Confused Cheer Mom
Cheer Parent
- Mar 27, 2011
- 3
- 0
I am a newbie, so please bear with me. I am totally new to all star cheer and want to see if it’s just me or if this is a typical scenario for all star cheer. My daughter brought home a flyer for pop Warner last spring and begged to sign up. I signed up both of my little ones (I have a grown daughter also). They enjoyed it so much that when a team member told them about all star, they really wanted to do it, so we signed up for the half year team with a bunch of kids from mostly other pop Warner programs. I asked when we signed up, that perhaps since my girls have only their one season pop Warner experience if it might be better for them to take classes for a year and then try out. I was told no, they would be teaching them new skills in their cheer practices.
The scheduled coach for this team was moved to another team when another coach left. They put an assistant coach from the previous year as head coach for my girl’s team. I knew there would be some issues when about a month into the program, someone defaced property at the gym. The gym owner spoke to our head coach. The head coach came in and yelled at the cheerleaders and actually cried tears about it in front of the team. Shortly after, they scheduled a practice not on our regular night with little notice. I spoke to the coach and said my children had another commitment and would she prefer they come late or should we just skip the practice all together. I was told come in late. When my girls did come in late, the coach made a snarky comment to my 6 year old. They were then told at the end of the month that we would be getting two new cheerleaders in a couple of weeks, one of which had lots of skills and experience.
We (the team parents) received an email about missing practices after some absences without notice had occurred. The email stressed the importance of not missing practices. It also stated that some people had not paid their bills and would not be allowed to perform if their bills were not brought up to date. I feel this was inappropriate and that information should have went only to those whose bills were behind. I don’t feel other peoples financial situation is any of my business.
The new girls came, one being put in the back of the routine and one becoming the center of the entire routine out front and center of everything throughout the entire routine. We thought this unfair to the girls who had already been practicing for 2 months. We then thought, well maybe she’s really good and will be an asset to the team. This was not the case. Although at 6 she had some more skills than many of the team members, there are plenty of kids who have better more consistant skills. Out of 4 performances, she fell in the pyramid twice. We all hold our breath every time that part comes around. This child also turns head towards other team members to see what and when to do things, which would be understandable if we had our routine from the beginning, but they learned the whole thing since this child has been here. If someone doesn’t get something right away, they are pulled out of the stunt or routine and put in back. They are not shown how to do the thing properly. When this child couldn’t pull a scorpion, rather than put her in the back like others, she was given her own tumbling pass in front of all the others. In practice, although she more often than not, fails to stick the pyramid, despite multiple tries and different bases, they do not replace her. The “favorite” is constantly late and misses practices. The kids are told others can’t perform their stunts or practices when someone is absent. So the kids asked where the favorite was and were told “I’m not worried about her, she knows what she’s doing”. This kid also messes around in practice, not listening and putting her hands on others.
My child tells me this coach yells constantly. When she tells me she had a hard time with something, I ask her if the coach tells or shows her how to do it, she says no. The coach has no patience for kids who can’t get something on the first or second try. On different occasions she has told them she is “pissed off” and that they “look like crap”. I now tell my kids are not appropriate to repeat the language of this coach. We are allowed to watch practice once a month and I have seen her behavior first hand (at other times we can see them on the gym monitor). At our last competition, she called out another team member in front of the team who made a mistake and not a huge mistake, but never does that to her “favorite”.
The coach is so emotional, my kids come home stressed out from practices and especially competitions. Although my kids have learned new skills, it is due to the extra tumbling classes I pay extra for. They are not advancing very much if at all in their team practices. The coach is constantly making the routine harder even though she says they are not getting the old routine. Another coach filled in for one of our coaches one day. It was wonderful. When a kid didn’t hit something, he actually went over and showed them what to do without yelling at them. I am hoping most coaches are like this.
I am told by parents of the other teams that the full year teams are not run this way. My little one wants to do pop warner but not all stars because of this. I don’t want to waste a tremendous amount of money putting them in a program where they are degraded and don’t progress due to lack of instruction.
Can anyone tell me if this is typical? If so, then I guess all stars is not for us.
Thanks in advance!
The scheduled coach for this team was moved to another team when another coach left. They put an assistant coach from the previous year as head coach for my girl’s team. I knew there would be some issues when about a month into the program, someone defaced property at the gym. The gym owner spoke to our head coach. The head coach came in and yelled at the cheerleaders and actually cried tears about it in front of the team. Shortly after, they scheduled a practice not on our regular night with little notice. I spoke to the coach and said my children had another commitment and would she prefer they come late or should we just skip the practice all together. I was told come in late. When my girls did come in late, the coach made a snarky comment to my 6 year old. They were then told at the end of the month that we would be getting two new cheerleaders in a couple of weeks, one of which had lots of skills and experience.
We (the team parents) received an email about missing practices after some absences without notice had occurred. The email stressed the importance of not missing practices. It also stated that some people had not paid their bills and would not be allowed to perform if their bills were not brought up to date. I feel this was inappropriate and that information should have went only to those whose bills were behind. I don’t feel other peoples financial situation is any of my business.
The new girls came, one being put in the back of the routine and one becoming the center of the entire routine out front and center of everything throughout the entire routine. We thought this unfair to the girls who had already been practicing for 2 months. We then thought, well maybe she’s really good and will be an asset to the team. This was not the case. Although at 6 she had some more skills than many of the team members, there are plenty of kids who have better more consistant skills. Out of 4 performances, she fell in the pyramid twice. We all hold our breath every time that part comes around. This child also turns head towards other team members to see what and when to do things, which would be understandable if we had our routine from the beginning, but they learned the whole thing since this child has been here. If someone doesn’t get something right away, they are pulled out of the stunt or routine and put in back. They are not shown how to do the thing properly. When this child couldn’t pull a scorpion, rather than put her in the back like others, she was given her own tumbling pass in front of all the others. In practice, although she more often than not, fails to stick the pyramid, despite multiple tries and different bases, they do not replace her. The “favorite” is constantly late and misses practices. The kids are told others can’t perform their stunts or practices when someone is absent. So the kids asked where the favorite was and were told “I’m not worried about her, she knows what she’s doing”. This kid also messes around in practice, not listening and putting her hands on others.
My child tells me this coach yells constantly. When she tells me she had a hard time with something, I ask her if the coach tells or shows her how to do it, she says no. The coach has no patience for kids who can’t get something on the first or second try. On different occasions she has told them she is “pissed off” and that they “look like crap”. I now tell my kids are not appropriate to repeat the language of this coach. We are allowed to watch practice once a month and I have seen her behavior first hand (at other times we can see them on the gym monitor). At our last competition, she called out another team member in front of the team who made a mistake and not a huge mistake, but never does that to her “favorite”.
The coach is so emotional, my kids come home stressed out from practices and especially competitions. Although my kids have learned new skills, it is due to the extra tumbling classes I pay extra for. They are not advancing very much if at all in their team practices. The coach is constantly making the routine harder even though she says they are not getting the old routine. Another coach filled in for one of our coaches one day. It was wonderful. When a kid didn’t hit something, he actually went over and showed them what to do without yelling at them. I am hoping most coaches are like this.
I am told by parents of the other teams that the full year teams are not run this way. My little one wants to do pop warner but not all stars because of this. I don’t want to waste a tremendous amount of money putting them in a program where they are degraded and don’t progress due to lack of instruction.
Can anyone tell me if this is typical? If so, then I guess all stars is not for us.
Thanks in advance!
