All-Star Discounts For Elite Tumbling?

[Official OWECheer]

We don't offer it for elite skills, but our coaches volunteer our time and I have two hours I pay rent for. I'd like to have a senior team so I have offered free tuition for 12-18 year olds interested in trying competitive cheer. It's very new in our area and there is no rec. So I am offering it to spread the word. They still have to pay team fees though.

Love the uniform in your profile pic!

 

[AngelsMum24]

Love the uniform in your profile pic!

Thank you. My daughter was modeling at a comp and I am in love with that uniform! And I'm not a huge fan of crop tops. LOL However, it's outside our first year gym budget. So while we still have Rebel unis I love, they're not quite as flashy! :)

 

[Ashley]

I've heard that it's common for Level 5/6 International athletes not to pay tuition and that their uniforms, warm-ups, and practice clothes are all comp'd (donated). All the athletes have to pay is their competition fees and any travel costs they may have. And then they commonly attend only a few competitions. The competitions they do attend are usually attended in pursuit of a Paid Bid to Worlds.

I've been told this is not the case with the gym we attend. So obviously not all gyms follow this approach. But apparently many do.

Some combination of that is incredibly common. My open team doesn't pay tuition, but we pay comp fees, a choreo/music fee, and for our uniform. We do not have practice clothes or warmups. We're very much a net zero for the gym. Not making money, but the goal is to break even every year. The coach more or less donates his time to coach us. We talked about the gym buying uniforms and us renting them out each year (probably at a slight loss) but ended up not doing it. Open teams are never, ever a money maker for a gym. Best case scenario you break even.

And we've always been told by our coach that if we need to bring in a ringer for worlds or whatever, then we're splitting the cost of their trip by the other 23 people on the team. Talent is rewarded.

 

[idrive]

So...
1) Gyms are luring kids away from their competitors to field Worlds teams.

2) Uniforms are getting tinier, more ornate, and more expensive than they need to be.

3) There is a lack of EP diversity.

4) Correct execution is not rewarded/valued enough.

I'm worried.



*Chris Brown voice* These gyms ain't loyal.

This goes back to a previous thread saying "is All Star Cheer at a fork in the road" (or something to that effect). We have lost kids to other gyms because they are "offered" something and that offer varies. Part of our stance has been to just let them go as they weren't committed to our program. The other side of me says I'm tired of seeing level 5 kids leave only to chase a Worlds medal so make an offer to selected kids who would be an asset other than just for their skills. I'm hoping The Summit will continue to gain momentum and possibly minimize Worlds a little. I have kids on both sides of the skill level so this is a tough subject with no good answer for me as you can't prevent it from happening without a collective agreement which will never happen.

 

[Tator tots]

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[MissCongeniality]

While I agree in principle with what you say, I don't think SMOED is a very good example to use.

You mentioned above "Smoed now has kids from all over with different levels of technique" and "A large chunk of their team is new to CA so SMOED doesn't have the team dynamics...". I was curious so I went and checked out the team composition for the last two seasons.

Despite all of the bad press SMOED has received about all of their imported athletes, you might be surprised to learn that they have fourteen homegrown athletes on their 2014-2015 team. Their 2013-2014 team had fifteen homegrown athletes.

It looks as if Cali does value their homegrown athletes.

Not disagreeing with you but would be interested in what defines "homegrown". Like my CP...a level 5 athlete for 4 years now with Program C. Pretty much since the day they opened their doors locally. But before that she was a Level 5 athlete at program B and a Level 4 athlete at program A. (Gymnastics before those) So is she homegrown because she spent X number of years there or perhaps because she was on the first level 5 the first full year they were even open at C?

I feel like "homegrown" means that all skills were learned at that program...1-5 or whatever skills/level you start your all-star cheer career at.

 

[Cheergrandma]

Just another prospective on the "free or discounted" fees for certain athletes. I know of a small gym who offers males of all levels free tuition and in the past has offered level 5 athletes no fees except their own travel fees. This was done to try to KEEP the "homegrown" level 5 athletes that were at their gym. It was killing the coaches to train athletes from level 1 skills to level 5 only to lose those who wanted to continue to larger gyms hours away because there wasn't enough each year to field a level 5 team. Unfortunately in this area, once kids get to middle and high school, they do school cheer instead (and lose all their skills).
I personally think this is a business decision and think it is the discretion of the gym owner.

I don't see it as unfair at all. No one is forcing anyone to stay at the gym. No different than any other scholarship as other already mentioned.

Are Paid Bids unfair because some get them and some get At Large and some get nothing? No. Talent is rewarded. No different than academic talent or artistic talent.