All-Star What's Happening At Rockstar

[quitthedrama]

@Sterling von Shimmer You claim to be a coach. However, this is not the first time I have seen you post what is gossip or heresay and try to play it as fact. May I ask how you would feel if one of your athletes accused you and the other athletes on your team of bullying, or even assault? And with those accusations never addressed it with you but instead took it directly to social media and got as many people to like, retweet, comment, etc in their defense and against you and your athletes? Your behavior is immature and unprofessional given your role.

 

[CLynn]

If not, then what a shame anyone is wasting their energies.

Well, this is where I net out on the whole topic. People can discuss whatever they wish, but as a matter of course I find it somewhat sad for our energies to be focused on topics pulled from twitter drama that we have no real way to know if they are credible or not. I see this happening more and more on this board (and others) ... it bums me out.

And it is also kind of sad that parents and athletes need to be on the defensive about this too. I mean there are a few "legitimate" issues with the gym to focus on for now until this is proven either way.

 

[UCFKnights07]

this topic was already lightly talked about in the random thread. But ill say it again there are always 3 sides to every story, your side, their side, and the truth.
i wont believe so called anonymous screenshots, simply because it aint difficult to fake those kinds of things in a matter of minutes.
given this girls situation, do i believe some form of bullying has occurred at the gyms she has been to over the years, sure. Kids are awful these days, so it wouldnt surprise me.
However, i do feel like it was an isolated incident possibly only involving one teammate, maybe a few not even on beatles, but not the whole team and/or program. Clearly she and her mom were upset on how it was handled but stuck it out for worlds, etc. then decided to come forward. Which is their right to do. However when you switch teams multiple times throughout one season, i cant sit here and say that a gym/coach should kick off kids who have been there an entire season, because one kid came and decided she didnt like the way she was treated.
I feel for her, i do. I was bullied relentlessly in high school and i had to sit in class with those a-holes for an entire school year. So i know what its like.
But gyms, coaches, etc arent these kids parents, they cant control every aspect of these kids feelings, lives, etc. If the bullying was brought up to the gym and they chose not to do anything about it, then yes shame on them, but she could have easily left.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

@Sterling von Shimmer You claim to be a coach. However, this is not the first time I have seen you post what is gossip or heresay and try to play it as fact. May I ask how you would feel if one of your athletes accused you and the other athletes on your team of bullying, or even assault? And with those accusations never addressed it with you but instead took it directly to social media and got as many people to like, retweet, comment, etc in their defense and against you and your athletes? Your behavior is immature and unprofessional given your role.

I started this post to defend a trans athlete. How anyone can find that “unprofessional” and “immature” is beyond me, especially given the personal nature of your last comment. I don’t know who you are outside of this forum and have never made negative presumptions about you or anyone else here. Why? Because it’s unprofessional and immature. So I’d appreciate the same respect in return. You don’t have to agree with what I’m saying, but there is no need to stoop that low.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Additional final observation on this:

If someone has been harassing my kid ALL season both in person and online, I call them out on it, and everyone starts calling me a liar or saying my kid is the aggressor, or asking me how I know they sent these messages - I'm pulling out all the receipts. My kid is pulling out all the receipts. Texts. Snaps. Voicemails. You name it.

When I address bullying and I appear to have determined the aggressor, usually the other side says "oh no that's only half the story" and they have info of their own to present. Ex: "Yeah she said I called her a --- in Spanish but she called me a --- on Snap last night."

It is just strange that the only receipts are anonymous and not attached to any one person. And they surfaced only just now. As opposed to having been going on for awhile.

 

[california cheer mom]

I remember this particular athlete laughing at and making fun of my kiddo on instagram a few years ago and blocking her basically because my kiddo did not buy a posh pony and instead got another much cheaper brand. My kiddo was upset because she looked up to that athlete. She learned a lesson: just because someone is popular doesnt mean they are nice. Just because someone is at the forefront of an issue doesnt make them a saint worthy of hero worship. A good lesson for an 11 year old to learn, which has stayed with her now at 15.

That being said, I did tweet defending this athlete because we all need to be more accepting of others. At 11, my kiddo knew not to make fun of other athletes and especially younger ones who might have looked up to her. Kids learn from their parents how to treat others. I hope more parents out there teach their kids to treat others fairly and with compassion.

I hope these athletes who have treated this one with disrespect realize that every athlete on that team was a crucial part of them winning. You win and lose as a team.

If this disrespect is untrue, well that's a whole other issue.

Side note: posh pony is out of business and has taken money from tons of parents and not delivered a product, committing fraud countless times. Looks like my kiddo chose well not to go with that brand ;)

Edited to add, PP is not formally out of business. They just never deliver their product to those who order. Many many are left without something they ordered almost a year ago.

Posh Pony took team order from our gym and never delivered them. This was 9 months ago. The people who paid cash are SOL.

 

[california cheer mom]

Not sure what PP has to do with Rockstar. Guess it’s a thread hijack op.

As for RS - IF the bullying happened then shame on those athletes. IF it didn’t then shame on the accuser. There are 3 sides to every story and until I see some convincing proof I will not accuse anyone of anything. I have learned not to be too quick to jump on a bandwagon regardless of the situation.


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The bullied athlete was the niece (I think) of the Posh Pony owner and one of the original models/brand ambassadors.

 

[Cheer Dad]

this topic was already lightly talked about in the random thread. But ill say it again there are always 3 sides to every story, your side, their side, and the truth.
i wont believe so called anonymous screenshots, simply because it aint difficult to fake those kinds of things in a matter of minutes.
given this girls situation, do i believe some form of bullying has occurred at the gyms she has been to over the years, sure. Kids are awful these days, so it wouldnt surprise me.
However, i do feel like it was an isolated incident possibly only involving one teammate, maybe a few not even on beatles, but not the whole team and/or program. Clearly she and her mom were upset on how it was handled but stuck it out for worlds, etc. then decided to come forward. Which is their right to do. However when you switch teams multiple times throughout one season, i cant sit here and say that a gym/coach should kick off kids who have been there an entire season, because one kid came and decided she didnt like the way she was treated.
I feel for her, i do. I was bullied relentlessly in high school and i had to sit in class with those a-holes for an entire school year. So i know what its like.
But gyms, coaches, etc arent these kids parents, they cant control every aspect of these kids feelings, lives, etc. If the bullying was brought up to the gym and they chose not to do anything about it, then yes shame on them, but she could have easily left.

The allegations are still unproven though. There was another transgender in the gym not too long ago and her story about support and love is total opposite of SJ.

I’m not passing judgement either way but I’m guessing a whole lot to this story we don’t know yet.



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[Cheer Dad]

Well, this is where I net out on the whole topic. People can discuss whatever they wish, but as a matter of course I find it somewhat sad for our energies to be focused on topics pulled from twitter drama that we have no real way to know if they are credible or not. I see this happening more and more on this board (and others) ... it bums me out.

And it is also kind of sad that parents and athletes need to be on the defensive about this too. I mean there are a few "legitimate" issues with the gym to focus on for now until this is proven either way.

What legitimate issues?



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[UCFKnights07]

The allegations are still unproven though. There was another transgender in the gym not too long ago and her story about support and love is total opposite of SJ.

I’m not passing judgement either way but I’m guessing a whole lot to this story we don’t know yet.



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Again I might not fully believe her side to all this. But I would find it odd if there was absolutely no truth in it what so ever, then why drum up drama after the season is done. Seems pointless to me unless something actually did happen. Clearly her and her mom were upset about something which is why they are speaking out now.
I troll twitter out of pure boredom and i will say she is no angel on social media towards others, so i wont sit here and believe she was 100% innocent on whatever occurred.

 

[TheDivineCheerYaYaSecret]

Here you say that

Well, this is where I net out on the whole topic. People can discuss whatever they wish, but as a matter of course I find it somewhat sad for our energies to be focused on topics pulled from twitter drama that we have no real way to know if they are credible or not. I see this happening more and more on this board (and others) ... it bums me out.

And it is also kind of sad that parents and athletes need to be on the defensive about this too. I mean there are a few "legitimate" issues with the gym to focus on for now until this is proven either way.

Sadly it seems that the current issue may not be able to be proven either way.

What would you like me to discuss about the legitimate issues? Not being snarky. I really am glad that you brought them up.I truly want to discuss them because they can be discussed. I'll use the post as a jumping off point. They were real issues that needed to be addressed. The legitimate issues at the gym have been focused on to the highest level since they occurred.
1. The Majors picture:

• The athletes were immediately made alternates on the team. They both chose to leave the team.
• The athletes apologized in person to their teammates, in writing to The Majors, and in writing to the parents of the athletes on the team.
• Beatles did not attend their first competition that season at Battle Under the Bigtop. It was the next week.
• The gymwide policy for conduct and social media was reviewed with everyone.

2. The video of the owner "partying" with underage athletes:

• Let me be clear that I quoted partying because the video does not conclude what the beverages that were being consumed actually were. However the video did show the owner and underage athletes in a situation that should not have occurred. The video was not in any way favorable to the image or reputation of the people involved in the video and by default, the gym as a whole.
• The owner and Coach (same person) immediately removed themselves from directly coaching the team.
• The owner and coach (same person) apologized to the athletes of the team.
• The owner and coach (same person) apologized in writing to the athletes and the parents of the athletes for the entire gym.
• Beatles did not attend their first competition (again Battle Under the Bigtop) of the season because it was two weeks away from the time the video was made public.
• Beatles and other teams in the the gym attended their first competition that season at Champions League in Nashville, Tennessee. The owner and coach (same person) did not attend this competition.
• The owner was placed on probation for a three year period by USASF and was not allowed to coach the team at competition events. The owner is allowed to be present in the gym itself.
• The next competition event (Spirit of Hope) the owner did not go to warmups with any team, backstage with any team, or stand up front as a coach with any team. He has not to this day. He purchases the same tickets for entry to the competition events that all non coaches and non owners purchase and he stands in line with the rest of us to see the teams in the priority section where he cheers them on like we all do. He does this with every team from the gym and with many others as well.
• The gymwide conduct policy was revisited, revised, and reaffirmed with every coach, athlete, and parent involved with the gym.
• The social media policy for the gym was revisited, revised, and reaffirmed with every coach. athlete, and parent involved with the gym.

Those two seasons were a living hell. People within the gym had to make decisions about staying or leaving. Coaches, parents, and athletes. Some left. Many stayed. Everyone had to do what they felt was best for them personally and I have never heard anything negative or hateful said about anyone that chose to leave.

This past season the positive growth and change continued:

• USASF released a new policy on how coaches were to interact through phone calls and messages to underage athletes and how they were to interact with them on social media. Rockstar not only fully embraced and implemented those policies but they went above what was required. No coach is allowed to contact an underage athlete unless they also include the parent of that athlete in the text or phone conversation. No coach is to follow an underage athlete on social media and no underage athlete is to follow a coach on their social media. The unfollowing of coaches and athletes was immediate and full. Many athletes went so far as to unfollow coaches from other gyms.
• The gym did nothing more than remain quiet, work incredibly hard, stay humble, give their best, support their teammates and the gym, exhibit great sportsmanship at every event they attended, and put their very best on the floor time and time again.

I have witnessed growth and change in the owners, coaches, athletes, and parents of this gym. We are all better for those very rough experiences. Every single one of us messes up sometimes. It is what we do in response to those issues that determines the people we are. I do not wish these experiences on anyone but I am thankful to have had them. I have personally witnessed a transformation in an entire program that was lead by the owner. He is the one that determined the path after these events. I heard and read all season in articles and on social media about the successful transformation of Beatles and Rockstar Cheer.

This past season was the most successful season in the history of Rockstar Cheer. For the worlds teams alone there were Cheersport wins by both Worlds teams, NCA wins by both Worlds teams and our R5 team, UCA wins by both Worlds teams, Triple Crown Winners for both Worlds teams, a Bronze Globe by Rolling Stones at Worlds and a Golden Globe by the Beatles at Worlds.

Clearly something is being done correctly and very well at Rockstar Cheer.

 

[CLynn]

What legitimate issues?



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Two top of mind I would engage in a discussion on: The role of the owner who I believe is on suspension and Overexpansion/potential dilution of brand name. All have been discussed many times. I'm just not into twitter or social media drama becoming newsworthy just because it is out there in the universe.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

Whelp, that escalated quickly.

Clearly there’s a lot of divide on this topic. I think the answer — for right now anyway — is that we don’t know what really happened and maybe never will.

That being said, there’s been some criticism toward people who are choosing to believe the bullying occurred. To that I say: can you blame us? Twitter can be an outright cesspool of hate, bigotry, and ignorance. If anons are telling a girl on SE to kill herself because of a misfired stunt, I can undoubtedly believe we’d have anons bullying a trans athlete.

I don’t know the validity of the messages or who they’re from, but the fact that they existed given Twitter’s reputation was enough for me to believe her. I can appreciate others applying healthy skepticism to this story — I’m the first one to admit that critical thinking skills are invaluable — but there’s a difference between that and outright denying the bullying occurred based on the accuser’s questionable reputation and no other evidence whatsoever. I don’t think that’s fair. And if it turns out that this did not occur as she claims, then the only thing I’m guilty of is lending my support to someone who didn’t deserve it. I’ve certainly done worse things.

And lastly: I just want to add that I only ever created this post to 1) lend my support to the athlete, 2) ask what Rockstar is planning to do about the bullying assuming it’s true, and 3) ask what everyone’s particular program would do in the same situation. It was not my intention to stir up drama or gossip. Honestly, it’s already been stirred for quite some time now and my addressing it on FB isn’t going to change that. If anything I’m late to the party... this incident is already pretty ancient by Twitter standards and I just found out it’s already being discussed in a “random” thread. So if you’re coming at me with that accusation, I’d politely advise you to reassess.

Also, I don’t consider bullying to be something as frivolous as “gossip” and I don’t dismiss it as such. Bullying is a serious problem and needs to be treated accordingly. This isn’t speculation about if/when two cheerlebrities got in a fight. It’s a real world issue that deserves attention. And that’s why I brought it up here.

In conclusion, bullying or not: Twitter sucks.

 

[TheDivineCheerYaYaSecret]

@Sterling von Shimmer I completely agree that bullying is a real issue in general that needs to be addressed. I also agree that Twitter sucks. I do not doubt that the accuser was unhappy after everything that has been on social media since last Wednesday. I also agree that there is more than one side and that the complete truth lies somewhere in between those sides. The accusations and speculation against athletes and a program on social media have resulted in the complete bullying of those same athletes and program when no proof of the alleged behavior can be substantiated. Nor can it be substantiated that nothing occurred at all. People have inalienable rights to live fully as who they are provided that does not harm others in the process. I fully support the accuser's and every other human being's right to be who they are. I will always support a person's right to be who they are. Rockstar Cheer is no different.

 

[NJ Coach]

Must indeed be summer time on the boards. Been awhile since Sophia Jade's name has been brought onto the boards. Every time it does there's always a TON of drama attached to it. It seems to follow her wherever she goes. I don't stand for bullying, but I'm going to need more proof than screenshots of anonymous dm's etc.