High School High School Vs All Star

[SparkleSpankies]

I think the reason all-star is so much more difficult/serious in my area is that we aren't allowed to do both at the same time (though I broke that rule ;)) and to be honest, what serious all-star cheerleader would choose high school over it?!

The "SERIOUS" all-star cheerleader that wants to cheer in college. A lot of colleges like to see that you are well rounded, with experience in both all-star and high school, as both experiences are different.[/quote]

I always tell any of my kids that want to cheer in college if they think they are going to compete all the time like all-star or even HS you won't. Very few colleges as a whole are competitive and many times they perform their routine just once before and then at the national competition.

To cheer for MOST colleges a well rounded game cheerleader is best... obviously there are your exceptions where all-star would be at an advantage. HOWEVER if you are not on one of the exceptions, most all-star cheerleaders that cheer in college and even most HS cheerleaders for that matter don't make it past their freshmen year b/c it is so different!

Skills aside, it's the girls that WANT to be on the sideline and recognize that aspect!

 

[SparkleSpankies]

Sorry, this came out wrong:

A lot of colleges like to see that you are well rounded, with experience in both all-star and high school, as both experiences are different.[/quote]

I always tell any of my kids that want to cheer in college if they think they are going to compete all the time like all-star or even HS you won't. Very few colleges as a whole are competitive and many times they perform their routine just once before and then at the national competition.

To cheer for MOST colleges a well rounded game cheerleader is best... obviously there are your exceptions where all-star would be at an advantage. HOWEVER if you are not on one of the exceptions, most all-star cheerleaders that cheer in college and even most HS cheerleaders for that matter don't make it past their freshmen year b/c it is so different!

Skills aside, it's the girls that WANT to be on the sideline and recognize that aspect!

 

[Tori_SupermodelSTAR]

I personally think this all depends on the school. My school, for instance, is absolutely horrible and i would be embarrassed to be a member of the squad. I was a member my freshman year in highschool and it didnt even compare to all-star what so ever. However, in my state, school cheerleaders aren't allowed to stunt. And in my home town, if you are a competitive cheerleader trying out for the high school squad, you wont make the team for some odd reason. Even if you had Holden Ray's dub dub dub, you wouldnt make the squad. I think all-star is better, but thats only comparing it to my school cheerleading. College cheerleading and all-star compare in many things, but they are still quite different. I still consider college cheerleading a sport like all-star.

 

[Stiggy]

where im from, they are two different worlds. High school does compete but the team focuses on supporting a school and teams. Practices are especially pretty easy compared to all star. When i leave an all star practice im dead, and when i leave a high school practice im lightly winded

 

[AScheer]

Ask my girls and they will tell you school is harder than allstars. That is their individual experience though, and definitely not the norm for the country. We go 4 - 5 days a week and I don't run easy practices. However the school 5 miles down the road is a joke to say the least. For those that have a great school squad its an amazing experience, for everyone that doesn't that's exactly why allstars was started! I love allstars, but I will say there is a special bonding that school teams have that I have yet to see with most allstars. I think it may have something to do with always being together (school, cheer, fundraising, community events) but its part of what makes school so special.

 

[SparkleSpankies]

Ask my girls and they will tell you school is harder than allstars. That is their individual experience though, and definitely not the norm for the country. We go 4 - 5 days a week and I don't run easy practices. However the school 5 miles down the road is a joke to say the least. For those that have a great school squad its an amazing experience, for everyone that doesn't that's exactly why allstars was started! I love allstars, but I will say there is a special bonding that school teams have that I have yet to see with most allstars. I think it may have something to do with always being together (school, cheer, fundraising, community events) but its part of what makes school so special.

Your comment is wonderful and just shows it is VERY different! :-)

 

[Esther Bell]

Personally I think Allstar cheerleading is more advanced. Highschool is more of supporting your friends on the field or court and being with your friends on the sidelines. Allstars is more fast paced, and how fast my skills improved since I started it has increased superfastt, but with highschool cheer it was slower improvement. I know some people prefer sideline, but its just not as hard as what you put into doing allstars. Respect to all cheergirls thooo [: ;)

 

[gymrat12]

High Schools in my area can't stunt (thank God because the fact that most of these coaches can even call themselves coaches is a scary thought) so All Star is HUGE. I think a big difference I see is once kids choose High School over all star they either lose skills or just work on maintaining skills, never improving or learning more. I've had girls with gorgeous doubles who barely even twist anymore.

As someone who has done both, I think it's a little ridiculous to include sign making and other spirit inducing labors into "cheerleading" that's what makes people think it's not a sport. Yes, I put a lot of time and work into signs, gifts, and snacks for my football players but I would never include that into a description of my SPORT. I may get some hate from this but I don't believe side-line cheer is a sport, that fact that I could letter in it for so many years makes me shake my head. Yes, cheering at games involve some level of athleticism, but you're not determining the outcome of anything.

Lastly, I think all star is just as every bit of demanding, if not more, than HS. High school may have more mandatory practices, but is that what determines how devoted of an athlete you are? Not to me. While my AS kids may only have 2 practices a week, they are in the gym EVERYDAY. Not because it's mandatory, but because they want to put in the time. Again, this is just my little opinion from my little corner of the world.

 

[0riginal]

As someone who has done both, I think it's a little ridiculous to include sign making and other spirit inducing labors into "cheerleading" that's what makes people think it's not a sport. Yes, I put a lot of time and work into signs, gifts, and snacks for my football players but I would never include that into a description of my SPORT. I may get some hate from this but I don't believe side-line cheer is a sport, that fact that I could letter in it for so many years makes me shake my head. Yes, cheering at games involve some level of athleticism, but you're not determining the outcome of anything.

I agree, actual sideline cheering is not a sport (doing motions and cheers), but that's not all my team does on the sidelines. We do stunts and tumbling as well and quite frequent. If you lived in a state that only allowed cheering then no, I don't believe it should be considered a sport.
The only reason, IMO, that high school and college cheerleading isn't considered a sport is because there's no regular competition involved. Even if you do compete, it usually isn't regular or planned by the state's athletics board (or whoever does basketball, football games, I'm not sure on that). I also don't think the point of cheering is to determine or influence the outcome of the game. I don't see how that can even be expected when the only thing cheerleaders and football players have in common is that they're at the same place at the same time.

 

[AScheer]

As someone who has done both, I think it's a little ridiculous to include sign making and other spirit inducing labors into "cheerleading" that's what makes people think it's not a sport. Yes, I put a lot of time and work into signs, gifts, and snacks for my football players but I would never include that into a description of my SPORT. I may get some hate from this but I don't believe side-line cheer is a sport, that fact that I could letter in it for so many years makes me shake my head. Yes, cheering at games involve some level of athleticism, but you're not determining the outcome of anything.

Lastly, I think all star is just as every bit of demanding, if not more, than HS. High school may have more mandatory practices, but is that what determines how devoted of an athlete you are? Not to me. While my AS kids may only have 2 practices a week, they are in the gym EVERYDAY. Not because it's mandatory, but because they want to put in the time. Again, this is just my little opinion from my little corner of the world.

No hate from me! I agree sideline cheering is NOT a sport! Even if you stunt and tumble at games I think its pretty minimal (at least what we do at games compared to what we do any other time) Games are pretty much extensions/libs that we can use motions in to lead the crowd with. Its unfortunate the crowd doesn't get to see our impressive stuff, but quite frankly they probably wouldn't know the difference anyways! Out of our 11 and a half month season, we spend maybe 7 - 8 weeks max as a sideline team for football, and we spend maybe 3 practices all year on sideline material (they have to learn all the chants, dances, etc on their own time from a dvd.) The rest of the year we are competition mode and our JV team takes over basketball. We don't go to traditional camps either but instead an intense skills/choreography camp at a gym. I will say though that I think - on occasion - that cheerleaders can impact the outcome of a game. More so in basketball if they bring the energy way up, but I for one think its fairly rare that that happens.

 

[megaroo714]

i do both and i like all star better

 

[tucknduck]

All-Star cheer is about competing and is for those that are fierce competitors and don't want to cheer with pom-poms on the sideline going rah-rah for the football team. Each serves their purpose.

 

[SmileCat]

I already posted that I liked all-stars better but I totally forgot about the fact that, the Varsity cheerleaders & football players get free chick-fila breakfast at school on game days :D Yum!
So high school does has it's positives..

 

[Alexa]

I do both high school cheer and all-stars and neither are easy.
But, my school team does not require any tumbling or even past cheerleading experience. Our tryouts consist of a dance, cheer, chant, jumps, and tumbling & flexibility for extra points. We don't start stunting until late summer practices. This year our coaches decided to make a competition team (which I'm super pumped about), but I think we'll be in a non-tumbling division. The past years at my school, there wasn't a competition team. Obviously, not everyone that tries out makes a team, but there isn't much competition or demand to cheer. The stunts we do are probably at a basic to moderate level. My all-star team is extremely hard in comparison. With tumbling, crazy stunts, jumps, the dance, you'll definitely break a sweat. BUT, I have seen some really amazing school teams that have more technique and talent than some all-star teams. I think it just depends. Some schools take it very seriously and train their athletes prior to high school I'm sure. Here that isn't the case. But I love both :) I just wish that I went to a school where cheer was really serious.

 

[gymcatmomx2]

I think the reason all-star is so much more difficult/serious in my area is that we aren't allowed to do both at the same time (though I broke that rule ;)) and to be honest, what serious all-star cheerleader would choose high school over it?!

The "SERIOUS" all-star cheerleader that wants to cheer in college. A lot of colleges like to see that you are well rounded, with experience in both all-star and high school, as both experiences are different.[/quote]

One of the girls that was a cheerleader at my CPs school and all-star gym just recently made the University of Texas coed squad. I was looking at the requirements and one particular one jumped out at me...

"If you are currently not on your spirit squad, you must submit a letter to appeal for exemption from this requirement. Please describe in the letter the circumstances that preclude you from being a member of your school's spirit group. The head coach will review your appeal, and will notify you if you will be eligible for tryouts."

I'm not sure how many colleges/universities have that requirement, but it opened my eyes to making sure that my CP continues to do both high school cheer and all-star cheer.