Too young???

[katrinacheers]

i think it depends on the gym. my gym is smaller and we have younger kids who have the skills to be on a higher level team, but our gym doesn't have youth and junior teams in higher levels. in that case, i think its okay.

 

[katrinacheers]

Well what if a gym had older kids that were a higher level than their senior teams? It happened at my gym a couple of years ago. We had a junior three, but only a senior two.
Its ok for the younger kids to be on an older team if they have the skills, but what about the older kids that are passed the level of the senior teams?

Thats a tough one, I really don't know.

 

[katrinacheers]

If at some smaller gyms senior age kids have to be on a lower level team then Im pretty sure younger kids can wait.

Very True. I think you may have changed my opinion on this. haha.

 

[soFIERCE08]

Well what if a gym had older kids that were a higher level than their senior teams? It happened at my gym a couple of years ago. We had a junior three, but only a senior two.
Its ok for the younger kids to be on an older team if they have the skills, but what about the older kids that are passed the level of the senior teams?

it's a little different, because you can't put a senior age girl on a junior team. but you can put a junior age girl on a senior team. at my old gym(we were a small gym) we had a team with mostly junior age girls a few senior girls. but we still went senior. so if a senior girl has a lot of tumbling but the junior age team has the higher level, then a lot of gyms will make the junior team into a senior team.

 

[xocheerobsessed<3]

I was 10 the first time I was on a senior team. Looking back, I feel like I was way too young for all that. Especially with all the drama my team had.

 

[SharkDad]

This is a puzzle at every gym. A solution for one team may not be right for another.

 

[Num1Stunta]

This is a puzzle at every gym. A solution for one team may not be right for another.

Very true, SharkDad... I would say no one younger than 11 on a Senior team BUT I have 2 10 year olds on my senior team this year who I need for their tumbling and flying skills, and 2 11-year olds who base girls who are in high school. I have a very young senior team, but because we're a small gym it's like that every year. My age breakdown of 26 on seniors looks like this:

10-2
11-2
12- 4
13- 4
14- 4
15-4
16-4
17-1
18-1

All my 14 year-olds fly, and my 2 10-year olds.... take the 10-year olds out of the picture and I'm down to only 4 flyers.... if I drop my 13 and unders down to junior, I lose all my tumblers and I'm left with only 12 girls on seniors. So, for a small gym like mine, I can't have a senior team without younger girls on it

 

[juscheerthatisall]

thats really on the gym they could have moved the team up to level 3 to accomodate those seniors but obviously that wasnt their priority. A small gym may have a total of 20 level 4 athletes inclusive of 10 -18 year olds so should they wait to go level 4 until everyone is of age or should they just take a smaller team and leave the younger girls behind despite the fact that they may be the most talented of the group. I definitely dont agree with really young girls on a senior team but I understand why this is left up to the discretion of the gym.

 

[notimeforthat]

My daughter was on senior coed team last year at 8 years old...
She was treated as the "team pet" (as a previous poster called it). She was carried around and played with by the boys as their own personal rag doll. Everyone was very nice to her and it was an ok season.
This year we are at a new gym on a junior team. She actually has friends on this team that are close to her age!! I am so happy to allow her to go to sleepovers and hangout with actual team members. I honestly feel that the bond between team mates is part of the whole package of cheerleading. Unfortunately we have to drive a very long distance to have the right level with the right age group.

 

[omgitssydthekid]

At my old gym, they now have an Open Senior 5 with all the girls and boy being about 14-18 with one 13 year old. The rest of the athletes however are about 9-11. I think that's way too young because some of the younger kids are a lot more immature but they were some of the only kids in the gym with level 5 skills and that the only way they could go 5.

 

[Deleted member 1556]

having 11-12 year olds on the same team with 18-19 year olds just doesn't settle right with me

 

[cheerleaderforlife]

i was on senior 2 last year(kinda) and i was 12

 

[CXAnna]

I was 11 years old and I made it into senior 3 (first started cheer)
There are girls now who are 14 and still compete in junior individuals which is totally unfair to the little girls who try so hard to remember their routine.

 

[Evergreen]

Would you allow your 12 year old child to be friends with 18 year olds? Would you want your 12 year old in the same classroom as an 18 year old? Probably not, because 12 year olds and 18 year olds are very different. They have different needs and different maturity levels. Not to mention that the language used on a high school team vs a middle school team (which is the difference in these ages) is very different. When I was in high school and a stunt dropped, there was the occasional curse word dropped. During water breaks the things we talked about were appropriate for 17 and 18 year olds, but certainly not for 12 year olds. In addition, I'm completely unimpressed when I see 18 year old bases and a 12 year old flyer. In fact, I lose respect for the team for taking the "easy" way out, using younger flyers with stronger, older bases. Not to mention that some of the dance moves and music selections that are appropriate for 18 year olds, may not be for 12 year olds.
I don't think that 12 year olds should be on the same team as 18 year olds for these reasons.

 

[cheerleaderforlife]

when i was on a senior team, i was a back spot,(i was like 5'2). but then i had to quit last year cuz my mom had cancer and she didnt even want me on that team.