All-Star Pressure On Small Gyms

[MissCongeniality]

What rules would you change because they specifically benefit large gyms over small ones?

I actually don't mean any rules specifically. I just think the "voice" of the larger gyms is heard more when rules are being discussed and decided. I know that there are meetings and small gyms can represent at them as much as larger, but I think economically it may not be as feasible.

 

[BlueCat]

I can totally appreciate this. The pressure on small gyms is the toughest its ever been. Back when gyms like top gun, world cup, california all stars, georgia all stars and many others started, all stars was new and there wasn't as many choices and competitions weren't as cut throat. They were competitive and hard, but today small gyms don't get the benefit of making mistakes and going through that crazy up and down roller coaster ride.

Competitions weren't cut throat?

 

[xpressjag]

Blue cat, meaning all star cheerleading success is now more defined on how many championships you win. In my experience with all stars in the earlier years, people did it to focus on the more competitive side of cheer and grow in skills. Now, many kids flock to big names or people who they perceive are "better". Just a personal observation

 

[BlueCat]

Blue cat, meaning all star cheerleading success is now more defined on how many championships you win. In my experience with all stars in the earlier years, people did it to focus on the more competitive side of cheer and grow in skills. Now, many kids flock to big names or people who they perceive are "better". Just a personal observation

Fair enough. There were different challenges then than there are now. Hard to compare the two.

 

[JulieP]

I guess I think it's about perspective. Where does the pressure come from? Are we talking about pressure to win, pressure to "prove" yourself, etc? When it comes down to it, big gym vs. little gym is all about strategy. Our gym is a small gym, and I can't help but reiterate some of the things above posters have said. If I make level appropriate teams (even if they're small teams), coach them well, and define our success appropriately***(more below) then my teams carry a lot less pressure on their shoulders, perform more confidently, and in turn are happier and want to stay with us rather than seeing if the grass is greener at the big gym up the road. What's better than that?

***As far as defining success, I tend to take a lot of issue with winning as a measure of success. Winning is not the goal. It's a perk of a job well done. I define our success as clean, deduction-free routines. When we do that, we do that we score well and our kids feel accomplished. We've stopped competing against other gyms (you will never hear my teams say, "Oh we just HAVE TO beat ABC All-Stars"), and we compete against ourselves. They are challenged to hit their routine cleanly, and then the placement is just the icing on the cake. Everyone loves winning, but my kids understand that a deduction free routine is the goal.

 

[Madison Ford]

Just because a gym is small doesn't mean they can't make a statement. They could have just as much talent as the big gyms. Confidence is key ;)

 

[xpressjag]

Just because a gym is small doesn't mean they can't make a statement. They could have just as much talent as the big gyms. Confidence is key ;)

Completely agree, they just have to work that much harder and if they have an injury, its much harder to find a replacement.

 

[cheer8]

this goes out to all my fellow small gym cheerleaders/parents!
is it me, or do you always feel like competing as a small gym-when there's no small gym division-against all the big name gyms puts a lot of pressure on us to make a statement? The big name gyms are usually just 'expected' to win when there's a team you've never heard of in the division. How do you guys deal with the pressure?

we are a small gym and love going against larger gyms! Practice hard and keep moving. You win some and you lose some but you practice hard! There are a lot of smaller gyms out there that you'd think had 200 plus kids but they only have 75!
Point work hard for what you want b/c we are all human and can learn the same skills!

 

[WCMAN]

Big or small Max out the score sheet. Big gyms do nor have magic pixy dust to make them win. The best teams win, just do your best. Small market teams in pro sports beat the big market "Yankees" of the world. Stop looking for excuses and go out there and compete. Confidence is key. Don't go in thinking you lost. Think how dumb that sounds" your 25 CPs are better then ours because your gym is bigger ". Compete in the proper level and it should be a level playing field...

 

[NEliteSteven]

We're a small gym and have competed small gym at UCA. However, I have no problem competing against largr gyms, we do all year up until then. At the end of the day, if you choose your teams correctly, pick the correct division, and max out a scoresheet, there isn't much of a difference. Sure, large gyms have a deeper pool of talent to choose from, but if you do your job you should be able to compete with them without a problem.

 

[NJ Coach]

I think the pressure depends on the location. If you are in a spot that has a "name" or bigger gym within a reasonable distance, there's going to be more pressure to do well right away then if you are located further away. The pressure comes from trying to keep people in the gym. If you can't build loyalty within the program, or have competitive teams so that there's a place for the kids, you'll lose them. That whole "grass is greener" thing...of course the grass is usually the exact same shade on both sides ;)

 

[lcheergirl]

Big or small Max out the score sheet. Big gyms do nor have magic pixy dust to make them win. The best teams win, just do your best. Small market teams in pro sports beat the big market "Yankees" of the world. Stop looking for excuses and go out there and compete. Confidence is key. Don't go in thinking you lost. Think how dumb that sounds" your 25 CPs are better then ours because your gym is bigger ". Compete in the proper level and it should be a level playing field...

Yes the small market teams can compete to a certain point with big market teams. I dont think the Yankees are a great example, they have won 27 world series compared to the next closest at 11. Not only that they have been there 40 times, because they can keep paying for more talent because of their market. It is much harder for small market teams to compete with large market teams when it comes to injuries and talent. It is much easier to chose from a group of 1000 than it is of 100. I dont think it matters as much in stunting but definitely makes a difference when it comes to tumbling.

 

[alexamarysouza]

Big or small Max out the score sheet. Big gyms do nor have magic pixy dust to make them win. The best teams win, just do your best. Small market teams in pro sports beat the big market "Yankees" of the world. Stop looking for excuses and go out there and compete. Confidence is key. Don't go in thinking you lost. Think how dumb that sounds" your 25 CPs are better then ours because your gym is bigger ". Compete in the proper level and it should be a level playing field...

Im not making ANY excuses. My small gym has beat many large gyms. we are an amazing organization. This thread is about the pressure we feel on us when we compete against the big gyms.

 

[Electrix10]

Don't forget the big gyms ARE paying attention to the smaller gyms. When you hear oh she/he came from Small Gym X or Small Gym Y ... thye larger gyms know the skill set and the reputation . This helps place the CP. (Not that the big gyms gobble up the small gym's athletes. I'm just sayin')

 

[cupieqt]

Im not making ANY excuses. My small gym has beat many large gyms. we are an amazing organization. This thread is about the pressure we feel on us when we compete against the big gyms.

Now I get where you're coming from. The worst thing my teams can hear at awards ceremonies is "and first place is 'big Jim!'" over and over in every division at every competition. I get it.