All-Star Age Grid 2020-2021

[123jump4!]

Since youth age is up to 12 now, I'm wondering if there's going to be a couple more Youth 5 teams now that 12 year olds can be on the team?

It’s not all 12 year olds. Just those that turned 12 this year. (Born in 2008.) So if Suzy turned 12 in December she can not be on youth.

 

[cheerbowgirl101]

For mini & youth they raised the age by about 6 months with the shift to birth year. My CP who recently turned 12 is eligible for youth still. Someone who turned 9 this year is eligible for mini.

But for junior they raised the age by 1.5 years. It used to be 14, now it’s 15 or just turned 16. Almost no difference to senior. Weird!

Raising the junior age to 16(born 2004) is kind of ridiculous. I don’t know any (current) high school sophomores that would want to be on a junior team. You have to age out at some point. Not just for preference, but for appropriate age gaps within a team, as well as equity in tryout competition. Suzie won’t make Y3 if Becky who has been on it for several years won’t leave because she is suddenly eligible again. Even if Becky realistically should be on S3.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Raising the junior age to 16(born 2004) is kind of ridiculous. I don’t know any (current) high school sophomores that would want to be on a junior team. You have to age out at some point. Not just for preference, but for appropriate age gaps within a team, as well as equity in tryout competition. Suzie won’t make Y3 if Becky who has been on it for several years won’t leave because she is suddenly eligible again. Even if Becky realistically should be on S3.

In a tryout sense, I feel like if (example) an athlete can be on any of these 3 by age/skills:

Y3
J3
S3

They're 99% of the time going to want the Senior team.

The skills are same but I find that kids always tend to aspire to the oldest group.

Ex: At schools where 7th and 8th grade MS cheerleaders can be placed on HS JV cheer based on skills, the 7s and 8s are shooting to be on HS JV over the MS team.

This is especially true of kids who want to fly.

That tween age is when kids grow so many might balk at staying Youth or Junior because they're on track to outgrow folks. (You can't compete with someone in elementary school for a flying spot once you're 16 unless you're someone who is on track to be a teeny tiny adult.)

 

[cheerbowgirl101]

In a tryout sense, I feel like if (example) an athlete can be on any of these 3 by age/skills:

Y3
J3
S3

They're 99% of the time going to want the Senior team.

The skills are same but I find that kids always tend to aspire to the oldest group.

Ex: At schools where 7th and 8th grade MS cheerleaders can be placed on HS JV cheer based on skills, the 7s and 8s are shooting to be on HS JV over the MS team.

This is especially true of kids who want to fly.

That tween age is when kids grow so many might balk at staying Youth or Junior because they're on track to outgrow folks. (You can't compete with someone in elementary school for a flying spot once you're 16 unless you're someone who is on track to be a teeny tiny adult.)

I absolutely agree with this(in fact I was an eighth grader on the HS JV team;)), but there will always be athletes who will wish to stay on their young team for as long as possible in order to stay with friends/emotional attachment to being on a certain team. That’s more along the lines of what I was thinking.

 

[DonnaM]

I have a rising senior with a 2004 birthdate (one year grade skip and fall birthday, meaning that she entered kindergarten at 4 and will graduate at 16). I suggested that she could be on a junior team since she doesn't particularly like crop tops. She rolled her eyes at me. Although she did comment that if they gave her one of our better Youth flyers, they could do some really awesome partner stunts :).

 

[Cheermom1979]

This was my daughter last year. She was 11/turned 12. The teams available were Y2 J3 and S2. She didn’t want to be the oldest y2 OR youngest S2 but wasn’t ready to stunt J3.
She was picked For S2 - And was a bit lost socially. Hoping for a J team this year....

In a tryout sense, I feel like if (example) an athlete can be on any of these 3 by age/skills:

Y3
J3
S3

They're 99% of the time going to want the Senior team.

The skills are same but I find that kids always tend to aspire to the oldest group.

Ex: At schools where 7th and 8th grade MS cheerleaders can be placed on HS JV cheer based on skills, the 7s and 8s are shooting to be on HS JV over the MS team.

This is especially true of kids who want to fly.

That tween age is when kids grow so many might balk at staying Youth or Junior because they're on track to outgrow folks. (You can't compete with someone in elementary school for a flying spot once you're 16 unless you're someone who is on track to be a teeny tiny adult.)

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

This was my daughter last year. She was 11/turned 12. The teams available were Y2 J3 and S2. She didn’t want to be the oldest y2 OR youngest S2 but wasn’t ready to stunt J3.
She was picked For S2 - And was a bit lost socially. Hoping for a J team this year....

I DO think there is value in the LEADERSHIP experience kids can gain by spending maybe a year in the Older Girls group of a Youth or Mini team.

Ex: Being one of the oldest kids on a Youth 2 for a year allows you to learn how to motivate others, etc. You can really push and motivate the girls who are new to the team. Kind of like being the senior on a HS squad.

Disclaimer: Being the oldest Mini 2 or Youth 2 for like 3 years is probably less fulfilling but a year can do a lot for a kid's confidence.

 

[ImAChauffeuse]

I DO think there is value in the LEADERSHIP experience kids can gain by spending maybe a year in the Older Girls group of a Youth or Mini team.

Ex: Being one of the oldest kids on a Youth 2 for a year allows you to learn how to motivate others, etc. You can really push and motivate the girls who are new to the team. Kind of like being the senior on a HS squad.

Disclaimer: Being the oldest Mini 2 or Youth 2 for like 3 years is probably less fulfilling but a year can do a lot for a kid's confidence.

There’s also the potential for bullying. Not every older kid has leadership skills/potential and more than a few lord their age over the younger ones. That bossiness turns into bullying very quickly if the coaches aren’t on top of it. Both the junior and senior teams at different gyms my daughter has been on had bullying issues that went on the entire year in large part due to the age gap. The coaches can’t catch everything and I’ve found the whole “zero tolerance for bullying” thing is just a platitude, not something that is followed through on.

We had a girl on the team last year who would constantly scream at and berate her teammates, and would go so far as to regularly pinch and dig her nails into her much younger flyer’s legs as punishment if she felt she wasn’t tight in the air or whatever. This bully that all the older girls despised for her screaming and the younger girls were afraid of remained on the team even after the coaches were made aware of the physical abuse (they had to have been aware of the verbal assaults). The younger kids are often too afraid to say anything.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

There’s also the potential for bullying. Not every older kid has leadership skills/potential and more than a few lord their age over the younger ones. That bossiness turns into bullying very quickly if the coaches aren’t on top of it. Both the junior and senior teams at different gyms my daughter has been on had bullying issues that went on the entire year in large part due to the age gap. The coaches can’t catch everything and I’ve found the whole “zero tolerance for bullying” thing is just a platitude, not something that is followed through on.

We had a girl on the team last year who would constantly scream at and berate her teammates, and would go so far as to regularly pinch and dig her nails into her much younger flyer’s legs as punishment if she felt she wasn’t tight in the air or whatever. This bully that all the older girls despised for her screaming and the younger girls were afraid of remained on the team even after the coaches were made aware of the physical abuse (they had to have been aware of the verbal assaults). The younger kids are often too afraid to say anything.

Age groups aside:

This is a gym culture issue more than anything.

I would run fast from any program not taking it seriously.

 

[Cheermom1979]

yes- we wished she was on youth as opposed to senior but not really our choice. The youth team was highly competitive highly skilled young athletes. The Sr Team was high school girls who wanted to be “cool”- they didn’t really push. It was a tough year. My daughter is shy and socially awkward on her best day- surrounded by older cool girls she became Basically invisible- was not the “baby” you see getting carried around. It was sad. But she loves the gym and is going back hoping for a better fit this year.

I DO think there is value in the LEADERSHIP experience kids can gain by spending maybe a year in the Older Girls group of a Youth or Mini team.

Ex: Being one of the oldest kids on a Youth 2 for a year allows you to learn how to motivate others, etc. You can really push and motivate the girls who are new to the team. Kind of like being the senior on a HS squad.

Disclaimer: Being the oldest Mini 2 or Youth 2 for like 3 years is probably less fulfilling but a year can do a lot for a kid's confidence.

 

[alpaca]

Ex: At schools where 7th and 8th grade MS cheerleaders can be placed on HS JV cheer based on skills, the 7s and 8s are shooting to be on HS JV over the MS team.

I am fascinated by how this works. That a a student can participate in a sport for a school that they do not attend. Does this happen with other sports and activities? In my area, middle and high school end at different times, run different busses and the physical buildings are a few miles apart from each other. After school practices could be logistically challenging.

 

[SparkleSpankies]

Raising the junior age to 16(born 2004) is kind of ridiculous. I don’t know any (current) high school sophomores that would want to be on a junior team. You have to age out at some point. Not just for preference, but for appropriate age gaps within a team, as well as equity in tryout competition.

JUNIORS some will be JUNIORS.

 

[cac4life]

I can’t imagine they would ever get rid of d2 and that d2 summit unless they actually lose money on it somewhere which would be a surprise. Another good point, let’s ditch the crossovers now that there is little excuse to not be able to field teams.

NO! I really love getting to crossover, it is one of the best things about being an athlete! I love it so much. Gyms need to stop taking advantage of it, yes, but if the kid wants to crossover, yet them crossover.

 

[cheermomforever]

There’s also the potential for bullying. Not every older kid has leadership skills/potential and more than a few lord their age over the younger ones. That bossiness turns into bullying very quickly if the coaches aren’t on top of it. Both the junior and senior teams at different gyms my daughter has been on had bullying issues that went on the entire year in large part due to the age gap. The coaches can’t catch everything and I’ve found the whole “zero tolerance for bullying” thing is just a platitude, not something that is followed through on.

We had a girl on the team last year who would constantly scream at and berate her teammates, and would go so far as to regularly pinch and dig her nails into her much younger flyer’s legs as punishment if she felt she wasn’t tight in the air or whatever. This bully that all the older girls despised for her screaming and the younger girls were afraid of remained on the team even after the coaches were made aware of the physical abuse (they had to have been aware of the verbal assaults). The younger kids are often too afraid to say anything.

If they knew.....then that are people who shouldn’t be coaching!!

 

[Cheermom1979]

I know They just started accepting 7&8 graders 2 season ago at our high school. They have Had a few 8th graders Each year but no 7th graders yet. The odd thing is it is a regional highschool- but only girls from the actual town the school is in are eligible- not any of the other regional districts. Something to do with taxes or Ins supposedly. But I do know my daughter is not interested in HS cheer wants to continue AS. I may push her to do football but not compete HS.

I am fascinated by how this works. That a a student can participate in a sport for a school that they do not attend. Does this happen with other sports and activities? In my area, middle and high school end at different times, run different busses and the physical buildings are a few miles apart from each other. After school practices could be logistically challenging.