All-Star Cheerleading Lawsuit - Anyone Else See This?

[reaxion07]

I had an experience with just that - GF applied/interviewed and GOT the head coach position. Went back to fill out the paperwork, and was told they gave the job to the guidance counselors husband, but that she could coach JV for half the pay/twice the time commitment. NO THANKS.

 

[cheermomfootball]

Has anyone thought to look above the untrained, uncertified coaches and look at the School Administrations, the Presidents of the league associations?

Excellent point. I have found that the "atmosphere", environment, lack of control, abusive coaching styles, etc. are not only that of the coach's fault, but also often reflects the attitude of the school or company who hired them. They should be held accountable and addressed as much as the coach. Often, you are also having deal with some of the other parents on a squad or part of an organization - if you complain or take issue with what you are seeing, not everyone wants you to rattle the cage because it can cause their child to not be the star anymore, or it can cause changes so big that their comfort zone no longer exists. It can be a battle, but the war is won one battle at a time.

 

[XoxLibertyallstarsxox]

Was I the only one who laughed out loud at "a very aggressive form of cheerleading"?

I laughed so hard! These people dont know what they're talking about@

 

[Deleted member 8658]

RIDICULOUS!
if you sign up for cheer camp you know your going to be stunting and tumbling this isnt the 1950's cheer has come a long way!

 

[cheerisgood]

i'm still laughing @ bucket toss!!!!

 

[Num1Stunta]

I think the important thing to note in this debate is that, while a USASF certification is good from a legal standpoint- as in, it shows on paper that you are in some way certified in case of a lawsuit- I don't think it's necessarily functional. All it does is show that you know the level rules and certain body positions for executing skills. For example, I'm about to renew my credentials up to level 5 in all areas. Level 5 stunts and tosses happen to be something that I am very well able to teach, but I am by no means qualified to teach twisting skills in tumbling. I could correct it, sure. But, I can't spot or teach it very well. But, I know this. I am not about to try and teach a kid something that I'm not confident in teaching/spotting. I think that can be a huge issue when dealing with coaches who think USASF credentials suddenly make them qualified to teach things they've never done or taught before.

I also think it is a gym's responsibility to train their staff well. There should be some kind of system in place, like senior staff/junior staff or head coach/asst coach... At a previous gym, we were required to spend a year assistant coaching before given our own team. We were also required to shadow a head tumbling instructor for a few months before being allowed to have our own classes. I think the best way to make sure your coaches are well-trained is to have this kind of supervision from people with a lot of applicable experience. It's also important for coaches to have feedback from other coaches and directors, as well as being able to recognize that there are always going to be new things to learn as a coach. I've been spotting tumbling now for 7 years, and I still learn things with every class. The same thing goes for stunting. Coaches seem to forget that there are ways to spot stunts when they are first being taught. Chances are, the more physically involved and proactive a coach is, the less likely their kids are of getting injured. Also, the more experience you have, the better suited you are to make a decision about whether or not a kid is ready to work on certain skills, throw skills by themselves, etc. I didn't just start spotting handsprings and arbitrarily decide when a kid can throw it by themselves without getting hurt. It's a learning process, one that was very well-guided from the more experienced staff at the gym where I started out.

I think once coaches are a little more cautionary, and also more aware of their own capabilities (aka school teachers and pta moms who try teaching stunts because they saw it on a video), things like this wouldn't happen imo.

 

[cupieqt]

Bucket toss...that's hilarious! I had an mini-aged recreational tumbler call it a "bread basket" the other day...so cute!

A local high school competition organizer told me we couldn't do "throw ups" yesterday. It's a parish Fair competition and their only rules were no "throw ups" or running tumbling.

 

[BlueCat]

Amen … to Coaches (really Advisors & Sponsors) allowing the inmates to run the asylum! Since when can the athlete determine necessary Safety issues, ... they cannot! They lack perspective & experience, therefore they will attempt to train others on the skill levels they are familiar with or desire to attempt, which will eventually end up with an injury.

Most injuries are unreported; until the athlete seeks assistance in an Emergency Room (ER), current records on the numbers of injuries will remain significantly lower than actual injuries. Cheer, whether Cheerleading or Cheer Competition needs real statistical analysis of the injuries & serious review of Safety methods to prevent injuries. Here is a simple but effective method for Spotting a Basket Toss, Overhead Spotting Belt. A gym can install current versions of the belt system with a cost of between $500-2,000 yet the cost of one significant injury can cripple one athlete for life! As NCSF promotes, Safety doesn’t hurt! Coaches/Spotters can be trained quickly on appropriate use of the system in a very short period of time, but retain the most complex skills attempts for your BEST SPOTTERS, you wouldn’t trust your best Top/Flyer in the hands of Novice performers so don’t make that mistake with the Overhead Spotting Belt. Does your gym use the overhead system for the Safety of your athlete?

I agree that we need more accurate reporting on injuries. I agree that we need better training for spotting and coaching. However, there are few scenarios where an overhead spotting belt is actually helpful, particularly for basket tosses. (MAYBE for an athlete's first few flipping baskets at the college level.)

They are helpful in some scenarios on gymnastic apparatus and trampoline, but as a general rule, they are not particularly helpful for cheer teams.

 

[King]

I agree that we need more accurate reporting on injuries. I agree that we need better training for spotting and coaching. However, there are few scenarios where an overhead spotting belt is actually helpful, particularly for basket tosses. (MAYBE for an athlete's first few flipping baskets at the college level.)

They are helpful in some scenarios on gymnastic apparatus and trampoline, but as a general rule, they are not particularly helpful for cheer teams.

agreed. and teaching baskets with spotting belts and teaching into a pit or pool I will tell you that i have had better luck with fewer injuries with the pit / pool. it just takes a coach to recognize when an athlete is ready to attempt them back into the group.