All-Star Cheer Conspiracy ???

[Nothanks]

it's okay guys... i have a solution... universal scoresheet! I already know, you don't have to tell me I'm a genius.

in all seriousness... why aren't universal scoresheets happening? I know they have been discussed a million and one times on here but what's stopping it?

getting EPs to agree on a scoresheet and agree to using it...

 

[WorkToWin]

getting EPs to agree on a scoresheet and agree to using it...

makes sense... i'm sure this has been said in the other 100 threads about it... but why can't USASF make one and in order to receive a bid to worlds you have to be judged using that scoresheet, so that everyone would agree to it? it's not like any of the big competitions would want to loose their bids...

 

[Cheer_Explosion_Coach]

The current problem I see with the not getting an universal scoresheet is that you have a "governing body" that is younger than the Event Producers. It takes stepping on some toes if the USASF will tell Varsity what scoresheet to use. I think there was a universal scoresheet committee and they met for a month then dissolved? Maybe a rumor?!?! If the powers that be can't do it, then I saw we start a grass roots movement and take out concerns to them. If we can get enough USASF members to get together, then they have to listen. Tea party anyone???

 

[MomentumToni]

I saw a show once on YouTube with Penn & Teller about cheerleading. It was mainly filled with foul language and topless ladies but it raised some good points about cheer and why it's not classed as a sport and one of their main reasons was that Varsity make lots of money and being recognised as a sport would mean that cheer would need to have state governed competitions which would hit Varsity in so many different ways. Comp control, Uniform control, coaching control etc etc. Therefore, Varsity aren't a fan of cheer becoming a sport. Same for other cheer companies.

 

[Nothanks]

truthfully, i don't know if USASF would be able to agree on a scoresheet either. we need to decide what we want within the sport, before we ask someone else to recognize us and come up with something to benefit us.

 

[chyeeaaa69]

Here's what I want...
A difficulty/ceiling score. Your routine is on paper, and a difficulty grade is assigned to each skill. Obviously a committee/group of people would be assigned to figuring out these difficulty scores, and yes, it would take a while to put them together, but I think once you got going, it is possible. Certain specific deductions are assigned to falls, busts, steps forward, early cradles, etc. and an omission earns you a deduction from your difficulty score (happens the same way in gymnastics.. miss a skill, and it's no longer in your difficulty score). There is still a subjective element of the score sheet there, left for each judge's preference on things like dance, choreography, flow of the routine, etc. however the lines are less blurry, as your score would generally be the same from competition to competition.
I think even something that simple, that may take a year or two to work out the fine details, will help greatly.
Also, just a question, are any judges at Worlds from other countries, or are they all representatives from the USA? If they are all from the USA, that's got to change. Look at figure skating, there are judges from multiple countries, and the judge from the country that the competitor is competing does not have a score counted towards the competitors score to avoid bias. I'm not going to get into my beliefs on the bias of the Worlds judges, because there are specific examples where the judges have favoured international teams (Bangkok, UPAC, Great Whites), but I'm saying, if the panel is all, or predominantly American, something needs to change there. Sure it'd be hard to find a Chinese judge educated on the American score sheet, but a Chinese judge may know cheer, and it wouldn't take long to teach them.

 

[Deleted member 15]

@chyeeaaa69 - This could be done, but I suggest starting with scripting sheet by category. I also think there should be a deduction for an omission in addition to it not counting in the difficulty score.

I know ICU has several judges from other countries. Worlds had at least 1 Canadian rules official, but I don't know how many foreign scoring judges there were. One problem may be finding judges from other countries that have enough experience judging L5 routines that you really want them on a Worlds panel.

 

[CGAcheer]

Here's what I want...
A difficulty/ceiling score. Your routine is on paper, and a difficulty grade is assigned to each skill. Obviously a committee/group of people would be assigned to figuring out these difficulty scores, and yes, it would take a while to put them together, but I think once you got going, it is possible. Certain specific deductions are assigned to falls, busts, steps forward, early cradles, etc. and an omission earns you a deduction from your difficulty score (happens the same way in gymnastics.. miss a skill, and it's no longer in your difficulty score). There is still a subjective element of the score sheet there, left for each judge's preference on things like dance, choreography, flow of the routine, etc. however the lines are less blurry, as your score would generally be the same from competition to competition.
I think even something that simple, that may take a year or two to work out the fine details, will help greatly.
Also, just a question, are any judges at Worlds from other countries, or are they all representatives from the USA? If they are all from the USA, that's got to change. Look at figure skating, there are judges from multiple countries, and the judge from the country that the competitor is competing does not have a score counted towards the competitors score to avoid bias. I'm not going to get into my beliefs on the bias of the Worlds judges, because there are specific examples where the judges have favoured international teams (Bangkok, UPAC, Great Whites), but I'm saying, if the panel is all, or predominantly American, something needs to change there. Sure it'd be hard to find a Chinese judge educated on the American score sheet, but a Chinese judge may know cheer, and it wouldn't take long to teach them.

I don't think that this type of scoring would work well in cheer. There is too much in a routine, it would stifle innovation, everyone would just end up doing the same list of max score skills.

In gymnastics it's 3 or 4 passes some turns, leaps, flexibility and some dance done by 1 person, so it's easy to layout what is happening and judge it that way.

You would end up with about a 75 or more page book describing your routine.

But yes I am in favor of a universal scoresheet, just not that.