All-Star Comparisons

[alpaca]

In our area (Atlanta suburbs), high school teams are awesome! Probably like R5 but I'm not really sure.

CP is going into 6th grade and wants to try out for middle school comp cheer and those teams are pretty good too. Minimum requirement is BHS but most have higher skills I think.

Our middle schools are grounded and there are no competition teams. I know a lot of kids in all star and none of them were ever on a middle school team. Your high school teams must be really good to get that kind of talent coming in from middle school.

 

[quietmom]

In our area (Atlanta suburbs), high school teams are awesome! Probably like R5 but I'm not really sure.

CP is going into 6th grade and wants to try out for middle school comp cheer and those teams are pretty good too. Minimum requirement is BHS but most have higher skills I think.

Heads up, many MS teams in GA don't let them try out till end of 7th for 8th grade in GA. They are basically training for HS teams, and they take them very seriously.

Our local HS team won their division for state, and they have a lot of athletes from the well known gyms in GA. They work really hard. MS and HS teams also practice at AS gyms.

 

[SL&AM]

Our middle schools are grounded and there are no competition teams. I know a lot of kids in all star and none of them were ever on a middle school team. Your high school teams must be really good to get that kind of talent coming in from middle school.

We are a non-compete district and we have still have HS teams that stunt around Level 3 and tumble at a BHS or higher.

 

[123jump4!]

Heads up, many MS teams in GA don't let them try out till end of 7th for 8th grade in GA. They are basically training for HS teams, and they take them very seriously.

Our local HS team won their division for state, and they have a lot of athletes from the well known gyms in GA. They work really hard. MS and HS teams also practice at AS gyms.

Yeah our MS teams are called Jr (HS team name) and they are from the HS attendance zone. Rising 6th graders can try out. Yes they practice at the gym we left. :)

 

[5monkeysjumping]

HS teams where we lived in MA and many here in WA are probably like an AS L2. There are some here in WA that may be more like 3, but HS cheer just isn’t that impressive. I imagine it would be different somewhere like Texas, but at our HS, the girls literally stand on boxes and shake Pom poms. I think more girls are dancers than tumblers. We do have a top ranked marching band though.

 

[twincheermom]

I can speak to the skill level of high school teams in MA as I judge high school and my daughters cheer both all-star and high school. There is a VERY wide gap in the skill level across the state. The top tier would be very, very good R5 teams. Quite a few teams are headed to NCA high school nationals in Dallas this weekend and one will probably win as they have won multiple times before. Those teams are located in areas near all-star gyms and have quite a few current or former all star athletes on them and are coached by all-star coaches or former all-star coaches. As a judge, it is very easy to pick out who on the team also cheers all-star. There are many teams that I would say are like level 3 or 4 teams. On the flip side, there are also teams out there that are at best a level 2 team, maybe even more like a 2.1. However, they are located in parts of the state where there is no feeder program (Pop Warner or AYF/AYC) nor are there any all star gyms. These programs are at a huge disadvantage as they are getting kids who do not have the experience that kids who have cheered before, whether it be PW, AYC, or all-star come with and they are starting at ground zero. They are competing against kids who have 10 years of competing under their belt when they walk in as freshman. Not really fair, but I'm not sure how this can ever be fixed.

 

[alpaca]

I can speak to the skill level of high school teams in MA as I judge high school and my daughters cheer both all-star and high school. There is a VERY wide gap in the skill level across the state. The top tier would be very, very good R5 teams. Quite a few teams are headed to NCA high school nationals in Dallas this weekend and one will probably win as they have won multiple times before. Those teams are located in areas near all-star gyms and have quite a few current or former all star athletes on them and are coached by all-star coaches or former all-star coaches. As a judge, it is very easy to pick out who on the team also cheers all-star. There are many teams that I would say are like level 3 or 4 teams. On the flip side, there are also teams out there that are at best a level 2 team, maybe even more like a 2.1. However, they are located in parts of the state where there is no feeder program (Pop Warner or AYF/AYC) nor are there any all star gyms. These programs are at a huge disadvantage as they are getting kids who do not have the experience that kids who have cheered before, whether it be PW, AYC, or all-star come with and they are starting at ground zero. They are competing against kids who have 10 years of competing under their belt when they walk in as freshman. Not really fair, but I'm not sure how this can ever be fixed.

That's the position that some of our HS teams are in, no feeder programs. But we are in the opposite position for other sports. Kids with 10 years experience as freshman worry about making the HS team. So I guess it evens out , just not for the sport my kid chose.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

That's the position that some of our HS teams are in, no feeder programs. But we are in the opposite position for other sports. Kids with 10 years experience as freshman worry about making the HS team. So I guess it evens out , just not for the sport my kid chose.

That’s pretty par for school cheer everywhere. Even in KY where there are about 100 teams that travel to high school nationals...within our region you’ll find a couple of top level teams, a few middle level teams, and some that cause a great big WTF every time they hit a mat.

 

[dhubbz]

So lets compare what the maxout / high point scoring skills are for each..

HS (AACCA & NFHS, subtle differences between the two):
Super Elite -
-inverts (bhs, round off, fhs, -ups; can now spin going up, must pass through prep level)
-double ups, high to high full arounds, high to high ticks & spinning ticks
-non flipping baskets, 2 skill max
-dismounts: full downs, various invert/flipping to cradle
-single base spinning, ticking, braced flipping

So what level does that equate to on AS?

Inversions - Mainly level 4, but anything to the top is level 3

Spinning - Mainly level 5

Ticking - Becoming more level 5

Dismounts - Level 4, but the various “rolls” level 3

Single base - Level 4 and a few teams doing the level 5

Pyramids - Mainly Level 4

 

[ScottyB]

Inversions - Mainly level 4

Spinning - Mainly level 5

Ticking - Becoming more level 5

Dismounts - Level 4, but the various “rolls” level 3

Single base - Level 4 and a few teams doing the level 5

Pyramids - Mainly Level 4

someone to actually make the comparison. thanks dhubbz

 

[dhubbz]

someone to actually make the comparison. thanks dhubbz

You’re welcome I like being a school cheer coach/choreopher, just as much as being an all star coach.