All-Star The Reason Some Don't Thing Cheer Is A Sport...

[Tator tots]

I consider it a sport, no matter what. But I watch the videos and I think "Really? Level 5". I think to gymnastics and you'd never see any coach proclaim a certain level just because they have one skill that may meet the criteria. Though it's an individual sport, they have hard and fast rules. This is a team sport and I get that not everyone needs the skills, but to allow a team to be level 5 that clearly don't belong there, bothers me. In the cheer world, you can be level 5 with 1 full, and do nothing else level 5. And on top of that, you may make it to Worlds depending on the competition you go to.

Do any of you think there should be a minimal amount skills before they can compete at a certain level?

 

[Cheer Dad]

You can compete up to any level you want, you just may not bf competitive and in this day and age a lot of gyms are fielding L5 teams in the attempt to retain athletes.


**If forum lurking were an Olympic sport the Fierce Boards would be the training grounds**

 

[cheermomforever]

Hard to compare gymnastics; once u compete say level 6 u can't do level 4 a few weeks later! Also gymnastics a lot of score is body form and execution, way more than cheer. As a parent, and I am sure Cp would agree, I would want a solid team that is in the mix and does not always place last. Not sure if a rule could happen to have a minimum of skills to b a certain level.

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

I agree that there are some very janky teams out there competing level 5, it's even more sad that some of these squads make it through to worlds. I recall a video of that cheer perfection show's gym's "level 5" team from worlds last year that was just awful, but I've seen a few videos and performances that are MUCH worse since. I'd love to see form deductions in cheer too, but I'd imagine it's a lot easier for judges to take off marks for form when they are watching a lone gymnast doing a routine w/ the same exact skills as everyone else, than it is for a cheer routine of 32 people all doing different things all over the place - ;). They'd probably need to double the judges per competition to accomplish this.

I think a good rule of thumb should be that at least more than half of your athletes should be able to do that level's skills, and that no more than 1/5th should be the unable to do the next lower levels skills. So for example - If you are a level 5 team that has 20 athletes, at least 11 of them should have fulls and jumps to tuck. And no more than 4 of them can go out there and not be able to demonstrate at least a layout and a standing tuck.

 

[cheermomforever]

Someone said previously maybe a minimum score is required to qualify to go to Worlds. I think with 1/3 less bids there will b less "janky" teams there this year!

 

[uhhlyssa01]

I'd say at least half the teams at Worlds last year were no more than "good" Restricted 5 teams.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^^^^YES. Somebody had a R5 team, then someone got a double and they just said "Go for it."

 

[Official OWECheer]

Someone said previously maybe a minimum score is required to qualify to go to Worlds. I think with 1/3 less bids there will b less "janky" teams there this year!

This reminds me of bids for UCA HS Nationals. The competition itself is INTENSE, but getting a bid is very because the more bids Varsity hands out, the more people there are trying to pay off those bids. It all amounts to more money being made. I'm sure the same system is at work here.

 

[Fierce_Elite]

I don't think level five teams are any much different than restricted teams or any other lower level. I think the only reason why people make a big deal out of worlds and level five teams that go is because it's supposed to be "best of the best" but I think you see more talent at competitions like NCA Dallas, and US Finals as well as the Summit. Even the all star games. I think Worlds needs to be more strict about what teams are allowed to go and how they can get there.

IE: the team must have been on a winning streak for most of their competitions. Not who can receive a bid and pull off the best performances for that day and comp. Many will probably disagree, but I think that beats the whole purpose of WORLDS.

Back to the topic, I think the only reason why people don't think we're a sport is simply because a lot of us make lame excuses to defend our argument.

IE: filling up a stadium ( I hear that a lot)

I'm not saying all level five teams aren't good, I'd be dumb if I thought that, but there have been more teams in the level five division to get accepted into worlds who honesty didn't need to be there from the get go. I don't mean to insult anyone but that's just my opinion. I think worlds needs to be a much more prestigious competition. It already is prestigious, but to me it seems way to easy for teams to get accepted into that competition.

 

[icame2WERQ]

I feel kind of the opposite. Especially now with all these invite competitions (majors , champs league, ultimate battle, allstar games, am I missing anything?)

I'm all for if you have a program and you THINK you can field a level 5 team, bring them! I think that makes "worlds" worlds anyway. The best usually makes it to finals and wins.

Also from watching the team last year, prelims wasn't SO BAD. (Yes it was long) but It has been much worse in prior years.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

The reason people think cheer is not a sport is not because of janky level 5 teams (although the lack of real regulations is part of it, and I suppose janky level 5's could come in there). People think cheer is not a sport because, like @Fierce_Elite said, people come up with the lamest reasons in the world to defend it as a sport.

- "Injuries." OK, lots of injuries don't make cheer a sport - they make it an unsafe activity. They sort of make it NOT a sport, because a sport would have better regulations and fewer injuries. I mean, I broke my arm in a bar. I sprained my ankle stepping off my front porch. I broke my foot falling off a ladder. I'm not an athlete, I'm clumsy.

- "It's physically demanding." I do p90 and Insanity workouts. They're very physically demanding. Again, I'm not an athlete. I'm an old fat lady jumping around my living room.

I could go on, but these (plus the one FE mentioned, filling stadiums - Uh, Taylor Swift and 1D fill stadiums too. They are not sports) are the ones I hear most often.

Then I go to the uniform thread and *I* start to think cheer is not a sport. [emoji15]