All-Star Glenda The Good Gym Or Black Sheep Gym?

[cheercurl]

Glenda the Good Gym- a place with a lot of team bonding, good ethics, good skill progression, positive reinforcement and self esteem are priorities. Good Athletes are produced building a good reputation and a strong gym.

Black Sheep Gym- a place where the best athletes are valued, where teams that are winning are rewarded with the best coaches, best choreographers and best competitions, where getting a skill at any cost is the status quo, where an athletes goal is to get on the best teams because they are the only ones that matter. The team wear other people whisper about how crazy coaches are to their kids.

I can honestly say we have been at both these types of gyms. Right now we are at a Glenda the Good Gym, with the emphasis on doing your best and it doesn't matter whether you win or lose. Sounds good right? Except not really...

That is fine to a point. Going to a competition knowing you are competitive and could possibly win or place well, is where I want to be. The alternative is going to EVERY competition knowing you are going to be dead last or cheering like a lunatic when you come in 8th instead of 9th. I can assure you this SUCKS!

I need to look around because we can stay where we are or we might have to take Black Sheep Gym or drive much farther to a Competitive Glenda Good Gym and I am not sure this will work for the rest of my family. Ugh. Anyone else struggle with this?

 

[BowsnBling]

I do feel like there is the inbetween, goodluck on your search!

 

[Zinger_bebe]

I can certainly understand your situation. But if you already have a bad feeling about the Black Sheep gym maybe it's best to listen to your instinct. Do you feel the Glenda gym is holding CP back? Has she progressed beyond what they can teach her? Why not try open gyms at all three and see what suits your CP best.

 

[megaflipper]

I think when you are ready for a bigger commitment, all competitive gyms are the Black Sheep Gym. They are the one's that get every ounce of talent from your body, mentally and physically. Glenda is only going to get you so far and that is perfectly fine for a lot of people. But from your posts, I think you already realize that.

 

[NJ Coach]

Move just a little further south ;)

 

[cheerheart4life]

Follow your instincts(: I say drive to Glenda the good gym. Its better to love where you are and be happy with it and how your daughter is progresses as an athlete AND an individual.

 

[cheercurl]

Move just a little further south ;)

I wish I could shimmy this 3000 times...LOL

 

[Level5Mom]

It depends what you want out of it. I believe extremely valuable life lessons can be taught in both styles of gyms. It really boils down to what cp wants out of it, and what you want cp to learn from it. Some kids thrive in hard core, cut throat gyms. Others thrive when they are nurtured no matter what happens. What does cp think?

 

[cheercurl]

It depends what you want out of it. I believe extremely valuable life lessons can be taught in both styles of gyms. It really boils down to what cp wants out of it, and what you want cp to learn from it. Some kids thrive in hard core, cut throat gyms. Others thrive when they are nurtured no matter what happens. What does cp think?

CP thinks she wants to be the best cheerleader she can be, even if that only means being the best level 2 cheerleader she can be...and has expressed an interest in looking else where. Current gym is convenient...like crazy close but small and newish. She is just one of my 4 children. I have done the Level 5 cheerleader craziness with my older daughter, driving a distance to a better gym...but more because she had the skills and no gym locally had the team for her.

 

[Level5Mom]

CP thinks she wants to be the best cheerleader she can be, even if that only means being the best level 2 cheerleader she can be...and has expressed an interest in looking else where. Current gym is convenient...like crazy close but small and newish. She is just one of my 4 children. I have done the Level 5 cheerleader craziness with my older daughter, driving a distance to a better gym...but more because she had the skills and no gym locally had the team for her.

Then I would say she needs to decide what defines her being " her best". If that means being on a winning team, you have your answer :). Many kids feel that they are not their best if they never win. Others feel that progressing, doing their part successfully in a routine consistently is being their best. Then there are others who feel that trying their hardest, no matter what happens, is being their best. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. One sounds more politically correct than the other, but hey, they don't call it competitive cheer for nothing!

 

[TheUltimateFan]

Glenda the Good Gym- a place with a lot of team bonding, good ethics, good skill progression, positive reinforcement and self esteem are priorities. Good Athletes are produced building a good reputation and a strong gym.

Black Sheep Gym- a place where the best athletes are valued, where teams that are winning are rewarded with the best coaches, best choreographers and best competitions, where getting a skill at any cost is the status quo, where an athletes goal is to get on the best teams because they are the only ones that matter. The team wear other people whisper about how crazy coaches are to their kids.

I can honestly say we have been at both these types of gyms. Right now we are at a Glenda the Good Gym, with the emphasis on doing your best and it doesn't matter whether you win or lose. Sounds good right? Except not really...

That is fine to a point. Going to a competition knowing you are competitive and could possibly win or place well, is where I want to be. The alternative is going to EVERY competition knowing you are going to be dead last or cheering like a lunatic when you come in 8th instead of 9th. I can assure you this SUCKS!

I need to look around because we can stay where we are or we might have to take Black Sheep Gym or drive much farther to a Competitive Glenda Good Gym and I am not sure this will work for the rest of my family. Ugh. Anyone else struggle with this?

Anybody who says winning doesn't matter is floating through life in lala land. Winning ALL of the time is not important, but if you don't win at least some of the time what crazy parent wants to keep paying out buckets of money to watch their child lose every time, and what athlete wants to keep working their tail off for "maybe next year" ? Next year is 1/8 of your entire life when you are 8 years old. It is about competing to win. That's why it is called competition, right?

Glenda the Good Gym sounds like the nice place to be, from a parent perspective. But why aren't they winning anything? Poor coaching? Competing above their skill level? How many other parents feel like you do? Maybe it is time to have a sitdown with the coaches and owner and tell them how you feel. If they have given you this much good, they deserve to know they are at risk of losing families and be given a chance to make some positive changes. Has anyone done that yet?

 

[Rudags]

Move to Chicago. I think I can be Glenda and a Black Sheep. I can instill those core values, all while being strict and getting new skills. There is a good balance, and I truly believe some coaches, and some programs can instill BOTH of them!

 

[cheercurl]

Move to Chicago. I think I can be Glenda and a Black Sheep. I can instill those core values, all while being strict and getting new skills. There is a good balance, and I truly believe some coaches, and some programs can instill BOTH of them!

Ok, I am there! See you in May and you can make my CP the best level 2 cheerleader that ever was! She is 12 years old and 5 foot 6 inches tall. I am thinking she can be one heck of a back spot one day. Then again maybe CheerNJ will take her...

 

[Gcscoach88]

I think you need to look at results and the atmosphere in the gym. talk to people in the program! If the parents are happy, and the kids, then its probably somewhere you would want your child to be. Good luck in your search :)

 

[mstealtoyou]

I am going to marinate on this and get back to you Friend!