Can you post it here (or PM me) too? Mine is going back after a year off and I'm trying not to hover. She's 15 now and doesn't really need my commentary, so the reminder might be helpful for me lol.
Posted with permission...
Sorry this is so long but I really needed to get this out there for everyone
Around this time of the season I always feel compelled to write this because it gets very hectic and I don't know if it helps to put things into perspective for some people or not but I need to write it, if for no other reason, so that I know as a coach in good conscience I put it out there.
Tryout time can be very hectic for athletes and parents. The athletes are very stressed because of their team placements for next season, and the parents are stressed because their kids are stressed. Sometimes this stress can lead to poor decision making for a multitude of different reasons. I want you all to understand a couple things. One of the most important being that tryouts are a single day (for most of you) in May. Trust me when I tell you if you are a returner, we put a lot more stock in what you've done all season than in a single afternoon or evening. So don't freak yourselves out because you think that you're entire cheerleading career rests on a 30 min tryout. Please try to relax and do the best you can do.
Parents, as much as I love that you are involved in your child's activity, sometimes it can be a little too much. A lot of you are thinking "no he's not talking about me"....I probably am. This does not go for everyone, but it does go for a lot of you. If you put TOO MUCH into this, it is no longer your child's activity you make it your own. The coaching from the window, the trying to figure out other children's placements to figure out where your kid is going, all of those are things that are best left to the coaches. This is our job and we are trying to do it to the best of our abilities. We are very good at what we do or we wouldn't work at the best gym in the country. I wouldn't presume to know your job better than you so please show us the same respect and understand that you don't know our job better than us. I can't imagine you'd think that we want to place children where they don't belong and lose on purpose. The decisions we make are based on the welfare of the gym as a whole. I know that you are looking out for your child but we need to look out for every child. So please rest assured that we will place your children where they deserve to be placed. I know sometimes that placement doesn't always match up with what you think it should be, but let's be honest you're a little biased.
Here are a couple things that my colleagues and I have said to people over the years that I think really make a lot of sense. Think about if there were an entire team filled with your athlete. Everyone had the same stunting or tumbling ability. Would that team be successful for the level that they are trying to make. If the answer is no, then you can't be angry if they don't make that level. Sometimes exceptions have to be made at the coaches discretion but that's the exception, not the rule.
Another thing is why would you want to force or rush a skill that you have not perfected in order to make a certain team. Chances are you will either lose the skill or plateau and not be able to move on because it is not done correctly. Then the athlete will be upset all year because they won't be contributing to the team, and the coach will be frustrated because the athlete isn't performing to the expectations they put forth at tryouts. Wouldn't you rather be the STAR of the team because you not only perfected the skill that you had on the lower level, but you are working on the higher skills and will be able to do so at a comfortable, realistic pace. I have seen countless athletes do this and all of them have been very successful.
We live in an age where everyone wants the best for their kids but a lot of parents don't realize that by forcing them higher just for the simple prestige of it, you are actually putting them in danger because they are more than likely not ready to move up or do the skill that they are trying and that can lead to bad habits that then need to be fixed, or even worse serious injury.
So please, I am begging you...this tryout season, relax, do what you are capable of doing, and allow us to the job that we are here to do. Help us help your child grow and get better at this sport. Help us grow World Cup so that it can be the best possible place for your athlete to grow not only as a cheerleader, but as a person in society. We have an enormous amount of pride in our ability and the athletes we produce, but we can't do it alone or when we have people working against us. I am here for any other questions people may have. Feel free to share this if you need/want to and let's have an absolutely amazing season.
Thanks everyone,
Kenny-Wu
Head Tumbling Coach WC All-Stars