All-Star Help convincing parents.

[that_cheer_lover]

I absolutely LOVE cheer and it's my passion. The past few years I've been doing Prep/rec teams but I'm ready for the next step up. There's a great gym about ten minutes from my house and I would love to be on an elite team there but my parents still aren't sure. They just don't like all the costs/commitment. Tryouts are coming up and my parents are still on the fence and though I don't want to force them, I would really love to do a team this year. I have a friend who's doing it and she was on a prep team with me and we could both be on a J1 together so, we could carpool and stuff. Any tips on convincing them while not being pushy or mean?

 

[catlady]

Unfortunately, when it comes to cost and commitment, those are two things families either can or can not do. There generally is no level of convincing that can be done if your family doesn't have the time and/or money to give to an activity.

Between gym/comp/coach/usasf fees, travel expenses, music, choreography, uniform, warm up, shoes, practice wear, bows, team gear, etc. expenses are easily $8000+ per year. That is a financial commitment many families just can't do.

Commitment is usually 3-4 evenings per week with a tumbling class, as well as, many weekends needed for comps. This can be challenging for families with multiple children in different activities, or families with work hours outside of Mon-Fri 8:00 am-5:00 pm.

Perhaps a better approach would be to ask your parents if there is anything YOU can do, as far as, earning money (babysitting, pet sitting, cutting lawns, washing cars, etc.), put any money gifted to you toward cheer, finding someone to share travel expenses, expand the carpool to a few people, etc. If the answer is still "no," be grateful to participate in prep. You will have extra time to enjoy outside activities, family, and friends that you wouldn't be able to on a elite team.
Good luck!

 

[that_cheer_lover]

Unfortunately, when it comes to cost and commitment, those are two things families either can or can not do. There generally is no level of convincing that can be done if your family doesn't have the time and/or money to give to an activity.

Between gym/comp/coach/usasf fees, travel expenses, music, choreography, uniform, warm up, shoes, practice wear, bows, team gear, etc. expenses are easily $8000+ per year. That is a financial commitment many families just can't do.

Commitment is usually 3-4 evenings per week with a tumbling class, as well as, many weekends needed for comps. This can be challenging for families with multiple children in different activities, or families with work hours outside of Mon-Fri 8:00 am-5:00 pm.

Perhaps a better approach would be to ask your parents if there is anything YOU can do, as far as, earning money (babysitting, pet sitting, cutting lawns, washing cars, etc.), put any money gifted to you toward cheer, finding someone to share travel expenses, expand the carpool to a few people, etc. If the answer is still "no," be grateful to participate in prep. You will have extra time to enjoy outside activities, family, and friends that you wouldn't be able to on a elite team.
Good luck!

yes, we have been working on making a deal like that. Thanks for the advice