Reach The Beach

[mytriplek]

Has anyone here ever attended Reach the Beach? and if so How did you like it what were your thoughts?

 

[SLM]

We're going to this comp too. It's the first year for my daughter who is only 7, but I've heard it's a nice competition. I was told it's a very long day though.

 

[mytriplek]

This will be our 1st year as well. Which Reach the beach location are you guys going to?

 

[SLM]

Ocean City, MD

 

[mytriplek]

We'll be there as well

 

[crazeecheermom]

Us too.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

 

[CheerBank]

Same.

 

[mytriplek]

This was our 1st year. We enjoyed it except we didn't get the bags the girls were supposed to get. :-(

 

[SLM]

Our coach picked up our bags for us, they're being distributed to the girls at our end of season meeting this week.

How did you guys make out?

We came in last. Dead last. LOL I'm really proud of our girls though they had an amazing season.
We are a team of mostly 7 year old first year girls competing in a 10 and under division. The girls didn't start practicing for comp season until football was over and our team went to the championship so it was a long season. They practice at the local middle school on crappy hole filled fold out gym mats and we almost never had everyone show up for practice. Half our girls couldn't even do a cartwheel at the beginning of the season, so to see them doing three liberties in the end stunt made me tear up big time.
My CP had a blast this weekend though, we had an after party in a meeting room at the hotel that night and she had as much fun running around with her team as she did performing. She's already made me promise she can cheer again next year.

 

[mytriplek]

We came in 5th. We were in the Peewee level 2 small division. We only had 1 girl that had a back handspring. They did amazing despite the odds! We also practice at an elementary school with limited mats and they didn't even get started until 2nd week of Jan. This was our 1st year trying an extended season. We're normally done after football season. I just wish we could get a grant to get some actual mats and equipment. Some of the teams we were going up against have their own gyms with tumbling coaches and trainers. Hopefully I can talk my team into tumbling classes

All in all the ladies had a blast! It was a team vacation for them.

Was Reach the Beach you guys last comp?

 

[SLM]

Yes it was our last one for the season, and I don't think we are ever going back to that comp. Part of the reason are examples you listed. It's hard to take a true rec team to compete against teams that have tryouts, their own gyms, choreographers, trainers, etc. Our girls have to cheer for a full season of field or they are ineligible to compete. They are only allowed to miss maybe 2 or 3 games max and that includes home and away. They are ID'd before the season starts, and they take roll call before every game starts.
This comp used to be run by someone else, and there used to be two separate divisions, cheer/dance and dance only. This really gave true rec teams a division to compete against like competitors, and teams that are more of an allstar prep or half year team had their own dance only division. Once Epic took over, that changed. I know there were teams there that only cheer maybe two games an entire season just to qualify as rec.
I don't want to sound sour grapes, as we did have fun and I really love watching all the other kids perform. My husband makes fun of me because I hold my breath for even our direct competitors to stick their stunts.
Don't know where we'll wind up next year but I'll keep you posted.

 

[mytriplek]

I feel you! We run our program the exact same way. No tryouts, have to cheer games, all volunteer coaches (mostly moms). We don't have a gym, trainers or choreographers. They're just not in the budget.

What other comps did you guys go to?

 

[munchkinmom]

RTB Rec is kind of our winter "hump". Sometimes the local "renting elementary school space cheering football all volunteer rec" teams end up lucky enough to pick the right division that year and place well, CP's team has not yet and I frankly could care less. For us it's about having a cheer-cation, families and teammates bonding with each other and bonding together as a family in the middle of the winter when we're normally pulled in different directions between school, work and cheer. Yes, the girls bust their butts aiming at this competition, but in reality, if we get it together for Ocean City, regardless of how we do there, the local March/April compeitions go better.

 

[mytriplek]

What other comps do yp guys teams go to? This is our 1st year and we're looking for local comps to attend that's not so intimidating for the girls

 

[SLM]

We do local PA comps, we also did Cheers for Charity in DE that was an awesome one. It's at the Chase center. Very well run I thought, and the money goes to a local DE pediatric hospital.