All-Star Competing For Free

[gymrat12]

I get it, I don't like it, but I get it... but honestly, if my gym was being called upon to compete for free I'd like it and totally support it. So yes, I am a jealous middle schooler who just wants to complain about how life's not fair. :p

 

[fullpass]

I don't think that competing for free is all that rare. There was an EP in our area who always did such a bad job keeping the event on schedule etc. every year gym owers would complain like crazy and the EP would comp them for the following year. They eventually ended up moving the location and month of the event and if you ask me it might have been partly because they wanted to escape the cycle of comping...

 

[coach12]

I don't understand how people are saying this is ok. If i'm the "paying" customer, i'm gonna be pretty pissed that the ep is allowing a team to go for free just to get more teams in divisions. The ONLY issue to me here is my team is paying full price to go to a comp. & another team is getting a free ride.

 

[NoDramaCheerMama]

We were just invited to do a very small comp for free. Now, let me explain the situation a little...this is a small comp that our small gym does every year. We have 7 teams and take them all (its practically in our backyard), but this year our higher level teams are going to UCA Nationals. The gym owners were concerned that these comps were going to fall on the same weekend so they only registered the teams not going to UCA. Once they found out they don't fall on the same weekend the EP contacted them & invited us to compete the higher levels for free. So, I can definitely see both sides. I love that we don't have to pay but I probably wouldn't be happy if I was a parent on a team that did.

 

[TheVipersMom]

Maybe I'm the only one but I don't mind it *IF* it was to put 2 teams in a division.

Luckily my daughter is in one of the most popular divisions. So we will never be the only team in our division. I would just hate to waste my time and money to go to a comp and have no one to compete against. I probably wouldn't even go. I would let someone else take my daughter. To me that's no fun but I'm a competitive person and I think our girls are awesome so I'm confident in their ability to win. If for some reason the team who went for free won then they were the better team that day and I can't be mad they went for free. I would be upset our girls didn't do what they needed to do.

 

[tumbleyoda]

Nothing in life is free. Somewhere, someone always pays the full price. No matter how you rationalize why it is done, are the beneficiary of why it is done, or accept the fact that it is done.

 

[CheerBank]

Thank you Fierce Board for opening my eyes to yet something else I would never have even thought of occurring in all-star cheer.

 

[12stepCheermom]

Maybe I'm the only one but I don't mind it *IF* it was to put 2 teams in a division.

Luckily my daughter is in one of the most popular divisions. So we will never be the only team in our division. I would just hate to waste my time and money to go to a comp and have no one to compete against. I probably wouldn't even go. I would let someone else take my daughter. To me that's no fun but I'm a competitive person and I think our girls are awesome so I'm confident in their ability to win. If for some reason the team who went for free won then they were the better team that day and I can't be mad they went for free. I would be upset our girls didn't do what they needed to do.

I hear what you're saying, but I would never "not" go to my kids' competition even if they're in the division alone (which doesn't happen very often if ever) but for me it's about going and screaming for my kid and hugging them when theyve hit their routine (of when they didnt) whether they are actually going to "win" or not. I don't care so much about that, I just care about my kids knowing I'm there.

And I'm pretty Daggum competitive :)

 

[TheVipersMom]

I hear what you're saying, but I would never "not" go to my kids' competition even if they're in the division alone (which doesn't happen very often if ever) but for me it's about going and screaming for my kid and hugging them when theyve hit their routine (of when they didnt) whether they are actually going to "win" or not. I don't care so much about that, I just care about my kids knowing I'm there.

And I'm pretty Daggum competitive :)

Lol, yes. Your so right and I would go. I would just be highly irritated to not compete against anyone!! I know that post I made sounds so bad!!

 

[kaylamauro]

I'm an athlete so I don't pay for my cheer my mom does but I know I would much rather go up against an invited team rather than not have anyone at all. I like to compare and see how far ahead or far behind the competition we are. Plus when there is not anyone to go against it stinks cause I feel odd putting on Facebook or telling my friends HEYYYY WE GOT FIRST!! But ya we didn't go against anyone.. Lol

 

[12stepCheermom]

Lol, yes. Your so right and I would go. I would just be highly irritated to not compete against anyone!! I know that post I made sounds so bad!!

I knew what you meant :) no one on your Facebook can tell you're proud of your baby AT ALL! :D I loved the pics from today. Such a sassy pants!

 

[12stepCheermom]

I'm an athlete so I don't pay for my cheer my mom does but I know I would much rather go up against an invited team rather than not have anyone at all. I like to compare and see how far ahead or far behind the competition we are. Plus when there is not anyone to go against it stinks cause I feel odd putting on Facebook or telling my friends HEYYYY WE GOT FIRST!! But ya we didn't go against anyone.. Lol

What's sad is the number of people that don't mind saying that at all and leaving out the "we didn't have any competition" part. I'd rather finish second to a stout team than first to no one.

 

[CheerBank]

What's sad is the number of people that don't mind saying that at all and leaving out the "we didn't have any competition" part. I'd rather finish second to a stout team than first to no one.

Our first gym actually prided themselves in this. When we first joined and my older now ex-cp was 7, all we heard was how the senior team took first all the time. They left out that THEY NEVER COMPETED AGAINST ANYONE lol. They were something like Small Restricted Limited 5 so it was easy not to find teams to go against at a janky competition. When they did compete against someone? Never took first.

 

[12stepCheermom]

Our first gym actually prided themselves in this. When we first joined and my older now ex-cp was 7, all we heard was how the senior team took first all the time. They left out that THEY NEVER COMPETED AGAINST ANYONE lol. They were something like Small Restricted Limited 5 so it was easy not to find teams to go against at a janky competition. When they did compete against someone? Never took first.

Exactly like the gym we came from. They still like to declare they're the most successful gym in the county.

...yeah, at JoBobs Janktastic Backyard Competition.

We've taken seven teams to Cheersport over the last two years....five of those teams either got gold, silver, bronze medals or a bid to worlds.

Sadly , my CPs were on the two leftover teams that didn't place top three *coughseventhandtenthcough* but at least we got beat by unknown people with no skills....

....like Brandon!

(that was sarcasm by the way. Brandon was perfection in my daughters division, they should've gotten TWO jackets) and I'd rather lose to them at cheersport than win JoBobs BBQ special.

 

[Nothanks]

and I'd rather lose to them at cheersport than win JoBobs BBQ special.

I'm now craving BBQ......