All-Star Boys Shouldn't Fly???

[Cobalt_Jeron]

Hey everyone.

So in our last comp we got a comment in the scorecards that read; "Consider not flying your boy. It's a distraction and many individuals on the national level (judges and event producers) discourage it."

Are they being serious??? Is this true on a national level???

The boy is 7 and is on an all-star level 2 junior team. All he can do is fly when it comes to stunting... he is by far the shortest kid on that team...

We were offended by that comment and was just curious what everyone here thinks about it..

Thanks.
Jeron.

 

[mybabywantstotumble]

wow - personally i love seeing boy flyers.

 

[Keep_Believing]

That seems like an odd comment. What brand comp.?

 

[coach12]

That's redic. Obviously not an experienced judge. Lots of teams have boy flyers. Doesn't make a difference.

 

[f5forever]

IMO: If he can get the job done, go for it.

 

[cheermomforever]

I would b offended too. I have seen some guys/boys do a great job. This past weekend USA wildcats boy (josh?) did awesome kick double!

 

[mamabear]

If a judge gets distracted by someone's sex and can't concentrate on the stunts being performed; they shouldn't be judging!

 

[Tealxblack25]

Dover High School in NH has a boy flyer.. hes been point flyer since like middle school lol everyone loves it

 

[onecheermom]

I saw a boy flying this weekend. He was fantastic in the air. His stretches were amazing,. He did everything the girls did. It would be terrible to take him out of the air just because he was a "boy". I wish more teams would actually use the smaller boys in the air more.

 

[ScottyB]

As a fellow male cheerleader, I personally gotta say I agree with the judge.

 

[CloMom]

I love seeing boys fly. I will say, though, that when a boy is flying that is all I want to watch. I can see how it might be a little distracting for that reason, but I don't see why that would mean he should be taken out of the air. If anything, I think it makes the team stand out more...in a positive way!

 

[Cheeranswers]

i think i agree that is may be considered "distracting" but in the best way possible. If there's a boy flying in an elite section (or anywhere really) i cant help but focus my attention on him, but i absolutely love it! and so do the audience! don't take him out because of one judge's comment

 

[amy1k]

I saw a boy flying this weekend. He was fantastic in the air. His stretches were amazing,. He did everything the girls did. It would be terrible to take him out of the air just because he was a "boy". I wish more teams would actually use the smaller boys in the air more.

I was going to say! "Distracting" in only the best way! Bravo to that kiddo this weekend!

 

[quitthedrama]

I have heard that some judges do not like to see a boy as a flyer (with the exception of baskets). I am not sure if it has to do with the USASF guideline nonsense that came out a few years ago or not, but I do think that there are times that you will get "penalized" for it on the subjective part of the score sheet (not saying it is right). I have seen some very good male flyers utilized in small portions of the routine (baskets, pyramid), but I have also seen some male flyers that were best utilized elsewhere. I understand the difficulty in placing a smaller boy in a routine, but unfortunately even if the boy is an amazing flyer you are taking your chances on judges perception if you keep him as a flyer in elite stunts.

 

[Mamarazzi]

Yes, it's a distraction. Not sure about the "discouraged" part.
Personally, if I see a boy flyer I view his skills much more critically. I can't help but see a jank stretch by a boy and think "I KNOW there's a girl on that team whose stretch is way less jank and the only reason that boy is in a spot that should be filled with better positions is because he's a boy." I totally blame the coaches for wanting the attention for having a boy flyer.
I have yet to see a boy whose flexibility and skill equal that of the girls on the same team.