All-Star National Champs Against No One...

[PullandPray23]

if you really want to control it, call your surrounding gyms and ask where they are going on certain weekends...it helps

 

[icecheermom]

It's a viable topic when it is not so specific to the gym. We have a ton of meaningless jackets from the drought years of youth 4 and 5. We have a few cherished jackets from when the win really meant something. Did I brag when we had no competition ... Yes when we won grand champ, but otherwise no. It was nothing more than a glorified practice but since the event producer wasn't giving back our money, we gladly took the jacket.

I can understand the Youth 4 and 5. Not many gyms can say they have a Youth 4 & 5. You already know you prob will have no comp because there are only a few in that level in the whole country. Those kids are crazy talented!! but to just go non worlds to get a jacket is not cool.

 

[cheerforeverever]

Let's try and keep this thread on the discussion about "teams winning title without other gyms competing......whether you think its right or wrong in your opinion" IN GENERAL and get away from singleing out this one specific team. Discussion is nice, but bitterness/accusation (which is what its coming out as whether it was intended to or not) is not so nice.

 

[cheerymom]

Obviously don't know about your situation specifically but in our area we know each year that there will be comps where not all of our teams will have direct competition. We always attend NCA, Cheersport and UCA where we are sure to encounter a large amount of quality competition. At our uncontested events we work on improvements, try new skills, new pyramids, etc. Gives the kids a chance to perform, get a score, and improve. We recognize it may not be a national level victory, but eventually it will be! :)

 

[ErinS]

You shouldn't drop out of a competition just because you are going against no other team. Its times like this that gives the team opportunity to perfect their routine in front of an audience as preparation for a competition where they do have competition. Let the kid with the hit or miss tuck throw it, let the shaky stunt group that you've turned into nuggets throw their stunt....let them do the pyramid with the harder skills etc.

If they choose to brag about winning or brag about their performance, big deal. Who is it hurting?

What if our 3 or 4 Lg AG Sr 5 teams dropped down to Large Sr restricted just so that they can win a local competition by beating someone?

What if youth 5 teams dropped down to youth 4 and beat the brakes out of the other teams...just so that can have competition.

The cheer world would be in uproar

....At the end of the day I doubt there is going to be a team that goes unopposed all season

 

[icecheermom]

Wonder if we will ever have a rule that you have to perform at the same level all season. We went to Cheersport last year and competed against a team that already had a full paid bid to worlds and went as Senior Restricted. I'm pretty sure they had high point of the entire competition. ugh!!

 

[luscheermom]

They don't have to drop down a level, (or go up) ..or not go to a competition. . They should just get a different title (award) for their performance!

 

[xo sarah]

I get going out there, when unfortunately there is no competition (Umm, hello large senior except for maybe 3 competitions!!)

Except that large senior is only split large/medium if there's two "true" large senior teams & two "true" medium senior teams. So even teams like WCSS, F5, & Senior Elite could compete against teams like FCA, Panthers, Tsunami, Super Seniors, PSS, and so on.

But to respond to this thread, I thought it was kind of odd that Jamfest offered "Non-Worlds" divisions in the first place, like why? If you were good enough in the "normal division" to get a bid, but knew from the start you didn't want to go, just decline it. But maybe it's more geared toward smaller gyms? I know a lot of times smaller gyms don't feel like they can keep up with some of the larger gyms who have a bigger talent pool to pick from (which is why there are small gym divisions now).

 

[kristenthegreat]

Except that large senior is only split large/medium if there's two "true" large senior teams & two "true" medium senior teams. So even teams like WCSS, F5, & Senior Elite could compete against teams like FCA, Panthers, Tsunami, Super Seniors, PSS, and so on.

But to respond to this thread, I thought it was kind of odd that Jamfest offered "Non-Worlds" divisions in the first place, like why? If you were good enough in the "normal division" to get a bid, but knew from the start you didn't want to go, just decline it. But maybe it's more geared toward smaller gyms? I know a lot of times smaller gyms don't feel like they can keep up with some of the larger gyms who have a bigger talent pool to pick from (which is why there are small gym divisions now).

But even still- there aren't a huge number of medium teams either. How many competitions have these kids gone to where there's maybe one or two other teams? Minus the big bid comps, and even THEN you're lucky to get another team. ACA only had, what, 2 teams in Large Coed? Maybe 2 or 3 in Medium AG? You only get competition if they have to combine, and sometimes it's with a team from your own gym?

 

[tumbleyoda]

Except that large senior is only split large/medium if there's two "true" large senior teams & two "true" medium senior teams. So even teams like WCSS, F5, & Senior Elite could compete against teams like FCA, Panthers, Tsunami, Super Seniors, PSS, and so on.

But to respond to this thread, I thought it was kind of odd that Jamfest offered "Non-Worlds" divisions in the first place, like why? If you were good enough in the "normal division" to get a bid, but knew from the start you didn't want to go, just decline it. But maybe it's more geared toward smaller gyms? I know a lot of times smaller gyms don't feel like they can keep up with some of the larger gyms who have a bigger talent pool to pick from (which is why there are small gym divisions now).

Maybe not smaller gyms, but perhaps gyms who are new to the division in general. It is not always about winning a division or losing but about training the athletes. It is one thing to throw your skills in the gym, another to do it at a competition and still another to do it a competition like NCA, Jamfest Indy, and CheerSport ATL with some of the best teams in the world are in front and in back of you. Many gyms can not handle that pressure and crack. Maybe they can do the stunting at the regular 5 level but not the tumbling, or can do the tumbling but not the stunting. Maybe it is for that gym an early preview for the coaches for next year tryouts so to speak. Perhaps a gym doesn't want to be in a Worlds division because they don't want to read the hateful multitude of posts some people will put up about them trying to get a bid when they were not, about needing to drop a level so they could dominate instead, or not compete at certain competitions until they can hang with the big dogs which I personally think is absurd.

There can be many legitimate reasons.

 

[aggie1983]

At first look at this thread, I admit my first thought was why bring up something guaranteed to create drama, then curiosity got the best of me. After looking at the results and the competition there I see why you were incensed, especially IF the gym is touting this as a great achievement, while your gym went head to head with 17 other teams. I have no idea what was going through their mind, but on the face of it, it does look bad. But, why sweat it - your gym and your cp's team know the real scoop, you truly earned your title, just savor it.

On the GENERAL topic raised by this thread: I really appreciated all the comments explaining why some teams would go to comps knowing there wasn't going to be competition on their level (besides the obvious that most teams have already paid long before they know who else is going). It brought up a lot of points I had never considered. Good lesson to not jump to conclusions about motivations.

 

[icecheer1395]

So, I know exactly what gym you're talking about icecheermom and I don't think you explained the circumstances enough. I'll put it in terms so that no team is mentioned. Team A notices Team B constantly changes divisions for every competition, why does team A notice this? they're both in the same town and want to see if they're competing against them and some have friends on team B. At a large competition Team A gets 2nd to a big name gym by less than a point, at the same competition Team B gets 1st, but only because they're not competing against anyone. Looking at overall scores A outscored B by about 6 points give or take each day. Team B blows up facebook about how they won and rubs it in A's face, tells team A they're not nearly as good as them and just overall brings them and the entire organization down. I respect both teams, but I don't think it was necessary for all the bragging and boasting. I really don't mind if someone posts "yay we got jackets!", but when you offend another team, I think it's very disrespectful and shouldn't be tolerated. I know it wasn't the entire team, but still nothing like that should happen, if anything we should be encouraging other gyms whether they're great or not.

I know the overall goal of this thread was to mention the good and bad of going to competitions without anyone in the division, but it seemed like the true situation of the teams icecheermom was talking about wasn't fully explained, which made her sound like a buzzkill to a team's victory. No offense icecheermom, I agree with your posts and you're one of my favorite cheer mom's at ICE:)

 

[ssccxnce]

to be honest i myself cannot stand the idea of being excited over the fact that we got first in a division with nobody let a lone grandchampions in a division where they are by themselves - ex. my old teammate came home from a competition and was all excited posting on facebook about how "we were the best team in our division congratualtions ladies on being the best team in the level 4 division :)!!" i was a little stunned to see this as they were never known to be division champions or grand champions so i looked at the events list and they were the only team the problem i have with everything i guess would be yeah sure you performed great but you are creating this illusion that your gym is the best of the best bragging about it all when in fact its not necessarily the truth, on another note i along with many teammates from a previous gym got quite flustered when we were the only ones in a division as we'd come home people would ask what we placed and we only won by default and yes according to my mother "i am one very individualistic competitive young lady"

 

[MissBee]

I know of teams (All Star and High School) that will enter competitions where they know they'll be the only team in their division, or will be competing against just 1 or 2 other teams. That way, they come home with a top 3 finish. They get the big trophy and the title, but it's meaningless-but no one else know that! They'll say they finished 1st or 2nd or 3rd out of 35 teams (the total number of teams in the whole competition, not just in their division) and since most people don't know how cheer is set up, will really believe that they beat out all those other teams.

 

[SparkleSpankies]

This is why I feel at the end of the day, there are just too many divisions. It's frustrating to me also.

And to the original post, bragging about it can be annoying also b/c seriously you can go online at most competitions and see who the competition was and who you beat to become that "National Champion". Not all comps make you get a certain score....