cheerdaddy
Cheer Parent
- Jan 24, 2011
- 84
- 100
I think this dead horse has been beaten enough!
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Sure about that? :deadhorse:I think this dead horse has been beaten enough!
How is that better than comical? Either way she is saying that these teams should not be celebrating their win because they were already that level last year.
Sooooo... in all fairness SE should really stop being so happy when they win comps. I mean seriously...weren't they Level 5 last year? It's just foreign and unusual that they keep jumping up and down, all happy about winning all season when they already won those same comps last year, in that same level, with those same girls. (Just being facetious, but does it make sense this way?)
She vary rarely ANYWHERE makes specific comments about any individual children, usually speaks in larger concepts and these types of analogies (which can be taken in many different contexts), but she FREQUENTLY brings inspiration to kids and parents she deals with at all levels.
I don't know Courtney near as well as @StarshipTrooper or many of the other Kernersville parents, but I do know who she is pretty well and I hope you can just take my opinion at face value: Regardless of the analogy she chooses for specific point in her own mind, Courtney and all of the other coaches care a great deal about ALL athletes AT ALL LEVELS. You can see it in their speech and how much they open up their lives and show genuine feeling to each and every athelete wearing a teal uniform, or any other cheerleading looking for guidance for that matter.
I need a job when I retire from the Air Force. What I started Shark Air Shuttle Service (SASS) to get cheerleaders back and forth to their favorite gym?As the parent of a child that has always wanted more progression, but essentially been held back because she was ahead of her peers at our small gym, I highly value the CEA philosophy. What I gathered from the school/ cheer analogy is that if a child has the work ethic and desire to succeed, CEA feels a responsibility to cultivate that. You aren't getting what you're paying for if your child isn't able to learn at her own pace, whether that means to advance each season or be content with status quo.
I am sitting here in Florida trying to invent some kind of instant travel machine to get my 7 year old to NC a few times a week. :)
Courtney's comments below generated some conversation so I copied them below. Instead of hijacking her thread further I thought we'd continue here...
"We think our parents appreciate watching the metamorphosis of the team...and each season we ask our parents to make sure they still stand by this decision. It would be much easier to compete kids at their current level without expecting them to progress."
We think of it this way : If cheerleading were analogous to elementary school, and Level 2 was second grade, Level 3 was third grade...etc...the expectation would be to graduate from one level to the next each season. If we can't make that happen for an athlete and they summarily "fail" their grade and return back to the second grade ( repeat level 2 again )...we failed as their teachers. It is funny to me to see the celebration that exists on teams of athletes who have been level 2 for 3 or 4 years. To us, that is the equivalent of celebrating the same spelling test words for the 4th year in a row and being excited about knowing them.
Courtney's comments below generated some conversation so I copied them below. Instead of hijacking her thread further I thought we'd continue here...
"This is a great question. We are often wondering the same thing. The reality is that in Kville kids don't stay Level 4 very long and with the advent of Mini level 3 and youth level 5, those that come up through our program are true level 5 athletes by the time they are junior age and stay that way. We certainly attract numerous level 5 kids, but mostly our team rosters are FILLED with kids who will be Level 5 whether they are this month or not come October. We think of it this way : If cheerleading were analogous to elementary school, and Level 2 was second grade, Level 3 was third grade...etc...the expectation would be to graduate from one level to the next each season. If we can't make that happen for an athlete and they summarily "fail" their grade and return back to the second grade ( repeat level 2 again )...we failed as their teachers. It is funny to me to see the celebration that exists on teams of athletes who have been level 2 for 3 or 4 years. To us, that is the equivalent of celebrating the same spelling test words for the 4th year in a row and being excited about knowing them. This is not meant to be offensive...just an analogy to see why we do have so many level 5 teams. We feel our parents as our customers are paying for instruction first and foremost...not assembly of skills. This is also why our lower level teams do not achieve the ability to be truly competitive in a division until the end of the season ( when they have actually become level 2, level 3, etc ). It is astounding to look back and see the growth over a season from the Showcase to the last competition. We think our parents appreciate watching the metamorphosis of the team...and each season we ask our parents to make sure they still stand by this decision. It would be much easier to compete kids at their current level without expecting them to progress."
This isn't a beat up on CEA thing. What they are doing is hugely successful for them. As you can see though, reading any suggestion that a child that can't progress to level 5 is somehow failing is a bit of a hot spot for me! :)
:cow:
Award for Oldest thread to be unearthed....1 year 5 months
Ugh I know! And I hate this thread anyway! No kid is a "failure" to me, no matter how long they've been cheering on a certain level...:cow:
Award for Oldest thread to be unearthed....1 year 5 months