OK, so I was tardy for the party on this thread, for those of you who saw my post in the cheersport results thread. Now that I've finally read through it, I don't know how much more I can offer. I will say this, which I don't think has been mentioned yet. A level 4 athlete throwing a Level 2 routine is much better conditioned than a "true"level 2 kid, and therefore able to perform better technique and skills, not just because they've already been perfected, but because they don't get as tired performing at that level. And frankly, to use the "well, it was only 12 practices" rationalization is nonsense. Last year, I had my level 2 kids split into groups and make a level 1 routine for fun, and we gave a reward to the best group. They had 20 minutes. You're not going to tell me that with 12 practices, a gym like Rockstar couldn't pull a decent level 3 out of that group.
I do believe that athlete registration is necessary, but I don't like the idea of registering for a team, because that doesn't necessarily equal their skill level. I think your skills should be evaluated in STUNTS, RUNNING TUMBLING, STANDING TUMBLING, TOSSES, JUMPS, MOTIONS/DANCE ability. Everything would be scored from 1-5. So, example:
Athlete X can fly level 4 (4), has a layout (4), no standing tuck (3), mediocre jumps (3), great dancer (5)... that averages out to 3.8, round to the nearest decimal and she's a LEVEL 4. This would be her registered level with USASF for that season, and it would mean she could be eligible for a Level 3, 4, or 5 team.
Registering her with a team would not work if her gym doesn't offer a Level 4 team, and she's placed on a Level 3 team. This would mean she'd be considered level 3, which imo creates a problem because then she could technically cross to a level 2 team. Then, you have a level 4 athlete on a level 2 team, in actuality... but on paper, she's level 3 so its fine. Make sense?