All-Star Is All Star At The Proverbial Fork In The Road?

[ScottyB]

Most high-scoring tumbling passes in AS are obsolete in college. Most high scoring college stunts are not legal on level 5.

Different floors mean different passes too. Doubles were removed from college due to injuries and sloppy routines. Level 5 skills are for HS aged athletes, so once you have completed your HS/Level 5 career, you move on to college and learn new and harder skills. Level 6 allows those skills too because most L6 teams consist of college age or older athletes.

 

[ScottyB]

Ex: At this time, you don't see the former AS kids on A&T teams selling signed jerseys and such (which is not allowed per NCAA I don't think) or college athletes doing meet and greets while affiliated with college teams (ex: How many UL girls do you see doing meet & greets in Daytona now?)

This gets into stuff the NCAA is dealing with now. If you signed and sold bows during All Star and then went to NCATA and competed as a student athlete, that would potentially be a violation and could ruin a team's season (during or after it) or could make that athlete ineligible.

 

[SL&AM]

This gets into stuff the NCAA is dealing with now. If you signed and sold bows during All Star and then went to NCATA and competed as a student athlete, that would potentially be a violation and could ruin a team's season (during or after it) or could make that athlete ineligible.

I didn't realize how crazy the rules were until it was debated why Kyla Ross didn't go pro after the Olympics like everyone else.

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

I do wonder if "cheer fame" will start to invade the post-all star world (ex: A&T and college athletes.)

Ex: At this time, you don't see the former AS kids on A&T teams selling signed jerseys and such (which is not allowed per NCAA I don't think) or college athletes doing meet and greets while affiliated with college teams (ex: How many UL girls do you see doing meet & greets in Daytona now?)

Are "cheer famous" college kids going to become a thing as the current crowd of kids from high-profile teams heads off to college? Will we start to see college kids signing bows and selling scented ones?

I doubt that your average college cheer or A&T coach is going to support that, but you never know.

You'd hope a lot of these athletes would give up their cheer fame activities if it meant they could be on an NCAA scholarship. If cheer did become an NCAA scholarship sport, these people who want to sell bows and make money off their cheer fame would probably have to give up their amateur eligibility, just like the gymnasts have to decide if they want to go pro and sell leos and do endorsements.

 

[ScottyB]

I didn't realize how crazy the rules were until it was debated why Kyla Ross didn't go pro after the Olympics like everyone else.

Exactly. The eligibility rules are deep and murky for sure!

 

[cheerisloving]

Different floors mean different passes too. Doubles were removed from college due to injuries and sloppy routines. Level 5 skills are for HS aged athletes, so once you have completed your HS/Level 5 career, you move on to college and learn new and harder skills. Level 6 allows those skills too because most L6 teams consist of college age or older athletes.

Different floor is a problem too. Dead mat is no joke, and if you're not ready for that stress on your body, it can be tough.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^^^Yep. I have seen kids whose highest pass in all star is a full or layout, but when they come in for school cheer clinics are scared to even throw a running BHS on the dead mat (which is why I recommend doing some dead mat open gyms somewhere prior to tryouts, so that the first time you tumble on dead mat IS NOT at your clinic or tryout.)

 

[cheerKT]

This gets into stuff the NCAA is dealing with now. If you signed and sold bows during All Star and then went to NCATA and competed as a student athlete, that would potentially be a violation and could ruin a team's season (during or after it) or could make that athlete ineligible.

But is NCATA governed by the NCAA? I didn't think the NCAA would be concerned about what NCATA athletes did in their allstar career as I was under the impression NCATA and NCAA are separate. I suppose they do have to keep their amateur status since they still receive scholarships but I wasn't sure if the NCAA was involved with that.

 

[Official OWECheer]

I think it should stay split including a heavier influence on difficulty. Creativity should matter but not as much as execution. I don't want to see the current layout change though (time of routine, etc). I also think the uniforms should have a clear distinction as allstar instead of college or high school, but not a ridiculous amount of mesh cutouts etc.

From my observation, there isn't enough emphasis placed on the proper execution of skills; there is no reason in my mind that anybody should score zero deductions when their legs come apart in their handsprings (let's be honest, EVERYONE is guilty of this), or they make other technique mistakes.

 

[Official OWECheer]

But is NCATA governed by the NCAA? I didn't think the NCAA would be concerned about what NCATA athletes did in their allstar career as I was under the impression NCATA and NCAA are separate. I suppose they do have to keep their amateur status since they still receive scholarships but I wasn't sure if the NCAA was involved with that.

As far as I know, nope. The USAG sanctions it, though.

 

[ScottyB]

But is NCATA governed by the NCAA? I didn't think the NCAA would be concerned about what NCATA athletes did in their allstar career as I was under the impression NCATA and NCAA are separate. I suppose they do have to keep their amateur status since they still receive scholarships but I wasn't sure if the NCAA was involved with that.

At the moment no, if they become an NCAA sport (which is the end game for cheer as a sport in college), then yes

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Question: Are A&T athletes allowed to continue to compete in all star cheer as well (like folks do with college cheer and IAG/IOC teams?) I know it is likely impossible to do both schedule-wise and training wise, but is it technically permitted? Or does NCATA prohibit that?

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

As far as I know, nope. The USAG sanctions it, though.

Isn't NCATA what Kiara Nowlin and that girl from CEA do at Baylor? I thought they were on sports scholarships? Doesn't a sports scholarship = NCAA in D1-D3 college?

 

[catlady]

Isn't NCATA what Kiara Nowlin and that girl from CEA do at Baylor? I thought they were on sports scholarships? Doesn't a sports scholarship = NCAA in D1-D3 college?

 

[Carson92]

There is a part of me that will always love the flash (sparkly uniforms) and sass (big hair and big bows) that all-star cheer possesses...however...I just think it's gotten out of hand. The "fierce" obsession, in my experience, is what has made this sport unappealing and tacky to outsiders. If I see one more group "wall picture"...well....

There's so much emphasis on getting that fierce hair whip, snap, clap bippity bop business in..people have stopped paying attention to executing the skills with solid technique. Although I want to see everyone go out there and perform their butts off and own the stage, I just feel it's more important to have the technique be the main focus, esp. for future health.

I wholeheartedly disagree that AS will have to go in one direction or the other...there definitely was a time when teams put on amazing dances, performed new incredible skills etc. and we all weren't jumping saying this isn't even really AS cheer anymore. Somehow, we let AS slip into even more ambiguity. I believe we can evolve, and still have our unique sport without having to split or get too far away from the foundations in which AS was created.