All-Star Anyone Else Notice Alot Of 12 Year Old Flyers On The Floor?

[socratesofcheer]

AMEN!! You are so awesome Chrissy! I have an almost identical story. I also based when I was 90lbs...as a sophomore in HS and I based a girl definitely 2x my size and solid muscle.

You based a girl that was 180?!? That's incredible. Get this girl a I.H.M.O. badge right away!!

 

[Ashley]

Your not understanding what I am saying. I am 13 now. By the time anything happened it would not personally affect me. I am saying some cheerleaders are younger and work very hard. They deserve to go to worlds too.

If the age rubric changed, they wouldn't be on a senior team anyway. It's not like they would compete all season and then not get to go to worlds with their team because they're not old enough. If your gym didn't have a junior 5 one, you would go to another gym or wait until you're old enough to be on the senior 5 team. What about 10 year olds that have level 5 skills. Should they get to go to Worlds? No, they can wait until they're old enough. You're not looking at this in the big picture, you're looking at it from the point of view of a girl who is too young to be on the senior team, even though she has the skills.

 

[socratesofcheer]

Your not understanding what I am saying. I am 13 now. By the time anything happened it would not personally affect me. I am saying some cheerleaders are younger and work very hard. They deserve to go to worlds too.

Because someone works hard doesn't mean that they "deserve" anything.

There are age requirements in all walks of life.

No matter how hard you work at driving doesn't mean you are deserving of a drivers license at age 13.

 

[cheerKT]

There are tons of 11 year olds with level 5 skills. Does that make it unfair to them because they can't go to Worlds? No. It's just the way the age brackets work. It would be the same way if the Senior age was switched to 14-18.

I'm 19 years old. I work hard in school and in all areas of my life. Sometime's I'm stressed. I deserve a drink.

I can't. That's illegal. Just because work hard and deserve it doesn't mean I get it. When I am the appropriate age, I will. Much like aging into a Senior Division

 

[BubbleToes]

I think the struggles of changing SR to 14-18 would be for the smaller gyms. They may not have enough level 5 14-18 year olds to field a decent WORLDS level 5 team, and even if they could swing it, they may lose the younger 12-13 year olds who are level 5 to another gym because they can't field a decent Jr5 team. Where do these younger level 5 athletes go who are chomping at the bit to be level 5?

Maybe I should clarify why I don't like the little/younger flyers on a SR team, and this statement is more for the large/mega gyms who have more to pull from. I don't care if your 12-13 and little, but I certainly can notice by the skills of this little young flyer that a 12-13 little flyer was put into the air only because they are little. I believe there are a few younger ones who fly beautifully, but when you've got what I consider a "fetus" you can certainly tell. If you're 12-13 and small but can hold your own in the air.........more power to ya. I don't wanna see rag dolls up there and your bases doing all the work. I would hope the judges don't either.

 

[King]

I think the struggles of changing SR to 14-18 would be for the smaller gyms. They may not have enough level 5 14-18 year olds to field a decent WORLDS level 5 team, and even if they could swing it, they may lose the younger 12-13 year olds who are level 5 to another gym because they can't field a decent Jr5 team. Where do these younger level 5 athletes go who are chomping at the bit to be level 5?

Maybe I should clarify why I don't like the little/younger flyers on a SR team, and this statement is more for the large/mega gyms who have more to pull from. I don't care if your 12-13 and little, but I certainly can notice by the skills of this little young flyer that a 12-13 little flyer was put into the air only because they are little. I believe there are a few younger ones who fly beautifully, but when you've got what I consider a "fetus" you can certainly tell. If you're 12-13 and small but can hold your own in the air.........more power to ya. I don't wanna see rag dolls up there and your bases doing all the work. I would hope the judges don't either.

For a mega gym there is no reason NOT to use 12 year olds for all senior flyer teams. From a competitive standpoint it absolutely makes the most sense. There is no way for a judge to 'harm' a team because they use too young of flyers. So, guess what? In a few years it will be the standard, not the exception. And this thread is just the 'noticing' of the trend.

I am afraid people dont get to pick and choose what rules gyms follow. Either leave the age rules the same and youll eventually have 12 year old flyers across the board or you raise the age to 14 and people have to find 14 year olds to put up. Which do you prefer?

 

[wcsstilldeath]

well what would happen when you have a 17 year old that is still only 95 pounds? Some girls are just small built. No matter how you look at it, there will still be tiny girls flying on some teams, maybe not as many, but a change in age grids wont change a girls size.

 

[BubbleToes]

I don't care if they use 12 years olds, if they can fly! As I've mentioned before, I like strong, hard hitting, flexible and CONFIDENT flyers that hit solid, so if this "fetus" is unable to do perform like that, I'm not liking it. I don't think the judges would "harm" a team for it, but I would HOPE they would see it for what it was, if that flyer is being propped up.

 

[BubbleToes]

well what would happen when you have a 17 year old that is still only 95 pounds? Some girls are just small built. No matter how you look at it, there will still be tiny girls flying on some teams, maybe not as many, but a change in age grids wont change a girls size.

I would hope the 17 year old would be confident in that air and show her SR age by her flying skills. Its not so much about the size for me...

 

[BubbleToes]

I have to admit, I'm going off course. I'm more about the flyers ability in the air, then their size or age. You can be 12, but hit it like a champion!

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

I have to admit, I'm going off course. I'm more about the flyers ability in the air, then their size or age. You can be 12, but hit it like a champion!

that is the point i've been trying to prove...

 

[iluvcheer]

I really think it looks awkard when there is a teeny girl with all the seniors. The height difference messes up the entire look. I like having taller, flexible flyers. It makes beautiful lines.

 

[TealisLove_Jenn]

Coming from experience, I flew on my all star team for 2 years until they brought up a bunch of younger girls who could tumble onto the team. Not only did I lose my spot in the air because these 12 year olds were smaller then me, but now being in collegiate cheer I am small once again and am back in the air. But I've had so much time off that getting back into flying was difficult, especially going from level 3 to level 6 stunting. Do I feel its made me a better flyer all together? Completely, but thats because I understand things from a flying and basing standpoint. I still feel though, that if I had been in the air all those years when they brought up the little ones I would have been more of an asset to my team this year. I completely agree with making seniors 14-18. Not just because of a stunting standpoint but definitely because of maturity level. Being in high school and having younger girls on my all star team was overall kind of strange. I felt like I had to somewhat sensor what I was saying because the other girls in the gym were still in middle school. Its a completely different age group and I feel if not for the girls that are of senior age and deserve to be on the team and in their positions because they earned that spot at least put in place the rule so that we don't have these huge age gaps for maturity issues.

 

[NepaMinerettesCoachTomTom]

I really think it looks awkard when there is a teeny girl with all the seniors. The height difference messes up the entire look. I like having taller, flexible flyers. It makes beautiful lines.

i agree but some smaller gyms only have senior 4or5 so if the girls have that skill level why put them on a junior level 2or3 ? just a thought

 

[ErinS]

I personally love seeing larger flyers (even though I was a fetus flyer because I was simply small for my age). It almost annoys me when I see a stunt fall where the flyer is a "fetus", because its almost like there is no reason for that stunt to have not stayed up.

That being said, a gym is still going to do what they have to do to make a routine work and a stunt hit. Last year my sister's allstar team had no choice but to use small "fetus" flyers. This year all of their flyers are senior sized, but they are still on the younger size for a senior team (so I guess they are big for their age?).

My sister is about 5'1 and 120 pounds and was by far the most flexible person in general on her hs team and probably could've (and should've) been in the air. She always got stuck basing the heaviest flyer on her team because he coaches "assumed" she was a "beast" base. Poor girl. I personally based the girl (my sister) last night in an extension and a lib and I still think she should be a flyer (and she is at least 20 pounds heavier than me). But she is obviously never going to get the chance