Because I am a kind, benevolent dictator, *ehem*, I mean fierceboarder, I thought the time had come to find a way to consolidate the Frequently Asked Newbie Questions into one thread. I'm not talking about how the board works or the ever popular '3 days and 72 hours' thing. I'm talking the rather repetitive cheer ones that are asked time and time again that have been beaten to death so bad that they have resurrected as zombies. This is for YOUR benefit AS WELL AS everyone else's. Not only will your question be answered in a consolidated way (hopefully- I can be long-winded), but it will save you from general harassment on the boards due to your lack of searching/the search bars occasional malfunction. So, some of the more commonly-asked questions and their 'answers:'
*Why can't juniors/youth/senior restricted 5 go to Worlds? They work just as hard as everybody else! Some of them are better than senior teams that can go!
-You're right. They do work hard (as everybody else is a relative term). I'm sure some are 'better' than senior 5s who go. However, they do not meet the current age guidelines or skill guidelines in the case of senior restricted (restricted is limited to running fulls, etc). If they are all over the age of 12 in the case of Junior teams OR senior restricted teams, they can compete somewhere as senior and earn a bid if they're THAT desperate to go. Juniors have only been at Worlds for 4 years, and even then it was all girl and coed with no size splits for a while. There are way too many people at Worlds (an issue in and of itself), and while we all love junior teams, anything to decrease the amount of people in the Milkhouse is OK by us..trust me, they won't reverse that decision anytime soon. There are plenty of other 'large events' that give a similar Worlds feel, like NCA.
*Who will win XXX division at Worlds?
-Don't bother asking this question before..say late January/Early February. Most gyms haven't competed at a larger nationals until around that time so it's pointless to even really guess as to what the routines look like/how they hit.
*What do you think about X team stealing Y team's choreography/uniform/music?
-You don't own choreography or a skill unless you patent it. Until such a time, nobody owns anything. Although it may seem otherwise when somebody has their name attached to a set super-unique skill, they don't own anything. If a uniform is a stock one, it has to be expected that somebody else will use it. Some gyms can't afford a custom uni every year. Stock unis wouldn't be there if people weren't using them..keep that in mind when you're commenting.
*LARGE SENIOR-
-Stop. Large senior is a VERY touchy subject on the boards, and if you go in guns ablazing without being able to back something up, you will be derided by both the team you're rooting for AND the team you're rooting against. Nobody wants to be associated with a fan too strapped to the bandwagon to function. It's just awkward sauce.
*Why did Team X lose to Team Y??! Team X was CLEARLY better!
-This question came up quite a bit at Worlds this year. If you think they got it wrong, look at what the scoresheet calls for and then check over the routine. Look at the deductions that ACTUALLY are used at each event. Some are CRAZY strict (like Cheersport) and some take off next to nothing unless you completely bust to the ground. Keep that in mind before you start bashing a team. Plenty of people on here know these sheets like the back of their hand and WILL correct you if you're talking out of your bum. Don't do it..
*Questions about size of athletes?
-Some girls/guys are big and some are small. Each contribute something to the team no matter their size. Some of the best bases are pint-sized powerhouses and some of the most graceful flyers are taller girls. Some girls look YOUNG for their age and some look old. It's the way life is. Just worry about how well YOU are doing, ok?
*What do you think of X gym? Who do you think the best gym is in X state and Y region?
-Please don't fish for compliments. With questions like these, you might as well just ask 'Who is the best gym from NYC, NY that begins with Kristen the Great's and ends with Allstars?' If you're not sure how your gym is received, try a board search of your gym's name and see what comes up. If nothing does, take the chance to give everyone a great first impression of your gym and its athletes by NOT asking one of these questions above!
*Why does F5 have a million different uniforms?
-This is actually one of life's great unsolved mysteries. They just do, many of them beautiful, and they are a fortunate group of ladies. Lucky them..
These are the main ones that come up often enough (usually in the summer), particularly when the Worlds lurkers decide to try out the Big People Board. If you have another question that you're not sure if it's been asked out there, ASK IT HERE. I promise to only roll my eyes once before answering..
Remember- this is to help you avoid a post where the first six replies mock you. I'm sure there are more that the others might add (or have answers different to mine), but I tried to keep the issues as neutral as possible.
*Why can't juniors/youth/senior restricted 5 go to Worlds? They work just as hard as everybody else! Some of them are better than senior teams that can go!
-You're right. They do work hard (as everybody else is a relative term). I'm sure some are 'better' than senior 5s who go. However, they do not meet the current age guidelines or skill guidelines in the case of senior restricted (restricted is limited to running fulls, etc). If they are all over the age of 12 in the case of Junior teams OR senior restricted teams, they can compete somewhere as senior and earn a bid if they're THAT desperate to go. Juniors have only been at Worlds for 4 years, and even then it was all girl and coed with no size splits for a while. There are way too many people at Worlds (an issue in and of itself), and while we all love junior teams, anything to decrease the amount of people in the Milkhouse is OK by us..trust me, they won't reverse that decision anytime soon. There are plenty of other 'large events' that give a similar Worlds feel, like NCA.
*Who will win XXX division at Worlds?
-Don't bother asking this question before..say late January/Early February. Most gyms haven't competed at a larger nationals until around that time so it's pointless to even really guess as to what the routines look like/how they hit.
*What do you think about X team stealing Y team's choreography/uniform/music?
-You don't own choreography or a skill unless you patent it. Until such a time, nobody owns anything. Although it may seem otherwise when somebody has their name attached to a set super-unique skill, they don't own anything. If a uniform is a stock one, it has to be expected that somebody else will use it. Some gyms can't afford a custom uni every year. Stock unis wouldn't be there if people weren't using them..keep that in mind when you're commenting.
*LARGE SENIOR-
-Stop. Large senior is a VERY touchy subject on the boards, and if you go in guns ablazing without being able to back something up, you will be derided by both the team you're rooting for AND the team you're rooting against. Nobody wants to be associated with a fan too strapped to the bandwagon to function. It's just awkward sauce.
*Why did Team X lose to Team Y??! Team X was CLEARLY better!
-This question came up quite a bit at Worlds this year. If you think they got it wrong, look at what the scoresheet calls for and then check over the routine. Look at the deductions that ACTUALLY are used at each event. Some are CRAZY strict (like Cheersport) and some take off next to nothing unless you completely bust to the ground. Keep that in mind before you start bashing a team. Plenty of people on here know these sheets like the back of their hand and WILL correct you if you're talking out of your bum. Don't do it..
*Questions about size of athletes?
-Some girls/guys are big and some are small. Each contribute something to the team no matter their size. Some of the best bases are pint-sized powerhouses and some of the most graceful flyers are taller girls. Some girls look YOUNG for their age and some look old. It's the way life is. Just worry about how well YOU are doing, ok?
*What do you think of X gym? Who do you think the best gym is in X state and Y region?
-Please don't fish for compliments. With questions like these, you might as well just ask 'Who is the best gym from NYC, NY that begins with Kristen the Great's and ends with Allstars?' If you're not sure how your gym is received, try a board search of your gym's name and see what comes up. If nothing does, take the chance to give everyone a great first impression of your gym and its athletes by NOT asking one of these questions above!
*Why does F5 have a million different uniforms?
-This is actually one of life's great unsolved mysteries. They just do, many of them beautiful, and they are a fortunate group of ladies. Lucky them..
These are the main ones that come up often enough (usually in the summer), particularly when the Worlds lurkers decide to try out the Big People Board. If you have another question that you're not sure if it's been asked out there, ASK IT HERE. I promise to only roll my eyes once before answering..
Remember- this is to help you avoid a post where the first six replies mock you. I'm sure there are more that the others might add (or have answers different to mine), but I tried to keep the issues as neutral as possible.
- Trying to be sweet and nice. This is my 'I'm being friendly!' smiley.
- Teasing smiley. GREAT FOR SARCASM. When in doubt, add <sarcasm> tag.
- Pretty self-explanatory. SADNESS.
- Also pretty straightforward. Annoyance.
- When someone uses this on you, you have either said something SUPER stupid or SUPER out of place. Consider either apologizing or clarifying.
- You are about to get yourself told, more than likely. Usually in place of someone starting drama.
