(Open 4 CoEd)
Open 5

Open 5)
Lady Lux

(IONT 6)
CoEd Elite

(Small Coed 6)
Open CoEd 6

(Open CoEd 6)
Senior Elite

(Large Senior 6)

Looks like they're adding an Open Coed 6 and a J5. Should be interesting for sure!

 

[Knowcheering]

I like how their team names are all over the place and totally random. Everything from Glitter Penguins to Frostbites to Bombs to Senior Elite. They started a trend calling their mini team Mini Elite because like 84924 Mini teams call themselves that now, which is kind of weird for the teams that are only Level 1.

It seems so unusual to have 12 teams Level 4 and above, and just 3 teams in the Levels 1-3. Open 4 and Open 5 are not popular divisions with hardly any entrants, and they have 3 of those teams.

 

[WhatAmIDoingHere]

As a parent of a 16 year old I'm very frustrated with this age grid. She's being put on junior international teams versus teams with kids her own age. She not even crossing to an age appropriate team.

 

[icequeen]

I like how their team names are all over the place and totally random. Everything from Glitter Penguins to Frostbites to Bombs to Senior Elite. They started a trend calling their mini team Mini Elite because like 84924 Mini teams call themselves that now, which is kind of weird for the teams that are only Level 1.

It seems so unusual to have 12 teams Level 4 and above, and just 3 teams in the Levels 1-3. Open 4 and Open 5 are not popular divisions with hardly any entrants and they have 3 of those teams.

I can't remember where I saw this but CSP apparently makes the prefer to move kids through the levels instead of creating teams in the lower levels.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I can't remember where I saw this but CSP apparently makes the prefer to move kids through the levels instead of creating teams in the lower levels.

It was this CheerUpdates article circa 17/18:

A New Generation of Senior Elite | Cheer Extreme

Brief summary is that the gym is in a very small town and they had to grow talent from the ground up but wanted to have kids progress quickly - so kids at CEA Kern typically start on Mini 2 if they have never cheered before and the goal is to level kids up every year. (As opposed to starting them on Mini 1 or Tiny 1 like other gyms.)

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

CEA Raleigh projected team list - pardon the emoji, I just really quickly copy/pasted this from their social media.

CEA RALEIGH
2021-2022

Tiny Novice
Tiny Prep
Tiny Elite
Mini 1 Prep

Mini 2 Prep

Mini/Youth 1

Youth 2

Youth 3/4

Junior Int 1

Junior int 2

Junior int 3

Junior 4

Junior 5

Junior 6

Senior 2

Senior 3

Senior 4.2

Senior 4

Senior 5

Worlds Teams: (Smoex, SSX, Knockout, Code Black, Cougar Coed)

Sidebar: That's a lot of Tiny/Mini teams! I also like seeing gyms have a variety of starting points for new athletes or those with less experience (ex: if you're new to cheer, you're youth age, and a gym only has a Tiny 1 and Youth 3, and the rest are all higher level teams, that is a challenge because you are going to be playing catch up.)

 

[Knowcheering]

I can't remember where I saw this but CSP apparently makes the prefer to move kids through the levels instead of creating teams in the lower levels.

I do like that about them-- they don't want their athletes stuck on the same level every year. You feel like you're making good progress when you keep moving up. At the same time, not every kid has the talent for the upper levels no matter how hard they try, so I still find it interesting that they have so many teams Level 4 and up, and very few lower level teams. The Raleigh gym has a more traditional team list.

 

[Nothanks]

As a parent of a 16 year old I'm very frustrated with this age grid. She's being put on junior international teams versus teams with kids her own age. She not even crossing to an age appropriate team.

while I don’t disagree that the junior age grid is less than ideal, international actually is tighter than standard junior.

But- I have 16 year olds on my junior teams this year. As a coach, it’s silly not to push the high end of the age grid, in any age division. We absolutely put kids in their last year of eligibility on teams of it matches their skills. They’re likely gonna be some of the strongest assets to that team. I have 9 year old minis, 12 year old youth kids, and 16 year old juniors. But I’m also putting my bomb 9 year olds who fly and tumble on a team that is level appropriate for them even if it’s bumping them up an age group or two because it’s also way easier to stunt them.

 

[WhatAmIDoingHere]

while I don’t disagree that the junior age grid is less than ideal, international actually is tighter than standard junior.

But- I have 16 year olds on my junior teams this year. As a coach, it’s silly not to push the high end of the age grid, in any age division. We absolutely put kids in their last year of eligibility on teams of it matches their skills. They’re likely gonna be some of the strongest assets to that team. I have 9 year old minis, 12 year old youth kids, and 16 year old juniors. But I’m also putting my bomb 9 year olds who fly and tumble on a team that is level appropriate for them even if it’s bumping them up an age group or two because it’s also way easier to stunt them.

Had USASF not changed the grid she would not be eligible for international junior or even regular junior teams this season. I understand what you're saying. But there's no reason why she can't at least cross to an age appropriate team to be with people at her age level.

 

[Nothanks]

Had USASF not changed the grid she would not be eligible for international junior or even regular junior teams this season. I understand what you're saying. But there's no reason why she can't at least cross to an age appropriate team to be with people at her age level.

Maybe. In my program, my junior level 4 can’t cross to a senior team. I only have a senior aged team in level 2. If they crossed, all season long it would be fine, but then I’d have to make them pick which one the wanted for summit and restructure a routine.

it could also have to do with skill ability/stunting position. Maybe rosters are full and taking her would bump them from small to medium (or whatever) for one person. Ratio wise, adding one person can totally change what scoresheet expectations can be. I had one kid last year begging to cross to my j3 team. That team was at 15. If I would had added her, it would have bumped me into the next ratio for stunts, jumps and tumbling. I didn’t want to have to field another stunt group for one kid.
Maybe there are kids who belong on that team skill wise. Maybe there are kids on the senior team that don’t, but age wise, the coach can’t move them anywhere else.

building teams truly is a huge puzzle with so many variables and intricacies.

ETA - the age grid is the same as it was last season; the only adjustment was the year to account for it being a new season.

 

[catlady]

Had USASF not changed the grid she would not be eligible for international junior or even regular junior teams this season. I understand what you're saying. But there's no reason why she can't at least cross to an age appropriate team to be with people at her age level.

If this is important to your daughter, I would encourage her to tell the coaches of level appropriate teams she is interested in helping out when possible. If there's an opportunity with athletes out on vacations, injured, or otherwise, it can open an opportunity for her to meet athletes her age or possibly cross compete.

I can't speak for every gym, but at retired kid's gym it really didn't matter what team they were on from a social standpoint, good friends were often on different teams/levels/age grids and hung out before and after practices, outside of the gym, and at comps. Your daughter has an incredible leadership opportunity if she stays positive and makes it her goal to help build a strong team bond. IMO, the years that my kid's had the most fun, were the years the entire team bonded and worked well together.

 

[WhatAmIDoingHere]

Ignore

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I see a lot of gyms using the level workout groups format.

Ex: After your tryout you do not make a TEAM but a LEVEL and you stick with that level for practices until sorted into a team. So rather than making J3, you make the Level 3 workout group.

Questions:

Do you feel like parents respond better to this and are better prepared for tryout results/teams?

Do you get a lot of "We quit because she made the Level 4 group and we wanted her on 5?"

As a parent how did this work for you? Better or worse than knowing a team?

I feel like it would cause more unnecessary panic in a sense that a parent is now pre-anxious re: what team their kid could make based on who is in the group like "OMG LOOK AT THAT LEVEL 2 WORKOUT GROUP LIST I KNOW THEY ARE ABOUT TO PUT HER ON Y2 AGAIN OH NO."

Or "She made the Level 3 group but they've beeb having her stunt with the youngest kids instead of everyone from S3 what if she gets put on J3? She's 16!"

My frame of reference is high school cheer and all I know is if we presorted kids by skill into a Varsity/Gold and JV/Blue workout group, there would likely be a riot or mass exodus. In theory you know your kid and know what group she is likely to fall into, but people aren't always realistic.