WOW. I tried really hard not to post in this thread. I think this is the first time since I joined here that I genuinely feel like I won't be able post without attacking someone personally, because I am so horrified and offended by a couple of things I've read on here. And a couple things I was just shocked that anyone actually thinks that way. So I'm just going to touch on one thing: there have been NUMEROUS posts in this thread stating that Courtney never said the CHILD is a failure for not progressing, but that the coaches and the gym are. Actually she did outright say it (and that's the point I stopped reading the other thread). I've quoted it below and the part I'm referring to is hot pink. Sorry, but I don't EVER want my children to think that if they don't move up a level EVERY YEAR they have "failed" their level (which despite the 6 pages of this thread that say no, no, no progressing means all kinds of things...the original post we are discussing very clearly said that that is what is expected and anything less is a "fail"). The other part that I bolded and made sort of teal left me too stunned to even reply. I'm sorry but that is possibly one of the most offensive things I've read/heard from a coach/owner/director...ever. Sorry, I won't be telling my daughter that she is silly, or "funny", for having the audacity to celebrate her silly little level 2 win
again. Why on earth
wouldn't you celebrate a win at
your level? My daughter is level 2. That's what skills she has. She takes privates, takes classes, never misses practice. She's proud of her skills, and she loves cheering, but she isn't going to be a level 5. So because she actually "failed" and had to stay at the same level for a second year :rolleyes: she and her teammates are "funny" for celebrating when they win?
Wow...and I can't even comment about the (to steal my friend @
Mamarazzi 's word)
foolery I read on page 2 of this thread.
A section of Courtney's original post:
"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"