High School How Much Does Having Front Spots Hurt Your Score

[Doctorcheer]

So our team is going to Nca nationals for the first time ever. I just started coaching this year and this team has "always" had fronts. I want to wean them from this but the other coach insists for the first year down there they have fronts. How much will this affect our scores?

 

[CheerItFullOut]

It chips away at the difficulty score. I would try to take them out If the stunts can go up consistently and smoothly without. (I like to say 3 times in a row is a habit)I have always thought that Front spots are more a "mental safety net"...everyone thinks they are helping way more with the stunt they actually do. a Flyer likes them because she likes to see someone there to catch if they fall forward (a place where otherwise there is a vacancy to fall)so they tend not to self balance and bases feel just because there's and extra hand or arm in the mix there's automatically more force/power/strength/support to get the weight up (in reality... All it takes is good momentum, core force/strength from directly under the stunt (something that a front spot can't really get under from their body position) and pace. (The quicker you get the stunt up the easier it is to keep it there) Keep telling your kids they don't need it... That it's mental (like training wheels). Many front spots actually get in the way of a stunt being executed properly: just... Another variable that can create an inconsistency. Good luck!

 

[Doctorcheer]

Unfortunately I'm the assistant coach and the head coach wants them. I know it's a mental thing and that they are physically capable of doing it without

 

[cheerforeverever]

It is a numbers game. Having front spots (group of 5 vs traditional group of 4) will directly impact your difficulty score in stunting and pyramid. This can also impact your overall impression score as it is a question of " is the full team being utilized throughout the routine?". Example: Team of 11 with 2 stunt groups vs team of 12 with 2 stunt groups, as team of 12 could technically make another group & will more negatively impact

That being said, 2 clean stunt groups performing difficult stunts with front vs 3 bobble/fall prone groups that can only perform shakey basic skills may make it worth it to get a lower difficulty base score with 2 groups as compared to 3 groups with higher scoring potential but lots of deductions that take the difficulty scoring potential away. Especially when you factor in overall impression, clean is crucial. The top teams will most likely be clean AND difficult in their routines however & will most likely not have front spots. Thus it is up to you to determine what would be your team's best chance in terms of scoring.

Judges watch SO MANY routines per division.....1st thing of scoring will be difficulty. The teams that have the skills to hang at the top of the pack will generally all have potential to win, as they are all doing the same type of skills that score in the same high range usually. The judges will ultimately differentiate those teams in that pack by their cleanliness & technique/execution. It is the major factor that will be remembered by the judges on whether the team is really good overall or not, which will reflect in performance & overall impression scores, etc. From there, the best of the best will have some sort of unique and creative elements to their routine to stand out further.

Out of curiousity, what division are you planning on going into?

 

[Doctorcheer]

Thanks cheerforever. We are going into nontumbling advanced. From the videos last year with the stunting skills we should place fairly high even with fronts. Luckily for the pyramid section we have no fronts which will be helpful.

 

[THEFIERCEONE]

So our team is going to Nca nationals for the first time ever. I just started coaching this year and this team has "always" had fronts. I want to wean them from this but the other coach insists for the first year down there they have fronts. How much will this affect our scores?

they dont count against you at high school nationals, theres not a basing score like their is for All-star nationals.