All-Star Covid-19 / Varsity Response

[Eyes On The Prize]

Yes, but this is not our place. At the end of the day, it's the gym's decision. The fact that people are ok with destroying young athletes that work so hard is very upsetting :( Without rules put in place, we can't get mad at teams for doing what they are. Can we all just celebrate the fact that this season is getting to happen? In a year where things are so uncertain, can we all just respect the work these athletes have put in to do the sport they love again?

It is our place to speak up if we are uncomfortable about something in our community that affects other people's health and well being. 100%. We can certainly get mad at the lack of rules, we can get mad at the lack of guidance from EPs, and we can get mad at EPs abdicating responsibility and placing the burden of rule making and enforcement on individuals and gyms when it's the EP's event.

No one should be bashing athletes for decisions they did not make but there is also a difference between criticising a gyms/EPs decisons and confusing it with criticism of athletes. I havent seen any posts here disrespecting the athletes themselves.

As for celebrating that the season is "getting to happen at all".... all of us are on different pages on what that should be looking like and how it should be happening. Asking people to "just be happy" is dismissive and prevents constructive discussions of what could be going better and where there are problems that need to be addressed. When parents are consistently left out of the conversation by the higher ups in regular seasons, I can see how frustrating it would be when more dire situations are on the table and parents have very little options other than sucking it up or pulling their child completely.

 

[cac4life]

It is our place to speak up if we are uncomfortable about something in our community that affects other people's health and well being. 100%. We can certainly get mad at the lack of rules, we can get mad at the lack of guidance from EPs, and we can get mad at EPs abdicating responsibility and placing the burden of rule making and enforcement on individuals and gyms when it's the EP's event.

No one should be bashing athletes for decisions they did not make but there is also a difference between criticising a gyms/EPs decisons and confusing it with criticism of athletes. I havent seen any posts here disrespecting the athletes themselves.

As for celebrating that the season is "getting to happen at all".... all of us are on different pages on what that should be looking like and how it should be happening. Asking people to "just be happy" is dismissive and prevents constructive discussions of what could be going better and where there are problems that need to be addressed. When parents are consistently left out of the conversation by the higher ups in regular seasons, I can see how frustrating it would be when more dire situations are on the table and parents have very little options other than sucking it up or pulling their child completely.

There may not be any athlete bashing on here, but there certainly has on other platforms.
And celebrating the fact the season is happening...I personally believe that if you are not comfortable with this season happening, you need to pull your athlete and let the rest of us enjoy our season. Some people really want, and really need this season to happen, and if you don't agree with that, maybe you need to pull ur athlete for this year. Covid is not going away. Masks mandates are in place and numbers are going up. It doesn't all add up. And people need to realize that. If you don't want apart of it, don't be apart of it.
EDIT-If yall wanna dislike this post, go ahead. we all have different opinions, and that's fine.

 

[KPep]

Yes, but this is not our place. At the end of the day, it's the gym's decision. The fact that people are ok with destroying young athletes that work so hard is very upsetting :( Without rules put in place, we can't get mad at teams for doing what they are. Can we all just celebrate the fact that this season is getting to happen? In a year where things are so uncertain, can we all just respect the work these athletes have put in to do the sport they love again?

It is absolutely our place. I am not okay with bashing athletes, but we should absolutely call out gyms. There is nothing to celebrate, as many countries are not able to cheer at all and a lot of those who can are drowning under the number of cases. Again, I respect athletes, but gyms should know better. Let's stop waiting for rules to be put in place and do better. Nobody should have to take owners and coaches by the hand to do what is right. Lives are at risk.

 

[catlady]

It is absolutely our place. I am not okay with bashing athletes, but we should absolutely call out gyms. There is nothing to celebrate, as many countries are not able to cheer at all and a lot of those who can are drowning under the number of cases. Again, I respect athletes, but gyms should know better. Let's stop waiting for rules to be put in place and do better. Nobody should have to take owners and coaches by the hand to do what is right. Lives are at risk.

Whether people agree or disagree, it has more to do with law and liability. In the state of GA, signs are posted in every business: Under Georgia law, there is no liability for an injury or death of an individual entering these premises if such injury or death results from the inherent risks of contracting COVID-19. You are assuming this risk by entering these premises. If a business or venue were to enforce athletes that are flipping and turning to wear masks and there's an accident from a shifting mask, there's no statute that I know of that will protect them from liability. What we feel is "right" doesn't always give you protection under the law.

 

[KPep]

Whether people agree or disagree, it has more to do with law and liability. In the state of GA, signs are posted in every business: Under Georgia law, there is no liability for an injury or death of an individual entering these premises if such injury or death results from the inherent risks of contracting COVID-19. You are assuming this risk by entering these premises. If a business or venue were to enforce athletes that are flipping and turning to wear masks and there's an accident from a shifting mask, there's no statute that I know of that will protect them from liability. What we feel is "right" doesn't always give you protection under the law.

Never thought of the legal aspect. Interesting.

 

[Knowcheering]

When quite a few teams in a row have performed without masks, there could be some virus buildup in the air. Depending on space and ventilation I’m not sure if it’s really enough to infect subsequent teams but it could be possible.

If the virus was hanging in the air right over the stage and attacking the next team on the floor, wouldn't we be hearing instances of entire teams and their relatives getting sick within weeks of competitions?? I haven't heard anything of the sort. It seems like you need to be in close contact with someone for an extended period of time (longer than a 2 min routine) to catch the virus.

As for virus droplets falling onto the mat... Have competitions been providing hand sanitizer to athletes as they exit the floor? Hand sanitizer as well as masks for all spectators/people walking around the venue should be mandatory and standard at every competition. I'm not sure how much masks actually do... We've been wearing them in public for months, yet cases are suddenly skyrocketing, especially in California. But for now, it's better to be safe than sorry, and the least spectators could do is wear masks.

However, I don't think they can require teams to compete in masks. Firstly, it's not much different than wearing jewelry or a hat during the routine; it could potentially cause an accident. Eventually someone's foot or arm is going to get caught in one of those things. Or a kid will be stunting with the mask over her eyes.

More importantly, it's not as easy to compete in a mask as some people believe. The top Level 6 teams make their routines look easy, but in truth, these routines are absolutely grueling. There's a reason why cheerleaders constantly make jokes about dreading fullouts. They are hard! You can't breathe. Even when I'm wearing a mask in my daily life, I'm subconsciously worried about my breathing, taking deeper breaths, and feeling some anxiety that I've never felt before. Multiply this by 1000 when you're competing a Level 6 routine. If any kid wearing a mask had an asthma attack or a panic attack during a routine, Varsity would never hear the end of it. This isn't a dance recital, it's a real and grueling sport.

People making comments on social media about Level 6 teams not wearing masks during performances likely have never competed a Level 6 routine in their lives and don't understand. Elite tumbling, especially, seems difficult for a lot of kids to get through with masks. I realize that some gyms might be ignoring the virus entirely and have been very careless about mask wearing/social distancing, but I do see legit reasons for not tumbling or competing in masks.

 

[quietmom]

I am not in the right place mentally to respond appropriately. I'm removing my response.

 

[cac4life]

I am not in the right place mentally to respond appropriately. Please forgive me.

removing my reponse

 

[quietmom]

It's fine...
but some of the stuff you said b4 did hurt.
I am not clueless
I am NOT getting bullied of these threads like i did b4.
I forgive you, but you made me sound terrible

I'm not bullying you. I'm not going to talk to you about this any further.

 

[coacha]

Plenty of other sports are playing without masks. Sitting on the bench = masked. Actively on the field or court = unmasked.

 

[Cheermom1979]

I would love it if we could stop arguing about masks everywhere including these boards.
The great thing about cheer is there is no requirement to participate. If you find the safety policies at your gym to lax you don’t have to cheer- your family gets to make that decision. You or your loved ones may be a high risk group- so you can decide to sit this season out.
If you don’t like the Varsity position on masks you don’t have to participate.
We all have free will here. We don’t get to police and judge other people on what they are comfortable with regarding their own family decisions. Be kind people this is a difficult time for everyone.

 

[Keep_Believing]

@cac4life I could be wrong, but for some reason I think you mentioned you are a High School student. Often the views and perspectives of a teenager compared to those of a Mom will be very different. For example I am a 47 year old Mom of 3 teens. I have changed so much from when I was a teenager.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

You can be:

1. Happy there is SOME cheer happening.

WHILE ALSO BEING

2. Concerned for the safety of athletes/regulations/etc.

Those are not mutually exclusive.

You also can:

1. Wish you had a season.

AND

2. Be concerned about health/safety/etc.

You are not a bad person for doing either or both.

 

[UCFKnights07]

If the virus was hanging in the air right over the stage and attacking the next team on the floor, wouldn't we be hearing instances of entire teams and their relatives getting sick within weeks of competitions?? I haven't heard anything of the sort. It seems like you need to be in close contact with someone for an extended period of time (longer than a 2 min routine) to catch the virus.

As for virus droplets falling onto the mat... Have competitions been providing hand sanitizer to athletes as they exit the floor? Hand sanitizer as well as masks for all spectators/people walking around the venue should be mandatory and standard at every competition. I'm not sure how much masks actually do... We've been wearing them in public for months, yet cases are suddenly skyrocketing, especially in California. But for now, it's better to be safe than sorry, and the least spectators could do is wear masks.

However, I don't think they can require teams to compete in masks. Firstly, it's not much different than wearing jewelry or a hat during the routine; it could potentially cause an accident. Eventually someone's foot or arm is going to get caught in one of those things. Or a kid will be stunting with the mask over her eyes.

More importantly, it's not as easy to compete in a mask as some people believe. The top Level 6 teams make their routines look easy, but in truth, these routines are absolutely grueling. There's a reason why cheerleaders constantly make jokes about dreading fullouts. They are hard! You can't breathe. Even when I'm wearing a mask in my daily life, I'm subconsciously worried about my breathing, taking deeper breaths, and feeling some anxiety that I've never felt before. Multiply this by 1000 when you're competing a Level 6 routine. If any kid wearing a mask had an asthma attack or a panic attack during a routine, Varsity would never hear the end of it. This isn't a dance recital, it's a real and grueling sport.

People making comments on social media about Level 6 teams not wearing masks during performances likely have never competed a Level 6 routine in their lives and don't understand. Elite tumbling, especially, seems difficult for a lot of kids to get through with masks. I realize that some gyms might be ignoring the virus entirely and have been very careless about mask wearing/social distancing, but I do see legit reasons for not tumbling or competing in masks.

i kinda have to agree with this. Probably the good majority of people or anons complaining about the mask wearing have probably never competed a level 5/6 routine in their lives. Id compare it to go put a mask on and now go run a couple of miles. And as an avid runner i cant imagine running in a mask, i dont care how breathable people say they are, your gonna notice a difference..
plus i kinda dont get the point, when you got kids touching the floor, rolling around on it, etc. how do you sanitize a floor like that, the mask issue seems kinda eh at that point.

 

[123jump4!]

Covid doesn’t transmit via surfaces. Or, it’s very unlikely. From what I understand these are the rankings in likelihood of getting the virus at a comp.

1. Hanging around team mates talking & taking selfies without mask or with your mask pulled down.

2. Warmup & compete in no mask, get it from a team mate.

3. Compete in mask and still get it from a team mate.

4. Compete in no mask, get it from a previous team. Unlikely but could be possible with the new more contagious strain.