All right... I have purposefully been quiet here for the last few days to get a little perspective, research, information, and celebrate. In that time I have seen and heard some awful comments from gyms, athletes, and parents. I have encouraged my CP to ignore most of them and to believe NONE of them. Here is my .99 cents (more than 2 cents BECAUSE I WAS ACTUALLY THERE)
1) For the last 3 years this part of the competition has gone past 11pm. Two years ago, we referred to a Worlds Day 4. If the lateness of the hour bothered ANYONE, they should have spoken up BEFORE they competed. And food for thought...why is it suddenly bothering
gyms this year vs past years?
2) It was NOT "soaking, slightly, partially" wet on the mat. If it had been, ALL of the athletes would have had wet uniforms WHEN THEY SAT FOR AWARDS. There was some moisture on the red boundary from what I saw. AGAIN...why are you on the boundary??? The shoes might have been "soaking" wet because athletes were running all over the grass after their performance. I was PERSONALLY walking on the mat after awards and IT WAS NOT WET.
3) There were 3 owners/coaches who declined recompeting the next day. I know this for a FACT. One of those owners/coaches actually greeted us upon our arrival at our hotel with HUGE congratulations along with their parents later that night. Love that gym and their classy athletes, parents, and owners.
4) Those same coaches may have posted different feelings on SM later, but that was AFTER THE AWARDS. So perhaps those coaches/owners might have thought things were going to turn out differently.
5) If LAG were going to recompete then it was already being discussed that LCO would have to as well, as they had multiple issues on multiple teams.
I will now end with this...all of those teams were AMAZING! It is a HUGE honor to be in the same realm let alone to win against any of them. At the end of the day F5 had less deductions than the others. As for the comments on their "low raw score"....it would be the lowest BECAUSE THEY WENT FIRST among the Big 5. This phenomenon happens every year with comparable scoring. It was really sad seeing some coaches/athletes looking for ANY REASON to recompete because it wasn't their day. This division has ALWAYS been one that "whoever hits, wins".
My CP is on Panthers. She saw a couple of her teammates slip on the wetness of the boarder as they were walking onto the mat to perform. Not only were the boarders slick, but the Worlds logo in the middle and white strips that hold the panels together were also slick in spots. The mat itself wasn’t soaking wet. BlueCat and some others have already clarified that. But the fact remains that there WERE slick spots due to moisture, not only on the boarders, but within the performing surface as well. My CP felt wetness on
@SheCheers CP’s shoes when she was basing her in pyramid while she was performing. The videos show kids wiping their shoes off while performing. NOT from running through the grass after their performance. In fact, my CP said there were kids from F5 who also commented about the wetness on the mat.
So tell me, since you personally walked on the mat after awards and are declaring that the mat was NOT wet, are you accusing the athletes that have spoken up about the moisture on the mat liars? Are you saying my CP,
@SheCheers CP,
@mstealtoyou CP are all lying about it? I take exception to that. NONE of the kids I know have said a single negative thing about F5. In fact, my CP and her teammates were all giving major kudos and congrats to F5 on their win and were all saying how they deserved it since they hit when it counted and they didn’t. But here you are questioning their integrity and the integrity of CA, World Cup, Stingrays, and CEA for questioning the situation and accusing them of looking for excuses to go again because they didn’t hit. Are you kidding me? I take exception to that as well. I’ve seen nothing but incredibly positive sportsmanship expressed from our athletes and coaches to F5. And here you are questioning their integrity.
Is my CP upset about not winning? Of course she is. Who wouldn’t be? They all want to win. They all dream about it. But, she also feels grateful and blessed to have won a bronze medal, especially in light of the situation. What has her the most upset is that they didn’t hit. They all want to go out there and have that amazing performance that they know they’re capable of….to hit at Worlds. She’s also upset that the conditions on the mat were unsafe and the officials did nothing about it, even after multiple people complained. Our kids didn’t know there was moisture on the mat until they were out there and ready to compete. The officials knew about it when the girl on Panthers slipped. After Panthers performance, they were wiping the sides of the mat off with towels. They knew about it then. Why didn’t they inspect the mat then? Why did they still let SE and Orange take the floor? Someone else mentioned that Hot Cheer complained after they competed. Why wasn’t it inspect then before any additional teams went?
Everyone knows that any of the top 5 teams in LAG can take it on any given day. They’re ALL AMAZING! Which is why this is has been our favorite division for so many years. F5 took it on Sunday. And yes, they took it because they hit when it counted and when the others didn’t. Their win was well deserved! CONGRATSA!! Although, I will point out that you’re incorrect in your reasoning for why F5’s raw score was lower than the others. It wasn’t due to their performance order. They may have gone first of the top 5 on Day 2. But their raw score was also the lowest of the top 5 on Day 1 and they were the very last team to compete in the division on that day. So, that reasoning doesn’t hold. It was, however, high enough to win and that’s all that matters.
Again, Congrats to your CP! I’m sure she’s been dreaming about that moment her whole cheer career. It’s just unfortunate that the moment is being shadowed by controversy.