All-Star Releasing Athletes

[ICEcheerGuy]

what are your thoughts on this rule about having to be released before you can leave your current gym, i don't think its fair that as someone who pays to be at a program i have to get permission to leave that program and go elsewhere!

 

[cheergirl630]

I agree
But the athlete also has to understand that they commited there self to that team!!

 

[MissBee]

I see both sides. The policy is in place to prevent gym hopping. When you commit to a team, you commit for the whole season. This policy makes you really have a reason for leaving a gym (family moving to a new town or something more serious). On the other hand, I can see how gym owners could be nasty and abuse this "power". If a family wants to leave a gym because of a dispute with a coach/owner (maybe they aren't making good on promises made before the family signed on with this gym), the gym owner can refuse to release them-simply to be spiteful.

 

[ICEcheerGuy]

I agree
But the athlete also has to understand that they commited there self to that team!!

ok i agree but say for example im on a team and i have paid my comp fees for a comp and we have been preparing as a team to go then the week of this comp we r pulled because not everyone has paid comp fees and we do know if we r gonna get a bid to worlds so i decide i want to leave but the coach is being stubborn and says they wont release me what do i do?

 

[true.believer*]

I think that if you want to leave your program you should be able to. But you should have to give your gym notice. You should have to stay on your team until the coaches can find a replacement. Two seasons ago we had two sisters on our team and just decided to quit the day of a competition. We marked alot of the routine and we looked like fools. You are obligated to give your program time to find someone else for your spot.

 

[MissBee]

I don't think that requesting a release from a program after one incident is the right thing to do. I would need to have a series of events take place for me to request for release of my child from the program.

 

[tumbleyoda]

ok i agree but say for example im on a team and i have paid my comp fees for a comp and we have been preparing as a team to go then the week of this comp we r pulled because not everyone has paid comp fees and we do know if we r gonna get a bid to worlds so i decide i want to leave but the coach is being stubborn and says they wont release me what do i do?

Is the issue that you were pulled from a comp that you have already paid the fees for or because you want to go to Worlds? Two different things. The first is easy. Ask if the fees paid are going to be refunded to you or applied to another competition. If not refunded which competition. Make sure you are not charged again for the new competition however. If the issue is Worlds then that is more difficult. There is never a guarentee that any team is going to get a bid to Worlds or at least that is the way the system is suppossed to work. Your chances are obviously greater if you are at a program that has been to Worlds multiple times and with several teams, or a team that has an opening and a need for what you bring to the table skill wise.

If you are leaving only for that reason IMO that is not a legitimate reason. Not in the middle of a season. In this case you owe it to the team to wait it out till then end of the year. Because no matter what you will be walking out on them - not just the coach or the gym - your teammates. if you wait till the end of the year and it doesn't happen then leave on good terms.

 

[cheermuse]

I think its a great rule thats long overdue in allstar. It stops those athletes/parents who chose to gym hop when they feel slighted by a gym/coach in the middle of the season. It also protects gym owners when athletes/parents who bail on a program owing a huge balance. By the gym owner having to release them, this gives that gym owner another option to being paid vices them being left holding the financial bag so to speak.

 

[ztaprincess]

It is a good rule, but I can see it being a problem in some cases. Say you are in the middle of the season and the athlete and coach have a big falling out over something personal that could cause friction between the two for the remainder of the season. Now if that athlete wants to leave who is to say that coach won't be an a-hole and refuse to release the athlete because of their problem. I know that most coaches would just release the athlete and be done with it, but what about those coaches who abuse the power?

I think a rule should be put in place for this, but I just feel like the way it has been voted on will cause too many problems. What if instead you had to go through the USASF to be released? Kind of like you fill out a complaint form and they have to go over it and decide if the reason is good enough to be released. That way it will cut out the coach that just wants to me a butthead and keep the athlete to cause more drama.

 

[Cheer Tennessee]

Does anyone else think this rule will cause lawsuits?

 

[MissCongeniality]

I think where it is confusing is that you CAN leave the gym without a "release" but you CAN'T compete at another gym that season without a "release". There is nothing in this rule that says you have to stay at the gym you are "miserable" at. Nobody can force you to do that.

 

[newcheerdad]

It is a good rule, but I can see it being a problem in some cases. Say you are in the middle of the season and the athlete and coach have a big falling out over something personal that could cause friction between the two for the remainder of the season. Now if that athlete wants to leave who is to say that coach won't be an a-hole and refuse to release the athlete because of their problem. I know that most coaches would just release the athlete and be done with it, but what about those coaches who abuse the power?

I think a rule should be put in place for this, but I just feel like the way it has been voted on will cause too many problems. What if instead you had to go through the USASF to be released? Kind of like you fill out a complaint form and they have to go over it and decide if the reason is good enough to be released. That way it will cut out the coach that just wants to me a butthead and keep the athlete to cause more drama.

As I said in another thread, the Worlds rule is reasonable. If you commit to a high-level team for a year, you don't get to leave in the middle of the year except in extraordinary circumstances. (gym goes bankrupt, etc.)

For non-Worlds teams, I prefer athletes should be allowed to exit a program, but would have to wait 60-days before they could perform for another USASF sanctioned team. That would discourage gym hopping but still allow people to leave. But you could only do it once per year, and if you owed money to the previous gym they could block your release and ability to perform for another team.

 

[yojaehs]

Who will enforce this rule? What will the punishment be if the rule is broken? I still haven't heard anything on how this rule will be followed and enforced.

 

[newcheerdad]

Who will enforce this rule? What will the punishment be if the rule is broken? I still haven't heard anything on how this rule will be followed and enforced.

Once you have mandatory athlete registration, it would be fairly straightforward for event producers to enforce such a rule.

As to punishment, it's the gym's responsibility to ensure that they use eligible athletes. Using an ineligible athlete results in forfeiture of a competition and any bids received. Repeated infractions can result in being in "bad standing" with the USASF, with penalties including bans from Worlds and upper-tier competitions.

 

[yojaehs]

Once you have mandatory athlete registration, it would be fairly straightforward for event producers to enforce such a rule.

As to punishment, it's the gym's responsibility to ensure that they use eligible athletes. Using an ineligible athlete results in forfeiture of a competition and any bids received. Repeated infractions can result in being in "bad standing" with the USASF, with penalties including bans from Worlds and upper-tier competitions.

Thank you, where could I find this? I've been looking and can't find anything on enforcement of non-safety rules.