All-Star Sandbagging Karma

[12stepCheermom]

Aw :(
my mom was actually sad when I told her I wanted to do allstar again. If I decided I never wanted to cheer again she'd probably throw a party with all the extra money :)

I should be feeling that way and I am excited about the money. It's just so much talent to fade away. Makes me sad for what could've been. I'll get over it.


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[12stepCheermom]

Well MAYBE a positive here is that you only are paying for 1/2 the Teal Tour for this season? :D

I know how upset my mom was last season before my "retirement" but I'll never forget the joy on her face when I told her I wanted to cheer again. Know you aren't alone in what your feeling!

Yes the teal your just got much cheaper :) there is that. Thanks for the last sentence. I feel alone. And totally stupid for even being so sad about it.

It's just cheer right.


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[flcheermom]

Yes the teal your just got much cheaper :) there is that. Thanks for the last sentence. I feel alone. And totally stupid for even being so sad about it.

It's just cheer right.


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You are allowed to feel sad :( My daughter decided to give up college cheer for a few different reasons -the main one- she is transferring schools and can't cheer at the school she is transferring to, as they are only coed -she stopped flying at 14 lol being 5'6" . So I have been sad - Cheering since age 7, so its an adjustment. She will look at other ways to be involved at school. There is a chance a local all star gym will have an IAG, so if they do, she will look into that - if not then she will look at clubs/sorority at college. I have used the its just cheer line - but now with all the college tryouts, etc its still sad - but eventually I am sure it will be easier. Good Luck!

 

[5-6-7-8]

I should be feeling that way and I am excited about the money. It's just so much talent to fade away. Makes me sad for what could've been. I'll get over it.


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But she has other talents she could be wasting by doing cheer. When ex-CP decided to pursue other interests, I definitely mourned the potential she had in the sport. But I've come to learn she has a lot of potential in many areas. So now the ball, or bow, is in her court. :)

Imagine the art masterpiece that never would have been created if she still cheered. ;)


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[liz_the_friz]

Excuse my stupidity, but what exactly is "sandbagging"?

 

[luv2cheer92]

Excuse my stupidity, but what exactly is "sandbagging"?

Everyone really has their own definition of it, but it's essentially placing higher level athletes on lower level teams to increase a team's chance of winning. Level 4/5 athletes shouldn't be on level 1/2 teams.

 

[AlwaysLearning]

Excuse my stupidity, but what exactly is "sandbagging"?

DH uses the term "stacking" a team instead - if that helps.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I should be feeling that way and I am excited about the money. It's just so much talent to fade away. Makes me sad for what could've been. I'll get over it.


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Retiring at J5? If you don't mind my asking, what were her reasons? Another sport? Just burned out?

 

[cheernerd5678]

I should be feeling that way and I am excited about the money. It's just so much talent to fade away. Makes me sad for what could've been. I'll get over it.


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Well it's not so much talent to be lost here :rolleyes: at least you still have one, right? :) I get it though. Lots of talent coming from your house! I'm sure she'll find something else to love and get you wrapped up in.

 

[12stepCheermom]

Retiring at J5? If you don't mind my asking, what were her reasons? Another sport? Just burned out?

I think she just lost the passion for it in general. She's destructively hard on herself and she can't meet her own standards of perfection (because no one can).

In general, this season stopped being fun and started being a job. We'd always said when she stopped having fun it was time to walk away...she just defined her whole life by cheer for so long I never thought we'd get to a point where she just didn't have fun anymore.

Guess I was wrong.

All season I wished on every 11:11 I happened to see that my kids would just be happy. Now I have to take it on faith she'll find whatever that is. She's got no other athletic interests whatsoever.


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[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^^Completely understandable. When it starts to be like clocking into a job, it's time to re-evaluate. At times, a season off is what you need to see if you REALLY love cheer or if you just sort of "clock into it and clock out."

 

[Bling it On]

Yes. She retired. :(


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Dislike :(


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[hopskipandjump]

Here is my thought on the sandbag issue as a gym owner. I have tons of parents that want their child to progress progress progress. All the time. Every year. There are only 6 levels (really only 5 for minors). So if you child starts at level 1, you are going to run out of levels before you run out of ages but they still want to see their child go to the higher level team. As a smaller gym owner, I don't have the luxury of filling all my teams with perfect skill sets and in order to keep them in our gym, we have made some teams higher levels even though they won't max out on the score sheet. SO. I have also had my teams compete at two different levels. One to attempt to win. The other to satisfy the need to progress that frankly has become almost unbearable to me by parents.

 

[Keep_Believing]

What about how sandbagging affects level 1 teams? This is CP's first year and she doesn't have a tumbling background. Close to 90% of her team is also first year athletes. They were crushed by the competition this year, and what I'm slowly picking up on is that many (not all) other level 1 teams we compete against are actually higher-level teams. Not level 5 or anything, but level 2, maybe? They're able to cleanly execute the skills required for level 1 and then some, at any rate.

CP was disappointed in her team's results, as was I. It stinks to invest a lot of money and time in cheer to see your child's team be beaten so soundly. I'm torn because I'd like her to be on a winning (or at least better-scoring) team, but I also recognize that her team is truly level 1.

Have you seen this in your area? Is there a "true" level 1? Is it for novices, or is it meant to be a step up from a prep team (which we don't have at our gym)?

Our youth level 1 got first at NCA and fourth at summit. We are a small gym. And it was definitely 100% a true level 1 team.

 

[schpo]

Here is my thought on the sandbag issue as a gym owner. I have tons of parents that want their child to progress progress progress. All the time. Every year. There are only 6 levels (really only 5 for minors). So if you child starts at level 1, you are going to run out of levels before you run out of ages but they still want to see their child go to the higher level team. As a smaller gym owner, I don't have the luxury of filling all my teams with perfect skill sets and in order to keep them in our gym, we have made some teams higher levels even though they won't max out on the score sheet. SO. I have also had my teams compete at two different levels. One to attempt to win. The other to satisfy the need to progress that frankly has become almost unbearable to me by parents.

Interesting approach. As tryouts come closer, I'm hearing other parents on CP's level 1 team talk about moving up a level for next year. I guess my perspective is this: would you rather have your kid move up so you can brag that she made a level 2 team (even though she didn't have the necessary skills) or would you rather have her master the level 1 skills and be capable of winning at competition? I know which I'd prefer, but at this stage I don't know what the coaches and gym owners are thinking, and I'm worried that most of the level 1 kids this year will move up to level 2 to satisfy the parents, leaving level 1 - again - with last-place finishes next year.