All-Star Nca 2016

[HeyMom]

Okay so for a first timer, what are the major things to know?

2 years ago was our first trip to Cheersport and let me tell you no matter how well I planned ahead and all there was NO way to be prepared for that. Last year was much smoother since we'd been before and had a better idea of what to expect and definitely had learned some "Do NOTs".

So are there some major things for NCA?

If you plan to buy any event exclusive NCA swag (shorts/shirts, etc.) do it on the first day, especially if your CP is a youth sized athlete. They run out of stuff very quickly. If your athlete is not performing in the arena and you want to go in there to watch it is easier to find seats on awards day. You may have to start at the tippy top and way off to the side but you can eventually work your way down and around to some pretty fabulous seats.

 

[MzLyn23]

Omg I love that some posted about this already!!! First Timer here as well!!! Airfare booked and hotel booked through the housing thing or whatever cause was told its stay to play... Anywho we will be at the Sheraton!! I'm drying with excitement!!!

I'm dying not drying btw!! Lol

 

[anythingforcheer]

Absolutely love NCA, there is no comp like it. With that said, this year the conditions of the venue were filthy and unsanitary. I hope that the powers that be straighten this out for next year. My only complaint.

 

[lisarenee]

Traditionally with NCA, there have been only two exceptions for you to get a waiver - using hotel points to stay at a certain hotel or you are staying with family or friends in the area. If you are staying using hotel points, they want the hotel information and the confirmation number because they do check. If staying in a private home, they want the address of the place you're staying.

(I'm not sure about getting an employee of a hotel waiver)

We did this last year with hotel points. The process was very easy...fill out a form online (with reservation number) and a few weeks later they email you back with an exception code that you give to your team mom/gym.

I will say, if you are staying far enough away that you need to drive in leave PLENTY of time for parking. On Sunday the garages were full and I had to park 4 blocks away. Luckily my mom was with us, otherwise cp would have been late checking in.

Oh, and don't even get me started on that ice storm. :eek:

 

[uhhlyssa01]

Seems like a lot of people have already booked flights, I certainly hope their gym's don't wait on their registration, otherwise it looks like they may not get in!

 

[crazzyeyesassypants]

Seems like a lot of people have already booked flights, I certainly hope their gym's don't wait on their registration, otherwise it looks like they may not get in!

I wonder if this ever happens? Gyms don't book right away and then nca is full! What would happen then? Are gyms responsible for giving families a refund for booked flights?


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[driverto6]

I wonder if this ever happens? Gyms don't book right away and then nca is full! What would happen then? Are gyms responsible for giving families a refund for booked flights?



I don't expect that ever happens, but it interesting if they tell us that NCA is one of our competitions and we go ahead and book and then they don't register in time....huh...

 

[crazzyeyesassypants]

I've booked our flight and hotel and if we didn't go because our gym didn't register in time I would be livid! Thank God I have full confidence that our gym will register right away...


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[momsy]

Our team parent sent out an email today advising us to wait to book flights until we have our travel meeting, which will be "coming soon." I suspect that it's quite possible for all of the registration slots to be filled the same day that registration opens, and I further suspect there are going to be some very unhappy people because they jumped to book flights before their team's/gym's registration was confirmed.

 

[uhhlyssa01]

I wonder if this ever happens? Gyms don't book right away and then nca is full! What would happen then? Are gyms responsible for giving families a refund for booked flights?


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I'm sure it's gonna happen to someone. I don't know what I would do if I was in their shoes. Unfortunately I feel like if anyone is going to get the boot, it would end up being the smaller gyms and they're probably not going to have the money to refund parent's flights.

 

[quitthedrama]

I'm sure it's gonna happen to someone. I don't know what I would do if I was in their shoes. Unfortunately I feel like if anyone is going to get the boot, it would end up being the smaller gyms and they're probably not going to have the money to refund parent's flights.

I personally wouldn't book a flight this early unless I confirmed with the gym that the competition was definitely on the schedule. I don't think NCA turns anyone away if they have their registration in by the requested date, so the only reason there would be an issue is if the gym was late in turning in paperwork AND the maximum number of gyms had already registered - meaning it would by the gym's error and not NCA.

 

[kaylalalaxo]

For any fly-ins, Love Field is worth paying a little extra. It is closer and far easier to get in and out of than DFW.
Dallas has no clue how to do winter. If it gets below 34 degrees and there is precipitation, the city shuts down. It has happened 2 years in a row but last year was absolutely awful.
If you have a child performing in the arena, you need to get there at least an hour in advance of their performance to get a seat - probably more if they are competing near the "big name teams". "Priority seating" is available but was on the very right of the stage last year, so you are going to want to avoid sitting there. If you have a child performing in the other halls, it is very difficult to get a good viewing spot. Priority is again on the side of the mat. When my CP performed in a hall her team was one of the first to go on. Our parents got there when the hall opened and had the first rows. We gave up our seats to parents of a few other gyms so they could watch from the front and just kept cycling parents through until our kids performed. It would be great if parents would consider doing this. Instead I see a lot of fighting over seats and people saving seats for their invisible friends so they have a place to put their bags and/or not have to sit next to someone. Don't be that person!
Most of the halls are connected - if you are moving from Hall to Hall, travel along the back side rather than exiting one and entering another. The arena is an exception and a separate entrance.
There are a ton of great restaurants - but the convention center food isn't very good and is overpriced. Bring food and drinks with you and save your money for a great meal downtown when you are on your way home/back to your hotel.
I feel like NCA has gone downhill due to the overcrowding and STP, but they do a lot of things right and it is still one of my favorite competitions. According to my kids there is nothing like competing in that arena, and as a parent it is an incredible production (lighting, awards, etc). Even though the Halls aren't quite like the arena, the lighting and awards and how the athletes are treated is top notch.

Hey now, we live in Texas....we do heat, not snow :P lol but really tho people here can't drive in the snow...more like ice, bc that's all we get in the winter.... :(


I plan on taking off work and going (I always say that but I'm realllly making it a point to this next year) so if anyone wants to chill with me in the arena you know where to find me! ;)

 

[Just-a-Mom]

Question about stay to play? ...... a friend of mine at another gym said her and a few other moms booked their own hotel for NCA. They did not like where they were put last year so decided to take care of it themselves. I thought you had to book through connections housing in order to be eligible to compete. They said all they had to do was fill out a wavier?? Anyone know?

I would warn them that hotels for NCA have been known to cancel people's reservations if they don't book through Connections. Did they get an exception? Or are they planning on just hoping no one notices? Because in order to register their athletes for the competition, they will have to say where they are staying. It's all very Big Brother, but they seem to be quite good at figuring out who didn't book through them and canceling those reservations. I've known many people to end up royally screwed because of this (no hotel, end up staying 20+ miles away)

but really tho people here can't drive in the snow...more like ice, bc that's all we get in the winter.... :(

Truthfully, people here can't drive in the snow either.[emoji1] [emoji1] [emoji1] That's not as much of a southern thing as people make it out to be. And I know everyone says, "Well they have plows up north so it's better." Sadly, no. I've literally gone 2-3 weeks without my street being plowed - and I live in the city, not out in the sticks.



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[fullinitup]

What's the site for connections?

 

[crazzyeyesassypants]

What's the site for connections?

2016 NCA/NDA All Star National Championship


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