All-Star Gyms Releasing Athletes

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I sense a pattern in all star world a little:

Coach/Owner:

"Anyone is replaceable."

"I can replace you."

"Replaceable."

"Replaceable"

"There's the door."

"Anyone is can be replaced."

"Replacement."

Child: *leaves*

Coach: *cue "Omg how dare you quit midseason?"

You can't play victim to circumstances you create.

School cheer example: If I said that all year long while coaching, I can't be mad if 90% of my team chooses not to tryout and I end up with a team of like 4 kids who have never seen a pom in their lives. I created a toxic environment.

 

[MomMomMamaMom]

But not everyone is going to leave the gym on good terms, so should the athletes be penalized if they didnt leave on good graces... Some places just arent a right fit for people.

Then they wait until the next season?
No athlete is guaranteed to go to worlds anyway, and that’s all this waiver relates to.

I don’t know, the season does start super early, and the waiver is needed after you compete on any team with the program. So there’s definitely no perfect answer. Ideally, gyms would have an internal process for how they handled waivers, that didn’t leave so much room for emotional reactivity. And I do believe that many cheer contracts, and some policiies are highly favorable to the business owner/ not the consumer. Perhaps there needs to be an actual athlete organization that mediates situations such as these.

 

[njallday]

To be fair, if you scan the archives of the boards, you'd probably find me in full support of this policy when it was created.

If there is no time/money/resources for an appeals process, there should be some sort of way for a third party to evaluate the situation. On the USASF athlete registration/profile page, add a button to click for the athlete to request to be released from rostered team. When button is pressed, auto send online form to gym. Two choices: check this box to release athlete (Done!), check other box to dispute release - if disputing two choices: not released due to financial obligation or other. If other is selected: gym should have to write in an explanation that gets sent to an overseer to decide how outlandish it seems and allow them to decide.

It doesn't have to be difficult, but all of the power should not be in the hands of the gym when there are many gyms that can get nasty if you want to leave; not releasing you out of spite or ill-will against the team you want to compete on, etc. There needs to be a neutral party.

I'd volunteer, but I'd approve all releases because these are children. sorry. lol

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

Stupid rule.

These are kids, not professional athletes.

Absolutely asinine to give a gym that kind of power.

 

[Rudags]

I am all for this rule. You make a commitment to a PROGRAM and not a team. I'm not on Twitter (except to check CheerUpdates), and know NOTHING on the situation at hand, but sounds like girl had a spot on Generals, just not in a role she wanted. This rule is no secret. Actions have consequences. It's my understanding USASF would break this rule for extreme consequences. Unless its changes from years ago (I haven't actually coached in like 4 years) but when I did coach the athlete could be released if:

Misconduct was had with a coach
Athlete was REMOVED from the program
Previous Gym closed

None of us were there, so any comment on the situation is only hypothetical, but I see the word "bully" thrown around quite a bit when its not ACTUALLY happening. I know Woodlands to be an outstanding, low drama program. I wish them and this kid the best.

To answer the OP's question: I support this rule whole heartedly.

 

[california cheer mom]

I used to be one of those parents who told CP "You made a commitment to your team, you need to stick with it". But then one season we ended up in a terrible situation with a gym owner I would have done anything for. That feeling was apparently one sided. We were the ones doing all the work to try to make it happen, no one on the gym side really seemed to care. So we left in the middle of the season and it was honestly the best decision FOR MY CHILD.

I know there are plenty of worlds athletes who leave in the middle of the season. I've never heard of the waiver not being given before.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

Gym owners tend to forget these people are customers. Having some rule in place that says I can’t take my money elsewhere is like saying I’ve committed to wal mart and therefore can’t shop at Amazon.

You can’t force loyalty, you have to earn it. Cheer gym owners and coaches (high school and all star), do a really crappy job of instilling the right cultures in their programs to get that kind of loyalty. The ones who do, are the best programs. The ones who do and still lose an athlete are probably better off without that athlete.

 

[BlueCat]

I have never been in favor of rules restricting athlete movement from gym to gym. They are too protectionist for my personal taste. It is fairly rare that we don't release athletes, but on those occasions it is mostly because of unpaid financial commitments. If/when they are caught up financially, they get their release.

 

[MomMomMamaMom]

I have never been in favor of rules restricting athlete movement from gym to gym. They are too protectionist for my personal taste. It is fairly rare that we don't release athletes, but on those occasions it is mostly because of unpaid financial commitments.

On the flip side, do you ask about waivers before taking in new athletes after the start of the season?

 

[BlueCat]

On the flip side, do you ask about waivers before taking in new athletes after the start of the season?

We generally ask incoming mid- to late-season Worlds athletes if they have been released. This doesn't happen very frequently, however.

 

[california cheer mom]

Speaking of ridiculous restrictions... anyone who is at Pacwest this weekend got a list of "approved" vendors that will be inside the events. Attendees were asked not to buy anything from "unapproved" attendees that set up pop up shops outside the venue. So basically, don't buy from Rebel or Nfinity pop ups. What a joke! As much as they try, Varsity doesn't control where I spend my money!

 

[Knowcheering]

Stupid rule.

These are kids, not professional athletes.

Absolutely asinine to give a gym that kind of power.

It's not a stupid rule at all. It's a rule that deters gym hopping that could compromise the integrity of the competition. Many sports have rules like this, including amateur and youth sports. Switching teams mid-season has consequences in nearly every sport I can think of. NCAA athletes (who are amateur and sometimes children) who transfer schools have to sit out a full season I believe. This is to protect not only the school but the entire NCAA playing field. It wouldn't be fair if athletes were allowed to walk onto whatever team they choose, whenever they choose with no consequences.

In many Olympic sports (also considered amateur where most competitors make no money and pay loads for training), if you want to represent a different country, you often have to sit out for an extended period of time (1-2 years) and get a release from your current country (which is sometimes granted and sometimes not). In fact, I believe if cheerleading were more like a real sport, not only would the girl in question not be allowed to compete at Worlds, but she wouldn't be allowed to compete at NCA or anywhere at all with a new team this season. This isn't about punishing the cheerleader as much as it's about protecting the integrity of sport.

Competing on a Worlds team isn't a right just because your parents can pay for it or because you were bullied someplace else (or removed from a flyer position)-- it's a privilege. And leaving a team mid-season should have consequences, not only to protect the gyms involved but to protect the sport as a whole. Maybe this situation should be put solely in the USASF's hands, so THEY are the ones not letting the girl compete at Worlds; Woodlands Elite really doesn't even need to be involved. It simply shouldn't be allowed, period. Sports can't be a free-for-all, there need to be rules.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

It's not a stupid rule at all. It's a rule that deters gym hopping that could compromise the integrity of the competition. Many sports have rules like this, including amateur and youth sports. Switching teams mid-season has consequences in nearly every sport I can think of. NCAA athletes (who are amateur and sometimes children) who transfer schools have to sit out a full season I believe. This is to protect not only the school but the entire NCAA playing field. It wouldn't be fair if athletes were allowed to walk onto whatever team they choose, whenever they choose with no consequences.

In many Olympic sports (also considered amateur where most competitors make no money and pay loads for training), if you want to represent a different country, you often have to sit out for an extended period of time (1-2 years) and get a release from your current country (which is sometimes granted and sometimes not). In fact, I believe if cheerleading were more like a real sport, not only would the girl in question not be allowed to compete at Worlds, but she wouldn't be allowed to compete at NCA or anywhere at all with a new team this season. This isn't about punishing the cheerleader as much as it's about protecting the integrity of sport.

Competing on a Worlds team isn't a right just because your parents can pay for it or because you were bullied someplace else (or removed from a flyer position)-- it's a privilege. And leaving a team mid-season should have consequences, not only to protect the gyms involved but to protect the sport as a whole. Maybe this situation should be put solely in the USASF's hands, so THEY are the ones not letting the girl compete at Worlds; Woodlands Elite really doesn't even need to be involved. It simply shouldn't be allowed, period. Sports can't be a free-for-all, there need to be rules.

You’re comparing apples to oranges.

NCAA transfer rules do not apply in every circumstance and are meant to keep academics at the forefront. They do a painfully lousy job of accomplishing this task, as we all know college athletics are a huge money maker for the schools. Unless the all star gym receiving the athlete in question is earning a percentage of gross revenue from the ticket sales at competitions, there’s no comparison. Your argument comparing all star cheerleading to NCAA athletes meets further complications given the recent court rulings against the NCAA’s restrictions on how athletes can be compensated. Athletes can now potentially be lured away by a better package deal from another university. Having to sit out a year is a deterrent to taking the bait.

The olympics are similarly fashioned in that Olympic athletes may be considered “amateur” but they have huge earning potential from endorsements. What’s to keep an Olympic athlete from jumping to the US team or another team where they can gain greater market exposure and increase their earning potential?

All star cheerleaders do not carry that kind of marketing/earning potential. Unless you’re living under the delusion that there are hundreds of thousands of people who give a rip which uniform this kid is wearing on the floor at Worlds, your argument does not hold water.

 

[Ally13]

NCAA athletes do not need the permission of their coach or university to transfer. Olympic athletes do not need the permission of their gym or trainer to switch nationalities.

All star athletes should not need the permission of their gym (whose bills they pay) to compete with a different program at Worlds or any other competition. There is literally no reason, other than an unpaid financial obligation, for a gym to deny a release. The USASF could release them, or put limits on when they can compete with a different program, but the decision should not be at the discretion of gym owners.

 

[coacha]

NCAA non-revenue sports (ie most) do not require sitting out a year.

And you don't lose a year of eligibility when they do. (ie you can still play 4 years of college sports, it just gets spread out over 5 years.) You DO lose a year of eligibility at certain levels in cheer - you don't gain a year before you age out.

It has nothing to do with protecting the integrity of the sport. It's about protecting gyms. But considering that the athletes are the ones making the financial obligation, it should be the other way around.