Does no one have loyalty to their gym anymore? I could understand situations like this if cheerleading were in the Olympics. While Worlds is kind of considered "our Olympics," it's not the exact same thing. You are recognized in the cheerleading world as being a World Champion, but others outside of the cheerleading world don't really know what that means or how big of a deal it is.
I was on a small senior level 5 team for 4 years at my old gym, so yes, I have competed at Worlds numerous times. We had chances to come in top 10, top 5, or win almost every year. While the closest we ever came to winning was top 5 and we never actually won, I NEVER had thoughts about switching to another gym just for a Worlds ring or to be on a "better" team. My gym was my family, and while trophies, rings, and jackets are all MAJOR accomplishments, those didn't seem to matter as much to me. Maybe it was because I cheered back when this "cheerlebrity" nonsense and gym hopping wasn't so apparent, but still. I completely understand if a gym isn't the correct fit for you and so you move to another gym. It happens all the time. But why would you leave the gym who taught you EVERYTHING just for a jacket or a ring??! It doesn't make sense to me and it just keeps happening more and more often.