All-Star New Idea To Boost Participation In All Star Cheer.

[Drkilluzionz]

I like where the idea is going but it would never work in Fl simply b/c South Florida teams wont go to competitions that big name gyms are attending for fear of loosing the athletes they currently have...As is we can't put our name on regional performance orders if we expect to see anyone there when we show up :-/

 

[tumbleyoda]

I like where the idea is going but it would never work in Fl simply b/c South Florida teams wont go to competitions that big name gyms are attending for fear of loosing the athletes they currently have...As is we can't put our name on regional performance orders if we expect to see anyone there when we show up :-/

So for them it isn't the aspect of losing to Top Gun in the competition arena per se, but losing athletes in their program which ultimatley hurts their business from and makes it more difficult for them to grow as a program.

***Not defending it just trying to let others see that it is as much a business decision for some gyms which competitions they attend as a sporting decision***

As an aside I was working a competition one year in SC I believe and when we posted Top Gun was coming to the event we had several programs pull out. We didn't put the states the teams were from, just the team names and divisions on the program. It was Top Gun from Tennessee but they didn't want to take the chance.

 

[HeatUniqueJ]

I have a question: Why are entry fees for competitions so high? (Please excuse this weird question but 139 $ entry fees is so much )

 

[Drkilluzionz]

So for them it isn't the aspect of losing to Top Gun in the competition arena per se, but losing athletes in their program which ultimatley hurts their business from and makes it more difficult for them to grow as a program.

***Not defending it just trying to let others see that it is as much a business decision for some gyms which competitions they attend as a sporting decision***

As an aside I was working a competition one year in SC I believe and when we posted Top Gun was coming to the event we had several programs pull out. We didn't put the states the teams were from, just the team names and divisions on the program. It was Top Gun from Tennessee but they didn't want to take the chance.

I see it as a matter of quality control...some gyms really do put out a below par product but the parents of these athletes don't really know that until they witness better programs first hand...@luvhim381 would you care to elaborate? lol

 

[Cheerlicious]

I think part of the level of participation is due to the costs and travel, but I think at least in our area another issue is the level of commitment required by both athlete and parent. Practice 2-3 nights per week (sometimes more in comp season) for 2-3 hours each time, tumbling classes, choreography weekends, traveling for many weekends to out of state comps etc. This is difficult for many parents who have multiple children as well as many kids not being ready to make that level of dedication to one activity. That is the appeal of the rec teams as they typically are less hours and not a 12 month season like all star cheer.

 

[Keep_Believing]

I have a question: Why are entry fees for competitions so high? (Please excuse this weird question but 139 $ entry fees is so much )

I will say gymnastics comp. fees are similar.

 

[MomOf2ThatsMe]

I have a question: Why are entry fees for competitions so high? (Please excuse this weird question but 139 $ entry fees is so much )

IME competitions with entry fees that high are typically the ones that give out bids. In which case the high entry fees are basically financing the Worlds Bids. And well, the entry fees are $139 because the EP has found that they can charge that much and the little lemmings will pay it...

 

[HeatUniqueJ]

IME competitions with entry fees that high are typically the ones that give out bids. In which case the high entry fees are basically financing the Worlds Bids. And well, the entry fees are $139 because the EP has found that they can charge that much and the little lemmings will pay it...

Okay i see. Well we have one Comp over here that hands out Bids to Worlds ,its probably the most expensive competition we are attending (and the most expensive competition we have in Germany) and we pay 150 Euros (195 dollars) for the whole weekend ,including travel expenses and accomodation. Entry fees are 30 Euros (40 Dollars) . They are only handing out Partially paid bids though. I could never imagine paying 140 dollar just to step on that competition mat. That's insane! How about smaller competitions? Are they a lot cheaper then?
I knew AllStar Cheer in the US was expensive, but i wasn't aware of the actual amount of money which is spent on it Kudos to all those parents who spend their hard-earned money for their children to be able to do this sport!

 

[tumbleyoda]

I see it as a matter of quality control...some gyms really do put out a below par product but the parents of these athletes don't really know that until they witness better programs first hand...@luvhim381 would you care to elaborate? lol

I can see that. I just have a problem lumping everyone in the same boat in any particular situation. Everyone's reasoning - or for some - excuses - are different.

I also think differently. If I owned a gym I would stagger each season with more difficult competition than the previous, but not all at once. It would be important to maintain a balance. Competing locally which is the best advertisement for local marketing, retaining athletes and getting new experienced athletes to consider to try your program. One or two bigger comps and always with a view of the future look and feel of the program. The vision I had for the gym and fulfilling that would be central and not going to competitions just because I could, or because people said we were scared if we didn't go. I would not take my team to CheerSport ATL, Jamfest Indy or NCA to compete until they could handle competing in that type of environment. That does not mean win, but compete as competing in those arenas is totally different than at a local competition. But I would take them the year before as a spectator so they could get the feel of what the event would be like.

Oh and I case I was not clear TG from Tennessee did not bow out. They showed up. Other programs bowed out of the event thinking it was TG from Florida. We also had that happen with a couple of local teams that went our events. If certain local teams showed up you could be sure we would get calls asking to change divisions or to drop the competition. That was with a small company so I know it happens with larger ones.

 

[travnation80]

While I disagree with some of your idea. I like the fact that your actually thinking outside the box and coming up with something. I grew up in South Carolina born and raised so I hear you and I've been in south florida for 9yrs and counting. With pricing in all star cheerleading parents need to really think about outside of the box ways to make money for their kids to cheer. I find it very interesting when people bring this up because i've seen families with other kids that let them play other sports that cost a ton of money but when one of the kids wants to do all star cheer they say they dont have the money. No sport in today's age is super cheap for kids to part take in.

 

[newcheerdad]

The idea in the OP has some merit. As I said in another thread, performing locally can be the best advertisement for your program. And I've always been a big fan of a local/regional/national hierarchical approach to competitions.

That being said, the major barriers to increased all-star participation are cost, time commitment, and a lack of opportunities to participate in the sport as an adult. Parents simply don't want to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a sport if they're not sure their child will like it, especially in a down economy. Kids often drop out of cheer because the time commitment makes it difficult to be involved in other activities. And without the carrot of college scholarships, professional opportunities or Olympic competition - it's hard to convince elite athletes to participate in cheer as opposed to other sports where those opportunities exist.

 

[JulieP]

Ok--so I have shared ideas with Many top gym owners in the country.....tell me what you think of this. I think there should be a USASF sanctioned State Championship in every state----Not put on by these individual companies but the governing body of our sport . If you are a USASF gym you should be REQUIRED to compete (like a High School state event but for All star) and then the "All Levels" championship should be replaced with the winners of each division in each state competing either regionally like all levels is now or the video online grand championships to pick a over all best in each division). You can choose to compete in all the big nationals you wish but the States are required. This would give more prestige to competing locally and give the teams, gyms, or kids who cant afford to travel to a big nationals, etc a pinnacle event and motivate them to get amped up for a local event.-------Personally my gym has between 1000-1500 kids in it taking CHEER or School team classes and only 130 do all stars. ( I can promise you I have never had a kid or parent say they weren't doing all stars because of crop tops but I have had several hundred each year say they just can't afford it.....due to Uniform $300, Comp fees $65-$165 each, Hotel costs $160 a night, Gas (I wont go there), Shoes $70, choreography fees $100-$200 per kid, music fees $50 per kid, etc.) So lets start to promote All Star Cheerleading locally and make it "COOL" to compete locally in every state and have a high pressure---title on the line in each division-- event in each state and give some recognition to local cheerleading. This would boost participation. Thoughts?????

I think the idea behind this is getting the "word out" about cheer and making it accessible to people. I am not sure this competition format would achieve that, but I always love to hear new ideas about growing our sport.

 

[SuzyB]

From my experience, these are the barriers to all star cheer: 1) People think CHEERLEADING and have no idea there is little CHEERLEADING involved. 2) God forbid they see a mini team in crop tops and over done eye makeup-they think Toddlers and Tiaras. 3)They see the fee schedules, calculate travel time and costs, training time and costs and think no way in hell.

 

[acxjags]

Great comments and ideas---keep them coming. I'll just make another statement and try to cover some of the comments thru out the post. As far as Gymnastics being the same price---it is very similar but the number of participants is much higher and the amount of spectators is much higher. Trust me I own an even and I have never charged much over $100 per participant and we do very well----AND I even provide FULL MEALS FOR FREE to coaches all day, First place trophies are about $300 each, we spend $12,000 on trophies, $15,000 on hoodies fofr winners, $7000 on jackets for coaches of winning teams, $25,000 on stage sound and lights, $30,000 for rental of facility, then we host a coaches party for another $6000....then theres employee cost, equip rental and judges pay hotel and travel....the list goes on and on. But we still make out ok with only charging $100 per kid. I think some event are milking the system and they know people will come so they charge what we charge. If there was more emphasis on local events, then maybe less people would leave their own state so often and then these companies would cut back costs to lure people back to their event. Also, I commented about this in my note on Facebook but not here----Larger states have regions and only the winners go to finals ( Just like HS comp) We would need local chapters of Governing body to make this work. Its definitely in the beginning phases and we need all the input we can to see if this could ever become a reality.

As for gym fee's. We charge $100 a month for All Stars---thats it---and that includes all extra practices. Every other fee goes out of our gym and we do not mark up. All fee's are Uniform, practice outfits, shoes, Competition, choreography, music, coaches fee's 9 which go towards hotel, per diem, and travel costs for coaches). My cost to be an All Star for 11 months of about 5-10 hours a week is $1100 a year. The other $2000 plus additional hotel /travel costs is whats keeping people from cheering on All Stars. So Im losing athletes because of costs that I dont even make any money off of for my gym---this puts me in a spot wherre I have to make a decision.....do I let the kid not cheer or do I suck it up amd not charge them to do all stars and they only pay external costs---_Which is a BAD business decision.

Making USASF (or whatever governing body we have) sanction all local state championships is a start to making us lower costs. Keep the ideas coming!!!!!!

 

[garretttt]

LOVE this. It would force all the gyms in georgia to go against each other.

just as long as the columbus civic center is off limits.