All-Star Leaving Gyms Because You Feel You Belong On A Certain Team?

[TheRealAlishaD]

While I can respect both sides of the spectrum, I am always drawn back to the fact that I think this scenario tends to boil down to EGO and not necessarily the ego of the athlete themselves, oh no....it's the ego of the parent. Some parents are just so power driven and egotistical, that they forget to look out for the best interest of the child. And just because Susie is landing on her feet for her full, the fact that her ponytail is scarping the ground as she does it shows that Susie has not mastered this skill yet, therefore, you may not be level 5 ready just yet. Like a previous poster said, some kids tend to think, ok I have my full, so I'm ready for level 5 now. Mind you they can only hit their body positions from a level 1 stunting position (on the knee) or when the backspot is pretty much holding her in the air by her butt. Athletes and parents alike, need to remember and better understand, that when coaches determine team placements, it is based on the entire package of that skill level. Not to mention you have to be able to remember and perform the choreography at a pace that is complementary to that level. If your child can only learn a dance that is 1 hold 2, 3 hold 4, 5 hold 6, 7 hold 8.......I don't think they have the memory retention needed to pick up a true level 5 dance. There's more to it than stunting, jumping and choreography. Even age plays a factor.

In the end, I think the industry needs to do better when it comes to gym loyalty. So many athletes/coaches are ready to gym hop when something doesn't go their way and how can any child progress if they're changing gyms every 1/2 season. I LOVE my gym and wouldn't trade my fellow coaches or athletes for the world and I def wouldn't up and just leave because I didn't get the level/age group that I wanted to coach. I go where I'm needed and that should be the mentality of athletes/coaches in the gym. I am going to go where I am needed and best suited.

 

[cheer97]

i find it humorous, like when i hear a flyer wanting to move up because they got a new tumble skill, yet they still can't hold their body positions on the level they are at. I have friends who are on level 5 teams at their gym but if they tried out at our gym they would probably be placed on a 4. i would rather be on a strong level 2,3,4, or 5 with majority of girls throwing the skill then to just be able to say i'm on a level 5 team and look crazy everytime we take the floor.

 

[Fiercebas]

i hate when people think they deserve to be on a higher level team than they are on and then quit, it actually kinda really bothers me. i feel the coaches know how to best pick who belongs on what teams and if they decide they made a wrong deciison or feel like you improved; then you might get moved up. but dont automatically tryout thinking oh i belong on this team because im soo good. its annoying.

 

[stuntjumptumble]

I also hate when people assume that's the reason you leave a gym. I switched gyms back in october and everyone from my old team thought I was being snobby when I moved to the same level. People are funny :P

 

[cheermommaRN]

I do think that parents have the right to move their kids if they feel that the team they were placed on is not appropriate for their child. For example if my cp tried out at Craptastic All Stars and that year they only have a senior 2 team, I would probably move on to another gym because I don't want my 9 year old on a senior team.

 

[lianne]

my mother absolutely hates tryout time, not because she wants me on a higher team, but she is the one that every upset parent calls to talk to. one parent last year was so upset that her daughter didn't make the senior level 3 team, but if i remember correctly her daughter didnt have a tuck, absolutely required to make level 3, and she didn't have the mental capacity to retain a simple level 2 routine. i was always the one needing to tell her when to clap for the stunt, where she would stand in the cheer formation, and which motion to hit in the dance. her mother would call my mother throwing a fit because her daughter didnt make the level 3 team and my mom would get so annoyed.
IMO what really bothers me is when the actual cheerleader gets upset because of the age category they were out into, like 2 years ago when my friend called me, litterally sobbing, saying she got put on jr 2 instead of sr 2 when she stilll could be on juniors for another 3 years after that. people think after one year in a certian age division they will automatically move up next year, and they dont take into consideration the actual age limits and their age.

 

[Angelica]

I just cant with some parents.

At my gym, were a small gym this happens alottttt. There are some moms that have their daughter in stunting privates and tumbling privates 2 or 3 times a week. I work at my gym and some of these kids are there as much as ME. Literally im amazed at how some parents will act when it comes time for tryouts. YES your daughter can throw a backhandpspring back in her private and her tumbling class and at tryouts but SHE cant a minute into the routine!
& when it comes to myself, I may not be able to tumble like Whitney love, But ill def land my triple toe back and beast my stunts every time you ask me. Now baskets...are another story. :)

 

[stuntjumptumble]

I almost forgot! There was a girl on our junior 1 team. She had never cheered before, and her best tumbling was a cartwheel. So, she belonged on that team. Her problem was that she was 14 and the oldest one on the team. So she emailed the gym owner asking if she could be on my team (senior 2) because she didn't want to be with a bunch of "little kids". She ended up quitting because she was "getting sick a lot"

 

[Katybugmom]

is it bad to want to keep your child down a level. She just got her ro,bhs,tuck during privates but i dont think she is ready for lvl 3. A lot of parents think I should move her up to help make a level 3 team. Shes 9 and it would be a sr coed team which means late practices. But, a lot of girls with less tumbling got moved up. Opinions???

 

[mollymags]

I do think that parents have the right to move their kids if they feel that the team they were placed on is not appropriate for their child. For example if my cp tried out at Craptastic All Stars and that year they only have a senior 2 team, I would probably move on to another gym because I don't want my 9 year old on a senior team.

is it bad to want to keep your child down a level. She just got her ro,bhs,tuck during privates but i dont think she is ready for lvl 3. A lot of parents think I should move her up to help make a level 3 team. Shes 9 and it would be a sr coed team which means late practices. But, a lot of girls with less tumbling got moved up. Opinions???

I think in these sorts of cases it's acceptable or appropriate to leave to seek out somewhere that will offer an age/level appropriate team. It's the parents that leave or throw a fit because they want their level 2 or 3 9 year old placed on a Senior 4 team that seem outrageous. It's awesome to see parents that want their child on a lower level or younger team because they know that that's where they truly belong mentally. I don't think it's out of line at all to want your child on a team that they truly belong on and can contribute to in a great way.

 

[OakleyXO89]

IMO If an athlete feels they deserve to be on a certain team, when tryout season comes around (now / right around the corner) then that is when they should take the chance and see if a qualified coach thinks they deserve to be on that team as well! I hate when people complain that they didn't make the team they wanted to be on just because ITO they thought they belonged on that team, obviously there was something about them that the coach was like hey these 30 something kids rightfully belong on this team instead of you. A coach has the job of trying to fit together the perfect amount of level whatever stunters, tumblers, etc. on a team in order to make that team as competitive as possible and let's face it we can't all be perfect all around cheerleaders! So unless you are that perfect cheerleader with the perfect personality, schedule, ability to juggle cheer and your school work and attitude, you do not have a rightful spot anywhere!

 

[cheermommaRN]

I am probably in the minority of parents who would try to keep their 9 year old on a lower level, even if she had the skills for a higher team (if it wasn't age appropriate). I was on the fence about her even being on a Jr team but since there were a few other little ones her age it turned out okay. It probably would have been different if it was just her and a bunch of 14 year olds. Part of the fun of doing a sport is the journey...I would rather her do a level a year or two and then move up. That way she makes memories with friends and gets to experience all the levels! I'm sure kids on level 5 teams do the same but competing level 5 for most of your time in has to get boring after awhile....or not.

 

[jcheermom]

What irks me is that tryouts are right around the corner and there are clueless parents out there that have already laid it out there and have said 'If Suzie and Janie don't make the Worlds team this year, we are not coming back!' And it kills me because these are both families with more than one child in the gym and, face it, they didn't make it on the Worlds team last year, and their skill level hasn't changed or it has improved slightly, why would you make that ultimatum be known? Is knowing this going to change where the coaches place your children after tryouts? They already know your children and they know their skills, so tryouts are a formality for athletes' team placements.

 

[jcheermom]

Another pet peeve that I have is when right before tryouts, athletes who have not done ANY tumbling in the routine during the previous competition season because they have 'lost their tumbling', decide to get private lessons to get their tumbling back so that they can tumble for tryouts so that they can make a Worlds team-just like they did before last year's tryouts. They will then tumble at tryouts and make a Worlds team and once practice starts, the tumbling will end for those few individuals. Not fair for those who work hard all-year-round, especially those who have to throw multiple tumbling passes in the routine to make up for those who won't throw the tumbling that they had when they tried out for the team.

 

[Cheer-ful Mom]

I agree that often times it seems to be the parents who think that their child belongs at a certain level. In my mind, I don't want my CP to just "have" a skill but I want for that skill to be well executed. I think many of the parents don't realize that not only does their child need to have the skill but it needs to be GOOD and landed solidly before they really should get put up to that next level. My daughter's been learning her full & she's decent at it but is not good at jumps to tuck. I'd rather see her be a solid level 4 then move into level 5. Take a year - work on skills - add to your specialty tumbling skills. At 13, there's still plenty of years ahead. Why rush a good thing?