All-Star Competition Scheduling Thoughts

[cheerinatorXdad]

I wanted to get feedback from other parents or coaches on this.

Does your gym solicit feedback, recommendations, or preferences from parents on what competitions are scheduled?

I ask because plenty o'parents from our team alone were not happy with our comp schedule. I think we may lobby to make some changes while its still early. I wondered if any other gyms did this at all.

 

[bellalexi]

NO, ours didn't solicit any input and I'm not happy about it. We have competitions that require extensive travel 3 weekends in a row. I feel like they forget/don't care that we actually have jobs and school outside of cheer. If we have this schedule next year without asking for input, we'll be looking for a new gym.

 

[xomckenzieee]

My old gym used to post a schedule with like 2o competitions on it and then they would sit down with parents and take tallies on who had conflicts when. Using the input from parents, they changed the schedule around and narrowed it down. Not everyone can always be happy, but they can at least try to please most people. I know we had to change which US Finals we went to because a majority of us had prom the one weekend. I would say talk to them, feedback is important (considering you're paying to keep them up and running).

 

[CoachTamara]

I wanted to get feedback from other parents or coaches on this.

Does your gym solicit feedback, recommendations, or preferences from parents on what competitions are scheduled?

I ask because plenty o'parents from our team alone were not happy with our comp schedule. I think we may lobby to make some changes while its still early. I wondered if any other gyms did this at all.

I guess it depends on your gym, but I would at least say something... At the end of the year, I asked for opinions on schedules for the next season, and it helped a lot. I think the staff needs to realize cheerleading is not the only thing in the world-you can compete without having to go to every single big competition there is. We are doing one large travel competition, and everything else local, or at least local enough to not require a hotel stay. I wouldn't feel right asking parents to pay for numerous hotels when there are other competitions out there that don't need it.

 

[Cheerlegal]

on our end of the year survery, the parents are asked their opinions on the competitions we did that season and which ones we liked/didnt like; which ones that we didnt do would we like to do.... I think she does take what the parents say into account since I heard that we were not doing an event that was a disaster, fire hazard etc.. last year

 

[BowsnBling]

I wanted to get feedback from other parents or coaches on this.

Does your gym solicit feedback, recommendations, or preferences from parents on what competitions are scheduled?

I ask because plenty o'parents from our team alone were not happy with our comp schedule. I think we may lobby to make some changes while its still early. I wondered if any other gyms did this at all.

Just curious? Are you unhappy with the schedule because of too much traveling or not enough or something else? Thanks!

 

[Mom2Cheergirls]

uggghhh i just hate how long our gym takes to get it out... still have not gotten it yet. I understand that they then discuss it with the coaches.. but really I need to make family plans and my kids have other activities and my husband and I have things as well - we put cheer first but waiting so long to get that schedule makes it very hard and frustrating because the sooner I have it the sooner I can work around it for other things some of which my girls do and I am in charge of so I can make the schedule and work around cheer

 

[CGAcheer]

We try to have our schedule set by tryouts. We also try to avoid back to back weekends (doesn't always work though) and to space out our 3 travel competitions. But we don't really sit down and consult parents about competetition schedules

 

[NCCheerMama]

Our owners/coaches def. take into consideration parent feedback, but they also know better than us which comps are run well, and fairly. Let's face it, all comps are not created equal! Our owner said our very first year, if she wanted to make money in All-Stars, she would start a competition company! One that we have been to for years, and was in our state and the parents liked, we are not doing this year, because of issues the last time we were there. A very popular one at the beach we are not doing bc it is not run well. I think they try and take into consideration family finances also. We know our comp schedule at tryouts in May, and the owner had a chance to add a one day comp, and she said she can't do that to families who may have already made plans. I am glad, we do it that way, although I wish we had more out of town Nationals!

 

[12stepCheermom]

Our owners/coaches def. take into consideration parent feedback, but they also know better than us which comps are run well, and fairly. Let's face it, all comps are not created equal! Our owner said our very first year, if she wanted to make money in All-Stars, she would start a competition company! One that we have been to for years, and was in our state and the parents liked, we are not doing this year, because of issues the last time we were there. A very popular one at the beach we are not doing bc it is not run well. I think they try and take into consideration family finances also. We know our comp schedule at tryouts in May, and the owner had a chance to add a one day comp, and she said she can't do that to families who may have already made plans. I am glad, we do it that way, although I wish we had more out of town Nationals!

I'm pretty sure our gym owners know each other (literally) and we do it the same way. There are some competitions on the schedule that will always be there....CHEERSPORT, Spirit of Hope because it's big, it's a 2-day and it's right here at home. They asked for some general feedback from our perspective of last years competitions when thinking about this year, what did we like, not like, when they were picking this years schedule.

We dropped a popular one at the beach for the same reason (probably the same competition) ..very poorly run and too big for the venue...which made it poorly run. They will step in and make those calls without us because while we may or may not like it...when you show up at your appointed warm up time and they yell at you for being late and you've missed the first three mats.....because they're AHEAD of schedule (EP kiss of death if you ask me)...our coaches are done with that one whether the parents like the vendors and funnel cakes or not. Our dad and videographer actually missed his own kids team because the comp was about 20 minutes ahead. He showed up 10 minutes before they were supposed to be on because he was filming one of our teams in the other arena and watched them walking off the floor when they finished. Not good.

Theyre also working to build the fours into stout fives so they've stepped up that schedule which does involve more traveling (adding UCA this year) but the schedule is out when you sign up for evaluations so if you can't make the schedule work in your schedule...you know. They do not try to work around our schedules. They give us our entire competition schedule in May, you're expected to work around it if you choose to cheer. If there's something entirely unavoidable and reasonable, (I.e. we had a girl miss one comp every year for the last three because it always fell on the same weekend as a military memorial service for her father who was killed in active duty when she was 2....um GOOD REASON! they just worked in a replacement for that competition) but that is the exception, not the norm. You've got 6 months notice which as they say in the South, is a gracious plenty.

 

[coach12]

We always make sure our competition schedule is given out at the first practice. Us coaches and our gym owner make up the schedule. we take a lot into consideration - costs, travel time, feedback from parents & try to come up with the fairest schedule that we can. we try to space out the big traveling too, so our furthest travel comps. are pretty well spaced out.
Our parents know everything well in advance, so we usually never have any problems.

 

[dawgshow]

There is no formal survey, but parents are welcome to come to the booster club meetings where comps are discussed and give input. Our parents are pretty vocal about their opinions so the owners know ;). Thankfully the schedule is given at tryouts and rarely changes.

 

[NCCheerMama]

I'm pretty sure our gym owners know each other (literally) and we do it the same way. There are some competitions on the schedule that will always be there....CHEERSPORT, Spirit of Hope because it's big, it's a 2-day and it's right here at home. They asked for some general feedback from our perspective of last years competitions when thinking about this year, what did we like, not like, when they were picking this years schedule.

We dropped a popular one at the beach for the same reason (probably the same competition) ..very poorly run and too big for the venue...which made it poorly run. They will step in and make those calls without us because while we may or may not like it...when you show up at your appointed warm up time and they yell at you for being late and you've missed the first three mats.....because they're AHEAD of schedule (EP kiss of death if you ask me)...our coaches are done with that one whether the parents like the vendors and funnel cakes or not. Our dad and videographer actually missed his own kids team because the comp was about 20 minutes ahead. He showed up 10 minutes before they were supposed to be on because he was filming one of our teams in the other arena and watched them walking off the floor when they finished. Not good.

They also working to build the fours into stout fives so they've stepped up that schedule which does involve more traveling (adding UCA this year) but the schedule is out when you sign up for evaluations so if you can't make the schedule work in your schedule...you know. They do not try to work around our schedules. They give us our entire competition schedule in May, you're expected to work around it if you choose to cheer. If there's something entirely unavoidable and reasonable, (I.e. we had a girl miss one comp every year for the last three because it always fell on the same weekend as a military memorial service for her father who was killed in active duty when she was 2....um GOOD REASON! they just worked in a replacement for that competition) but that is the exception, not the norm. You've got 6 months notice which as they say in the South, is a gracious plenty.

Yup, same reason we dropped the one at the beach. Loved that we could stay where we wanted, but too much for that little of space, and two years ago when our 4.2 was warming up and a fire alarm went on (false) it really shook everyone up. We dropped Spirit of Hope-dont know why since it is local. Loved UCA last year-but so expensive. Going to one in TN by Americheer-should be fun and maybe see new teams. Did Cheersport with whole program about 5 years ago, then just took top two teams, then last year just took worlds team. This year going with top 3 teams.
P.S. my hubby is a pilot, (and was in Air Force) so I have so much stuff with planes and such on them your gym would be a perfect fit if I was down that way!

 

[Hi! It's me!]

No parental input at our gym, BUT, we generally do the same comps every year. A little variation but not too much. So you pretty much know where you are going each month. And our comps are spread out so it isn't too much of a school burden. I know already that my daughter will miss one half day on a Friday and one whole Friday. And that will be it. So I can't complain.

 

[CheerBank]

We are at a new gym this year and although we haven't received the comp schedule yet (which is actually making me a little crazy as I am a planner) from what I understand they are doing many of the same comps as last season so I pretty much think I know where we are going and when. The owners did ask on Facebook where everyone wanted to go this season, but I assumed it was asked sort of jokingly judging from the responses they got.