I don't think the statement that if you only have all star experience you won't make the college squad is accurate. I find the opposite to be true. I have seen many girls who did not cheer sideline at all make a college team. I have seen very few who only did sideline cheer make it. Most colleges want girls to be able to coed stunt. Even on all girl teams, there is a lot of coed style stunting these days. None of that is taught in high school sideline cheer, or any but the biggest nationally recognized competition squads. To make a college squad, you need the elite stunt and tumbling skills that are only taught at all star gyms. Our local college squad comes to our gym for stunt instruction. Our coaches are the only ones in the area qualified to teach them elite level stunts, coed or all girl. There is only one high school locally that is nationally competitive so those would be the ONLY girls who don't do all star that have the kind of stunt experience colleges are looking for. I don't know about other areas, but in our area the vast majority of teams who stunt are doing preps, maybe a prep level lib or stretch, and if they are really good single skills at extension. That won't cut it in college. Game day skills are easy to pick up when you have done all star for years. You don't learn to pull elite stunts that are stable enough for grass or basketball floor overnight.