All-Star Dangers Of Cheerlebrity

[sarah_cheergirl]

I was just about to post this! I already tweeted about it. I do not feel bad for a single person that puts themselves out there and know what they are doing. I'm the same age as these athletes and I can see where they are obviously self promoting themselves and allowing this behavior to go on. I'd want to be looked up to, not hounded and stalked and that is where the difference lies.

Completely agree. Just posted about this, but there's a kid at a local gym who is a huge self-promoter and is clearly trying to be a cheerlebrity. Then recently he posted something about how creepy it was that someone had taken a picture of him at practice and posted it to their instagram. I don't understand how you can be begging for the attention and complain when people give it to you.

 

[INeverStopCheering]

Something I really noticed this weekend was the escalation of this phenomenon past specific cheerleaders and onto entire teams. For example I saw so many Shooting Stars getting stopped for photographs. All I could think was like you don't even know them. And WHY do you want a photo with them. Because they have World Cup written across their chest. No offense to any of those girls, but they didn't do anything special. They are not "the one and only" Shooting Stars, like a true celebrity (ex there is and will only ever be one Taylor Swift). They are not one of the few cheerlebrities who was the first or only person to be able to do something. They are simply on a level 5 team. I fear for what this season has been like for Twinkles, they have a documentary.

That's not to say I didn't fangirl a little on the inside when I walked through a hallway with Stars on one side, Twinkles on the other, and SSX at the end. And it was pretty cool that CJA was right behind us in warmups. But I didn't go talk to them...

My point being I think this cheerlebrity nonsense has escalated to the point where they don't even care what your name is, but if you have World Cup or CJA on your chest, people want to take pictures with you.

 

[NoOneSpecial]

I have not read through every single post but this is my perspective. The profit owned companies have over exposed these athletes to the industry all to sell their product. An athlete is asked to be featured in a magazine - athlete agrees thinking it is a one time thing but then the magazine continuously runs with it over and over. Too much exposure.

Then u have continued self promotion. Really do we need autographed cards, shirts and bows.

This is a youth sport, why do we have athletes represented by agents and magazines requesting exclusive contracts to be signed?

 

[ashscott41]

To try to come up with some possible solutions to the Beatles-like mobbing these kids are facing, rather than debating silly things:

Specific meet and greet times planned by the gym. Post on twitter and the gym website that athletes from your gym will be available for pictures for those interested from time A-B at place C. Don't say which athletes will be there or which teams, etc. It could be point jumper on panthers or it could be back left corner on IBK (not that anyone would ever subject a five year old to this madness, but you get what I'm saying). Include a statement about this being a team sport and that if you are a true fan of Team X, you'd be happy with a photo of any of them, not just Suzy Superstar. Anytime outside the planned meet and greet time is designated "team time" and all athletes will be unavailable for photos. People said negative things about CA for years because they didn't allow videos to be posted, or they never left Texas, or whatever other nitpicky reason they had. People will say negative things no matter what, but at least this way any negativity will go to a business rather than a 16 year old kid. I highly doubt BlueCat will lose sleep over what a 13 year old says on twitter.

I know some athletes from CEA have shirts that say "no pictures please." It's sad it has come to needing things like that, but if people could see from a distance it wasn't a good time for them, hopefully people would respect their privacy while wearing something like that.

Policies could be set in place by EPs. I'm sure Justin could get something put on the NCA website regarding athlete decorum. If anyone is found to be stalking, harassing, etc athletes, their team will be subject to a deduction or possible disqualification. If I knew my behavior could cost my team a jacket, I'd certainly be toning things down. And hopefully having a statement like that would get gym owners to talk to their kids about what is ok vs what is not.

These are just a few ideas that popped into my head while reading this thread. By no means are they perfect, but hopefully they could be a jumping off point for improving safety of these kids. I think the more information people put out ahead of an event about what is ok, the less mobbing we will see.

 

[Rudags]

As someone mentioned, I feel bad for people from those gyms who aren't on that 'cheerlebrity' team. I was a coach at a camp this summer in Miami and two of the girls attending had on a "Top Gun" shirt and was from Top Gun. There is just something about Top Gun that the kids are poised to be beautiful and these two girls were no different. They were two of the nicest girls I have ever met and were probably 17-ish years old. I forget their names, but I loved both of them. They were both very pretty and nice to all of the younger kids attending camp. Everyone was like "OMG! How do you like cheering at Top Gun", etc. They were on a Senior 2 team and when people heard their response, they were just kinda like "oh....." They handled themselves well and were happy to represent TG Senior 2, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for that awkwardness when a little girl has that disappointed look that she wasn't just talking to the point flyer from Senior Coed 5.

 

[luxerae]

I think people need to realize that all these "cheerlebrities" are JUST cheerleaders and most importantly, JUST kids. Many of these cheerleaders are still a few years from being 18! (Not that being 18 makes you an actual adult, I'm 18 and I don't consider myself an adult.) They're not child stars, they're not trained to handle this type of attention.

I do think it's going a little far to say that these cheerleaders are asking for all this attention.

 

[GreenStormLucy]

They're not child stars, they're not trained to handle this type of attention.

I do think it's going a little far to say that these cheerleaders are asking for all this attention.

Probablly Allstar gyms are at the point, that there is a need for that (teach the kids how to handle this situation).

Owners and coaches could talk about how they want to handle these situations and talk about it with their teams.

It was mentioned before, but i think it's a good solution (not that i believe it will stop the stalking): If you are not allowed to take pictures with fans outside of meet and greets, the fans will be still dissapointed, but not mad on the athlete because he/she is following the gyms rules. And in the end, that's what all cheerleaders should do: Follow their gyms rules and represent their program well.

 

[King]

I think the thing is we cannot have cheerlebrities without all the bad things that come with it. That is not possible. So do we want to have cheerlebrities knowing what it brings?

 

[kristenthegreat]

Responsible meaning it is your responsibility to handly your life and situation.

NOT

You are the cause of the situation (cause sometimes you are and sometimes you are not).

I'm more referencing the people who start with 'this whole thing has gotten out of hand' that transition to: 'I don't feel bad for them, they clearly asked for it.' I'd like to question if any of the REAL 'star kids' have asked for followers on twitter (the ones who have been noticed for their talent/personality: the Holdens, the Tye Hills, the Matt McGraths, the Kelsey Rules, etc) as opposed to the ones who WANT to be famous and blow up their social media.

Maybe I'm a bit too close to issues of this ilk- both personally and professionally. I'm an actress. There is a chance some day I could be famous. I might not be. But if I ever try to work on a bigger project, people will look me in the eyes and use the excuse that 'I asked for it, and that I chose such a profession and therefore am at the whim of whomever decides my career is an excuse to do whatever they want.' Not understanding that to work with talented people, I need to get in to the projects that draw them. I don't want to be famous, I want to do what I love with talented people. It just so happens that most of them are famous..does that mean I must cheerfully subject myself to whatever someone else demands because I 'owe' them for my choice? I don't think so. I don't think these kids should be hated because of what's occurred either. I do think they've tried to do what they could about it, but if you've never experienced this before (and it's a new cheer phenomenon, so it's not like we all have options to show the way), you're going to make a lot of mistakes, maybe even make things worse. I think instead of saying 'they deserve it, suck it up', we should say 'This may very well be a thing we can't stop, let's try to make it less of an issue.'

 

[GreenStormLucy]

I think the thing is we cannot have cheerlebrities without all the bad things that come with it. That is not possible. So do we want to have cheerlebrities knowing what it brings?

I don´t need cheerlebrities and i would be glad if this whole thing stopped. Just like you say: We know what it brings.
I guess there are a lot of people out there with another opinion. They will argument with this role model and having someone to look up thing.

If this cheerlebrity-thing would stop, i guess the kids would find their role models at their own gyms, on higher lever teams, athletes they see at practise or at open gyms.
That would be something i would like much more than the way it is now.

 

[lovethesport08]

I know it's a little difficult to police (and kind of out of your jurisdiction, per say), but do you think making athletes with social media amp up their privacy restrictions could help? If they choose to have a twitter, make it protected, private their instagram, etc? Really have them add/accept people that they know so it could help them maintain some privacy in their normal lives?

Wish I could shimmy this x1273320. Not having thousands of people being able to view your personal pictures on instagram and tweets on twitter and posts on fb would really help this situation IMO. It might be too late for the kids who are already dealing with this "fame" but maybe it could help future athletes.

 

[youbetterwork]

I don't really come in contact with these type of extreme fandom except through Twitter and Instagram (and Worlds once a year). But this year I attended a cheer camp here in Sweden where Kiara Nowlin was one of the staff members. I've never seen Swedish cheerleaders go crazy like they did at that camp... When the whole staff was at a restaurant eating dinner people were taking pictures of Kiara through the window. So creepy and I can only imagine what it's like in the US where there's thousands of people doing things like that.

 

[Nothanks]

Wish I could shimmy this x1273320. Not having thousands of people being able to view your personal pictures on instagram and tweets on twitter and posts on fb would really help this situation IMO. It might be too late for the kids who are already dealing with this "fame" but maybe it could help future athletes.

I mean, especially if their twitter name has to do with their program--if they make it something that isn't so "I CHEER HERE," it'd be harder to find them.

Maybe make it a rule or something that if your account states (in any of the public info) that you cheer at the program, or your username is like (totally just making this up) CEA(insert name here) or CA(insert name), your account must be protected because you're using the gym name and are a CLEAR reflection/representation of the program. I can see that having some weight. If your account is something unrelated (like mine, tuckxandxtwist--and I state no where on the info part what program i'm associated with) then it's fair game and leave it unprotected. ---if this makes sense?

 

[kickdblcj]

Yes, its dumb. Off with their heads! Not the cheerlebrities themselves but the "cheerlebrity" craze.

 

[klaudiak96]

it's actually really creepy.
I experienced something similar to this this past weekend at jamfest except I am not nor was I with a "cheerlebrity." I was sitting with some friends in the UA room including one of the twin boys from UA Dynasty. We were just sitting in the room and this girl from another gym kept passing the room. just walking back and forth as she was giggling and whispering something to her friends. so I finally went out of the room and I asked if she needed anything. she just wanted a picture because "her friends boyfriend looked like him"... weird. so she got a picture taken and leaves.. a couple minutes later she comes in and just sits and starts asking a bunch of random question. I then asked her how she knew him and she said "by stalking"....... PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELVES EVERYONE. IT'S JUST A CHEERLEADER.