All-Star Allstar And High School? Or Not Worth It...

[carly_]

I'm currently on my highschool's cheer squad, but I want to do all stars next year. This has been my first year of cheer, and I fell in love with the sport, but I really haven't been happy with how the team was run this year. This is our coach's first year, and she doesn't seem very committed because she coaches an all star team on the side. She also chose lousy captains. They don't ever listen to/care for us, and we never do anything as a team. As a result, our team is very cliquey. I also found the games kind of boring...I loved competeing, but we only compete twice. ANYWAYS, I have a very high chance of becoming captain next year (a lot of girls have told me so and the coach likes me a lot) so I feel like I could change the team for the better...but I don't know if it's too much to commit to both, especially if the next year is anything like this one was. Sorry for the long post...I just really wanted some of your opinions from those of you who do high school and all stars <3

 

[CEAisstronger]

I don't do both, but for some examples look up Cheer Extreme's Maddie G, Erica E, Taylor M, and Molly G. They all compete for CEA SE and there school teams. They balance both. There all level 5 cheerleaders.

 

[MNCheerMom]

Some of the local programs here don't allow both all star and high school cheer because of the time commitments. You'll want to double-check and make sure your high school will allow you to do both. That being said, my daughter did both a few years ago and had trouble balancing the two. The high school coach got angry when we gave all star cheer priority over high school. My daughter had to miss some of the high school practice times to go to all star practice. Finally, the high school coaches taught different techniques than the all star coaches, which made it frustrating for my daughter because she wasn't allowed to make any suggestions...they would get upset and say, "Well, this isn't all-star cheer!" My daughter is a level 5 cheerleader and the high school squad does level 1-2 skills, so for her, it was a no-brainer: all stars won.

 

[stuntjumptumble]

I do both high school and all stars, but if I were in your situation I would definitely choose all stars. If you love competing, you'll find you'll fall in love with it even more once you do all stars. Also, you'll be able to learn tumbling more quickly and more skills overall. By not doing high school cheer, it will also open you up to other sports and clubs that your school offers :)

 

[gymcatmomx2]

My oldest daughter does both all-star and school cheer. She did both starting in 8th grade and continued it through her freshman year. She is the captain of her freshman squad and is planning on trying out for the JV squad and captain next month. The school cheer coach understands the time constraints that the all-star cheerleaders have especially leading up to NCA, and knows that without all-star cheerleaders her program wouldn't be nearly as good as it is. The majority of the school cheerleaders are also all-star athletes. By the way, she also plays the viola in the school orchestra and takes all advanced classes. If you really want to do both, it can be done... you just have manage your time well and communicate with both your coaches in advance if there are any conflicts.

 

[ian]

My high school has a very well ran high school cheer team, and has lots of talent...(numerous national titles to go with it) and I chose all stars over that after being in it for 3 years ... It's all about what makes you happy, if you enjoy being a "game" style cheerleader, stick with high school, if you only want to be able to say your a captain, just because it sounds cool... you may be in it for the wrong reasons. I decided I liked the all star program we have better, and I love performing... It's all about what makes you smile.

 

[ssccxnce]

honestly i would pick allstars over high school anyday but before you commit to one or the other 100% tryout some gyms in your area, call to see their open gyms that way you are making a wise and conscious decision before jumping in right away :)

 

[MissCongeniality]

All Star is more fun for most. But High School cheer looks good to colleges because it shows you did something at your school!

 

[cheerforeverever]

It really depends on the individual and the programs that they are involved in to determine whether all stars, high school cheer, or both would be a good fit. Many times, high school cheerleading coaches are teachers that get pulled to do the job or just whoever they can find, so it typically isn't the best run extracurricular unfortunately, but it can be fun to do things such as : travel to games, perform at pep rallies or local events, be involved in your school, and go to summer camp. Allstar gyms are a much more intense enviornment compared to most schools, and are a big time and travel commitment. They are great though for skill development, meeting others outside your school, and really pushing yourself to the limit.

I did both in high school, along with all AP classes and National Honor Society, and was captain my senior year......sometimes I got VERY stressed and overwhelmed, but I don't regret doing any of it. I gave up a lot of hanging out with friends, going to birthday parties, and just having random kid fun. It could be very challenging to make sure scheduling worked out between everything and I did homework on the bus to away games quite often...one year, we had a coach that was AWFUL for scheduling high school cheer on the same day as allstar cheer even when he knew when our allstar practices were. Cheerleading was my life though, so I thought it was worth everything to make the sacrifices and difficulties because in turn I got to have a lot of once in a lifetime experiences from both types of teams. I am naturally an overachiever and slight perfectionist goody-goody however, so it worked for my personality and work ethic/character.

Ask yourself:
-Can I handle both commitments? (including time for homework and eating and breathing and sleeping)
-Am I willing to step up as a young adult and speak to both coaches to work out scheduling conflicts?(I suggest giving both coaches a schedule of your 2nd team AS SOON AS you find it out! this will minimize conflicts)
-Will I be able to prioritize and get everything done?
-Do I mind forgoing "friend/ normal teen stuff" in favor of a cheer event?
-How would I handle these situations?:
a. I have 2 practices near the same time frame. I may have to choose between the two or only go to half of a practice each...
b. I have an away game Thursday, and then am leaving for an away competition on Friday morning, but I also have a test that morning in a difficult class.
c. I will have to miss a fun team bonding event to go to the other team's practice.
d. I am asked to be captain for high school, but already have the commitments of allstars and regular high school cheer....could I handle the additional responsibility?

 

[carly_]

My high school has a very well ran high school cheer team, and has lots of talent...(numerous national titles to go with it) and I chose all stars over that after being in it for 3 years ... It's all about what makes you happy, if you enjoy being a "game" style cheerleader, stick with high school, if you only want to be able to say your a captain, just because it sounds cool... you may be in it for the wrong reasons. I decided I liked the all star program we have better, and I love performing... It's all about what makes you smile.

well the reason I mention that I may be captain is because I feel like I could do a lot of things our captains didn't do to make the team more enjoyable and connected with eachother. There were a lot of silly mistakes that could and should have been avoided...if I'm captain, and I'm able to change those things, then it would be easier for me to commit to both teams.