All-Star World Allstar Federation

[Caesarea]

Huh? Wow. WAY TOO MANY WORLDS!!! I'm primarily a high school coach, so I haven't heard of any of the non-"official" (Varsity Spirit or ICU) All Star comps yet.

 

[catlady]

What nonsense will they think of next. This is becoming a circus. I’m laughing about a division with 50 members. 38 is already pushing it in terms of how safe it is to have that many athletes on the floor.

I don’t mind ASW and don’t really care if teams choose to go to ASW, Summit, or both. But I’d hate if another actual Worlds is invented- that’s one thing that really needs to be left alone. I don’t care if it’s called USASF Worlds or some other name, but a sport needs to have one competition only that determines the best of the best and where everyone ranks. Once you lose that, the sport is a joke. Can we at least pretend this is a legit and serious sport, this is all getting to be too much.

To have other governing bodies (options), they have to create their own year end events. To say they can't have a World's type event would be sealing their fate before they started.

As the deemed "Varsity sympathizer" on the boards, I'm confused by the reaction. Twelve years ago, when my kid's entered AS, the complaint was there were too many different EP's with different scoresheets. It was through Varsity's acquisitions and mergers that Varsity was able to provide a "one league" type sport for AS...I, personally, liked it better.... however, cue the I hate Varsity, it's a monopoly mob. In a strange turn of events, I, the deemed "Varsity sympathizer," seem to be the only one excited the I hate Varsity mob has options. I'm hoping there's room in the arena for more successful businesses.

 

[cheermomforever]

With the cost of Summit/Worlds going over board gyms are liking other options!!

 

[UCFKnights07]

If you are keeping track we now have three end of season events on the same weekend:

1. Whatever this is.
2. All Star Worlds
3. Actual USASF worlds.

Can that region even support this many competitions in the same timeframe?

i dont want to even think about the traffic chaos near disney that this will cause, the i4 stretch through disney is already a sh*tshow every morning, weve already had and continue to have an influx of northerns move here since covid, are road system cant handle any more dang people at this point.
however im sure the hotels/motels and businesses surrounding that area will love it.

 

[Beachy5678]

USASF is a **** show. They are Varsity. Varsity is a **** show. I'm happy to see any committee or organization trying to go against the grain. That being said, I just want a disrupt in the industry that doesn't revolve around money. I want to see something that looks out for the athlete's interests above all else, mainly safety. Just my two cents.

 

[KPep]

They have published a document today on their Facebook page. I have read bits of it and it seems like they were inspired by how things are done here in Canada. I am curious to see how they will adapt our model to make it work in the U.S.

 

[Knowcheering]

It was through Varsity's acquisitions and mergers that Varsity was able to provide a "one league" type sport for AS...I, personally, liked it better.... however, cue the I hate Varsity, it's a monopoly mob.

The idea of cheerleading being one league is great and very much needed— but an apparel company really shouldn’t be in charge of it. Nike is a major sponsor of track & field, but does Nike own and operate the entire sport of track & field? No, they are two entirely separate things— it would be a conflict of interest if they weren’t. And that’s what cheer is missing.

The huge costs of cheer that never stop rising (for competitions that sometimes are of lower quality than they were before being taken over by Varsity), the stuff like ‘Stay to Play’ that never used to exist, the hundreds of divisions that aren’t all even fair (see: the “Limited” divisions at Worlds that create a “top tier” and a “lower tier” winner of the same exact division), a streaming service that charges top dollar to watch videos with no sound as if it’s the year 1920, and whatever other decisions Varsity has made that have felt entirely money driven has led to many people’s souring opinions and much skepticism as to how much an apparel company even cares about the sport at all.

But the overall idea of having cheer all under one umbrella with one scoresheet, etc, is a great one, I agree.

 

[catlady]

The idea of cheerleading being one league is great and very much needed— but an apparel company really shouldn’t be in charge of it. Nike is a major sponsor of track & field, but does Nike own and operate the entire sport of track & field? No, they are two entirely separate things— it would be a conflict of interest if they weren’t. And that’s what cheer is missing.

The huge costs of cheer that never stop rising (for competitions that sometimes are of lower quality than they were before being taken over by Varsity), the stuff like ‘Stay to Play’ that never used to exist, the hundreds of divisions that aren’t all even fair (see: the “Limited” divisions at Worlds that create a “top tier” and a “lower tier” winner of the same exact division), a streaming service that charges top dollar to watch videos with no sound as if it’s the year 1920, and whatever other decisions Varsity has made that have felt entirely money driven has led to many people’s souring opinions and much skepticism as to how much an apparel company even cares about the sport at all.

But the overall idea of having cheer all under one umbrella with one scoresheet, etc, is a great one, I agree.

You addressed two things and I agree with you to a point. Most sports that people compare cheer to are well established, All Star is fairly new. With that said, hat's what our legal system is for, and our court system will deem when it's no longer about building the sport and it becomes a conflict for the consumer.

To your second point. Cheer is expensive for a few reasons. Varsity doesn't own venues, Varsity doesn't own hotels, Varsity has a lot of debt. No, hotels weren't as expensive when our family began in 2010, but tourism boomed those next 8-10 years in a great economy that drove prices not only up for cheer, but for all travel in general. I'm not a fan of STP, but our friend's that have kid's in travel sports have said they have to use it for city owned properties "to get venue dates and best hotel pricing for all," as well.

 

[SL&AM]

There's an all-level competition held in Orlando called All Star Worlds same weekend as USASF/IASF Worlds.

This really confused me this past year. I had friends with littles announcing that their kiddo was going to Worlds and I was like huh?

 

[Cheermom1979]

You addressed two things and I agree with you to a point. Most sports that people compare cheer to are well established, All Star is fairly new. With that said, hat's what our legal system is for, and our court system will deem when it's no longer about building the sport and it becomes a conflict for the consumer.

To your second point. Cheer is expensive for a few reasons. Varsity doesn't own venues, Varsity doesn't own hotels, Varsity has a lot of debt. No, hotels weren't as expensive when our family began in 2010, but tourism boomed those next 8-10 years in a great economy that drove prices not only up for cheer, but for all travel in general. I'm not a fan of STP, but our friend's that have kid's in travel sports have said they have to use it for city owned properties "to get venue dates and best hotel pricing for all," as well.

The ease is STP booming can’t be ignored. But the price gouging is ridiculous and not due to rising travel. The run down casino hotel I booked for an upcoming event was 339 per night (plus taxes, fees, etc) can be purchased for 69 the week before and after.

 

[cheermomforever]

This really confused me this past year. I had friends with littles announcing that their kiddo was going to Worlds and I was like huh?

With Summit $$ being so crazy some gyms have decided to do this competition instead……

 

[catlady]

The ease is STP booming can’t be ignored. But the price gouging is ridiculous and not due to rising travel. The run down casino hotel I booked for an upcoming event was 339 per night (plus taxes, fees, etc) can be purchased for 69 the week before and after.

I can't and won't speak for everyone's situation, however, all of the hotels we stayed at were nice and the pricing was in line with what those hotels were going for with other like large events (sports, concerts, etc).

Whether STP or current hotel/airline booking technology, travel rates increase extremely quickly when high booking traffic is detected.

 

[CoachTamara]

That being said, I just want a disrupt in the industry that doesn't revolve around money. I want to see something that looks out for the athlete's interests above all else, mainly safety. Just my two cents.

I believe that is the big thing with this World All Star Federation, it's a true non-profit. They are not out to make money, but Les wants to put the power back into the hands of owners. I highly recommend listening to the Let's Talk Cheer podcast and looking for the interview with Les Stella. It's REALLY good (as are all of the episodes).

 

[catlady]

I believe that is the big thing with this World All Star Federation, it's a true non-profit. They are not out to make money, but Les wants to put the power back into the hands of owners. I highly recommend listening to the Let's Talk Cheer podcast and looking for the interview with Les Stella. It's REALLY good (as are all of the episodes).

Thanks for sharing, it's a great interview, and here's the link if anyone else is interested in listening <Let's Talk Cheer: Jason Interviews Les Stella>

It's hard to be everything to everyone. Transparency, politics, listening to the masses, embracing/trying non-traditional cheerleading ideas, and finding a new scoring system that will make the masses happy are big challenges. I hope they get a lot of support, and I wish them great success.

 

[catlady]

.....it's a true non-profit.

....which actually means nothing when it comes to being frugal with your money for your benefit. It is quite savvy of them, however, because "true nonprofits" often receive major discounts that can be written off by other profitable businesses as "charitable." As well as, donations made toward their organization are tax exempt and they can apply for public and private grants.

While I don't necessarily agree with putting AS cheerleading in the same societal benefit as curing cancer....well, if they meet the criteria of the IRS, why not? I'm not going to bash or laud any business for being profitable or nonprofit, but I'm also, not going to paint one as being more saintly than the other. There are a multitude of benefits they gain under an NPO designation....and, it's no secret nonprofits collaborate closely with some of the most profitable businesses around.

<Forbes: Nonprofit Millionaires>
<Why the Super Wealthy Operate Non-Profits>
<7 Major Benefits of Nonprofit Collaboration>
(and yes, I underlined collaboration for a reason)

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