I can't think of a sport where coaches say, "let's put together a mediocre team and hope they progress to the point we need them by playoffs." I actually think cheer has done a great job to make it as fair as possible for the small gym, as well as, the large gym. The issue I see in the gym from a large percentage of parents is they can't look beyond their child's individual skills to see the team or their competition. How often do we hear someone say, "If my child doesn't make team X, I'm not paying for another season?" or "I'm taking their phone until they throw their ____ so they'll be on team X." Yet, everyone can admit on the outside, the 6' back spot on an all girl lvl 3 team who doesn't tumble may be more valuable to a coach, than a 4'6" non-flying child with lvl 3 tumbling.