All-Star Summer Attendance Policy

[12stepCheermom]

we have what seems to be the popular three excused absences during the summer and the gym is closed one week in July and one week in August. Unless it is an emergency you must let the gym know ahead of time when you will be absent. There are people that miss more than three, but for the most part attendance is not an issue at our gym. Our gym does a lot of tumbling and skill building over the summer in addition to getting routines ready, so there is a lot of individual progress that is made even if athletes are absent.

That's how ours is really. The ones that are there tend to pack on the skills and clean up technique and all around just progress. You get out of it what you put into it and no where is that more visible than summer conditioning. I felt so guilty that my kids are kicking it at the gym I got back out on the track and weight room myself!

 

[canttouchthis]

3 practice missed you get kicked off is a bit much in the summer time, your supposed to be spending time with family, there time for cheer and stuff when its school time. sure dont miss choreo but people need to spend time with there family.

 

[CheerMomNTx]

Our summer attendance policy is...if you are in town, you are expected to be at practice. I would never go to a gym that only allowed 3 days over the summer or tried to dictate when my family goes on vacation. Besides, if a child is an exceptional flyer, base, tumbler etc trust me, coaches are not going to give that kids spot away because they missed more than 3 days of practice over the summer.

This is a year round sport and kids need family time over the summer. Now when our fall schedule begins, which coincides with when school starts, the strict attendance policy begins.

 

[2cheer1here]

We don't necessarily have a summer attendance policy. We have an all year attendance policy. We get 8 absences period. No questions. After 8 absences you are removed from the team.

 

[taytaydaubs]

I wish my gym had a summer attendance policy...Basically we have two weeks off and then there are practices but they are all optional. Basically this means half the team doesn't come, or comes once a week since they aren't mandatory. It really hurts tumbling since a lot of girls lose tumbling or simply don't progress. It is also frustrating for those who are there and working hard. And when the team isn't as successful as they would like to be guess who are the first ones complaining...the girls that missed practice to hang out with friends or get their nails done.

 

[minamay]

I like the if you're in town, you should be at practice rule. But I don't think vacations should be dictated. It's not right to tell me I can only take a one or two week vacation.

I go to to a summer camp that's 800 miles away which usually gets booked in November, way before the summer. Last year I missed about two and a half weeks of practice due to it. This year we don't have summer practice because we don't have a coach and haven't even had tryouts yet but if we had, I'd be missing four weeks.

Is that a long time? Yes, but I don't think it's right to write me off as someone who never shows up just because I have an extended vacation planned during my summer free from school. When I'm in town, I am there, no questions asked.

 

[worldchampME]

We understand that kids needs a break in order to stay in love with what we all do. And let's be honest, 1 week isn't enough! Now that our teams just got split from practicing in levels to actually making teams, we let them go for a 2 week gym break. FAIR ENOUGH! Starting July 9th, it's down to business, cuz choreography is less than a month from that. 3 times missing without filling out absent form and THEN it getting "excused"...alternates go into play.

 

[kristenthegreat]

I had an idea reading this thread- have a check-in policy with your 'open gym' (if you don't already). Girls/guys write their names down and you keep track of who came and how often. That way, when Suzy Allstars complains that things aren't working well, you can hold up the summer sign-in sheet and be like 'Well, considering you came to 2 practices all summer, that might have something to do with it.' I do think the athletes who come in and work hard should be rewarded in some capacity..

I'm more fond of the twice a week 'scheduled' open gym set, with practices varying based on skill set. What I'd like to know, however, is what Cali/CA/Top Gun/ACE/CEA/WC/MT etc do during the summer. Sure, you can have family time and take the summer off. But you don't become a world champion (or Cheer Abletics) by sitting out by the pool all summer, I'll tell you that.. BlueCat, mstealtoyou other people from other gyms?

 

[CHEER4LIFE!!]

I hate summer attendance!!! My CP has been cheering for 7 years and I think maybe has missed 5 days the entire time. If you don't want to show up for practice then don't tryout to be on a squad. PERIOD!!!

 

[canttouchthis]

i really like kristenthegreat 's idea. You are rewarding the kids that work hard. there getting it showed to the team which makes you feel like you did something

 

[12stepCheermom]

I'm pretty sure our coaches are keeping team attendance which will be helpful, I'm sure, when Suzy doesn't get put in the front row. It just drives me crazy when they're making ridonkulous progress and everyone isn't there. Last night they tumbled for an hour and stunted for an hour (roughly) this is a jr4 and probably half haven't been on jr4 before, last year was the first year on a 4 for the others. Last night....full ups, switch up stretches, tick tocks and....left leg switch up to tick tock stretch full down....and all four groups there (switching out with 8 total fliers) got the last combo in less than ten minutes.

This is the only time they do stuff like this and just throw ridiculous stunting at them (including level 5 stuff) to see what they can do. Half the time they're working level five stunts and they're not even level 5, but summer is the only time where you have time to play around like that...and that's when people "take off." my cp is crazy excited for summer practices BECAUSE of all the crazy stunting they're doing. They had a blast last night, screaming, high fiving, hugging and generally swaggering around the mat because of the skills they were learning...and hitting less than ten minutes later. I'll say this much, the ones that are there are really bonding very well and that's pretty consistently about 2/3 of the team.

 

[alexamarysouza]

but really...I went to practice last night, and there were 13 girls there. ONLY 13. We are a team of 30 with 2 alternates, and 13 came. seriously? I know it's summer and all, but I KNOW over half of the absentees were most likely sitting at home on the couch. ugh, can't take it!! :banghead:

 

[0riginal]

As a high school team, we were not allowed to miss any practices unless it is an emergency or like "you can't get out of bed" sick.
We learned our choreography usually in May near the end of school then practiced all summer. Since we were were considered a sport at our school, we had to follow state regulations which gave a 2 week break from organized practices. So that gave us plenty of time to have a nice vacation. Then we would get a break after camp, where we competed, and then we would start back up learning stuff for games.

I honestly can't stand when people aren't at practice. We don't really have a problem with it, but my other base got really sick last year and I didn't do anything for about two weeks. And when I did I was stunting with a sick girl! Haha

 

[coach12]

This is a very demanding sport. I am sure that every half way decent gym will tell you what the schedule will be before you sign up. If you can't commit then don't do it!!
We do allow for family vacations in the summer. And also for graduations, etc. But other than that you are expected to be there.
We give every schedule at the very first practice - the schedule includes all our practices, choreography dates & our competition schedule. So there are no surprises.

 

[alexamarysouza]

As a high school team, we were not allowed to miss any practices unless it is an emergency or like "you can't get out of bed" sick.
We learned our choreography usually in May near the end of school then practiced all summer. Since we were were considered a sport at our school, we had to follow state regulations which gave a 2 week break from organized practices. So that gave us plenty of time to have a nice vacation. Then we would get a break after camp, where we competed, and then we would start back up learning stuff for games.

I honestly can't stand when people aren't at practice. We don't really have a problem with it, but my other base got really sick last year and I didn't do anything for about two weeks. And when I did I was stunting with a sick girl! Haha

see, when I cheered for my high school, if you missed practice it was 10 demerits. You only got 50. We started off with a team of 19, and ended with a team of 11 because of the silly demerit rules. a break?!? not fair!