All-Star Injured Athletes

[a0159945]

Should an athlete that suffered an injury during the season that will force the athlete to sit out for the rest of the competition season still be considered part of the team if they do not still come to practice.

 

[Michael McGahan]

if they don't come to practice..? no. Over the summer , I tore my ACL , MCL , LCL , and destroyed my meniscus and I was still at every practice. I mean , yes it's hard to just sit there and watch but ,it's called dedication.

 

[wcdad]

NO

 

[gi_cheer]

From the point of view of a coach...if they still want to be considered part of the team, they need to come to practice, comps, etc.

 

[SparkleSpankies]

The injured athlete should WANT to be there! If they do not want to be there, in my opinion, they were never part of the team to begin with. So wether they are there or not full time, the desire and drive is what makes this person a part of the team.

We had an injury this season and the persons mother is not really allowing her to come, but my girls consider her part of the team and she wants to be there and keeps in touch, showed up at our holiday party, comes when she is "allowed"! We consider her a part of the team as coaches b/c we miss her spirit and dedication.

On the flip side, a different program had an injury.. the girl never came and then the next season all-star team jumped. I think this is her 4th or 5th team in 4-5 years!! That person was never part of the TEAM!

 

[Emily Jane]

I think it depends how far they live from the gym. Two and a half hours is a long drive to not practise, especially if the athlete themselves does not drive and it is their parent who has to take them.

 

[cheerKT]

In my experience, injured athletes are always the FIRST ones there, helping out myself and the other coach with formations, cleaning, etc. We use them as another person to bounce ideas off of. They were at games, comps, and practices unless they had a doctors appointment. I would not consider them a part of the team unless they made an effort to come to as many things a possible. It's probably time for a phone call to evaluate this athletes dedication to their team.

(Obviously unless they live several hours away. My case is high school so the girls had no problem getting their every day)

 

[christina3655]

i think the general feel is that if an injured athlete at least comes to practice and comps then they are still considered a part of the team..... IMO... at the gym i cheer at..... the injured athletes in our gym are all considered family anyways and its a struggle to get them to STAY OFF the tumbling equipment so that they can heal faster.... we always have to tell them hey get off the track.....stop tumbling...... but other than that i mean how long was the injured person on the team...? were they injured the first week of practice and thats it .... or did they put in all the hard work and sweat and tears just like you did...

 

[kem1129]

i'm in a situation pretty similar to this right now. i got a concussion and its my 5th one so the doctor said i'm out for 6 months which puts me out for the rest of the season and its pretty much decided that i can't cheer again. i've been really bummed out about the whole thing since i found out i cant cheer anymore so i havent been at my teams last few practices, mostly because of time conflicts, but some because i couldnt stand watching and knowing i cant cheer with them again. since i wont be on the team next year, i dont know if i should be with them for the rest of the season or quit for good now instead of after they go to nationals. thoughts?

 

[PCMBelieve:)]

I have a girl on my team who blew out her knee and is waiting on surgery and she's at EVERY practice, she's never missed one... she even flew with us to San Jose and was on the floor when we got our worlds bid! She didn't stunt much but she's dedicated and we have so much respect for her! If you're part of a team and still want too be... then you should be at every practice and comp! if you decide after being injured there's no way you'll recover and have to make the unfortunate decision of leaving cheer then that should be respected too. But anyone who dedicates them self to every practice, competition, team bonding event should be considered part of the team whether they're competing or no :)

 

[Cheer Dad]

I think it can vary depending on circumstance, but the short answer is if they make no effort to attend practices or stay in touch with the team then, no they are not part of the team.

 

[Hodiestoe]

Question then, do your injured athletes still have to pay the monthly fees for coaching or do you let them off for the period that they are out?

 

[Cheer Dad]

Question then, do your injured athletes still have to pay the monthly fees for coaching or do you let them off for the period that they are out?

not a gym owner but it would make sense that if out for a short time then yes, all fees (except maybe comps not able to attend) would still be paid but say if potentially season ending injury then fees would prob drop until such time as athlete could rejoin.

This raises another question though. Regardless of attending practices and events, as long as an athlete is paying while out injured are they part of the team?

 

[cheergirl4444]

if they don't come to practice, no. i think it is crazy they are not there. i had a bad injury my sophomore year and was out for two months. i didn't go to practice for a couple days because it was too hard to watch them practicing and struggling without me. i was a very important part of that routine and they were struggling to find a replacement. when i wasn't at practice almost all of my teammates texted me afterwards and asked why i wasn't there, i had never missed a practice before and even though i was hurt they wanted me there. it was amazing knowing i had the support of my teammates to help me get through my injury. after that i never missed a game, practice, or optional tumbling. i was there every step of the way helping my coach and the rest of my team. i came back just in time for competition season and it was like i had never stopped.

 

[a0159945]

if they don't come to practice..? no. Over the summer , I tore my ACL , MCL , LCL , and destroyed my meniscus and I was still at every practice. I mean , yes it's hard to just sit there and watch but ,it's called dedication.

Average recovery time is 6 month, so you still may have the opportunity to compete. So I agree that you should be at every practice.