All-Star What Means The Most To Allstar Cheerleaders Who Want To Cheer In College

[MyGirlCheers]

They exist, there's lots of lower profile all-girl teams that are clubs and not funded by their schools that only compete. Lots of the teams in D3 all-girl at NCA nationals, for example.

And, if she decides to go to a bigger school, sideline cheering might be a necessary evil, but at least it's DI then, which is 1million times better than high school sideline cheering.

University of Georgia is a Division I school that has a competition team at the club level.

Thanks to both of you, that's good info to know. We don't need to start considering college choices for a couple of years, so we should have plenty of time to research options.

 

[tucknduck]

Is allstar breeding this entire generation of talented cheerleaders who, largely, just dont care in general for sidelines?

I think that's a big reason. Athletes who do all-star cheer train for tournaments and their focus is go try and win tournaments. It's understandsble why cheerleaders who omly did it comprtitively would consider sideline cheer a huge letdown from competing since all sideline does is wave pompoms and cheers on the real athletes on the field or the court. I think for those in competitive cheer, they are turned off by the sideline cheer since they're only a side act to an athletic event instead of being the competitive ones

 

[GreatWhite92]

Is it being able to be on the sidelines?
This is difficult for me. I definitly don't do cheerleading JUST for the sidelines. But I don't not enjoy it either. I like cheering football. I don't really like cheering basketball but it is what it is.

Is it the perks?
We get $600 housing which is nice, but it isn't the reason I am cheering.

Is it the idea of competing?
YES! YES! and more YES!!! We just found out that the local gym our assistance coach owns might field an open team that will begin after nationals in january. I started in all-star at age 7. Never did any peewee cheer or rec cheer. I have grown up to be a competitive cheerleader and its what I live for.

Do lots of you suffer through sidelines to compete or do you compete just so you can do the sidelines?
Like I said I enjoy the sidelines, just not enough to be on the team if they didn't compete just to cheer sidelines.

 

[cheerheart4life]

I'm still a senior but here are my thoughts on cheering in college:
1. I don't hate sidelines. I actually love being in front of a crowd and cheering on my school! I love school spirit. I just have an issue with cold weather! I don't like having to stand outside when it's freezing in my little cheer uniform and yell for the fans that are all bundled up and cozy in front of me. That's my selfish side of wanting to be warm though. Games can be fun!

2. Perks do have something to do with it when I look at big colleges that offer tuition waivers that I may not be able to get through just academics. For example- my dream school UCF. I can't afford out of state. Cheering would help me lower the cost for my parents if I could get a waiver from them. However, with smaller schools that I can get academic tuition help with, the perks don't do anything for me. I want to cheer, and I will cheer even if I have to pay for my own uniforms.

3. I fully want to be a college cheerleader because of competing. I want to be on that UCA/NCA stage representing my school. It's my ultimate dream. As long as I get to compete one, that's fine with me, that's still competing!!!

4. I don't suffer through sidelines. As I said, I only suffer when its cold. I enjoy them! But if there was an option to just do competition, I would do it.

Ultimately cheering for my school and competitions out weigh the bads of sidelines. Plus being a college cheerleader, you can reach out to the community more and meet new people. Who wouldn't wanna tell their kid when they grew up, "Yeah I was a college cheerleader at my University". I think that's awesome to say!

 

[tumbleyoda]

I do not coach college and did not cheer in college. I have however worked with several athletes who have gone on to cheer on college or a few college teams.

In my limited experience almost universally the talented ones as you say have little to no interest in cheering college unless it is at Louisville, Kentucky or HPU. These they view as highly competitive programs that are as close as possible to what they did in All Stars. From what they have said it makes no sense to have worked that hard to get skills that they can not use in college - mostly tumbling to be sure - but then again I am a tumbling coach primarily. The amount of athletes that come in prior to college tryouts trying to get or reclaim skills because they believe they won't make the team without specialties to full jumps to tuck, or standing tuck are crazy. Or in the case of a school like NC State a few years ago where many of those who made the team had doubles that they threw at tryouts even though they can not throw them in college obviously.

Which is why to me if the rumors are true of the continued alignment of All Star to College and International they may be able to increase that percentage of the talented athlete that will chose to cheer in college. They see All Star and Worlds as the epitome of cheer.​

 

[Ashley]

Which is why to me if the rumors are true of the continued alignment of All Star to College and International they may be able to increase that percentage of the talented athlete that will chose to cheer in college. They see All Star and Worlds as the epitome of cheer.

Can you clarify what you mean by this?

 

[tumbleyoda]

^^^I could and I will get royally blasted for it. Kinda like I was blasted and called a conspirator about the USASF/Varsity connection, the return of full top uniforms and the watering down of tumbling skills a few years ago when no one wanted to hear/believe it. Just keep your ears to the ground and keep watching Memphis. It may take a few years but don't be surprised when it happens. All for the good of the sport.

 

[mommy2mygirls]

^^^I could and I will get royally blasted for it. Kinda like I was blasted and called a conspirator about the USASF/Varsity connection, the return of full top uniforms and the watering down of tumbling skills a few years ago when no one wanted to hear/believe it. Just keep your ears to the ground and keep watching Memphis. It may take a few years but don't be surprised when it happens. All for the good of the sport.

Tease!

 

[mollymags]

I think that's a big reason. Athletes who do all-star cheer train for tournaments and their focus is go try and win tournaments. It's understandsble why cheerleaders who omly did it comprtitively would consider sideline cheer a huge letdown from competing since all sideline does is wave pompoms and cheers on the real athletes on the field or the court. I think for those in competitive cheer, they are turned off by the sideline cheer since they're only a side act to an athletic event instead of being the competitive ones

Yes yes yes yes yes.

I actually look at sideline cheerleading and all-star cheerleading as two entirely different things. Yes, on the sidelines you still jump and stunt and tumble, but I believe there's significantly less pressure/focus on difficulty and technique when you're on the sidelines. Most spectators that are watching you will be just as impressed with a lib full down as they would be with a tick tock. They don't know or care about the difference. Your main job at games is to cheer and lead the crowd, get everyone excited, etc. That's something that we just don't focus on in all-star cheerleading. We teach kids to perform, but not necessarily how to lead a crowd.

I cheered in college simply because I wanted to continue cheering. I also went to the same college that most of my all-star coaches had cheered at, so I figured I'd do the same. I barely made it through football season. I HATED being on the sidelines. I may have had a different opinion if I was at a bigger school where people were more into the athletics. It was hard to get the crowd going so I always felt like I was standing on the sideline for hours and hours on end for no reason. We also didn't compete. I was miserable. It was not the same "cheerleading" that I was used to at all.

 

[mommy2mygirls]

Yes yes yes yes yes.

It was hard to get the crowd going so I always felt like I was standing on the sideline for hours and hours on end for no reason. We also didn't compete. I was miserable. It was not the same "cheerleading" that I was used to at all.

That is what my daughter is picturing for high school sideline. Where no one in the crowd even cares you are out there and you are more in the way of the game than actually leading the crowd & being a "part" of it all.

 

[SharkDad]

^^^I could and I will get royally blasted for it. Kinda like I was blasted and called a conspirator about the USASF/Varsity connection, the return of full top uniforms and the watering down of tumbling skills a few years ago when no one wanted to hear/believe it. Just keep your ears to the ground and keep watching Memphis. It may take a few years but don't be surprised when it happens. All for the good of the sport.

Of course this is highly debateable when "the sport" is not entirely (even closely)represented.

 

[CoachMandiCF]

I did All-Stars (in the dinosaur age of it) and also cheered D-1 for a major university and I can say I loved the sideline aspect of it. Sure, if you're at a smaller school, it might not be as thrilling, but every home game we were at a sold out crowd at the stadium where the Steelers played (our home field) in front of 80,000+ fans. It was intense. We were featured on Game Day twice during my tenure and traveled to bowl games every year, once a BCS game. Our basketball team was also ranked in the top #10 every year I cheered and I got to experience March Madness and sold out home games every year. The connections you make and the things you are a part of while at a big program is unreal so for me that was the seller. Yes, we did NCA Nationals, but that was just the icing on the cake. All of the media publicity, the charity work and the crowds were amazing!

 

[CAmamakat]

I have to say that my athlete loves all- star but ALSO loves cheering at school! She loves her varsity squad, cheering for the teams, sideline, the fans.. The whole school spirit atmosphere! Now, is it the same high she gets from competing at Worlds or for CA? No, but she does enjoy it and plans on attending at D-1 school for Cheerleading. She can't imagine not cheering at CA or at an all-star gym but if her squad competes, she will be happy I think. She is a junior so we will be going through this soon. She has her sights on OSU, OU, Alabama... But still talks about UofL and Kentucky. She can't wait to be on that football field cheering!
Any advice for me on scholarships that will help? Any other advice as we tackle this road? Thanks y'all!

 

[King]

I have to say that my athlete loves all- star but ALSO loves cheering at school! She loves her varsity squad, cheering for the teams, sideline, the fans.. The whole school spirit atmosphere! Now, is it the same high she gets from competing at Worlds or for CA? No, but she does enjoy it and plans on attending at D-1 school for Cheerleading. She can't imagine not cheering at CA or at an all-star gym but if her squad competes, she will be happy I think. She is a junior so we will be going through this soon. She has her sights on OSU, OU, Alabama... But still talks about UofL and Kentucky. She can't wait to be on that football field cheering!
Any advice for me on scholarships that will help? Any other advice as we tackle this road? Thanks y'all!

So you are a prime person to ask. I don't see a school like Auburn (who has a fantastic football team but does not compete) but I do see Kentucky (who when it comes to a good football team they will tell you they have a good basketball team [rimshot]). That has to be considered completely based on competition and not on sideline cheering?

 

[kristenthegreat]

I think many allstar athlete's reaction to college cheering will be based on their HS cheering experience. If they attended a HS that did NOT have school spirit, or the cheerleaders were viewed as a hindrance to a game, etc. THOSE are the kids who have morphed into strictly allstar cheerleaders. They're the ones who dread the sidelines, want JUST to compete, and would hiss at a pom pom if they saw one.

My school was 'Eh' on the sideline cheering, and I'm a performer/competitive athlete by nature so I tolerated sidelines. I LIVED for competition though, because I actually felt appreciated for my skills then. If a cheerleader feels like they're not missing anything from sideline because they got nothing from it in HS, you're gonna have a hard time drawing them to the college crowd.