- May 13, 2014
- 7,081
- 11,625
While on one hand, I think it's a good self confidence booster for every child to know that when they walk into a try-out they will come out of it on a team, it's also a competitive sport and those athletes should expect that the coaches put together the best possible team they can to go out and do well and teach them something new regardless of what area it's in.
And I know, I know...it's not all about winning, BUT it's also not about going into every competition and know you'll lose and/or have no room to grow. And, let's be honest---does every athlete who tries out for a sport, make the team? No. So learning disappointment, focusing on more practice and perfecting their skills for the next try-outs also teach coping skills, how to handle disappointment, and reinforce a strong work ethic. I know this doesn't normally fly in competitive cheer which thrives on the money of us parents but I'm very anti-everyone gets a trophy, don't keep score, celebrate all type of people either.
At CP's old gym there were 3 teams, 3 teams, and this past year 2 teams. As I've said before in my posts, we were in a military community with a program build on that foundation and moving comes with the territory. But it was also middle of nowhere, farmy, rural area so there weren't a huge pool to draw from like you could in a bigger city or at a bigger base. They did great with what they had, but after being on a Mini 1 for a half year team (18 girls), next season the team switched to a Tiny team full year (no Mini team, but the team went from 8 to 6 to 5 at the final competition), and then back up to a Mini team (8 ish or 9 maybe); I watched as the girl's who had been there from the start, openly welcomed new girl's in who had no experience whatsoever, also hold those girl's back from progressing in almost every area. The coaches and practices had to not only focus on ensuring the 'Veteran' girl's were where they were, but also getting the newer kids up to that level; and in those age categories, that takes time. But after watching our team practice, I noticed the same scenario playing out with the Youth and Senior teams as well, as their numbers fluctuated from season to season as well. Any of the girl's (across all age groups) who wanted to rise above had to rely on other classes or privates because practices were focused on getting everyone to the level the girl's were at while never really pushing beyond that. And that senior girl who had that amazing layout who could never use it at a competition because she didn't have access to a level appropriate team...yeah, it wasn't just my cp's age group (which is the most lax age group I think) that this scenario effected.
Now, is that a coaches error? *sigh* Yes, especially with the older kids who can adapt to change and who can change choreo from one comp to another more seamless than our age group could (though our girl's did at the end, but it took a parent practically taking over to enact any change, and I won't get into that because the drama that ended last season was worthy of a Cheer Perfection episode and just no...)
But where they ended last year, to what they were given over the summer was more or less the same as that same scenario played out. Girls came in who knew the drill, most came in who knew next to nothing. And that standstill, in a tiny gym that doesn't have the numbers to build two different teams in the same age category hurts. The sad part is, and I started paying more attention as the drama erupted on our team (well it was really 2 of the moms, but that is neither here nor there) of who came back across all the age groups, who looked for options elsewhere that may have resulted in a longer drive, and who had their children just quit the sport and refuse to pay for it anymore was crazy. By the time we moved, my CP would have been one of only five or six total that were there the season prior across all of the age groups. In fact, they had every intention of dropping Tiny/Mini period and moving our returning girl's to Youth and doing Youth and Senior only. But now it's Mini and Senior because they didn't have anyone from that middle age group come back.
I promise I'm not a SM and I'm actually a pretty lowkey mom, just tell me where to be, what you want her to look like, and how much do I owe you type of person...but her first gym, albeit tiny and inexperienced, taught me a wealth of information I'll take forward now that she's decided to stick with this sport, we're moved onto civilian (retired) life and can chose a gym she can grow in until she's ready to stop.
What CP had going in her favor was my laid-backness---when she wanted to be pushed and asked for additional classes, I found them for her and over the summer spent 3 days of our the week driving 45 minutes each way for her to practice 2-3 hours a night at a completely different gym and spend two nights locally at our gym so she could do practices and privates. Her summer was all about cheer, at her request---but unlike some of my fellow cheer moms from last season, not all of them were so 'accommodating'.
Didn't really mean to write a novel, and this may be a scenario you have to experience and/or watch to get what I'm really saying, and not that we'd ever avoid a gym who had this policy---but I'll never stick CP into another gym who has this policy without the numbers to back-up multiple teams in the same age category. If she has level 3 skills and they field a level 2 team and a level 1 team, I could stomach that; but I won't let her field and bust her a** to get those level 3 or even level 4 skills to be stuck on a level one team with absolutely no room to grow because the gym just has no other options of where to put her.
