All-Star Only Seniors Can Expose Midriff???

[vanessa-]

Just throwing this out there, but as a high school cheerleader, we don't have the option of crop tops so it really is a privilege for you guys. We've never had any kinds of problems with them. And if you're looking to cheer in college I don't think I could name one that wears exclusively crop tops...

 

[12stepCheermom]

I thought about this thread the other day. There is a discussion buried in here somewhere about what's appropriate in different venues and as we're eyeball deep in the cheer industry half tops and what some unis look like are just the status quo...but that doesn't mean you should go out in public (in a non cheer environment) wearing it.

So here's why I thought of it.

We're at our local college player summer baseball league game the other night (we're hosting three of the team so we were watching our "summer sons"). The promotion that night was "Gastonia's got talent" and between innings people perform quick little things and the crowd votes (small brag---Aviator isn't allowed in this competition anymore because we won it every year, now we just do their opening and closing night :D)

So there are dance teams performing. They were just fine. Tank tops and shorts, or tees and shorts. Perfectly appropriate. Then in one of the later innings comes a girl who looked to be from pageant land. They didn't announce her associated with a dance program. She couldn't have been like 4. She had a little 4 year old-ish boy she was dancing with.

It. Was. Maddness.

She's wearing a micro crop top and short skirt with bling (which at a cheer competition wouldn't have really struck my attention one way or another...but this is a BASEBALL GAME) and she's bumping and grinding with this other little 4 year old-ish boy. I saw a few teams do a few of those bump/grind moves this past year and while it raised an eyebrow I forgot it as soon as I saw it. Not here.

OMG. It was horribly inappropriate. Not only the style of dance but I couldn't get over what she was wearing...looking around, neither could anyone else in the grandstands. They were in shock. Again, not something that would've flagged on my radar inside a convention center with thumping music, screaming priority seating and multitudes of kids in half tops, but I saw the looks on everyone's face - including my own - it was the first time I saw "us" (or what could be closely related) from an outsiders point of view. It wasn't pretty.

 

[Sassy'sMom]

If someone can give a legitimate reason to KEEP crop tops, that would be interesting...

My daughter wore a crop top last season (her first in any form of cheer) and found it less distracting to tumble in than a full length top. With full length she was always feeling like she needed to pull it back down and adjust it. She said the crop top stayed put. The key to this is that her uni was a proper fit.

I do agree there needs to be enforceable guidelines as far as how much space between the top of their skirts and the bottom of the crop top as well as the length of the skirt. At a competition in West Palm Beach, we saw a lot of the South Florida teams wearing unis that the skirt didn't cover their bottoms and their tops were mere <sp> scraps of fabric that barely covered their (would be) breasts on the little girls and barely contained the more well-developed girls. IMO that shows me a lack of judgment and taste on the part of the gym owner that they would put their athletes in such miniscule unis.

At this point, everyone is going to argue their pov, but the bottom line is this.... USASF needs to pay a little attention to the preferences of the athletes/parents who put the money inot their organization, have across the board guidelines that allow crops and enforce them (have officials whose job it is to monitor unis when the athletes go back for warm ups with the guidelines being easy enough to eye out without running around with a ruler), and most important of all penalize ONLY the gyms who violate the rules.

This is just my opinion as a second year cheer mom of a 9 year old, so take it as you wish.

 

[MomOf2ThatsMe]

At this point, everyone is going to argue their pov, but the bottom line is this.... USASF needs to pay a little attention to the preferences of the athletes/parents who put the money inot their organization, have across the board guidelines that allow crops and enforce them (have officials whose job it is to monitor unis when the athletes go back for warm ups with the guidelines being easy enough to eye out without running around with a ruler), and most important of all penalize ONLY the gyms who violate the rules.

This is just my opinion as a second year cheer mom of a 9 year old, so take it as you wish.

It will never happen. The USASF isn't nearly as big as many people think, cannot afford to staff the door to be the uniform police, and quite frankly the EP's don't want the USASF chasing gyms out of their competitions. Kids = money. EP's know that if they penalize Sally's Allstars at their competition over uniforms, Sally will take Suzie and all 175 of her closest friends to a different EP's competition next year, thus losing out on thousands of dollars. Not to mention the money USASF will lose when Sally decides she doesn't want her gym to be a member gym anymore, and doesn't really care since she doesn't have a level 5 team anyway, and had no plans to take her teams to the Summit anyway because it's clear across the country.

 

[Cheerforme]

So a 10 yr old on senior can wear a crop but a 14yr old on jr can't? Wow that rule really made a difference... Lol. This rule is a total joke, if you don't want to wear a crop don't go to a gym that wears them. I hate this rule, and my daughter is 9.

I didnt think a 10 year old could even be ON a senior team?

 

[Sassy'sMom]

It will never happen. The USASF isn't nearly as big as many people think, cannot afford to staff the door to be the uniform police, and quite frankly the EP's don't want the USASF chasing gyms out of their competitions. Kids = money. EP's know that if they penalize Sally's Allstars at their competition over uniforms, Sally will take Suzie and all 175 of her closest friends to a different EP's competition next year, thus losing out on thousands of dollars. Not to mention the money USASF will lose when Sally decides she doesn't want her gym to be a member gym anymore, and doesn't really care since she doesn't have a level 5 team anyway, and had no plans to take her teams to the Summit anyway because it's clear across the country.

In line with that way of thinking, the gyms that are truly dead set against these uniform regulations could do the same thing. And there are far more gyms and athletes, etc against requiring the full top and other restrictions than there are who would get a penalization for a too skimpy uniform. As for the staffing, you would only need a couple people at the entrance to the warm up area who are keeping a general eye on the uniforms, or make the judges ding them on the score sheets for a too skimpy uniform, if that is truly the issue they are trying to address. JMO

 

[gymrat12]

I didnt think a 10 year old could even be ON a senior team?

on levels 1-4 they have a bottom age of 10.

ETA: I always forget that 5R even exists... sorry :)

 

[Nothanks]

I didnt think a 10 year old could even be ON a senior team?

on senior 1-5R they can, just not senior 5.

 

[cheernerd5678]

A lot of people say that if you don't like crop tops, go to a different gym. but where i'm located that's not an option. all the gyms within 2 hours wear crop tops, and one person isn't going to change it. I'm sure that's the case with a lot of people.
I agree that the little ones don't need to be wearing crop tops, but I think Juniors should be allowed to wear them too.

 

[MomOf2ThatsMe]

In line with that way of thinking, the gyms that are truly dead set against these uniform regulations could do the same thing. And there are far more gyms and athletes, etc against requiring the full top and other restrictions than there are who would get a penalization for a too skimpy uniform. As for the staffing, you would only need a couple people at the entrance to the warm up area who are keeping a general eye on the uniforms, or make the judges ding them on the score sheets for a too skimpy uniform, if that is truly the issue they are trying to address. JMO

A lot (not everything) in this sport boils down to money. Again, EP's are reluctant/unwilling to police uniforms because they don't want to scare off business. As well, the USASF has no control over EP's scoresheets, and cannot make anybody ding a team for their uniform. OTOH, USASF want to grow the sport. It is no big secret that the public perception of this sport is not great, partially due to stereotypes and partially due to the uniforms. Whether we like it or not, there are plenty of parents of girls who outright refuse to allow their daughters to participate solely based on the uniform itself. The definition of being "too skimpy" is subject to interpretation, and thus the USASF decided to hand down guidelines that don't really seem like they are too questionable. With that being said, USASF likes money too. I do not think that this was a decision made in haste, as they knew it would be unpopular, however, they view it as necessary for growth in the future. I am sure they knew their decision could have unintended consequences such as losing members, thus they had to determine that the risks involved in handing down such a rule would be outweighed by the benefits and meeting their overall goals.

I am neither for nor against the rule, as the opportunity to wear a croptop uniform and big sparkly bow was not what drew my daughter to participate in Allstar Cheer. And being unable to do so in 2015 will not drive us away.

 

[Keep_Believing]

Sorry, I haven't taken the time to read the whole thread, but I have a question. I saw Austin cheer factories new uniform. Not sure how to describe it, It does not have an open cut out that exposes skin, but has a sort of see through mesh to cover the stomach area. Will this be allowed with the new rules?

 

[MomOf2ThatsMe]

A lot of people say that if you don't like crop tops, go to a different gym. but where i'm located that's not an option. all the gyms within 2 hours wear crop tops, and one person isn't going to change it. I'm sure that's the case with a lot of people.
I agree that the little ones don't need to be wearing crop tops, but I think Juniors should be allowed to wear them too.

That goes back to the argument about 8 year olds on senior teams can wear them, but a 14 year old on a junior team cannot. You allow juniors to wear them, and then you potentially have 6 year olds in crop tops again. I have actually seen a beast tiny with a tuck cross-compete from the tiny team over to a junior team (from a well-known gym) so it does happen. But then you pose the questions- where does it stop? Do you put a bottom age on junior teams now?

 

[uptown_outlaw]

Teens in the Olympics... Mid-drifts, brief cut bottoms, Super sequence- blinged out costumes... wacky hair... Over the top stage makeup. If its good enough for the Olympics, why not All Star Cheerleading?

 

[Keep_Believing]

Is this within the new guidelines?

 

[Mom2Cheergirls]

Have to laugh that this thread is still rolling on as Coach Troy and I were two of the big debaters on this for a while.
With regards to policing - the USASF doesn't have to stand at the doors they can spot check. I know plenty of parents that will be mad as wet hens if their CPs team gets DQ'd because their gym decides to not follow the rules and gets busted.
The point is we as adults in a sport should be following the rules - not trying to figure out how to get around them. What does that teach children?
As I have said throughout I personally like full tops (and my children go to a gym that even Seniors wear full tops and WIN!!! - and our full tops do not ride up) but I do not mind seeing crop tops that are truly not crazy tiny. Unfortunately their has been a subset of gyms that feel the tinier and flashier the uniform the better. These gyms typically also are the ones using the music and moves that have been banned as well. As my debate with Troy showed me, people who feel that is fine do not have a definitive line that is "too small" - they are focused on their freedoms and rights and not how it effects the sport. While a parent has the right to choose what a child can wear or what gym they cheer at- as an organization and governing body of a sport USASF can make rules as to what they deem appropriate and fit for the sport. Look at gymnastics or snychro swimming - they have rules about appearance. Even many dance programs have some limits about age appropriate attire. I think they have given gyms plenty of advance warning about this and have put in changes in an order that try to minimize the extra costs to us parents.