All-Star How Much Do Other Sports Cost Compared To Cheer?

[UCFKnights07]

More and more and more!!!!

ive been out of AS cheer for far to long, but is the park hopper mandatory to buy to see worlds weekend.

 

[coacha]

More and more and more!!!!

I’m not defending anything here, but you do realize that Varsity is married to a company that typically raises park/hotel prices by a significant amount each year. Toss in the changes Disney made to their park tickets by going to demand day pricing, and no one should be shocked.

 

[cheermomforever]

ive been out of AS cheer for far to long, but is the park hopper mandatory to buy to see worlds weekend.

Athletes do have to buy hopper.....friends and family can pay $35 a day to watch..

 

[cheermomforever]

I’m not defending anything here, but you do realize that Varsity is married to a company that typically raises park/hotel prices by a significant amount each year. Toss in the changes Disney made to their park tickets by going to demand day pricing, and no one should be shocked.

overall the hopper and spectator entrance is not a bad price considering what Disney usually charges but that is a big jump and how many are buying it? That’s a lot of $$ they r making!

 

[Nothanks]

overall the hopper and spectator entrance is not a bad price considering what Disney usually charges but that is a big jump and how many are buying it? That’s a lot of $$ they r making!

My husband and I took our daughter to Disney for the first time during Worlds a few years ago specifically because of that--it was so much cheaper to get a USASF Park Hopper than a Disney hopper for 3 days. And I got to sneak away to see some friends/cheerleading while she napped with her dad. It was a win all-around for me lol

That being said, I've already determined my daughter will not be a cheerleader. She has no interest in it and I'm not upset about it in the slightest because I don't want her growing up in the current state of the cheerleading culture and costs. She will play in the gym if I am there, but if I ask her what activity she wants to do, it's either swimming or soccer, which currently costs about $65 for an 8 week session.

 

[SL&AM]

AS or HS. I’ve literally never done anything else so I don’t know, but I don’t think people are spending 6K on track or volleyball. Reading about the costs of AS cheer has been a real eye-opener. It’s only been a few years since I left AS for HS after my fiancée got traded and we had to move. I’m shocked at how quickly AS costs have SKYROCKETED in that time. I’m wondering if there’s any comparison between us and other sports. I understand travel/clothing/shoe costs exist for everyone, but feel that cheer is getting so expensive that it’s quickly turning into a “status symbol” activity and I don’t like it. I don’t think money should prohibit athletes from pursuing their goals. I already see it at the (public) HS cheer level so I have to imagine the problem is exponentially bigger for AS. And if this problem doesn’t exist (or at least doesn’t exist as much) for other sports, it puts cheerleaders at yet another disadvantage. It almost feels price-gougey on the part of the EP/gym owner/Varsity/whoever is asking for all the cash this time.

So anyway, if anyone did additional sports alongside cheerleading or have children who do, I’d be interested to know how the two compare.

My daughter left AS Cheer on a J1 team. Between monthly tuition, shoes/make-up/extras, competitions and travel costs her year would have been around $5K-$6K when you add it all up. None of our competitions were out of state and only 1 or 2 required a hotel room.

She is now a competitive runner. The season for running is year round, like cheering and we live in a heavy running area so she can literally run every weekend if she wants to. Her coach has 3 sessions that costs $370 for the year, her shoes change every 3-4 months (roughly 300 miles) at $50 ish each so $150-$200 a year in shoes, extras like running lights cost me around $20 and the bulk of her running clothes come from Target so $25 an outfit. In reality she only needs a few because her coach does a yearly shirt plus races include shirts in their race packets. Registration for each race ranges from $15-$20 for 12 and Under. Last season (July-May) she ran 54 races and it didn't even hit $1,000.

In other words, the savings was enormous when she switched sports. When she gets to middle school she'll start going to an out of state summer running camp with her team but that is only $250 plus team gear.

My younger daughter is going onto a mid-season team next month and it'll cost me roughly $500 once it's all said and done. That is about my limit these days---we will never go back to full year, full all-star.

 

[SL&AM]

When I told their parents I was shocked they quit, both laughed and said they chose cars over AS, not HS over AS.

Mine is too young for a car, but our family manages annual passes to Disney World now that the all-star bill is gone. I can't see either of my daughters choosing anything over that right now.

 

[Pebbles49]

I only wish that AS offer more opportunities after they age off... I always wondered if there were some form of college recruitment and/or professional opportunities the sport will have some tangible returns... Why can Worlds be set up as a scholarship opportunity, the winners win some money for school, as opposed to just rings, which most of these athletes already have accumulated material things... If you think about it, even pageants give the winners money, as an additional incentive and the crown too...

 

[SL&AM]

I only wish that AS offer more opportunities after they age off... I always wondered if there were some form of college recruitment and/or professional opportunities the sport will have some tangible returns... Why can Worlds be set up as a scholarship opportunity, the winners win some money for school, as opposed to just rings, which most of these athletes already have accumulated material things... If you think about it, even pageants give the winners money, as an additional incentive and the crown too...

I have a friend who struggles every single year to get her daughter through her season because of money. She does every fundraiser, goes for sponsorship's, started her own business on the side...etc, etc, but money is always tight because of cheer. And I can't help, but think...for what? As a family they give up so much to slave for a sport that gives zero in the long-term.

 

[quitthedrama]

I’m not defending anything here, but you do realize that Varsity is married to a company that typically raises park/hotel prices by a significant amount each year. Toss in the changes Disney made to their park tickets by going to demand day pricing, and no one should be shocked.

And Varsity's excuse for the Majors ticket pricing is what then? I've gotten concert tickets for less.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

And Varsity's excuse for the Majors ticket pricing is what then? I've gotten concert tickets for less.

How high are they?! (They're family only on TicketMaster so you can't browse prices without a code or I'd look.)

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

I only wish that AS offer more opportunities after they age off... I always wondered if there were some form of college recruitment and/or professional opportunities the sport will have some tangible returns... Why can Worlds be set up as a scholarship opportunity, the winners win some money for school, as opposed to just rings, which most of these athletes already have accumulated material things... If you think about it, even pageants give the winners money, as an additional incentive and the crown too...

Me too. With HS, I tell the girls they can work toward an athletic scholarship, maybe to Hawaii (they LOVE hearing that). But with the girls for whom college isn’t an option, it’s hard to sell the why of cheerleading. I tell them to do it so they can develop healthy habits for the rest of their lives (they don’t care about that yet). Or so they can grow up and tell their kids/husbands that they were a national champ cheerleader (they sorta care about that). When I’m really digging for reasons, I just say they should stick to it because maybe they’ll go pro and meet a ball player or segue into modeling. And then I get depressed and take everyone out for Starbucks.

 

[quitthedrama]

How high are they?! (They're family only on TicketMaster so you can't browse prices without a code or I'd look.)

The cheapest seat you can get is $43.10. The most expensive is well over $100. Two years ago the seating was absolutely horrible so I will be there but I'm not going to waste my money buying a ticket this year.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

The cheapest seat you can get is $43.10. The most expensive is well over $100. Two years ago the seating was absolutely horrible so I will be there but I'm not going to waste my money buying a ticket this year.

For $20 more dollars you could have gotten a pretty decent seat at Bruno Mars! Craziness. Do parents have to purchase at same price? Is there a discount?

One of the things that really bothers me me is the cost incurred by the parent to watch their kid is high enough that some people literally cannot go. Or only one of you can. etc.

 

[CLynn]

But with the girls for whom college isn’t an option, it’s hard to sell the why of cheerleading.

Well if you have to sell it, they probably should not be cheering! Mine cheer because they love it and as much as I wished they took to ball sports, they never had great hand eye coordination and they didn't have full bar or beam skills for gymnastics. I was thrilled when they found cheer as a sport that could keep them active and occupied, and while the cost are excessive and ridiculous overall they have developed life skills, experiences and friendships that will last long after they stop cheering. Very small % play sports in college or go pro anyway so that was never our goal.