All-Star If My Cp Has Talent Should I Go To A Stronger Gym Or Stay Loyal To My Small Gym??

[Fameous MOM]

Kiana is always telling me about the J's..lol..we have names for them all! Big Bro J, little J, sassy J and baby J! Lol..we love your kiddos! :)

LOL you hit Jordan on the head with sassy J!!! We love you guys too!!! Maybe we will travel to NCA one season to come visit!!!

 

[armycheermom]

LOL you hit Jordan on the head with sassy J!!! We love you guys too!!! Maybe we will travel to NCA one season to come visit!!!

That would be great! Well have to set up a meet one day!

 

[juscheerthatisall]

There are many diff ways to "outgrow" a gym. Ppl keep commenting on skill but that is not the end all be all. Some gyms only do small comps in schools and gyms, some only do local comps, some don't have the same amt of seriousness and work ethic. I know families that have switched gyms bcuz their child wanted to compete against more competitive teams, bcuz their child wanted to travel or bcuz their child needed to be pushed. Not being the big fish is sometimes a great thing I know a girl that had excellent layouts and refused to throw her full without a spot, she switched to a gym with a youth 5 team made the team and was throwing in less than a month. There is no one answer, I also know several kids who switch to bigger gyms and regret it everyday. U have to really think about what ur reasons are for wNting to sw

 

[juscheerthatisall]

There are many diff ways to "outgrow" a gym. Ppl keep commenting on skill but that is not the end all be all. Some gyms only do small comps in schools and gyms, some only do local comps, some don't have the same amt of seriousness and work ethic. I know families that have switched gyms bcuz their child wanted to compete against more competitive teams, bcuz their child wanted to travel or bcuz their child needed to be pushed. Not being the big fish is sometimes a great thing I know a girl that had excellent layouts and refused to throw her full without a spot, she switched to a gym with a youth 5 team made the team and was throwing in less than a month. There is no one answer, I also know several kids who switch to bigger gyms and regret it everyday. U have to really think about what ur reasons are for wanting to switch and then do what's best for you and your cp. I don't agree with the while "she's young" theory u don't want to look back when shes 13 and wish she had left earlier bcuz now you find out her "amazing" full is only good enough for an open team. Talk to your coaches a good coach will tell u when its time for her to move, I have always been honest with my parents some ppl made good dec in moving some made bad. Don't let anyone make u feel bad about ur decision when I switched gyms as a coach I got a lot of kickback but I made the decision for me, As i was one of the most experienced coaches in my prog, i wanted to be challenged more, and work with ppl that knew more than me. Very happy with my decision, I have learned soo much. and when it is time for me to move on to an even bigger gym (we are still a small gym just a lot more skilled and we do compete at big comps) I will make that move with no regrets as well.

 

[Born2Tumble]

I am speaking from experience when I give this advice. My CP switched gyms because she was hitting a brick wall: the level 5 sr team was not dedicated enough to satisfy her and was not goal driven to work toward getting a bid to worlds, something that she wanted; too many athletes not serious enough to be on a level 5 worlds team and she was not interested in staying at that gym if they didn't have the same goals as she did. So we researched gyms and found one that would meet her needs: a level 5 worlds team that practiced 3 days a week, competitions that included out of state competitions and more than just small local competitions, tumbling incorporated into practices but also additional tumbling classes available, and she would not be the best tumbler in the gym-she would have others who had better skills than her that she could work toward, which she really wanted to have in her gym. Regrets, yes, that we had not switched gyms SOONER than we did and now that she is a senior, she wishes she had switched years ago, as she feels that there were many wasted years at her old gym, years that she could have been gaining and growing at this new gym. I'm not saying do it now while she is 9, but definitely do some research and make the decision before you begin to procrastinate and don't go when you think it's not a good time, or she doesn't want to leave her friends, or it's too much money, or it's too far to drive: those were all of our reasons. And in the end, she made even more and better friends, the drive isn't that bad, and it isn't that much more money and it is really worth CP's happiness and satisfaction with being at a place she loves with friends that she loves and with coaches that she loves. It really was a great move and I don't regret it for one second!!

Again, it is awesome hearing this from someone that has actually experienced this situation and dealt with it. If we leave now, later, or never I just fear the most having to look back and regret my choice. I completely agree with you saying everyone is basing my reason off of skill, which yes some of that does influence my choice but it would be nice to have out of state competitions, more practices, and so on! I even spoke with my CP this evening and asked her would she prefer to be "a big fish in a little pond" or be among a lot of great cheerleaders with skills similar or better then hers. Her response was "I would like to be with girls better then me because it makes me want to work harder and be the best" <-- pretty strong words for a 9 year old!!! :)

 

[SuzyB]

SWITCH NOW! When you are young you have fewer distractions, and I swear you can get your skills easier at a younger age-although it takes years to perfect the skills. At a larger gym she will become humble because she won't be the best, and have great opportunities to learn a lot at a young age. Plus, at a larger gym there are so many kids she can meet and imo much better training. You must realize when you switch, your cp will most likely be on a lower level than you might expect. They need to make sure she throws her skills in comps and in tryouts. Also, just because she has one L5 skill does not guarantee she will be on that level. We switched when my daughter was 8 and am grateful we did. She had a full, but her technique wasn't great and they had to reteach her how to do things so she would progress. They did not put her on the J5 as I had hoped, but she got there eventually. I only wished we had switched sooner. Anyone out there regret switching from a small gym to a large gym?

 

[cheerfan27]

I'd like to meet the 9 year-old that is mature and experienced enough to even begin to process what it really means to be "the star" and all the pressure and negativity that comes with notoriety.

I was responding to the post below. Her mom can use what ever term as long as she understands the concept.
@fameoumom.....yes see thats the thing she loves all the attention she recieves because she is one of the best in our gym however it would be nice to train with the best of the best! BTW congrats on your CP and her skills:)

 

[Deleted member 11199]

Ask her what he/she thinks..... But i would think go to a different gym. I have had friends that have run into the same problem and they ended up moving and it worked out for them :) But really, it just depends on what your cp wants to do :)

 

[PullandPray23]

let her cheer at a small gym for now...she can be a cheerlebrity tomorrow.

 

[TheUltimateFan]

I am curious if she has worked predominantly with one coach who has brought her this far? If she has, how much further can this coach take her? We've been with both small and large gyms and the difference we saw was in the commitment of her coach to her success, and the in-depth understanding of what motivated my daughter that only comes with time and one-on-one attention. I think you lose at least some of that when you go to a larger gym where a younger cheerleader is just another fish in the potential Level 5 pool. It just isn't physically possible for one coach to spend as much time and energy on one dedicated child out of 500 as it is one out of 50. And one coach in a larger program seldom has the continuity with your daughter from year to year.

IMO if your daughter has that strong relationship and she reaches the limits of what her coach can teach her, a really good coach will tell her when it is time to move on.

 

[Born2Tumble]

I am curious if she has worked predominantly with one coach who has brought her this far? If she has, how much further can this coach take her? We've been with both small and large gyms and the difference we saw was in the commitment of her coach to her success, and the in-depth understanding of what motivated my daughter that only comes with time and one-on-one attention. I think you lose at least some of that when you go to a larger gym where a younger cheerleader is just another fish in the potential Level 5 pool. It just isn't physically possible for one coach to spend as much time and energy on one dedicated child out of 500 as it is one out of 50. And one coach in a larger program seldom has the continuity with your daughter from year to year.

IMO if your daughter has that strong relationship and she reaches the limits of what her coach can teach her, a really good coach will tell her when it is time to move on.

Since we started she has had various coaches (4 total) however, currently she has a male coach who really pushes her and has shown a strong interest in her talent. I see what you are saying about not getting that 1 on 1 attention from a coach, that is actually something very important to us that I had not considered before! Thank for sharing your comment! (:

 

[Mo-Lissa]

I totally can understand your dilemma. I have a daughter with higher end level 5 skills, though every day the cheer world keeps raising the bar!! We are with a smaller gym, and she absolutely loves her small gym. I do see kids leave there gyms for bigger programs ect. But she stuck it out and this year was blessed with our first level 5 team. My daughters goal is to be on the floor at worlds in our cheer uniform. To her that means more than showing up at a tryout with a team that always gets the big gym name bid. She wants her gym program to succeed. She tells me when she goes to college, thats when she gets to pick her team. Her gym now is her family and have made and molded her to who she is. She likes to be a role model to our younger kids in the gym, and help them improve. We are only a 5 year gym so take that into consideration too. If your gym is a newer gym, in 3 years when your child is 12 you could have others improve to the level 5 skills. Follow your heart, but sometimes shining at a small gym is a good thing too. PS...My child does do individuals to show off her skills and has really enjoyed that. If your teams do Battle at the Beach, or War of the Stars they both have really nice individual competitions the day before teams compete. That might be an option she enjoys, and use her higher level skills. I am also from NC, so I thought those competitions might be close for you, if you would like to take her to watch this season.

 

[Born2Tumble]

I totally can understand your dilemma. I have a daughter with higher end level 5 skills, though every day the cheer world keeps raising the bar!! We are with a smaller gym, and she absolutely loves her small gym. I do see kids leave there gyms for bigger programs ect. But she stuck it out and this year was blessed with our first level 5 team. My daughters goal is to be on the floor at worlds in our cheer uniform. To her that means more than showing up at a tryout with a team that always gets the big gym name bid. She wants her gym program to succeed. She tells me when she goes to college, thats when she gets to pick her team. Her gym now is her family and have made and molded her to who she is. She likes to be a role model to our younger kids in the gym, and help them improve. We are only a 5 year gym so take that into consideration too. If your gym is a newer gym, in 3 years when your child is 12 you could have others improve to the level 5 skills. Follow your heart, but sometimes shining at a small gym is a good thing too. PS...My child does do individuals to show off her skills and has really enjoyed that. If your teams do Battle at the Beach, or War of the Stars they both have really nice individual competitions the day before teams compete. That might be an option she enjoys, and use her higher level skills. I am also from NC, so I thought those competitions might be close for you, if you would like to take her to watch this season.

Really enjoyed reading your comment! That is always in the back of my mind wondering should I just stick it out in hopes that our gym makes a night/day change. I believe in them I really do, owever its hard to play russian roulettee on your kids future LOL! Thanks for sharing your comment with me (:

 

[cheermommaRN]

I would say switch now also. For two reasons...1. She will learn how to do things the way the gym wants her to. Every gym has a preference on how they like their teams to look, whether it be motions, transitions, hair flips, ect. 2. My cp was a competitive gymnast until we moved to Texas, she thrives in situations where she is pushed. If your cp is the same, eventually she will get tired of the other kids not taking it seriously and get bored.
She may not be Y5 yet but she is a strong level 4 and would have a better chance of finding a Y4 or J4 at a bigger gym.

 

[Born2Tumble]

I would say switch now also. For two reasons...1. She will learn how to do things the way the gym wants her to. Every gym has a preference on how they like their teams to look, whether it be motions, transitions, hair flips, ect. 2. My cp was a competitive gymnast until we moved to Texas, she thrives in situations where she is pushed. If your cp is the same, eventually she will get tired of the other kids not taking it seriously and get bored.
She may not be Y5 yet but she is a strong level 4 and would have a better chance of finding a Y4 or J4 at a bigger gym.

Thanks for your advice!! Everyones just giving me so much to think about and consider :)