All-Star Usasf Major Changes

[chyeeaaa69]

You are absolutely correct!!! My girls feel the same as almost all the cheerleaders across the country...no point in even continuing! Putting a cap on the sport is going to KILL it...period! It is the same as saying 40 yrs ago...we will no longer record or count anything faster than the 7 minute mile.....how dangerous is a society that has nothing to strive for....I'm just so disappointed. I am praying for SOMEONE to hurry up and form a company that will hold events that will not stifle our kids and their talent, work ethic, creative expression...hell...they attacked every possible facet they could...it is garbage!!!

I don't think what we need is a new company, I think we need a re-vamping of an existing company. The Varsity/USASF/whatever else they own name is SO powerful in the cheerleading community, and if they were put on the right track, and listened to the voices of the average athlete/parent/coach, then I think we'd be in a lot better place than if we created a new company.

 

[lakerfantlc]

Because if we want to be taken seriously as a sport, we can't be dressing like Vegas showgirls. I wish I could find the (ESPN? Sports Illustrated?) article that followed around some of the little ones from CEA I think? It focused on the 8 year olds in crop tops and crazy hair and makeup. We were so mad at how they represented cheerleading, not focusing on the athleticism, but focusing on the dress and facials instead, but really we brought it on ourselves.

A few notes on the things I've picked up over the 50 or so pages I've read:

No one is going to measure uniforms at competitions with a ruler. It's a guideline for gym owners and uniform companies when designing uniforms. Obviously girls with really long torsos are going to have much more of their stomach showing. NCA College implemented some of these rules a few years ago and they still have crop tops, they just no longer have skirts that are 6" long that barely cover bums - something we've all complained about.

Maybe the senior only in crop tops doesn't bother me as much because my gym already does it, but it's not about the individuals, it's about the team as a whole. One 10 year old in a crop top on a senior team and one 14 year old with a full top on a junior team is different than a team of 10 year olds on a youth team wearing crop tops. Stop looking at how this affects an individual and look instead at how this portrays the sport as a whole.

It's also not that hard to stay quiet and silently celebrating for the 30 seconds it takes to announce the 1st place team after the second. I can show you videos of teams winning big competitions doing just that very well. You hold your teammates hand and bounce on your butt, freaking out in silence. You don't have to jump up and down screaming while the second place team gets their award.

The etiquette guidelines don't bother me that much - if they were released separately from the rules. As it stands now, they seems too much like rules that can't be enforced. If the USASF released it in, say, November, and said "Hey everyone, let's remember good etiquette and behavior this competition season" it wouldn't be an issue. There's no way to enforce a team wearing a t-shirt until they go to warmups, and you can't really tell athletes they have to be comp ready when they show up. I'm on an open team, we usually compete at like 8PM. I'm not doing my hair and makeup to sit in the car for 2 hours driving to the competition, arriving 4 or 5 hours early to chear on some of our younger teams. It's not happening, especially when check out time at hotels is noon on sunday and I don't compete until 8. Not all gyms have warmups, but gyms should be pushing their athletes to not look like slobs at competitions. Wear a gym t-shirt and yoga pants, not hot pink sweatpants or pajama pants, etc.

ok...its a sport...are you going to put a burka on michael phelps cuz he wears only a speedo.....good lord..it is another mindless act forced on us ALL because a few were offended.....if you think cheer is slutty or inappropriate put your kid in fencing or something...for years when people ask about my kids small COSTUMES...I say they are in an auditorium among thousands of other kids dressed the same way...they are not walking sunset and vine....it is a uniform for a contest....the rule is mindless...IMO

 

[chyeeaaa69]

ok...its a sport...are you going to put a burka on michael phelps cuz he wears only a speedo.....good lord..it is another mindless act forced on us ALL because a few were offended.....if you think cheer is slutty or inappropriate put your kid in fencing or something...for years when people ask about my kids small COSTUMES...I say they are in an auditorium among thousands of other kids dressed the same way...they are not walking sunset and vine....it is a uniform for a contest....the rule is mindless...IMO

(not trying to argue with everything you say here, you just happen to be posting at the same time as me)
The difference being that the outfits most athletes wear are what they need to be wearing to perform the best they can. Soccer players wear clothes that allow for the running and such that they have to do, gymnasts wear leotards that allow for their flexibility and flipping and such, swimmers wear speedos that allow for them to swim faster and such, cheerleaders do not, I repeat DO NOT need a crop top to perform at their best. Does it help? Possibly. Do athletes like those at Charlotte Allstars still perform the same level of tumbling while wearing full tops? Yes.

 

[Ashley]

ok...its a sport...are you going to put a burka on michael phelps cuz he wears only a speedo.....good lord..it is another mindless act forced on us ALL because a few were offended.....if you think cheer is slutty or inappropriate put your kid in fencing or something...for years when people ask about my kids small COSTUMES...I say they are in an auditorium among thousands of other kids dressed the same way...they are not walking sunset and vine....it is a uniform for a contest....the rule is mindless...IMO

You're being ridiculous if you're seriously comparing an 8 year not being able to wear a crop top to a burka on a swimmer. And Michael Phelps usually competes in the knee-length wet suit from what I've seen, not a speedo, for what it's worth.

And yes, it's a UNIFORM, not a COSTUME. Give me a strong argument that wearing a full top seriously impedes an athlete's ability to perform and maybe I'll change my stance.

 

[lakerfantlc]

I don't think what we need is a new company, I think we need a re-vamping of an existing company. The Varsity/USASF/whatever else they own name is SO powerful in the cheerleading community, and if they were put on the right track, and listened to the voices of the average athlete/parent/coach, then I think we'd be in a lot better place than if we created a new company.

I think Varsity/usasf is so melded together in such a conflict of interest that it will be almost impossible to do that....it is for me too close for comfort...a governing body intertwined with a profit seeker...not good....they need to be separate...and now EP's are calling shots...gym owners are being left out of HUGE acts...it is out of control....where do you start when the only power you have is to STOP paying them for this nonsense....they have all the power...we the people only have the power to shop somewhere else...IMO

 

[Mclovin]

I am starting to wish that the USAG would just start handling cheerleading as we know it. They know exactly how to regulate progressions, proper training and conditioning, universal scoresheets, transparency in judging, coaches training/certification, etc. etc. I am just so fed up with this. I am sick and tired of hearing "we can't police this, we can't police that". We can't, we can't we can't. But WAIT, we CAN take a minimal amount of "studies" and decide that we need to eliminate every single remotely difficult tumbling skill a cheerleader can throw. We CAN regulate bow size, makeup and full length tops. I have been a HUGE supporter of the USASF. I have wished that they could become the USAG of all star cheer. Now they have lost my support 100%. Not that that matters at all to them, but I have zero interest now in helping solidify them in the eyes of the cheer world. As a coach I will choreograph my routines to fit the limitations I've been given. I will only teach the skills my kids are allowed to throw. But I will beg our owner to consider other options that would allow us to leave the USASF altogether. But as a parent, I am done. If my girls told me tonight they don't want to tryout, I would be in complete support of that. I no longer want to spend my hard earned money to help pad the pockets of anyone (EP's, gyms, governing bodies) that support these new tumbling restrictions. March 28, 2012 will be a day marked on my calendar for the day all star cheer died. It will never be the true legitimate sport we all dreamed it would become. Such a sad, sad day...

 

[chyeeaaa69]

I think Varsity/usasf is so melded together in such a conflict of interest that it will be almost impossible to do that....it is for me too close for comfort...a governing body intertwined with a profit seeker...not good....they need to be separate...and now EP's are calling shots...gym owners are being left out of HUGE acts...it is out of control....where do you start when the only power you have is to STOP paying them for this nonsense....they have all the power...we the people only have the power to shop somewhere else...IMO

It's like Courtney Pope said last night, it seems so broken that we almost need to start again.
I just think that in order for our sport to not be without MANY competitions for 2-3 seasons, we can't just eliminate Varsity. Correct me if I'm wrong, but do they not own a LOT of competition companies including NCA and UCA? Varsity needs to exist, it's as simple as that, but we as cheerleaders, athletes, coaches, fans, parents, etc. need to come together and demand change.

 

[SuzyB]

I could comment on lots of things, but this one bothers me the worst. I know skills, blah blah, but THIS!

I am horrified that this made into writing and was released by the USASF. ''Males - minimize exaggerated or theatrical movements'' Why weren't gestures by females athletes mentioned? One of my favorite kids threw her double for the first time this week and she made a theatrical hand gesture at the end, and that's apparently okay. But if a boy does it, OMG, is someone afraid he might be GAY? That's all I can come up with and I find it offensive.

When the person or committee wrote these rules, they apparently locked themselves in a closet. When you start talking about the size of bow, you have to know that you have wandered off the course of reality.

I could not agree more! That's exactly why I thought it was an April Fool's joke. And excessive celebration? Are they for real? What is excessive celebration? I have never seen a celebration that I thought was excessive.

 

[brandon0309]

In the words of lady bullets, this year at worlds.. "Let it rip, 2012 you wont forget, you wont forget, you wont forget!'

 

[Ashley]

I could not agree more! That's exactly why I thought it was an April Fool's joke. And excessive celebration? Are they for real? What is excessive celebration? I have never seen a celebration that I thought was excessive.

It's just saying to be respectful to the second place team and celebrate quietly while staying on your butt for the 30 seconds it takes to account your team as first.

 

[lakerfantlc]

(not trying to argue with everything you say here, you just happen to be posting at the same time as me)
The difference being that the outfits most athletes wear are what they need to be wearing to perform the best they can. Soccer players wear clothes that allow for the running and such that they have to do, gymnasts wear leotards that allow for their flexibility and flipping and such, swimmers wear speedos that allow for them to swim faster and such, cheerleaders do not, I repeat DO NOT need a crop top to perform at their best. Does it help? Possibly. Do athletes like those at Charlotte Allstars still perform the same level of tumbling while wearing full tops? Yes.

I understand what you are saying but where is the freedom? Ask the kids if they like and feel comfortable in what they wear...this is not NAZI Germany for goodness sake....good Lord...with one click they put us all at a high school basketball game and made the likes of Kiara and Whitney average...they isn't anything good about these idiotic changes...IMO

 

[Cheetahmom]

I sat in the arena both full days of NCA and the only injuries I saw were the team who stopped twice....game I think. So all this data of level 5 having so many injuries at competitions is completely over exaggerated and just trying to push an agenda that's all about money I promise you. I'm sure it's got insurance premium implications at the core. The participants all sign waivers to begin with.....hello!!!!


---
I am here: Google Maps

 

[SuzyB]

It's just saying to be respectful to the second place team and celebrate quietly while staying on your butt for the 30 seconds it takes to account your team as first.

I get that part, but they called out excessive celebration as well. So when you win worlds you shouldn't jump up and down, AFTER your team has been called.

 

[Mamarazzi]

I'm also not surprised that the flamboyancy issue has come up. Although I find it extremely harsh and don't agree with it, I'm not surprised. James Speed (I believe) was commenting at the NACCC conference that the image that a lot of cheer boys present on the floor is not one that appeals to new male athletes joining from other sports, and he believed it was truly contributing to the loss of boys in the sport, and quite a few people agreed. Once again, not saying I agree, but I'm not at all surprised by it.
I can't help thinking of those few athletes though that have taken their lives because of something to do so strongly with this ruling. Imagine the feelings an athlete feels hearing that they need to be "less theatrical" when they are only being themselves? Or when their only medium to express themselves is on that cheer floor? I think USASF really should have thought a LONG time about this rule, there are serious repercussions to rulings like this, ones that we have seen already.

Did you see Mike Blaylock's facebook status regarding this? THAT'S our coach...and that queen is pissed...

 

[lakerfantlc]

It's like Courtney Pope said last night, it seems so broken that we almost need to start again.
I just think that in order for our sport to not be without MANY competitions for 2-3 seasons, we can't just eliminate Varsity. Correct me if I'm wrong, but do they not own a LOT of competition companies including NCA and UCA? Varsity needs to exist, it's as simple as that, but we as cheerleaders, athletes, coaches, fans, parents, etc. need to come together and demand change.

NCA is a Varsity event...almost everything is...I do not support having no events for 2-3 yrs....what I said is I am hoping an EP will step away from Varsity and be our alternative pushing Varsity and usasf to rethink this lunacy....its the only voice we have.....FYI...I am ok with you arguing with me...;)