All-Star Positives And Negatives Of 2011 Worlds (the Event, Not Teams)

[OMGitsMELANIE]

Dear lord, please tell me this wasn't our team. PM me if so.

(One benefit if it was - some of our roster overflow problems would instantly be solved.)

it was not. your girls are some of the nicest and most polite people i have ever met. :)

 

[BlueCat]

it was not. your girls are some of the nicest and most polite people i have ever met. :)

 

[BlueCat]

it was not. your girls are some of the nicest and most polite people i have ever met. :)

I am so glad that some CA kids weren't about to become FORMER CA kids.

 

[CH33R MOM]

It assumed through the American Passport issuance regulations and laws that the kidnapping factor has been addressed [parental kidnapping] by having the parents be present when the application is submitted. The parents must bring specific documentation proving their identity, and then both sign the passport application. Once all that has been compiled, it is up to the parents to supply their child with the rest of the documentation for safety purposes. If the child is younger than 16 years old, the airline company may have its own rules in terms of what constitutes an Unaccompanied Minor, but if traveling with a team/coach then that is not a necessary consideration as they are not traveling alone. However, for a 16 year old + the rules get a little less stringent [taken directly from the US Gov. passport site]:

• Have a parent or guardian present photo identification if the minor does not have identification of his or her own
• Establish parental consent (You may be requested to provide written parental consent for a child age 16 or 17 if it is not implied on the application)
  
  When went back to Europe in December, my daughter who is under 16 needed both of our consents/documentations, etc. However, my son had a driver's license and the agent at the post office only required his birth certificate and his driver's license. In other words, once you turn 16 in the US, you only need the assistance and/or consent of one parent.

It sounds to me that your country has more steps in place than the US for a 16 year old +?

**If I have left anything out in terms of the rules above, please chime in. I would not want to leave any important details out as it is a serious matter when children travel without their parents in general.

yes Ecuador has more rules with children traveling having a passport doesn't let a child travel and can not leave the country of ecuador they need a written permission by both parents and has to be notorized (sp?)

 

[PullandPray23]

the whole event was a complete mess IMO.

 

[MrAllstar]

I competed at worlds with an international team this year. For us to come of a team of 24 was a total of around £21000 thats anout 35000 US dollars, less what we spent whilst we where there.
To say most of us are students thats alot of money. We liked disney and florida in general for the competetion as it gives alot to do outside of competing and training. It makes the whole experience of worlds outside of competition that bit better.

I agree competition was rammed and very busy. I have also been to NCA nationals and I can say I wouldn't mind competing there as i am over 21 so can go out and party. But you have to remember we dont just come to worlds for the weekend most international teams are in orlando for about 2 weeks. I was in dallas a week and im not sure what i would do there if i was there 2 weeks?

To cut it short we wouldn't go to Worlds if it wasn't at disney and I agree worlds needs to saty in the states, i would hate not seeing big US teams as they couldnt afford to go, you wouldnt get paid bids if worlds was in europe! As alot of internation teams turn down partial paid bids as theyc an not raise the rest of the money.

 

[MrAllstar]

Oh and positives: the support the US showed the international teams :)

 

[SharkDad]

the whole event was a complete mess IMO.

You need to be a little more specific than that, otherwise it's not helpful.

And my general rule is I try not to offer up a criticism of anything unless I can recommend a possible solution.

 

[BlueCat]

Is Orlando, Florida the only place in the United States that is attractive to the "tourist" aspect of the event?

What about Chicago, Anaheim, New York, Las Vegas, Daytona, or somewhere else? (even I wouldn't put Dallas on the list despite the DCC being Cheer Mecca to me.). What about Cancun or Montreal? I would think that surely there are places that would be more appealing than taking your 4th trip in 4 years to Orlando. (or in some athlete's cases, 8th trip in 8 years.

Note: Vegas is much more family-friendly than people give it credit for.

There are many positives to having the event at Disney, no doubt. I do feel however, that there are 3 distinct negatives to holding the event there every year.

1. The lack of an adequate venue for the event itself. Short supply of quality seating and the resulting overcrowding are obvious. There is also a dramatic lack of practice/warmup space. It is also sad that the dance teams get put in another location, making it impossible to see both.

2. The expense is significant. The "free" transportation and other amenities are being paid for by the huge fees for the rooms, ticket prices, and hopper passes. The USASF is able to profit significantly off of the event, which is currently necessary, but there is a pretty significant "mouse tax" throw in there as well, IMO.

3. Repeatedly holding it in the same location every year is unfair to some, and boring to many others. There are reasons that the Olympics, SuperBowl, etc are all held in different spots each year. Moving it around ensures that the same people don't get home field advantage year after year. (lower travel costs for athletes and families, less fund raiders needed, etc.). Also, if the tourist factor is to be a major consideration, a little variety would add to the enjoyment. Ours can't be the only kids who have seen enough Disney to last a lifetime.

I would love to see a rotation set up between Disney World, Disneyland, and maybe 2-3 other spots. I would also love to see the Disney World event moved to the Orange County Convention Center down the street from Wide World of Sports. (You could have 3 cheer and 1 dance venue going concurrently and spread out the schedule.)

Note: I believe that the USASF, barring some issues that have been addressed elsewhere, has done a good job of making the event work about as well as you can expect for the venue.

 

[cassidyworsham]

I love that the event is in Orlando and I could be open to be it being other tourists spots such as new york or vegas, but please if that ever happens try to keep it in the middle. If they move it to Disneyland one year I wont be able to go because california is too far away to drive. Im unable to fly anywhere because of my handicap mother who physically cannot ride on an airplane. Driving places like Vegas and Florida arent too far for me. But California is way too far for all the eastern teams.

 

[cassidyworsham]

Oh, one more thing to add about the "seen enough Disney to last a lifetime". I went to Disney for a vacation 3-4 years ago and went to Worlds for the first time this year. I was impressed with how all the rides seemed to be redone. They were hardly like anything I remember and that was a good thing. I think Disney is good at keeping things fresh and exciting for everyone.

 

[Panacea]

I love Worlds at Disney. I don't usually go to the parks, but did do Universal on Monday this year. I love love love the whole Orlando weekend every year I go, and will continue to go even after my cp has long aged out.

Its just perfect there to me. I honestly don't ever want it to move, unless its to Maryland when I'm 80 because it'll be to hard on my old wrinkled body to travel that far!

 

[BlueCat]

I love that the event is in Orlando and I could be open to be it being other tourists spots such as new york or vegas, but please if that ever happens try to keep it in the middle. If they move it to Disneyland one year I wont be able to go because california is too far away to drive. Im unable to fly anywhere because of my handicap mother who physically cannot ride on an airplane. Driving places like Vegas and Florida arent too far for me. But California is way too far for all the eastern teams.

Well, imagine how the West Coast people feel. They have to make the long trip EVERY year. (We are basically in the middle, so it wouldn't affect us much either way.)

 

[Andy Lee]

Clothes were cute but my son would have liked more options for the guys.

I TOTALLY AGREE. THERE WERENT A LOT OF SELECTION FOR ALL THE MALE CHEERLEADERS.
ALSO THEY NEED TO SEND OUT ORDERS ALREADY, PEOPLE ARE WAITING FOR THERE ITEMS.

 

[mattiemill]

Oh and positives: the support the US showed the international teams :)

agreed! i was on the korean team and we competed in icu then did an exhibition on saturday. none of our skills were that great and we did have falls but everyone was so supportive and such a great audience! it made the experience alot better considering we didnt preform our best :)