All-Star Top 3 Things You Wish You Knew Back Then...

[Audrey]

1. Do not just chuck your tumbling with bad technique. It will take you years to fix it and do terrible damage to your body.
2. All star will get you so much farther than school. Stick with it as much as you can. (At least, under my circumstances)
3. Do not succumb to cliques on your team. Make friends with everyone.

 

[Anna-grace]

1. When you have an injury, it's worth resting it.
2. Stretch equally on both sides even though one side progresses a lot faster than the other, in the long run it's worth it.
3. Start learning to tumble and fly when you're young, otherwise you'll become more afraid of throwing yourself into new skills.

 

[Aussiekat]

1. You CAN do it.
2. You WILL do it.
3. And you will LOVE it.

Sometimes it just takes a little longer, some skills are a little harder, some things are a little scarier… but these three things will happen if you just have confidence and believe (and listen to your coaches ;)).

 

[Mamarazzi]

1. Cancel your credit card after you're at a zero balance when you leave your old gym.
2. First, this industry is a business.
3. No matter how much they beg or pout, they don't HAVE to be a gym rat.

 

[XtremeWpg]

1. Taller, heavier flyers are sometimes far easier to fly than the teeny ones who don't work as hard because they're teeny
2. Practicing jumps on a dead floor will be a huge at small competitions that don't have spring floors...and they'll look killer on the ones that do
3. This will be your life, give you friendships, and give you the most amazing man you've ever known (yup, lucky enough to be marrying a cheer boy! We watch SO many videos haha)

 

[Just-a-Mom]

1. A 10-year-old with no cheering experience CAN do allstar - even if the gym tells you no (in other words...RUN, don't walk, to the next gym. Instead of waiting 3 more years and trying a different gym. My poor baby missed out on almost 4 years she could have been cheering and good lord is she paying for it now)
2. Cheerleading saved my daughter's life, I swear. I soooooo wish I'd put her in it sooner. Before cheer she was hanging with a HORRIBLE crowd, failing school, getting into trouble all the time. Now she's graduated early, has great friends, and is heading to college. Those kids she was hanging with? One dropped out, 3 are still failing, and one is in JAIL.
3. DON'T PAY FOR THE WHOLE YEAR UP FRONT. Don't. Do. It. Fortunately I didn't do this, but I know so many people who have. If heaven forbid you decide to leave you are screwed. They won't give it back - and chances are you signed something saying that they didn't have to. If you are that wealthy that you can afford it, put it all on a prepaid credit card and give THAT number to the gym. That way you've "Paid" but if you leave you can take the money off the card and it's still yours. I'm telling you I've seen people do this in May, leave in June, and they are out THOUSANDS.

 

[ctgatormom]

1. Join Fierce board so your always up to date on your cheer knowledge(your reading this so mission accomplished)
2. Buy a car with good gas mileage
3. Win Lottery:p

 

[cheererinIL]

1. When your coach puts you on an intermediate team, it's probably because you EARNED being knocked off the advanced team (back when things weren't leveled).
2. Respecting your coach will mean more to them than any number of wins ever did. You will one day get sassed by a bunch of 12 year olds too.
3. Cheerleading will be a life long thing- you will spend wedding money, school money, ANY money, to fly to Florida to be a spectator at Worlds. It will bring you closer to your friends and family. It will keep your life together and you WILL be okay.

 

[Audrey]

1. Taller, heavier flyers are sometimes far easier to fly than the teeny ones who don't work as hard because they're teeny
2. Practicing jumps on a dead floor will be a huge at small competitions that don't have spring floors...and they'll look killer on the ones that do
3. This will be your life, give you friendships, and give you the most amazing man you've ever known (yup, lucky enough to be marrying a cheer boy! We watch SO many videos haha)

This is precious <3 I want to date a cheerleader! You're lucky you're marrying one.

 

[SmileyRyleigh]

1. Dont take your flying spot for granted. you dont hit you'll base.
2. If you cheer at a small gym and are pulling all your skills on your right leg, you need to make sure thats the leg the larger gym is flying on because you'll have a straight leg when you move.. on the wrong leg.
3.dont make dumb facials...

 

[12stepCheermom]

I only have one for the benefit of my CPs...

I wish I'd known that the place we were at had NO IDEA what they were doing (in basically every aspect of competitive cheerleading) when we were there for the first 3 years of her cheer life. Retraining a 9 year old with 3 years of bad coaching could've paid for probably 2 seasons of cheer in private lessons with our new, awesome and qualified coaches....and lets not talk about 18 months of solid frustration between the ages of 9 and 11! no...there's NO drama there :p.

My son joined after we switched gyms because the first one we were with did not "allow" boys to cheer. I should've picked up on something being "off" then.

But, I was a newbie cheer mom that didn't know anything either and we both paid the price for that. My son on the other hand, never had to learn from unqualified people and he's already caught....and basically passed, his sister...in about 2 years.

smh.

 

[gigipizzagirly]

1.Work harder when you are younger, it is so much harder trying to get a double as a Junior in highschool.
2. Having a positive attitude goes a long way when you are trying to accomplish a goal.
3. Do NOT under any circumstance, let the prada fool ya.

 

[AshleyErin]

1. Injuries DO heal, but only if you let them
2. Most cheerleaders (ones that dont go to your gym) are super nice! Take time to talk to them at competitions and make some new friends while bonding over a sport you both love
3. Don't let the cheerleading stereotypes define you, if someone generalizes you into a stereotypical group, let it go...It's their loss for not getting to know you first

 

[MaximumAllStars]

1. You're not going to make a lot of money as a coach. If you want to make a living, learn as many cheer related administrative skills as possible.
2. Over communicate with parents, on everything. Those things can go a long way.
3. If you're good at something, don't do it for free. If you feel uncomfortable charging, start off small. But never do it for free.

 

[XtremeWpg]

This is precious <3 I want to date a cheerleader! You're lucky you're marrying one.

Actually, totally truthfully, this will be the second one I'll marry :oops:. My exhusband was also a cheerleader. :confused: