All-Star What Makes A Winning Program?

[5monkeysjumping]

curious what opinions are on this. You know that there are some teams/programs that are going to dominate. How do they get there? Coaching? Choreography? Stacking teams? I’m not being snarky, I honestly want to know. I would have thought size would matter, but the strongest program I see around here is tiny. So, what’s the magic ingredient? How does a program become a force to be reckoned with?

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

My 2 cents:

The strongest programs (the ones that routinely do well at larger comps such as Summit, Worlds, Cheersport, etc.) in my eyes are the ones that invest time, quality coaching, and choreo into the LOWER LEVEL AND BEGINNER TEAMS.

Look at any gym that is routinely mentioned as taking home tons of jackets and medals at higher levels and you'll see a program that keeps Worlds level energy (time, coaching staff, etc.) for their Preps, Tinies, Minis and Level 1s or 2s.

They don't treat those levels like an afterthought. They get quality coaching and choreo on same level that the higher Worlds and Summit teams get. They build their powerhouses by celebrating kids, having high standards from day 1, and developing talent from the ground up.

Ex: If you look at the teams that make up Worlds top 10s, perennial Summit winners, etc. these gyms did not just have teams of talented Level 5 athletes just walk in off the street. For example: reflecting on a lot of the Fierceboard kiddos that have done well at Worlds. A lot of these kids did not just show up as talented seniors. They have been with these programs since they were tiny/youth/minis.

 

[SthrnCheerMom]

I will second the investing in your lower level teams. Where the heck do you think your Worlds talent is going to come from? At our former gym, that was not the case and it showed. Yes, there are going to be some cases where a Worlds level athlete will come in from outside but the majority of your talent will be breed in your lower levels.

Another thing is to allow your coaches to coach. As an owner, you hire good quality coaches and allow them to do their job. On that note, treat your coaches well so they will stay.

Coaches that invest in the athlete as a person and not just another paying family. My daughter mentions often how different it is between the two programs we have been part of. Currently she feels valued and loved by every coach in her gym. She will tell me that she never felt that way at the previous gym. She feels they only cared about getting our money and not her.

Expect the best and don't settle. This sport is hard work. You need to expect to drill the skills over and over and over. If an entire practice needs to be dedicated to getting jumps on time and proper technique, so be it. Don't accept mediocre. Have a standard and rise to it.

As for stacking teams, I'm not sure that makes a successful program. I think this can work against you in that if you have a ton of kids crossing over, then they are going to get burned out. I have seen athletes on 2 sometimes 3 teams. That has to be exhausting.

Don't let parents dictate where you put the athlete. Parents need to understand it's more than what level they tumble at. Can they stunt and perform at that level too? On that note, the athlete might be able to throw a tuck but can they do it 2 mins into a 2.30 routine? It's not all about your CP. It's about the team.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Also, along the lines of investing in your younger kiddos - the best are those that follow proper progressions and put kids on teams that they are ready for, not the team that the parents want, not the team the kid wants, not the team the gym just wants to field just to say they have it.

Ex: Not just putting a together a bunch of what amounts to 5R kiddos with a sprinkle of Level 5 tumbling to make a Worlds team just because "all the area gyms have Worlds teams."

If you don't have it, you don't have it and that's okay. Work with what you have. The best gyms do that.

 

[CLynn]

Pretty much agree with everything that has been said above. I’ve seen it quoted somewhere, from what I’ve seen to consistently be on top a relentless pursuit of perfection is needed. Also, level appropriate teams!

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

A really good example of this:

Look at some of Cali/CA/Rays lower leveled teams.

Ex: Cali's Senior 1 comes to mind (I can't remember the name of it but it won Summit at one point.) CA's KittyKats. Grape Rays.

Their technique as far as body positions and such are all on par with kids that are several levels above them, because they probably have the same expectations for technique that they have for the kids on their Worlds teams.

ETA: Those are not the only gyms with heavy success at lower levels but just the first I could think of off top of my head. There are quite a few who do well at Summit at the lower levels. Not just these! Ex: Laredo, SCV, ATL Jayhawks, Express Cheer.