All-Star Discounts For Elite Tumbling?

[gofriars610]

I wholeheartedly agree with you on this and if I was a lawyer, I think all female cheerleader should file a class action suit against any gym and USASF organization for Reverse Discrimination...Come to think of it, I think, a class action suit can be file against gyms that force parents with athletes on lvl 1-5R for financially destitution because we are being forcibly to pay for services that enriched a small segment of a gym...This is an unfair and unconstitutional contract...just saying!

I don't think they'd have a case. You're not being "forced" into financial destitution--you could simply change gyms or pick a different activity that is cheaper. Cheerleading is not mandatory. This is not unconstitutional. A person is being rewarded for their perceived talents with a scholarship. Whether or not the athlete in question is deserving of the scholarship is up to the gym, not for you, to decide.

Edit: Okay, example from another sport. A hockey goalie "Chuck" is offered a half scholarship to play at State University. (Division 1 hockey, unlike other sports like basketball, is only permitted 18 scholarships per team of ~25 people. Scholarships can be divided--Hank Hotshot might get all four years covered, where as William the Walkon might get only a year.) After Chuck enrolls at State University, his game goes cold. He'll be a benchwarmer all four years, but still gets two years of school scholarshipped because he's still on the team, in an albeit limited role. Meanwhile, non-sports talented students pay full tuition to attend State University. While I personally wouldn't have given Chuck a scholarship, it was still the coach's decision to do so and is hardly unconstitutional.

 

[crazzyeyesassypants]

I don't think they'd have a case. You're not being "forced" into financial destitution--you could simply change gyms or pick a different activity that is cheaper. Cheerleading is not mandatory. This is not unconstitutional. A person is being rewarded for their perceived talents with a scholarship. Whether or not the athlete in question is deserving of the scholarship is up to the gym, not for you, to decide.

Exactly, if that was the case everyone and their mama would be suing Colleges because their Susie didn't get a scholarship and their friend did....


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[Eyes On The Prize]

So much in society seems microwaved, and now it's spreading to cheer. Lots of gyms no longer want to take the time to train athletes from square 1, they just want ready made level 5 kids. *sigh*

I see this as a potential problem for those gyms who take loads of kids from other gyms and form a team. And Id like to use Smoed as the example - though they are not the only ones who I've witnessed this happen to.

Smoed became famous for winning worlds (and more or less their TV show). They had great technique, worked as a cohesive unit, and we're able to pull off some really amazing routines.

Smoed now lacks the great technique they once had and is not as cohesive as they once were. I like to think a little of that is attributed towards the way they built their team. Smoed a couple of years ago was made up of mostly home grown athletes, kids who've been in the program for a bit, learned their technique there, grew up on teams with the kids they were on Smoed with. Smoed now has kids from all over with different levels of technique. They don't have the same cohesiveness because they haven't been around each other for that long. It takes time for some people to work out the kinks when put together in stunt groups and get used to your bases and flyers. When you cheer with the same group of people, you learn how to anticipate each others action and the effort and time spent to recover from a problem is significantly less since you are used to working together. A large chunk of their team is new to CA so Smoed doesn't have the same "team dynamics" they once had when they were mostly home grown kids. I bet they had to go back to the basics and start at a lot less advanced level than what they were used to. Some probably had to be corrected on their technique so it matches Cali's technique/style. This all takes away time spent on other things and becomes a real set back. And unfortunately it's shown this season.

This is what I see happening. To me, a group of homegrown kids are invaluable to a group that's from all over. You cannot replicate years of practice with the same group of people under the same coaches in one season, no matter how talented the athletes can be.

 

[GlitterPlz]

This still sits bad with me. What about the kids that have been with a gym from day 1, that stuck with them through the good and bad, has shown up regularly to tumbling class and have been loyal as the day is long but just won't ever be an 'above average' level 5 tumbler, but holds their own in other aspects-basing/flying etc What repayment or incentive do they get for their years of loyalty and dedication?

 

[crazzyeyesassypants]

IMHO I think it's tacky to advertise free tuition, I know gyms do it but I'm not feeling the whole advertising of it, it makes them seem so thirsty! I know I'm not the only parent eye rolling the whole thing, so I can't imagine this being good for business!


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[gofriars610]

Smoed now lacks the great technique they once had and is not as cohesive as they once were. I like to think a little of that is attributed towards the way they built their team.

wellllll to borrow a line from the movie "Miracle":

"Herb Brooks: All-star teams fail because they rely solely on the individual's talent. The Soviets win because they take that talent and use it inside a system that's designed for the betterment of the team. My goal is to beat 'em at their own game."

ETA: my inner poli-sci nerd is coming out when I realize this isn't the first time I've compared a cheer program to the Soviet Union...

 

[stuntjumptumble]

I think it's ridiculous. Every athlete, from mini 1 to senior 5 should be treated the same


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[FamousxMindset]

I honestly think this is the business side of cheer that no one ever wants to disclose.

 

[GlitterPlz]

I know of gyms that give free and reduced rates to boys in exchange for their help around the gym-pulling up floors for comps, clean up duty etc. I think this is a fair exchange.

 

[SmileCat]

So if you're at a program long enough you can claim poverty and not pay anymore? Gosh - I don't know how I feel about that. I am starting to feel like I'm a fool for actually paying my CP's cheer bills.

Not exactly what I meant... More in the sense of disagreeing with the idea of people who will join a gym just to cheer for free and in special cases. Example being, you've been with a program for say five years, a parent looses a job, gets laid off, other sibling takes up an expensive activity, ect. Okay you've proved you're loyal, we know you, we hate to see you give this up, let's work out a deal type arrangement. I've seen it happen and know of plenty of people in a similar arrangement.

Didn't mean it as a fly this many miles on this airline and earn a free flight type deal :p

 

[Official OWECheer]

This makes me sad.

It's such a slap in the face to levels 1-4.

 

[Official OWECheer]

I see this as a potential problem for those gyms who take loads of kids from other gyms and form a team. And Id like to use Smoed as the example - though they are not the only ones who I've witnessed this happen to.

Smoed became famous for winning worlds (and more or less their TV show). They had great technique, worked as a cohesive unit, and we're able to pull off some really amazing routines.

Smoed now lacks the great technique they once had and is not as cohesive as they once were. I like to think a little of that is attributed towards the way they built their team. Smoed a couple of years ago was made up of mostly home grown athletes, kids who've been in the program for a bit, learned their technique there, grew up on teams with the kids they were on Smoed with. Smoed now has kids from all over with different levels of technique. They don't have the same cohesiveness because they haven't been around each other for that long. It takes time for some people to work out the kinks when put together in stunt groups and get used to your bases and flyers. When you cheer with the same group of people, you learn how to anticipate each others action and the effort and time spent to recover from a problem is significantly less since you are used to working together. A large chunk of their team is new to CA so Smoed doesn't have the same "team dynamics" they once had when they were mostly home grown kids. I bet they had to go back to the basics and start at a lot less advanced level than what they were used to. Some probably had to be corrected on their technique so it matches Cali's technique/style. This all takes away time spent on other things and becomes a real set back. And unfortunately it's shown this season.

This is what I see happening. To me, a group of homegrown kids are invaluable to a group that's from all over. You cannot replicate years of practice with the same group of people under the same coaches in one season, no matter how talented the athletes can be.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Pebbles49]

I think, AS cheer have Smoed to thank for bringing some reality back to the notion of having the best of everything is not always a good thing... I mentioned in the Cheerleading 4: NJ web series that I admire the fact that the athletes on that programs are all pretty much homegrown talents and many starting from lvl1 and have been with the same 1 gym for 7 or more years... I wondered, I did not watched the 1st season of Cheerleaders featuring Smoed, if this was the same way...Most of the athletes being from in house and not all the elite athletes flying in from everywhere?

PS: A team of talented Elite athletes can lose against a talented team, who been together forever and have chemistry... Look what happened with the 2nd or 3rd Dream Team (basketball) at the Olympics, they lost (3rd place)...

 

[gofriars610]

Saying giving a scholarship to level 5 athletes is somehow a slap in the face to level 1-4 athletes is like saying Providence College slapped me in the face by not giving me an honors scholarship.
"But I worked *hard* on my grades! Not everyone can score a 33 on the ACT! How dare they give scholarships to attempt to entice people who will bring up the academic ranking of the school to pick Providence over another school!"

 

[mamabear]

I think I have the minority opinion here. I don't see an issue. Level 5 Worlds teams are one of the focal points of a program. If marketed right, they can bring publicity to the gym, especially if they are a successful team. Making it easier for these athletes to compete under your brand seems to be a great use of advertising dollars.

Ideally, it would be great if it was offered to any athlete (regardless of level) if they spend X amount of years within your program, but ensuring that your Worlds teams are competitive also make sense imo.

You work hard, you get rewarded , just like @gofriars610 pointed out, it is very similar to a scholastic scholarship.