All-Star Senior Level 5 Worlds Eligible Teams- 12/13 Year Olds

[cheerlover95]

Anyone of know if a 12 year old was on a Worlds team for their abililty to base? We always talk about "fetus flyers", but would your opinion change if that 12 year was a beast at basing?

Ashley Hobbs was a tumbler, flyer (pyramid) and a base in the other two stunts and the baskets.

 

[cheerlover95]

Just because they are 12 and on a senior doesnt mean they are "fetus flyers" my sister is 12 and this is her first year(2011-2012) on a senior team (senior elite) she is 5'5 and almost 100lbs.

 

[kristenthegreat]

He's a boy, but wasn't the blonde boy from (then ICEtoICC) 12 when he competed on a Worlds team? Louis, right? He side-based. Granted, he too looked small and stuck out on that team, but he was pretty awesome..

 

[MissCongeniality]

I was told that the is a "grace period" for the aug 31st cutoff date. So if you turn 12 say on sept 10 you can still compete on a worlds team even though you missed the aug 31st cutoff. I dont know if this is true, but last year I know of someone who didnt turn 12 until after aug 31st and we were told she could be on Sr 5 (not an open 5) because of this "grace period" and she did compete at worlds. Has anyone else ever heard of this???

Never heard of a "grace period" and I have one who is an early Sept. birthday. She "just missed" for the past few years as the age limit was increased year by year. During that time she grew like a weed. Went from the tiny flyer on a team to being one of the taller girls. She finally was old enough to be on a World's team and had to learn to base and backspot pronto fast! It was a struggle early on in the season but she totally rose to the challenge. She put her head down and worked so hard. Never asked for special treatment. Ended up point jumper for Orlando. Bet nobody would have ever pegged her as a 12-year old!

 

[tancie]

As a mother of a 13 year old with Sr. level skills......I would love to see the sr. age have a bottom of 14. It would force juniors against juniors and seniors against Sr.s I think sometimes the younger girls feel they shouldnt have to compete against 18 year olds. Its not that the are on a team with them, the older girls a great to them, but its they don't have the experience to compete AGAINST them. I'm not sure I'm saying it right.

 

[The bow lady]

I just want to say this. I am OVER people complaining about "tiny" fliers. You freaking people drive me NUTZ!! If your a coach and you have an 18 yr old who is 4'4 with a double full, redic flexibility, has ALL lvl 5 skills your HONESTLY telling me you wouldn't put her in the air!? LIAR (or fool) whichever you choose to be. Now lets not even go into the fact that you might have FIVE of these kids. You seriously wouldn't put them in the air!? I have, will, would everyday that ends in "Y". And continue doing so until there is a reason why. Discriminating bc a child is too big, too small, etc etc etc. It might not be what you prefer, but who cares. The BEST belong to be on the team, I don't care what they look like. I've never heard any of you say "She shouldn't be a backspot bc she's too tall".

Unfortunately, alot of the so called bigger flyers that can do everything the younger smaller flyers can do are being pushed down to base. Most gyms are using the smaller younger flyers, I think they feel they are easier to keep up, if they happen to bobble.,

 

[Mclovin]

Unfortunately, alot of the so called bigger flyers that can do everything the younger smaller flyers can do are being pushed down to base. Most gyms are using the smaller younger flyers, I think they feel they are easier to keep up, if they happen to bobble.,

And this is happening because stunting is being pushed to the limits right now. You just can't get a squad full of kids that can do these elite entries into stunts with 110-120 pound senior aged fliers. You use your strongest bases under your biggest girls and then your weaker, smaller bases have to lift smaller girls. Long gone are the days of straight up stunts or even switch ups and full ups at this point. Harder stunts = smaller fliers. And then you have this new coed stunting rule for coed teams and I guarantee you now you'll see even smaller fliers on coed teams in order to max out that score at worlds.

 

[The Sixth]

So, I definitely think this topic is getting old and I definitely think that 12 is a great minimum age for a worlds team. I do think it's rare to see "tiny" 12 year olds on senior 5 teams at this point. If my CP is little for her age at 4'11" and 89 pounds and didn't stand out as being tiny, I don't think there are that many girls out there that are much smaller than she is.

Agreed! This is way overdone. I don't understand why ppl blindly keep equating young with tiny.

 

[Mamarazzi]

So, I definitely think this topic is getting old and I definitely think that 12 is a great minimum age for a worlds team. I do think it's rare to see "tiny" 12 year olds on senior 5 teams at this point. If my CP is little for her age at 4'11" and 89 pounds and didn't stand out as being tiny, I don't think there are that many girls out there that are much smaller than she is. I think the days of people putting up "tiny" fliers (60-70 pounds girls) is rare. Are they out there? Sure. I can tell you I didn't see one TINY flier this past year at worlds. And when I say tiny I mean girls who are literally 60-70 pounds. I personally think we have a bigger problem with our 1-4 level senior teams as I can't tell you how many competitions I went to where EVERY SINGLE FLIER on a team was literally 60 pounds soaking wet. That's where I've seen the biggest issue with a flier's size. Not worlds divisions.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! My cp will probably never fly on a junior-age team (even though that's what she's eligible for as of this season,) because she's 5 feet tall and 93 lbs. Many of the junior flyers at our gym were mini and youth age last season. Her only hope to fly is on a senior team.

I still think the age should be raised. Maybe if the age limit was raised for Worlds-eligible teams I would be happier with that because my issues with the age limit are more for that level of competition rather than levels 1-4.

 

[INeverStopCheering]

It probably happens a lot more often than there being only one 12 year old among a bunch of highschoolers. I don't think we've ever had more than about 6 girls who were too old for juniors on our Senior teams and we're now going into our 4th year

I think you guys might be a special circumstance. For example, I cheer on a 4.2 team. There are two eleven year olds and two twelve year olds, so they have friends. But they spend most of the practice surrounded by their high school ages bases and backs.

 

[ChrissyBabe1991]

I must be a fetus then...i was 4'9 and 112 pounds... granted that was before i got pregnant but I prolly looked like a 12 year old...how do you distinguish?

 

[eam1892]

And this is happening because stunting is being pushed to the limits right now. You just can't get a squad full of kids that can do these elite entries into stunts with 110-120 pound senior aged fliers. You use your strongest bases under your biggest girls and then your weaker, smaller bases have to lift smaller girls. Long gone are the days of straight up stunts or even switch ups and full ups at this point. Harder stunts = smaller fliers. And then you have this new coed stunting rule for coed teams and I guarantee you now you'll see even smaller fliers on coed teams in order to max out that score at worlds.

exactly, my senior year i was 5'0 and 110 pounds.. and i wasnt flying, and i quit because of it.. the other two flyers were in 6th grade... now really? we had two more senior aged flyers on the team who were forced to base.. in the end.. everyone quit. the team was gone.

 

[mknvik]

personally coming from the biggest gym in new england i would have to say that i don't think the bottom age should be changed. We generally have had girls who are 12 and 13 years old on our senior teams. Our coaches do say that if you are in that age range you must compete junior and double to seniors. This being said we brought 7 junior crossovers on small seniors to worlds last year and 5 on coed. I really don't think you could tell the difference. Small seniors last three passes being three of them and leo on coed(first and last pass) is only 13 but does not have a junior team in our gym for him to be on.

 

[The bow lady]

I must be a fetus then...i was 4'9 and 112 pounds... granted that was before i got pregnant but I prolly looked like a 12 year old...how do you distinguish?

I don't know how most ppl distinguish. I do know that my daughter is 15 same weight and height as u are mentioning and was taken out of air for a 12yr old who is 90 lbs. She was crushed, but has not a bad thing to say about her replacement.

 

[mamakatpak]

If I have my facts correct, every flyer on CA Panthers was 12/13 yrs of age. And they were ALL beautiful flyers! :)​

​

They were 13/14 yrs old ;)