I watched the show again and tried to view it as objectively as I could. I couldn't put my finger on exactly what offended me about the program the first time, but I know now. Allstar cheer is a sport. There are rules, technique, compulsory skills to be performed in routines, judges, scoresheets, training, etc. There are inherent dangers and benefits to participating in it at a young age. None of these things were discussed during the show. If you were watching this program, and knew nothing about this particular sport, when the credits rolled at the end, you still wouldn't know anything about the sport. Crazy parents aside (nobody's perfect. We all fall short and anyone can be caught with her pants down - especially in this age of all things digital), in the end, I learned nothing about these people, the coaches, their qualifications, or the rules. How did cheering for cheerleaders come to be? What kind of growth have you seen in your kids? Why do you train so much for competitions at such a young age? How do parents prepare their kids for competitions (a day in the life on competition day,etc)? So many worthy topics that could have been explored got left on the table. Both gyms were done a disservice, and most of all, the kids were made to look as though they were involved with Romper Room, instead of something legit.
P.S. In our gym, we have little ones who are self-motivated and push themselves even harder than the girl who does the 3x per week privates. It isn't so much that they lack balance, or are pushed by their parents, they sincerely love to be in the gym. I realize that we, as parents, should help to manage their time better. But, who am I to judge. We all want to see our kids smile and be happy. Hey, when I was two years older than she, I had a job. My parents are immigrants and the words "tired", and "young" when put next to each other, in a sentence, were considered oxymorons! My point is that kids all over the world work harder and longer on a daily basis, on less fun ventures, and thrive. When you look at it that way, 3x a week, in an air conditioned gym, isn't bad.
