All-Star An Article About Varsity Brands...

[Eyes On The Prize]

Uniforms and shoes? Yes.

Competitions are a little tricky. Because there you run into big gym vs. small gym mentality even IF you have a common goal. We've all heard stories about how Gym A will back out of a competition last minute if Gym B is going (and of course, some stories are fairy tales), but it does make the competition aspect a bit trickier. Plus competitions are also involve the judging aspect which we've discussed at length here (score sheet options, quality judges, transparency, etc).

Jumping off here, because you're so right:

Make up, shoes, uniforms, cheer apparel, etc there are countless options.

Competitions you really don't. If you want to get payout gyms name out there and compete for those prestigious titles (NCA, Worlds, UCA, Cheersport) you have no option but to go through varsity.

Just so the people who think boycotting Varsity events is a possibility, here's a list of the EPs Varsity have their hands in (taken straight from their site):
Universal Cheerleaders Association
National Cheerleaders Association
United Spirit Association
Universal Dance Association
National Dance Alliance
American Cheerleaders Association
Athletic Championships
The American Championships
All Star Challenge
American Cheer Power
World Spirit Federation
Spirit Sports
Spirit Xpress
Spirit Cheer
The Summit
Cheerlebrity
Spirit Fest
One Up
PacWest
CHEERSPORT
Cheer Ltd.

Besides Jamfest Nationals, Varsity basically owns all the big competitions. Where are you gonna compete? Other FBers have named GSSA and a couple others that aren't owned by Varsity (Aloha?) but to my knowledge, the those are very regional companies. They don't come to the east coast - where the majority of teams are. So no, people don't really have a lot of options.

 

[Official OWECheer]

Jumping off here, because you're so right:

Make up, shoes, uniforms, cheer apparel, etc there are countless options.

Competitions you really don't. If you want to get payout gyms name out there and compete for those prestigious titles (NCA, Worlds, UCA, Cheersport) you have no option but to go through varsity.

Just so the people who think boycotting Varsity events is a possibility, here's a list of the EPs Varsity have their hands in (taken straight from their site):
Universal Cheerleaders Association
National Cheerleaders Association
United Spirit Association
Universal Dance Association
National Dance Alliance
American Cheerleaders Association
Athletic Championships
The American Championships
All Star Challenge
American Cheer Power
World Spirit Federation
Spirit Sports
Spirit Xpress
Spirit Cheer
The Summit
Cheerlebrity
Spirit Fest
One Up
PacWest
CHEERSPORT
Cheer Ltd.

Besides Jamfest Nationals, Varsity basically owns all the big competitions. Where are you gonna compete? Other FBers have named GSSA and a couple others that aren't owned by Varsity (Aloha?) but to my knowledge, the those are very regional companies. They don't come to the east coast - where the majority of teams are. So no, people don't really have a lot of options.

Even so, buying uniforms and other apparel elsewhere can make a huge statement. Not sure how we'll fix the competition issue, though.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

Even so, buying uniforms elsewhere can make a huge statement. Not sure how we'll fix the competition issue, though.

It'll make a statement but how big is debatable. They're going to make their money somehow. They still own almost all the competitions. Cheerleaders don't NEED uniforms but they NEED competitions.

 

[getsum]

i dont think that article made WE look bad, even if they were mislead about what the article was going to be about. even if the article was about what WE was initially told it was going to be about, this little snippet from the coach still would have made it in the article:

We don’t do pom-poms or any of that BS,” says Tara Kirby, one of the Generals’ coaches.

you might not want to talk down to your athletes and potential athletes who partake in the surrounding high schools cheer programs and who "do pom-poms"/"that BS". (edit: apparently, that was never said, and should be a lesson to never fully trust media outlets and take what is reported with a grain/bag of salt.)

now, with that aside... #ChooseVarsityOrElse

also, the idea of asking cheer gyms, especially the big ones, to boycott varsity is like asking a western nation and its people to boycott nasty big oil. at the end of the day, people will still fill up their tanks, because they have nothing else to fill it up with.

 

[Official OWECheer]

i dont think that article made WE look bad, even if they were mislead about what the article was going to be about. even if the article was about what WE was initially told it was going to be about, this little snippet from the coach still would have made it in the article:



you might not want to talk down to your athletes and potential athletes who partake in the surrounding high schools cheer programs and who "do pom-poms"/"that BS".

I am BEYOND sick of reading/hearing all-star people degrade high school cheer in an attempt to make all-star look good. And outsiders eat it right up.

Thanks a lot, guys.

ETA: Apparently Tara never said this. Wow.

 

[uhhlyssa01]

Jumping off here, because you're so right:

Make up, shoes, uniforms, cheer apparel, etc there are countless options.

Competitions you really don't. If you want to get payout gyms name out there and compete for those prestigious titles (NCA, Worlds, UCA, Cheersport) you have no option but to go through varsity.

Just so the people who think boycotting Varsity events is a possibility, here's a list of the EPs Varsity have their hands in (taken straight from their site):
Universal Cheerleaders Association
National Cheerleaders Association
United Spirit Association
Universal Dance Association
National Dance Alliance
American Cheerleaders Association
Athletic Championships
The American Championships
All Star Challenge
American Cheer Power
World Spirit Federation
Spirit Sports
Spirit Xpress
Spirit Cheer
The Summit
Cheerlebrity
Spirit Fest
One Up
PacWest
CHEERSPORT
Cheer Ltd.

Besides Jamfest Nationals, Varsity basically owns all the big competitions. Where are you gonna compete? Other FBers have named GSSA and a couple others that aren't owned by Varsity (Aloha?) but to my knowledge, the those are very regional companies. They don't come to the east coast - where the majority of teams are. So no, people don't really have a lot of options.

Epic Brands is huge on the east coast. IEP's are huge in Texas. The Season Pass covers a lot of the country. Jam Brands has a little bit all over too. And all of those EP's are using the scoresheet Varsity and Jam came up with. I don't think anyone needs to completely boycott Varsity, but there are certainly other good options if you look. I think the issue is the rebates people brought up earlier.

 

[gofriars610]

#VarsityGangOrDie

 

[Ashley]

Epic Brands is huge on the east coast. IEP's are huge in Texas. The Season Pass covers a lot of the country. Jam Brands has a little bit all over too. And all of those EP's are using the scoresheet Varsity and Jam came up with. I don't think anyone needs to completely boycott Varsity, but there are certainly other good options if you look. I think the issue is the rebates people brought up earlier.

Here's a list of the IEPs:

Members » Independent Event Producers (IEP)

Varsity keeps buying IEPs, so they're dwindling. They exist and if you try really hard you might be able to avoid them, but it would be really hard to do so. The two bid events in New England are both Varsity, for example, so now you have to go to New Jersey for a bid.

 

[Official OWECheer]

On the HS cheer circuit, a fellow parent and I have always said that if your uniforms were not Varsity and your team did not attend UCA summer camps to not even bother going to UCA HS Nationals.

I'm just seeing this now but wow, that's sad.

 

[lifeoftheparty]

What's even more frustrating as a parent is wishing upon wishing that the new EP's popping up to stick it to Varsity are going to run events with what we want in mind.

Then you see that they are STP as well with ridiculous requirements and high entrance fees. It's more of the same. They just want a piece of the pie, not a change.

 

[King]

Now that there is universal scoring and a universal scoresheet EPs can separate themselves not by the cheerleading, but by the event they produce. It used to be that scoresheets were tied to events (and Varsity events had the best ones). Now its all universal and event production can be what separates out events.

 

[catlady]

Epic Brands is huge on the east coast. IEP's are huge in Texas. The Season Pass covers a lot of the country. Jam Brands has a little bit all over too. And all of those EP's are using the scoresheet Varsity and Jam came up with. I don't think anyone needs to completely boycott Varsity, but there are certainly other good options if you look. I think the issue is the rebates people brought up earlier.

If rebates upset people to the point of boycotting, then they will need to boycott everyone. Vendors offer up money to do business with retailers the exact same way, sometimes it's cash, advertising, stem miles, or markdown money. And "no", they don't sit there and tell the consumer how that money is used to offset the cost of business, but it is. (Fun fact, the cost of giving an actual rebate is much higher and more work to the consumer than just taking the actual amount offered by the vendor off the merchandise but, the consumer thinks they're getting a better deal with a rebate). So, the argument then becomes, "we can get a better deal by ourselves" but, the truth is that only works if no other business is going on in the area at the same time and that's a huge risk with 18,000+ families coming from all over the country.

In other news, I find it interesting that people are willing to pay hundreds for tickets to go to a concert one night but, the thought of paying $35-60 cash admission for 2 days at those same buildings and getting to watch thousands of kids do something they love is considered a rip off. There are other options in uniforms, shoes, props, and competitions, Varsity is just the Big Box of cheerleading and that ticks people off.

 

[cupieqt]

@catlady yes.

Varsity is just the big success that everybody loves to hate. "Look at that b*tch eating those crackers"...

We all love an underdog. Until they're the big dog.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[quitthedrama]

@catlady yes.

Varsity is just the big success that everybody loves to hate. "Look at that b*tch eating those crackers"...

We all love an underdog. Until they're the big dog.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I posted this in a different thread. I have no problem with Varsity being a big dog. I have no problem with the profit they are making. My kids love their uniforms and the competitions that they attend each year. I enjoy most Varsity competitions and I feel the athlete registration is reasonable. I think Varsity uniforms are the best overall value compared to other uniform companies. I don't have firsthand experience of their camps, but I have heard good things. Varsity didn't start out making billions on day 1 and they are a big business because they do many things well. As a corporation -with the exception of their big brother STP tactics, I think Varsity is a great company.
What I can't support is their stronghold over the USASF. I think it was great Varsity helped get USASF off the ground, but cheer has evolved and the USASF needs to be its own independent governing body - and this change is long overdue. I don't want Varsity running USASF, and the small changes that have been made over the last couple of years is not enough.

 

[catlady]

I posted this in a different thread. I have no problem with Varsity being a big dog. I have no problem with the profit they are making. My kids love their uniforms and the competitions that they attend each year. I enjoy most Varsity competitions and I feel the athlete registration is reasonable. I think Varsity uniforms are the best overall value compared to other uniform companies. I don't have firsthand experience of their camps, but I have heard good things. Varsity didn't start out making billions on day 1 and they are a big business because they do many things well. As a corporation -with the exception of their big brother STP tactics, I think Varsity is a great company.
What I can't support is their stronghold over the USASF. I think it was great Varsity helped get USASF off the ground, but cheer has evolved and the USASF needs to be its own independent governing body - and this change is long overdue. I don't want Varsity running USASF, and the small changes that have been made over the last couple of years is not enough.

What has Varsity prevented the USASF from doing in your opinion? Does anyone know if an outside source has offered and can afford to take it on? We all know those wanting to take over governments have an agenda, what is theirs? Are they honest? Are they going to resist the temptation of taking money under the table? What companies/lobbyists will they take money from? What makes these people/this source more attractive?

A different perspective....No one is debating Varsity is sustaining the USASF, and right now, membership is relatively low. At least we know Varsity's primary interest is cheer. Should the USASF be taken over by different people or a different source what is the cost to us? I'd truly like to know these answers before we demand Varsity out and put XYZ in.