All-Star Cheer Athletics (questions/rumors)

[FierceIsTheName]

I might be wrong here, but I've seen pics/videos of other CA locations and they also have worlds banners hung up, are these the original ones from the Plano location, or did you guys have more made to hang up at the newer locations?

 

[cpersichilli]

I might be wrong here, but I've seen pics/videos of other CA locations and they also have worlds banners hung up, are these the original ones from the Plano location, or did you guys have more made to hang up at the newer locations?

I might be wrong but I think it was said before they're copies? I love that they did that, makes it seem more like the original CA location and a part of the family.


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[BlueCat]

This phenomenon has made it into HS cheer as well.

I try to keep it simple because let's be honest, school cheer need not be as expensive as a full season of all stars. We have 4 sets of practice wear that doubles as camp wear. We usually do new uniforms every other season. They have 3 bows. We generally do not change warm ups so you only need to re-purchase if yours does not fit or something. They also have a cheer sweatshirt or extra tee shirt that most of them choose to purchase.

But there are programs whose apparel costs rival that of some Worlds teams. A coach friend of mine that I met at a conference recently shared that her athletes purchase:

3 sets sublimated type camp wear.
3 sets of practice wear.
uniform (new every season)
warm up (new every season)
5 practice or game bows
state practice wear (2 sets)
nationals practicewear (2 sets)
special nationals bow
AHS cheer sweatshirt
AHS cheer sweatpants
Homecoming bow
Homecoming cheer tee shirt

Why?

The most interesting part of this discussion is that oddly enough, the parents WANT and approve of all these things.

I have found the same for my program, to some extent. While I have most who are happy I do not require that, I do have a few who ask why I don't "have them get cute bows for camp?"

Because money, Barbara.

SOME parents want and approve these things. Some do not want them at all but feel very awkward trying to express their disagreement with the money being spent or with the designs that the gung-ho parents have come up with. We get a HUGE numbers of parents that have asked us to rein in the spending, so we are trying the best we can. Is our solution perfect? Probably not. There will still be some teams that will try to find a way around the rule and end up overspending, but we feel this is a step in the right direction.

 

[BlueCat]

I might be wrong here, but I've seen pics/videos of other CA locations and they also have worlds banners hung up, are these the original ones from the Plano location, or did you guys have more made to hang up at the newer locations?

We feel that a Worlds win anywhere is a win for everyone, so we have copies made and hung in all of the gyms. You could argue the same for NCA/Summit/Etc as well, but there is a limited amount of space to hang stuff, so we have decided to limit that to World Championships.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

SOME parents want and approve these things. Some do not want them at all but feel very awkward trying to express their disagreement with the money being spent or with the designs that the gung-ho parents have come up with. We get a HUGE numbers of parents that have asked us to rein in the spending, so we are trying the best we can. Is our solution perfect? Probably not. There will still be some teams that will try to find a way around the rule and end up overspending, but we feel this is a step in the right direction.

To use this post as a jumping off point...

How do you get this kind of feedback? Do your parents feel comfortable approaching your staff for face to face conversations about money and how theirs is spent or how satisfied they are with the services your business is providing? Do they send emails? Do you ask parents to fill out end of the year anonymous feedback surveys? As the seasons end/begin again, is there a way you think you could improve upon parent and athlete feedback within your program?

Ive only seen first hand how feedback about the gym/season/team things/etc happens in small gyms. Just wondering how this is done in your tiny empire [emoji14]

 

[luv2cheer92]

To use this post as a jumping off point...

How do you get this kind of feedback? Do your parents feel comfortable approaching your staff for face to face conversations about money and how theirs is spent or how satisfied they are with the services your business is providing? Do they send emails? Do you ask parents to fill out end of the year anonymous feedback surveys? As the seasons end/begin again, is there a way you think you could improve upon parent and athlete feedback within your program?

Ive only seen first hand how feedback about the gym/season/team things/etc happens in small gyms. Just wondering how this is done in your tiny empire [emoji14]

We did have an end of year online survey as well as a call from one of our coaches that talked about how the season went.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

We did have an end of year online survey as well as a call from one of our coaches that talked about how the season went.

Thanks for the answer, this is very nice to hear :)

I know its been discussed that sometimes children and families will be thrown under the bus when they come forward with a complaint or concern about the program and the choices. I guess I was wondering if CA actively seeks out their families' feedback or if they just wait for people to come to them. I suspected it was the former and am happy I was right. If I were a paying member of a gym, itd be important to me to be able to have a way to give my feedback without having to be "that" customer. Even if it was all positive feedback, I'd still like to be able to pass that on.

 

[alpaca]

To use this post as a jumping off point...

How do you get this kind of feedback? Do your parents feel comfortable approaching your staff for face to face conversations about money and how theirs is spent or how satisfied they are with the services your business is providing? Do they send emails? Do you ask parents to fill out end of the year anonymous feedback surveys? As the seasons end/begin again, is there a way you think you could improve upon parent and athlete feedback within your program?

Ive only seen first hand how feedback about the gym/season/team things/etc happens in small gyms. Just wondering how this is done in your tiny empire [emoji14]

I know that you are not asking me but indulge me my hijack for a second.

I think that end of season written or online questionnaires are a fantastic way of getting feedback. Individual conversations and even comments during team meetings are subject to memory and interpretation. When someone writes or types a response, they have the opportunity to give it thought and are less likely to blurt out the fist thing that come to mind. Anonymity gives you the the chance to say things that you might not say in a one on one conversation or in front of an entire team.

When responses are written, there is an opportunity to go back and review. Maybe a coach reads a comment that makes them upset, that's their first reaction. If it's written, they can go back and read it again later. They can share that feedback with another coach and get another perspective.

From a business perspective, an end of season written survey is an inexpensive way to get feedback so that decisions can be made for the next season.

 

[MomMomMamaMom]

We did have an end of year online survey as well as a call from one of our coaches that talked about how the season went.

I think that's a pretty great thing for a program to do!

 

[mamabear]

Rumors are that Cheer Alliance is moving to WSF in Louisville. Have you heard anything? Do you know if this is true? and if so, why?

 

[cheermommaRN]

Thank you Cheer Athletics. This is why you will continue to attract families every year because you listen to your families. Cheer is expensive enough without the extra $100's of dollars in stuff. It's not just practice wear and bows. Every year I enjoy social media as the team moms go over the top for NCA week!

 

[BlueCat]

Rumors are that Cheer Alliance is moving to WSF in Louisville. Have you heard anything? Do you know if this is true? and if so, why?

I am not at liberty to discuss the event location at this time.

 

[BlueCat]

Thank you Cheer Athletics. This is why you will continue to attract families every year because you listen to your families. Cheer is expensive enough without the extra $100's of dollars in stuff. It's not just practice wear and bows. Every year I enjoy social media as the team moms go over the top for NCA week!

The frustrating thing for us is that this one of those no-win situations for us. Regardless of the stance we take, some parents will be upset about it. We believe that a majority of the parents would rather not spend several hundred dollars on outfits that are worn once, but you would be surprised how frustrated some of the big-spender types are.

We certainly aren't perfect and make mistakes, but we are trying to find a happy medium of having the kids look great in their attire, but not over-doing it with the costs.

 

[Nothanks]

Have all of the locations finished their placements? I've been waiting to find the chart of teams by level and location you usually put out :)

 

[BlueCat]

Have all of the locations finished their placements? I've been waiting to find the chart of teams by level and location you usually put out :)

Columbus has not finalized their Worlds team(s). Plus, I have been a little swamped.