All-Star Stacking teams

[Cheermom22]

Is it against the rules to stack a team? We were at Aloha this weekend and watched a level 4 junior athlete with level 4/5 tumbling skills cross over to youth 1,2, and 3 teams and was the main flyer for all 4 teams. Destroying the true level one team's with level 1 tumbler and flyers. Is this allowed normally? This is our first year but this was a huge suprise to our team that they allowed this to happen?

 

[Cheermom22]

I love the creativity you can have at level 1. That skill sounds awesome - will need to look it up when I do my usual thing of subscribing just for two months of the year

I coach u-17 level 1 and we have a few crossovers to senior 3 (which is our highest level team - I'm in the UK and quite a small programme). The only kids on that senior 3 that can do a valdez are the ones who crossover to lower levels.

My opinion on this is always that it doesn't matter if a kid on a team can throw level 6 skills - they can still only do the skills allowed at the level they are competing in. Nothing says the back walkover of a level 6 athlete is better than that of a level 1 athlete. Sometimes a lower level team benefits from having kids on it who are a bit more experienced as it helps build confidence within the routine - for example having kids who you know you can rely on to remember the counts and know their place and also just help out others that may be struggling in class. I do think there should be a limit on how many teams someone can cross over to, and how many levels they can move across though. Just to have some kind of regulation in place for it and also to prevent burnout. Three or more routines is a lot.

While partly true the point of level one is to learn all those things not bring in level 3 flyers so their team can get an easy win. Watching all the chatter with summit coming up. I'm just glad our team isn't going. I feel bad for the level U19 level 1 and 2, and the D1 level 3 and U17 level 3 categories, there are teams that have level 3. 4, and 5 athletes and flyers on there team competing as level 1 and it is so not fair to those TRUE level one athletes that have works so hard to go just to be smacked down by cheaters . And the coaches doing it on purpose should be damn ashamed. All that is saying to the athletes that are level 1 is that they have no faith in there level one athletes so they bring higher level to win.

 

[Cheermom22]

I just wanted to add that I think for some small gyms, using crossovers is the only way to field teams at different levels. For example, if you have some senior age athletes but not enough to field a team, crossing a couple junior athletes to that team might make sense, so that the senior age athletes can compete.

But it's the crossing over world level athletes to a level one team that's the issue. Not building a team of junior and senior kevel 1s if they are really level 1. But level 3, 4, and 5 athletes on a level one us unfair and cheating

 

[Knowcheering]

I'm curious how these British teams can afford to keep flying to the US with their stacked Level 1 teams. They've been at every big competition this season. There's Zodiacs and Kent Cheer Academy and they come with these heavily sandbagged Level 1 teams and not much else. It's strange.

To enter US competitions, you should have to register all your teams at the beginning of the season and then you shouldn't be allowed to cross athletes down more than 2 levels. That would stop an English team from coming to America with a Level 1 team full of their Level 5 kids.

 

[Manc_Cheer_Mum]

It's not typical for English teams to stack to that extent. It's a definite strategy for Zodiac Allstars to go in for being an outstanding level 1 team. Their level 5 team, Pink, had a bid to Worlds (carried over from 2020) but they've not used it as so many of their athletes are on Shadow and they're chasing Summit rings.

Shadow are amazing, but it's not something I'd want my kid to be part of.

 

[Manc_Cheer_Mum]

And as for the cost, I have no idea how they do it. One trip to the US each year is enough for me! Quite a few English Worlds/Summit teams did NCA this year and it is something that seems to be becoming more commonplace. Cheer is already so expensive and I worry that the expectation of two or more US trips each season will exclude even more talented kids from competing with the best teams.

 

[Knowcheering]

It's not typical for English teams to stack to that extent. It's a definite strategy for Zodiac Allstars to go in for being an outstanding level 1 team. Their level 5 team, Pink, had a bid to Worlds (carried over from 2020) but they've not used it as so many of their athletes are on Shadow and they're chasing Summit rings.

Shadow are amazing, but it's not something I'd want my kid to be part of.

Are they staying for Summit too, they just competed at All Star Worlds. So not only do they come to the US more than once, but this would be a lengthy trip. Good for them for somehow having the financial means to do all this, but it doesn't quite seem worth it for Level 1.

 

[kayemm]

Are they staying for Summit too, they just competed at All Star Worlds. So not only do they come to the US more than once, but this would be a lengthy trip. Good for them for somehow having the financial means to do all this, but it doesn't quite seem worth it for Level 1.

It’s pretty incredible considering the Shadow athletes already did a lengthy trip when they competed at Cheersport and then NCA, and then went home for a week before heading back over for UCA. They’ve definitely been chasing the low level titles this season. I have no idea how their parents have afforded it. That’s six transatlantic flights in the space of just a couple of months! Plus you need to pay for your covid test to travel over to the US each time and they aren’t cheap.