All-Star Karolyi's Camps ~ Experience Anyone?

[SheCheers]

i didn't know which forum this most applied to, but i was curious if anyone has ever had any experience with Karolyi's summer camps?

A coach that was at my cp's gym (recently left) used to work for/with Bela Karolyi and is working at camp there this summer and contacted me to see if my cp would like to go. I have a feeling, the schedule is not going to work out, but just in case would love to hear from anyone that had some REAL experience there (i've heard plenty of different rumors...LOL).

 

[CheerMomNTx]

I believe @TXcheermom sent her daughter there a couple of times. Maybe she can help you out.

 

[TXcheermom]

yes!!! kayla did go 2 summers in a row. she loved it. but do a cabin that you fill up with your cheerleaders friends. its like one huge slumber party for 5 days! yes they will do some silly dance but they also get to work on thier tumbling. dont expect them to come back with something new but if going to the lake and pool and hanging out with friends while throwing in some tumbling and some dancing is fun for your daughter then do it! ooo and if shes over 12 i wouldnt think it would be up her ally. kayla is 13 now and wouldnt go back just because its a ton of little kids. just fyi

 

[MissBee]

I don't know anything about their cheer camps. I've been to The Ranch numerous times as a gymnast, and then as a gymnastics coach. Let's just say I would never subject my child to that.
But, Marta and Bela aren't looking to making Olympians out of cheerleaders. I think they've jumped on the cheer bandwagon simply for financial reasons.

 

[TXcheermom]

I don't know anything about their cheer camps. I've been to The Ranch numerous times as a gymnast, and then as a gymnastics coach. Let's just say I would never subject my child to that.
But, Marta and Bela aren't looking to making Olympians out of cheerleaders. I think they've jumped on the cheer bandwagon simply for financial reasons.

o wow.... my daughter never complained about bella or marta or any of the coaching staff. maybe caue she went as a cheerleader and not a gymnast but she had nothing but fun there. she met some amazing coaches that she still tays in touch with.

 

[MissBee]

o wow.... my daughter never complained about bella or marta or any of the coaching staff. maybe caue she went as a cheerleader and not a gymnast but she had nothing but fun there. she met some amazing coaches that she still tays in touch with.

Glad to hear it's a more enjoyable experience! Of course, I was at The Ranch as an elite gymnast-fighting for a National Team spot....so it was a much different situation. I had never gone as a "regular" camper.

 

[SheCheers]

yes!!! kayla did go 2 summers in a row. she loved it. but do a cabin that you fill up with your cheerleaders friends. its like one huge slumber party for 5 days! yes they will do some silly dance but they also get to work on thier tumbling. dont expect them to come back with something new but if going to the lake and pool and hanging out with friends while throwing in some tumbling and some dancing is fun for your daughter then do it! ooo and if shes over 12 i wouldnt think it would be up her ally. kayla is 13 now and wouldnt go back just because its a ton of little kids. just fyi

bleh...her coach is saying if she does she'll leave with 5-10 new skills . i'm not sure i trust his assessment. i was looking at the tentative schedule and it looks like they tumble for 6 hours a day! and there's fun stuff thrown in inbetween.

she is 8, btw. and i don't know how many of her cheer friends are coming, he is trying to get a group of them. we'll just have to wait and see, i guess. thanks for your reply!

 

[TXcheermom]

bleh...her coach is saying if she does she'll leave with 5-10 new skills . i'm not sure i trust his assessment. i was looking at the tentative schedule and it looks like they tumble for 6 hours a day! and there's fun stuff thrown in inbetween.

she is 8, btw. and i don't know how many of her cheer friends are coming, he is trying to get a group of them. we'll just have to wait and see, i guess. thanks for your reply!

yes they do tumble 3 hours in the morning and 3 in the later part of the afternoon. but there are sooo many kids and when kayla was there the "cheerleaders" got limited space. alot of trampoline. i can say it helped kayla perfect her double full. but gaining new skills none of her and her friends did. i would say perfected or cleaned up skills would be more like it. but each kid is different and with kayla already having a double there wasnt much more they were able to work with her on. but she had a blast!!!

 

[armycheermom]

I don't know anything about their cheer camps. I've been to The Ranch numerous times as a gymnast, and then as a gymnastics coach. Let's just say I would never subject my child to that.
But, Marta and Bela aren't looking to making Olympians out of cheerleaders. I think they've jumped on the cheer bandwagon simply for financial reasons.

My daughter has worked with Marta & Bela, not at the Ranch, but at other gymnastic events and she told me she would never, ever, go to the ranch! I think that is the reason she retired right before she hit the elite level. I asked her about going as a cheerleader and she looked at me like I had 3 heads! Bela is trying to train Olympians into bring gold to America, so I could understand why the cheerleaders wouldn't see or hear much from him. A gymnastic coach once told my daughter, "I wish I could start coaching my gymnast before birth;then I know we would bring home gold." I guess why the cheerleaders aren't pushed as hard as the gymnast...the coaches probably think it's too late to start training elite gymnast....

 

[JUSTICE]

My daughter has worked with Marta & Bela, not at the Ranch, but at other gymnastic events and she told me she would never, ever, go to the ranch! I think that is the reason she retired right before she hit the elite level. I asked her about going as a cheerleader and she looked at me like I had 3 heads! Bela is trying to train Olympians into bring gold to America, so I could understand why the cheerleaders wouldn't see or hear much from him. A gymnastic coach once told my daughter, "I wish I could start coaching my gymnast before birth;then I know we would bring home gold." I guess why the cheerleaders aren't pushed as hard as the gymnast...the coaches probably think it's too late to start training elite gymnast....

I can appreciate what you're saying. I was at the Ranch for years, and trained with Bela mostly, sometimes a few others, but in the end, this is truely a gymnastics oriented facility. Most of the cheerleaders that come to the camp will learn to clean up their skills, make them look pretty and effortless. As far as learning new skills, it is really up to the child and the deremination that they have and the amount of time they are willing to sacrifice to devote to actually "learning" new skills. From my experience, a lot of time is spent trying to break old or bad habbits, that are preventign, or inhibbiting them from progressing. For a cost vs bennifit assesment, I would say that the Ranch is probably not the best investment for a cheerleader! They are particular to gymnasts and even more so for Elite and Olympic level hopefuls!