All-Star First, Middle Or Last.

[Cheerleader-4-life]

When competing at lets just say NCA, do you think the judges score higher towards the end of a division or if the first one goes and Is amazing, does that set the bar? Where would you like to compete the first day?

 

[GreatWhite92]

I would not wish it upon anyone to go at 8:00 am, very first, in the Small senior division at Worlds...That division lasts till at least 12:00 if not later...

 

[cheerheart4life]

I think the middle is a perfect spot! The Judges have seen some of the competition to compare your routine too. I would hate to go first because your opening up the division and setting the bar high or low

 

[jcheermom]

I think it is best to go first so you can set the bar for what skill level all of the other teams must perform at to get equal or even better scores. When you go out there first and show the judges the skills that you have, you will leave a lasting impression on them with your stellar performance. Their scoring will be based off of what skills you have and the scores will have some wiggle room, but any other routine must knock their socks off to score higher than you. I am, of course, making the assumption that your team hit and gave a fabulous performance!!

 

[GreatWhite92]

Or the judges will be like "wow that was really great but I know such and such team is coming up so I need to leave some room in case they do better" worlds is the worst because there are so many teams after you, there is no way the judge is going to score the first couple of teams high because what if every team after is better? Then they'll have no place to go with the scoring...

 

[cupieqt]

Or the judges will be like "wow that was really great but I know such and such team is coming up so I need to leave some room in case they do better" worlds is the worst because there are so many teams after you, there is no way the judge is going to score the first couple of teams high because what if every team after is better? Then they'll have no place to go with the scoring...

I stress over this sometimes because I know judges will leave wiggle room if it's a large division. Since we can't really control when we go I just tell my kids you have to make them say "THiS team is fierce and they should be in first". If we set the bar high to start or clean up at the end, either way they have to shock and awe the judges for those high scores.

MissBee how do you handle scoring when you have a large group?

 

[GreatWhite92]

I stress over this sometimes because I know judges will leave wiggle room if it's a large division. Since we can't really control when we go I just tell my kids you have to make them say "THiS team is fierce and they should be in first". If we set the bar high to start or clean up at the end, either way they have to shock and awe the judges for those high scores.

MissBee how do you handle scoring when you have a large group?

I cried last year when I found out we were going second at worlds...lets just say it didn't turn out well for us and definitely did not give us any advantages thats for sure!!

 

[cupieqt]

I cried last year when I found out we were going second at worlds...lets just say it didn't turn out well for us and definitely did not give us any advantages thats for sure!!

I would've cried too. I wonder if anyone has any stats on team performance order vs results.

 

[GreatWhite92]

I would've cried too. I wonder if anyone has any stats on team performance order vs results.

I don't know but I wish someone did...I would like to know whether we would have scored higher if we had gone later in the day, We got third as UCA and had teams in the finals that we had beaten before and I'd like to stay in my own little world of thinking that us getting like 50 something place was just a fluke...

 

[GreatWhite92]

I would've cried too. I wonder if anyone has any stats on team performance order vs results.

Ok looked at the schedule and like the third team to go had a semi-high score and then they kinda went back down again and eventually got to the point where it was like every other one would be high depending on the team of course so idk. I just don't generally think going first at worlds isnt very desirable.

 

[MissBee]

I was trained as a gymnastics judge several years before I started judging cheer. That got me settled into the mentality of "look at each team independently". My job as a judge is not to compare Tranny Cats to Craptastic Allstars. My job is to compare Tranny Cats to the score sheet/rubric, and then compare Craptastic to the score sheet/rubric. So for me, it doesn't matter what order the teams compete. If F5 goes first and Podunk Wanna-bes go last, that doesn't mean that I'm scoring Podunk higher.

 

[cheerinfo]

On the same line as MissBee, a judge SHOULD score each team to the scoresheet, NOT to the other teams. Do that and let the chips fall where they may. Just because you LIKE a team/routine better, doesn't mean it scores better. So where you perform SHOULDN'T matter...but in reality, I think it does, even if just slightly.

 

[SheCheers]

To me it seems if we go first in a largish division we definitely score lower than i feel we should (whether or not that's actually the case, i don't know, i'm no judge). I LOVE when the comps reverse the order of placements on day 2. that way the top 3 can go back to back.

 

[imrichhowboutu]

Back when there was no rubric, you had to compare teams to each other. And that is still done at local competitions and even for some larger HS competitions.

In the all star world, there really is no reason to compare a team to another. Most of the companies have fairly well laid out rubrics and train their judges really well.

The only spot on the varsity score sheet where i've really compared any teams is in the creativity category. But its more comparing a team to the division they are in, not necessarily each team to each other, if that makes sense. If i'm judging a junior 3 team, i think about that level and age as a whole when thinking about creativity.

 

[LeahofthePack]

I think going first middle and last all have their advatages
First: You set the bar, there is no one to compare yourself to this far (one down side is depending on how early you go, there may not be as many spectators there as there would be later on, and the way I see it, the bigger the crowd the better, it makes performing more fun IMO)
Middle: You've seen the competition, and you know what to do and also what not to do. But it may be a little harder to make the judges remember your name and not just get jumbled up with all the middle teams
Last: You have had plenty time to watch and see how other teams do, and there is no one else behind you to worry about, you just go out there and do your thing.