This was (and still is) pretty much my coaching philosophy while coaching school AND all star. My assistant took over for me this year and she conducts things the same way. I've NEVER put someone in the air based on how much they weighed. People generally get WAY too attached to the idea of being a flyer based on fact that they're small.
I've always reminded my girls that even if you flew during the stunting portion of tryouts and made the team, that really doesn't guarantee that you'll fly for the entire season.
I had a girl coming up from JV tryout as flyer last season. The extent of JV flying = preps (not even the extended variety) and toe touch baskets and maybe a lib or something with a simple cradle. So she managed to (don't know how) fly in an arabesque during tryouts (I didn't require them to full up or down at the time, just dismount via straight cradle no twists) and pretty much great at all other areas of cheer, so she made it. She was also teeny tiny. Like 4'11 90 lbs. So her attitude was "I was center flyer on JV, probs be center flyer on Varsity."
Cue summer camp. The Varsity team is the competitive squad so we move quicker (JV is just games.) We start to move into full ups and downs and she is flailing, bailing, everything you can think of. I think this girl may hold the record for 3 of the scariest stunt falls I've ever had to witness (her bases were all very experienced so I'm confident that it was her.) Her baskets were of the "I don't need to try, and I just want you to HEAVE me into the air because I'm 85 lbs" variety. Scary!
Come August, I decide that she is just not fit for the air at this time (I'm not competing a group that has me ready to throw up every time it goes up.) She becomes a base, at 85 lbs. Her replacement ends up being a grade above her and about 2 inches taller and about 110. She'd been basing for me for about 2 years, but had recently improved her flying technique in all stars and I was impressed enough to put her in the air. She was a little heavier, but her technique was tons better.
The best part is that she tells her MOM to tell me she HAS to fly because she's too small to do anything else. Um, if your mom saw you at 2 months of summer practice doing what you're doing now, she'd agree. Mom told me once "That girl she's holding up weighs at least 10 more pounds." My response was: "I'm aware." She ended up finishing the season as a base and going BACK DOWN to JV/non-competing so she could fly.
