All-Star Which Competitions Will Still Score And Rank Special Needs Teams This Season?

[njallday]

I will be the bad guy here. I fully support the Special Athlete division. It really is one of the highlights of every competition to me. If Worlds is just for Senior and International level 5 teams, then that is how it should stay. I feel the division is a much better fit at Summit than it is at Worlds.

it's another "special performance" and not competing so if the kids/families are up for that i think it's perfectly wonderful.

HOWEVER - worlds seems like a nightmare for anyone with special needs. the crowding alone is awful... and then getting anyone with a wheelchair/medical stroller in and out of there is scary and worlds doesn't even have handicapped setting areas if any of the team members wanted to stay at the competition. I feel like there's a lot of safety concerns that worry me and would make me hesitate to want to bring my team to such a non-conducive environment.


i vaguely recall @ACEDAD fundraising to get the bow n arrows down there one year. did the team enjoy their experience at worlds? i'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on this.

 

[SL&AM]

it's another "special performance" and not competing so if the kids/families are up for that i think it's perfectly wonderful.

HOWEVER - worlds seems like a nightmare for anyone with special needs. the crowding alone is awful... and then getting anyone with a wheelchair/medical stroller in and out of there is scary and worlds doesn't even have handicapped setting areas if any of the team members wanted to stay at the competition. I feel like there's a lot of safety concerns that worry me and would make me hesitate to want to bring my team to such a non-conducive environment.


i vaguely recall @ACEDAD fundraising to get the bow n arrows down there one year. did the team enjoy their experience at worlds? i'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on this.

Amen.

It's not like these kids are performing for globes or rings, they're there to be showcased, acknowledged, and inspirational all while showing them a good time.

Non-CP's SN team has been invited to Dance Worlds in the past, their reasoning for turning it down is cost since just attending World's is expensive even with it being local. No clue if the lack of resources plays into that decision, this is my first year being a mom of a child on a SN team.

 

[luv2cheer92]

it's another "special performance" and not competing so if the kids/families are up for that i think it's perfectly wonderful.

HOWEVER - worlds seems like a nightmare for anyone with special needs. the crowding alone is awful... and then getting anyone with a wheelchair/medical stroller in and out of there is scary and worlds doesn't even have handicapped setting areas if any of the team members wanted to stay at the competition. I feel like there's a lot of safety concerns that worry me and would make me hesitate to want to bring my team to such a non-conducive environment.


i vaguely recall @ACEDAD fundraising to get the bow n arrows down there one year. did the team enjoy their experience at worlds? i'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on this.

FWIW, the Milkhouse does have handicapped seating, crappy views, but it's there. Don't remember exactly if Josten's does, but I think they do too. Agree with everything else though.

 

[quietmom]

I will be the bad guy here. I fully support the Special Athlete division. It really is one of the highlights of every competition to me. If Worlds is just for Senior and International level 5 teams, then that is how it should stay. I feel the division is a much better fit at Summit than it is at Worlds.

You are not a bad guy. As of right now, the summit does not offer a division for special needs.

 

[njallday]

FWIW, the Milkhouse does have handicapped seating, crappy views, but it's there. Don't remember exactly if Josten's does, but I think they do too. Agree with everything else though.

my mistake! I vaguely recall a thread last season asking about handicapped seating and an e-mail to USASF saying it would not be available. I hoped that wasn't true.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

I will be the bad guy here. I fully support the Special Athlete division. It really is one of the highlights of every competition to me. If Worlds is just for Senior and International level 5 teams, then that is how it should stay. I feel the division is a much better fit at Summit than it is at Worlds.

I see your reasoning, I agree with your points. It makes me scratch my head a little that this thread was about SN teams not competing and only exhibitioning but it's ok if they only exhibition at worlds. Ehhh do you see what I'm getting at? Yes it's worlds and the whole cheer industry seems to revolve around this one competition and it's a great moment for them but at the end of the day, it's just another exhibition. After NCA, after Cheersport, after every single competition they can only exhibition at.

I would really like to see more opportunities for these teams to actually compete. Or at least have the option to if they wanted. I realize not all teams would want to or couldn't. If I was on a team like that, there's no doubt I'd be happy to at least have a resource where I could do things non-SN people do, but I'd get pretty annoyed after a while of being put on some pedestal while being held back and being specially congratulated for doing something that I did, despite my disability. Because it would put me in a situation where, once again, my disability would be my identity and it's publicly pointed out that I am different from my peers. And others are deciding what I can and can't do when they don't even know me. While I'm sure many SN people embrace their disability, they probably want environments where people can see them as "an athlete" rather than "an athlete with special needs."

I don't know, to me, the special needs teams not being able to compete sounds like EPs saying "oh we really love what you're able to do but we don't think you are able to actually compete." Is it ok to be aware of the limitations people have? Of course. Is it ok to limit what they can do because of said limitations? I would say no. Give them the opportunity to decide for themselves. If they want to compete, awesome! If they don't want to compete, it's just as equally awesome.

I'll get of my soapbox now.

 

[icame2WERQ]

Quick Question ... can special needs team compete in a non-special need division?

 

[quietmom]

Quick Question ... can special needs team compete in a non-special need division?

Usually, the answer is no because of a number of factors including the number of helpers, the physical disabilities of the athletes (low tone, wheelchairs, etc), and the age range of the athletes. It would be very hard to find a non-special needs division that would be able to accommodate all the needs.

 

[quietmom]

I see your reasoning, I agree with your points. It makes me scratch my head a little that this thread was about SN teams not competing and only exhibitioning but it's ok if they only exhibition at worlds. Ehhh do you see what I'm getting at? Yes it's worlds and the whole cheer industry seems to revolve around this one competition and it's a great moment for them but at the end of the day, it's just another exhibition. After NCA, after Cheersport, after every single competition they can only exhibition at.

I would really like to see more opportunities for these teams to actually compete. Or at least have the option to if they wanted. I realize not all teams would want to or couldn't. If I was on a team like that, there's no doubt I'd be happy to at least have a resource where I could do things non-SN people do, but I'd get pretty annoyed after a while of being put on some pedestal while being held back and being specially congratulated for doing something that I did, despite my disability. Because it would put me in a situation where, once again, my disability would be my identity and it's publicly pointed out that I am different from my peers. And others are deciding what I can and can't do when they don't even know me. While I'm sure many SN people embrace their disability, they probably want environments where people can see them as "an athlete" rather than "an athlete with special needs."

I don't know, to me, the special needs teams not being able to compete sounds like EPs saying "oh we really love what you're able to do but we don't think you are able to actually compete." Is it ok to be aware of the limitations people have? Of course. Is it ok to limit what they can do because of said limitations? I would say no. Give them the opportunity to decide for themselves. If they want to compete, awesome! If they don't want to compete, it's just as equally awesome.

I'll get of my soapbox now.

Thank you for getting it.

 

[quietmom]

Amen.

It's not like these kids are performing for globes or rings, they're there to be showcased, acknowledged, and inspirational all while showing them a good time.

Non-CP's SN team has been invited to Dance Worlds in the past, their reasoning for turning it down is cost since just attending World's is expensive even with it being local. No clue if the lack of resources plays into that decision, this is my first year being a mom of a child on a SN team.

Many people with disabilities don't want to just be an inspiration for those without disabilities. Many of the older athletes (middle school, high school, and adult cheerleaders with special needs) are there to perform their routine just like any other athlete.

I will say that with my daughter in particular, the first people to truly push her in her life and tell her that she needed to pay attention, get her act together, and work harder were her cheer coaches and helpers. They did it in a loving manner, but they did it. She is a better person for it. They helped to instill values in her that have carried on into her home and school life. She also learned that you don't always get first place and all the praise in the world for having special needs. She learned how to lose, regroup, and try again.

I love Stella Young's view on living with a disability. While not related to cheer, her words have changed my view on how I approach my kids.

 

[quietmom]

Very interesting conversation....I have to agree with @fiercerando88 in order for this to be judged somewhat fairly there needs to be divisions. there are many various levels/kinds on disabilities so without some shor to dividing factor it is impossible to compete fairly. However, one must take into consideration that there are not enough teams or SN participants in the sport to consider making divisions. If this is done at this stage, everyone will still win a medal because the numbers are just not there to support this. hopefully sometime in the near future with bringing more awareness to the sport for SN's athletes, it will grow to become competitive. Many make mention of the special olympics; however, you will notice that these athletes are usually older and have spent a significant amount of time working on their sport......and we are talking about the olympics.....where cheer is not even a factor. So lets take a step back and try to look at the whole picture and see what happens.....

Cheersport had 2 divisions for special needs with over 26 teams between the two divisions. NCA had 10 teams in the special needs division.

 

[quietmom]

I just saw this posted online..

Awesome!

 

[SL&AM]

Many people with disabilities don't want to just be an inspiration for those without disabilities. Many of the older athletes (middle school, high school, and adult cheerleaders with special needs) are there to perform their routine just like any other athlete.

I will say that with my daughter in particular, the first people to truly push her in her life and tell her that she needed to pay attention, get her act together, and work harder were her cheer coaches and helpers. They did it in a loving manner, but they did it. She is a better person for it. They helped to instill values in her that have carried on into her home and school life. She also learned that you don't always get first place and all the praise in the world for having special needs. She learned how to lose, regroup, and try again.

I love Stella Young's view on living with a disability. While not related to cheer, her words have changed my view on how I approach my kids.

I think you missed the point of my comment. The reason these athletes are invited to World's isn't because they'll compete---I don't exactly agree with this mentality, but it's the truth, and why the 'It's for LVL 5 and International teams only' comment doesn't hold any real weight.

Being realistic, it appears that SN teams are moving backwards in our sport and that is sad. Are these athletes inspirational? Yes. Do I think they're being put into a box so that is their only job? Yes. Should that happen? No. Can it be fixed? I certainly hope so.

 

[quietmom]

I think you missed the point of my comment. The reason these athletes are invited to World's isn't because they'll compete---I don't exactly agree with this mentality, but it's the truth, and why the 'It's for LVL 5 and International teams only' comment doesn't hold any real weight.

Being realistic, it appears that SN teams are moving backwards in our sport and that is sad. Are these athletes inspirational? Yes. Do I think they're being put into a box so that is their only job? Yes. Should that happen? No. Can it be fixed? I certainly hope so.

We are on the same page and agree with each other. I was highlighting the part about special needs individuals not always liking being viewed as inspirational by their non-disabled counterparts. I also really hope that your CP has an awesome experience this season.

 

[SL&AM]

We are on the same page and agree with each other. I was highlighting the part about special needs individuals not always liking being viewed as inspirational by their non-disabled counterparts. I also really hope that your CP has an awesome experience this season.

Thanks! I hope the same for yours as well.