All-Star Prepping For The Cheerpocalypse: What Will We Do When Shtf?

[CoachKar]

I think a lot of it, ultimately, comes down to parent responsibility. In every sport, our kids are put in the position to be hurt, for an accident to happen, for a stunt to fall, or a bat to fly the wrong way. A poor 8 year old lost his life this past week after he was struck in the head by a rogue bat in Little League---LITTLE LEAGUE!

Ultimately, I think it's important that parents learn the sport their child is in---do I need to know how to score a routine? No. But should I have a basic understanding of what a concussion looks like? Yes. Should I know the difference between a few random bruises and bumps throughout the season and being covered in head to toe bruising, scratches, and cuts all season? Yes. Should I have a basic understanding that a BHS involve popping up from your hands not your head, even if the child is only 3? Of course.

If I saw something I didn't like, or didn't feel was safe, would I say something? Yes. Would I be that mean parent that walked away from a program (not just cheer, but Little Genius does dance and I can attest to those dangers) if I felt the safety of my kids was not being considered? Absolutely.

I get not being able to attend practices if your kid is doing something in high school, because let's be honest, you're not likely invited to them---but can you still see your child's body, their injuries, the stories of practice, and when they perform? Yes. If something feels wrong, it like is and it's time to start asking questions.

I agree about parents knowing signs of concussions--all the athletes at the school I coach at and their parents must go through the schools mandatory concussion power point and sign off on it. Which I think is great since a lot of times concussion might now show up until after they've left school.

 

[SL&AM]

I agree 100% but there is still so many parents out there who don't care and its very sad.

I don't think that they don't care---I think a lot of them don't feel qualified to tell a coach what to do and don't want to embarrass and upset their child. I will never walk into my daughter's practice and start ordering her team around because they're doing a stunt wrong, but you better believe my butt would be through those 'NO PARENTS ALLOWED' doors if I watched my daughter fall out of a stunt, land on her neck, appear dizzy, and hear the coaching screaming for her to try again.

ETA: I love our gym and her coach, so I have no belief that I would ever find myself in this situation---but if she opts to cheer in HS, it could happen.

 

[dance_extreme_94]

I don't think that they don't care---I think a lot of them don't feel qualified to tell a coach what to do and don't want to embarrass and upset their child. I will never walk into my daughter's practice and start ordering her team around because they're doing a stunt wrong, but you better believe my butt would be through those 'NO PARENTS ALLOWED' doors if I watched my daughter fall out of a stunt, land on her neck, appear dizzy, and hear the coaching screaming for her to try again.

ETA: I love our gym and her coach, so I have no belief that I would ever find myself in this situation---but if she opts to cheer in HS, it could happen.

Again agree, but I would rather for a parent to come to me or any coach of that matter expressing concerns for their safety in a professional/peaceful manner rather than not saying anything at all. Education goes a long way. I would love it if more coaches would start including a Parents Education session in their monthly meetings

 

[SL&AM]

Again agree, but I would rather for a parent to come to me or any coach of that matter expressing concerns for their safety in a professional/peaceful manner rather than not saying anything at all. Education goes a long way. I would love it if more coaches would start including a Parents Education session in their monthly meetings

Monthly meetings? Programs do parent monthly meetings?

If it's not an acute emergency, I would definitely wait to approach the coach.
If I felt my child was in an immediate danger to be re injured or worse, well, The Hulk can totally be a female right? ;p

 

[dance_extreme_94]

Monthly meetings? Programs do parent monthly meetings?

If it's not an acute emergency, I would definitely wait to approach the coach.
If I felt my child was in an immediate danger to be re injured or worse, well, The Hulk can totally be a female right? ;p

Must be just the few programs I know of. I know a lot of high school teams in my area have monthly parent meetings.

 

[SL&AM]

Must be just the few programs I know of. I know a lot of high school teams in my area have monthly parent meetings.

I've never heard of that; we always had a meeting at the start, one around Christmas, and then right before comps started. That was about it.

 

[KPep]

In Iowa "MOST" cheer coaches are required to go through and get their coaching certification which includes first aid, cpr, aed, etc plus concussion management and go through your rules meeting in each season so twice a year. If you aren't a certified coach most schools for insurance/liability reasons won't let you stunt at all or won't let you stunt past a prep level. I know Iowa has fairly strict HS cheer rules but idk about other states.

It looks a lot like us here and I must say I really don't disagree with those requirements!

 

[CheerBank]

My cp just came back from Woodward. Want to know who the "cheerlebrities" were this past week? The Rosarios. My cp's tumbling coach? Victor. Couldn't get much better than that.
In the past "special guest athletes" at Woodward typically didn't have the role of coaches as they seem to at their own clinics; they were just there tumbling with the rest of the kids and talking to them about their own experiences; for some they were inspiring while others like my cp really didn't care.

@Lovemyoagirl Was there a reason you rated this post as bullying?

 

[CheerBank]

Monthly meetings? Programs do parent monthly meetings?

If it's not an acute emergency, I would definitely wait to approach the coach.
If I felt my child was in an immediate danger to be re injured or worse, well, The Hulk can totally be a female right? ;p

We do not have monthly meetings; the meetings that we do have (typically once at beginning of season, once before the comp our HS hosts and once before nationals which is attended by the AD as well) were poorly attended. The board probably meets more frequently. Parents do not have time for monthly meetings nor do they want it. Most communication from the coach to the parents is done by email which is sufficient.

 

[ScottyB]

I think a lot of it, ultimately, comes down to parent responsibility. In every sport, our kids are put in the position to be hurt, for an accident to happen, for a stunt to fall, or a bat to fly the wrong way. A poor 8 year old lost his life this past week after he was struck in the head by a rogue bat in Little League---LITTLE LEAGUE!

Not to take away from the boy's death or the fact that injuries occur, he was a bat boy for a minor league team. So the power behind the bat/ball was far greater than what would happen in little league.

 

[Official OWECheer]

What about the high school cheerleading coaches that aren't qualified to be a cheer coach period? and are just representatives of the team and leaving them at practices ALONE and allowing stunts and such to be taught by children because their "Adviser" doesn't know anything about cheer and hasn't even bothered to get certified. MTV's "made" had an episode where the cheer coach was seriously a volunteer English teacher or something and just sat and watched practices, but didn't actually have the qualifications to be a cheer coach.

Obviously I'm against that practice. But no one really seems to bring up the question I asked in my previous comment.

 

[Cptmemo]

So my next random thought is - if not insured for it, why even have the show offs to nominate tumblers? Just avoid it all together. I mean an athlete can can get injured doing a cartwheel just like they can a double full - even though I agree the risk is much higher for a double full. If injury and liability are the issue, just say no to tumbling altogether.

We had a girl break both forearms doing a round off a couple of months ago. It was horrifying.

 

[Official OWECheer]

We had a girl break both forearms doing a round off a couple of months ago. It was horrifying.

That reminds me of a gymnast I read about in Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, who did a round-off in the hallway of a hotel the night before Olympic Trials and messed up her elbow. Years of blood, sweat and toil, all gone down the drain.

 

[dance_extreme_94]

Another point I want to bring up about tumbling is when kids think its okay to tumble in the home or in other unsafe conditions. I feel like that a lot of injuries would be minimized if some of the kids didn't tumble on grass, or inside the house etc, or anywhere there isn't proper matting and equipment to practice on. Even if you have the skill mastered you just never know.

A lot of the school teams that I have seen when I cheered at games and such in various of locations have used mats at games when it came to tumbling and stunting. My middle school did it as well. That's been quite some type of go. I doubt that is still accurate now.

Avoiding injury all together in cheer is just impossible, but I believe taking these few steps will minimize the injury rates in general. Maybe I'm wrong, but tumbling outside of cheer practice/comps where there isn't proper safety equipment even if it just proper matting, seems like it would solve a lot of the injury problems.

 

[icame2WERQ]

Another point I want to bring up about tumbling is when kids think its okay to tumble in the home or in other unsafe conditions. I feel like that a lot of injuries would be minimized if some of the kids didn't tumble on grass, or inside the house etc, or anywhere there isn't proper matting and equipment to practice on. Even if you have the skill mastered you just never know.

A lot of the school teams that I have seen when I cheered at games and such in various of locations have used mats at games when it came to tumbling and stunting. My middle school did it as well. That's been quite some type of go. I doubt that is still accurate now.

Avoiding injury all together in cheer is just impossible, but I believe taking these few steps will minimize the injury rates in general. Maybe I'm wrong, but tumbling outside of cheer practice/comps where there isn't proper safety equipment even if it just proper matting, seems like it would solve a lot of the injury problems.

So how should we regulate this? Have an athlete wear a body camera at all times to make sure they only tumble on mats or in a gym?