All-Star Junior Teams

[cheer25mom]

My kid is the oldest on a youth team this year. She only makes the cutoff by 6 weeks and will be the only middle schooler on her team. At first she felt like you, but her coach has been using her as a leader on her team, and I think the experience will be valuable for her. She is the go to kid to help the coaches demonstrate a new stunt, grip, or tumbling element for the group, and she has learned that she can be a mentor for younger girls, and because she had been both a base and back spot she can help them figure out what's going wrong with a stunt and how to fix it. Perhaps this is what the coaches had in mind for you?


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[C*A-Shelby K]

Okay here's a personal story that may help: Throughout my years of cheering I went from being one the youngest on a senior team, to being one of the oldest on a team with girls who just aged onto senior team. When I was the young one some of those older girls are still the people I look up too and I still talk to a lot of them! As for your situation of being one of the oldest, I was 17 on a team with 10/11/12 year olds. It was most of these kids who made the team fun and interesting and even with the big age gap I formed friendships with these kids. I also found it rewarding being able to help teach the kids what I know and seeing them grow. I had one flyer who never flew before she was 10 trying to fly level 4. My coach let me and the other senior our group teach her what we know instead of him intervening so that we could build a better relationship with the younger kids on our team to better work together. I still get texts from her mom who thanks me for helping her daughter and being there for her as a friend and as a teammate because she went to a restricted 5 after that, to flying on a worlds team! Now that I'm aged out most of the people I miss the most are those kids who were younger than me. Try to spin the situation and look at it in a new way! Try to mentor the kids, be nice to them and find something to talk to them about. It will make for a better team atmosphere and better results :)

 

[FierceIsTheName]

Okay here's a personal story that may help: Throughout my years of cheering I went from being one the youngest on a senior team, to being one of the oldest on a team with girls who just aged onto senior team. When I was the young one some of those older girls are still the people I look up too and I still talk to a lot of them! As for your situation of being one of the oldest, I was 17 on a team with 10/11/12 year olds. It was most of these kids who made the team fun and interesting and even with the big age gap I formed friendships with these kids. I also found it rewarding being able to help teach the kids what I know and seeing them grow. I had one flyer who never flew before she was 10 trying to fly level 4. My coach let me and the other senior our group teach her what we know instead of him intervening so that we could build a better relationship with the younger kids on our team to better work together. I still get texts from her mom who thanks me for helping her daughter and being there for her as a friend and as a teammate because she went to a restricted 5 after that, to flying on a worlds team! Now that I'm aged out most of the people I miss the most are those kids who were younger than me. Try to spin the situation and look at it in a new way! Try to mentor the kids, be nice to them and find something to talk to them about. It will make for a better team atmosphere and better results :)

I agree with this! I'm on a senior team and while theres a lot of us who are 14-17, theres quite a few younger girls(mostly flyers). The youngest is 9 (almost 10, she gets mad when i say she's 9), but a most of the girls on my team are in 5th grade-7th grade. They are some of the craziest kids ever. They make practice so fun. They say the dumbest things but they are absolutely hilarious.
If I could go back in time, I would've wanted to be on a junior team! I've always been on senior teams, and Junior teams look so fun, and I love backspotting (if they're really small and can't cause big damage to my face.. haha). I get stuck basing all the time (Which im 100% okay with) but I'd love to try to backspot, but always too short.
I think you'll have fun with the little kids! Just try to make it fun :)

 

[nicolee]

It may initially feel awkward to be the oldest on a team, but this is actually a great chance for you to be a leader on the team. Help the younger girls out, build strong relationships with them, show them your maturity, and develop your own leadership skills. Don't think of this like a demotion, think of it as an opportunity. You may really learn something.

 

[SmileyRyleigh]

Parental height is not always a predictor of a kids full grown height and I really don't think coaches should use projections based on it in decision making. I have heard that some gymnastics gyms exclude 5-6 year olds from pre-team invites because the parents are tall - thats really extreme.

this is accurate. My mom is 5'7 and my dad is somewhere around that too and I'm only 4'10, and I'm almost 2o.

 

[AngelsMum24]

So I made a junior 4 team at my gym and I don't really like it because I can't fly and the girls are really little (young and short) I think the junior age range should be changed I have nothing in common with a large part of the team. I try to keep a positive attitude because I loved flying and being on a senior team also basing is not my thing.. help/opinions

Being part of a team means playing your role, wherever it may, that best sets the team up for success. Remember, Junior age division is 14 and under. So if you are 14 or younger, you are on an age appropriate team. Embrace the role you are given because most coaches appreciate a well rounded athlete.

 

[schpo]

A rant:

As the parent of a CP who is not, and probably never will be, a flyer, a few of the posts in this thread are making me angry. CP is not a tiny little slip of a thing. She's strong, but she's not skinny and she's not a great tumbler. She's not flyer material.

But, she has a very important role to play. When people say, "I'm mad because my coach won't let me fly", "It hurt my feelings when my coach told me I couldn't fly", what I actually hear is, flying is the only position that's important and as a flyer, I matter so much more than you.

And that's BS.

Rant over.

 

[dawgshow]

A rant:

As the parent of a CP who is not, and probably never will be, a flyer, a few of the posts in this thread are making me angry. CP is not a tiny little slip of a thing. She's strong, but she's not skinny and she's not a great tumbler. She's not flyer material.

But, she has a very important role to play. When people say, "I'm mad because my coach won't let me fly", "It hurt my feelings when my coach told me I couldn't fly", what I actually hear is, flying is the only position that's important and as a flyer, I matter so much more than you.

And that's BS.

Rant over.

Yes, but you have to remember that most of the time it's kids who have these feelings. It's understandable that flying is coveted because frankly, it looks like the most fun. It's our job as adults to kindly remind them that no one would be in the air if there weren't bases or backs and that you have to do what's best for the team. I think that rants are best kept for adults who should know better than perpetuate these feelings.

 

[CatFan22]

A rant:

As the parent of a CP who is not, and probably never will be, a flyer, a few of the posts in this thread are making me angry. CP is not a tiny little slip of a thing. She's strong, but she's not skinny and she's not a great tumbler. She's not flyer material.

But, she has a very important role to play. When people say, "I'm mad because my coach won't let me fly", "It hurt my feelings when my coach told me I couldn't fly", what I actually hear is, flying is the only position that's important and as a flyer, I matter so much more than you.

And that's BS.

Rant over.

My CP12 flew for 8 years, from the time she started cheer at 4 years old. This year, she is basing. I'm not going to lie, she was upset at first about giving up flying. But it wasn't because she felt it was "the most important spot", it was because LOVES flying. It's fun and she loves the feeling of flying. It's what she's always done. That's hard to give up when it's something you enjoy doing so much. She's embraced her new position basing and is having tons of fun with it, but at times she still misses the feeling of being in the air.

So to say "what I actually hear is, flying is the only position that's important and as a flyer, I matter so much more than you" isn't exactly fair. Not ALL flyers feel that way. Some might, but not all do. Mine certainly doesn't. She just loved the feeling of flying. Much like many athletes who love the feeling of tumbling and miss it when they're away from the gym for a break or are injured and can't. They get the "itch" and want to get back in the gym and tumble. They just miss doing it.


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[schpo]

Yes, but you have to remember that most of the time it's kids who have these feelings. It's understandable that flying is coveted because frankly, it looks like the most fun. It's our job as adults to kindly remind them that no one would be in the air if there weren't bases or backs and that you have to do what's best for the team. I think that rants are best kept for adults who should know better than perpetuate these feelings.

I agree, it's kids that express those feelings. For the most part, parents and coaches do a great job of reminding our kids of the importance of all members of a team. However, my CP isn't dumb. She sees and hears what other girls say about flyers - in real life and on social media - and at her age (11), that has far more impact than what an adult tells her.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

As someone who flew for most of my cheer career (4'11 as an adult, basing was never really in the cards outside of maybe a center prep when I was needed), let me tell you that it's not always the OMGGGG THE MOST FUN THING EVER.

I was center/point a few times and there were times I WISHED I could base because if you're point and you fall, the entire audience or stadium is looking at YOU. The pressure struggle was so real.

 

[retiredl5cheer]

As someone who flew for most of my cheer career (4'11 as an adult, basing was never really in the cards outside of maybe a center prep when I was needed), let me tell you that it's not always the OMGGGG THE MOST FUN THING EVER.

I was center/point a few times and there were times I WISHED I could base because if you're point and you fall, the entire audience or stadium is looking at YOU. The pressure struggle was so real.

THIS. I had some of my most anxiety-ridden moments flying. When I was learning to fly in college, it was not by choice. I BEGGED my coach to let me base again.

 

[Cheermom1969]

Yes, but you have to remember that most of the time it's kids who have these feelings. It's understandable that flying is coveted because frankly, it looks like the most fun. It's our job as adults to kindly remind them that no one would be in the air if there weren't bases or backs and that you have to do what's best for the team. I think that rants are best kept for adults who should know better than perpetuate these feelings.

To be fair, we've seen our share of parents who express basically the same thing in the parents section. They just express it a little more artfully.

 

[cheerisloving]

I remember being 14 in HS and being LIVID that I wasn't a flyer. Until I had to fly last minute and fly in baskets with bases that were not the best. Now in college, I thank god every time we do a 221 or collegiate release moves.

I've loved basing more than I've ever loved my time as a flyer. The pressure was actually the worse and for awhile made me dread practice. Now, it's fun to say "I can fly in a lib, do a full down dismount if needed," but I much rather be on the ground.

 

[dawgshow]

To be fair, we've seen our share of parents who express basically the same thing in the parents section. They just express it a little more artfully.

That was my point. Kind words for kids. Rants for adults. For the record, I agree 100% with the poster that I quoted. I just would have worded it differently. Well, probably not in my head ;)