All-Star You Might Be A Crazy Cheer Mom If...... (confession Time)

[armycheermom]

I feel if a gym has enough knowledge to raise a solid level 4 athlete then the athlete and parent should trust said gym to turn them into a level 5 athlete as well. Cheer is definitely a season to season sport but if a gym loses their athletes when they start spinning the gym never has a chance to field a level five team. It's also very hard for many small gyms to stay afloat without having a worlds team on their roster.

While I do believe this to be mostly true, most of the time when a athlete gains level 5 skills, they want to be on a team where they can automatically use them; and if we're being honest, their parents want them on a team where they can use those skills. Smaller gyms are at such a disadvantage, because when mega gym an hour up the road has a Y5, J5, J5Coed SAG5, MAG5, and small Coed5, it's hard to convince kids to stay and wait for their home-grown gym to get a L5 team in a few years time. Also, if a child is 14/15 and their goal is World's, can we really tell them to wait 3 years for their small gym to get a l5 team?

 

[cheer25mom]

While I do believe this to be mostly true, most of the time when a athlete gains level 5 skills, they want to be on a team where they can automatically use them; and if we're being honest, their parents want them on a team where they can use those skills. Smaller gyms are at such a disadvantage, because when mega gym an hour up the road has a Y5, J5, J5Coed SAG5, MAG5, and small Coed5, it's hard to convince kids to stay and wait for their home-grown gym to get a L5 team in a few years time. Also, if a child is 14/15 and their goal is World's, can we really tell them to wait 3 years for their small gym to get a l5 team?

THIS. Sometimes with a small gym, no matter how solid the instruction, you just don't have enough kids with the talent and dedication to build a solid level 5 team, so the few kids you have at that level have to go elsewhere to compete. This is particularly true is more sparsely populated areas. In our area it is a 2-3 hour drive to anywhere capable of fielding a worlds team with a reasonable shot. Gyms are small because populations are small and parents aren't willing to drive their L2 kid 3 hours to a big name gym when they can get competent instruction at home. For the few with the drive, talent, and commitment to reach level 5 the drive doesn't seem so bad at that point.

 

[cheermomforever]

THIS. Sometimes with a small gym, no matter how solid the instruction, you just don't have enough kids with the talent and dedication to build a solid level 5 team, so the few kids you have at that level have to go elsewhere to compete. This is particularly true is more sparsely populated areas. In our area it is a 2-3 hour drive to anywhere capable of fielding a worlds team with a reasonable shot. Gyms are small because populations are small and parents aren't willing to drive their L2 kid 3 hours to a big name gym when they can get competent instruction at home. For the few with the drive, talent, and commitment to reach level 5 the drive doesn't seem so bad at that point.

It depends in the family dynamic also and athletes personal choices. Thank god my CP was happy for 10 years at her local gym. They had an I5 team for the last 4 years she was there. Made to worlds every year (and summit year she was also on R5) and placed in top half of US teams each year. She was happy with that. She never wanted to leave that gym and go to a big gym just for the top placements. She loved coaches and so did (do) I. [emoji1]


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[cheer25mom]

It depends in the family dynamic also and athletes personal choices. Thank god my CP was happy for 10 years at her local gym. They had an I5 team for the last 4 years she was there. Made to worlds every year (and summit year she was also on R5) and placed in top half each year. She was happy with that. She never wanted to leave that gym and go to a big gym just for the top placements. She loved coaches and so did (do) I. [emoji1]


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You are lucky. There isn't a program within 2 hours of us with a world's team right now. The 2 programs that have run them in recent years either didn't get bids or never made it out of prelims.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

​

To bring it back on topic- A lot of crazy mom's would sacrifice their child having a normal childhood to see them win worlds or make the top college team. I know a lot of guys who are great basketball players, but they were still normal people, had friends outside of their sports and a healthy social life.

Yes.

It's important to have perspective.

Cheer is not a race to L5 or a Worlds team.

It's not every kid, but all it takes is 5 seconds of poking around on youtube for you to see kids who are in 1st/2nd/3rd grade working on layouts/fulls/doubles.

They spend every single day in the gym.

The thing is, should your child get all the skills required to be considered L5 at age 6/7/8, in reality, there are FEW places that have a Y5/Y4/J5R/J5 for them to cheer on.

Even if you live within a reasonable distance of a gym fielding a higher level team for young kids, is that a commitment you're willing to make?

There are some Y5/Y4 parents on here who will tell you that it is quite the time commitment!

 

[cheerisloving]

​

Yes.

It's important to have perspective.

Cheer is not a race to L5 or a Worlds team.

It's not every kid, but all it takes is 5 seconds of poking around on youtube for you to see kids who are in 1st/2nd/3rd grade working on layouts/fulls/doubles.

They spend every single day in the gym.

The thing is, should your child get all the skills required to be considered L5 at age 6/7/8, in reality, there are FEW places that have a Y5/Y4/J5R/J5 for them to cheer on.

Even if you live within a reasonable distance of a gym fielding a higher level team for young kids, is that a commitment you're willing to make?

There are some Y5/Y4 parents on here who will tell you that it is quite the time commitment!

I have met many a cheerleader in my life in time, and I can attest that those who are all cheer, all the time, have a hard time dealing with the realities of college/real world. Sure you may be cheering in school but they will be forced to adjust to a social life. If you were a gym rat or only hung out with other cheer people it might be a shock.

 

[Official OWECheer]

​

Yes.

It's important to have perspective.

Cheer is not a race to L5 or a Worlds team.

It's not every kid, but all it takes is 5 seconds of poking around on youtube for you to see kids who are in 1st/2nd/3rd grade working on layouts/fulls/doubles.

They spend every single day in the gym.

The thing is, should your child get all the skills required to be considered L5 at age 6/7/8, in reality, there are FEW places that have a Y5/Y4/J5R/J5 for them to cheer on.

Even if you live within a reasonable distance of a gym fielding a higher level team for young kids, is that a commitment you're willing to make?

There are some Y5/Y4 parents on here who will tell you that it is quite the time commitment!

And because those videos are so popular, a lot of parents (and athletes) get the impression that this is typical, and their 6 y/o is somehow inferior because he/she is still working rolls and cartwheels (like most kids that age). It only fuels the drive for level 5, and to an unhealthy degree.

 

[mstealtoyou]

This discussion has been very thought provoking! Thank you.


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[SL&AM]

And because those videos are so popular, a lot of parents (and athletes) get the impression that this is typical, and their 6 y/o is somehow inferior because he/she is still working rolls and cartwheels (like most kids that age). It only fuels the drive for level 5, and to an unhealthy degree.

I caught a video yesterday from that reality show (CTR) of the once baby now 5 year old (I think) and the title was "Working her full,"...I genuinely hope the average mom doesn't expect that out of their Tiny aged kid.

 

[SL&AM]

Have y'all seen this?

 

[Mndl]

Have y'all seen this?

Well that was interesting... It did give me a break from cleaning/purging the playroom though;)

 

[Official OWECheer]

I caught a video yesterday from that reality show (CTR) of the once baby now 5 year old (I think) and the title was "Working her full,"...I genuinely hope the average mom doesn't expect that out of their Tiny aged kid.

I hope it isn't a repeat of what we saw in the CTR Platinum vid...

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I caught a video yesterday from that reality show (CTR) of the once baby now 5 year old (I think) and the title was "Working her full,"...I genuinely hope the average mom doesn't expect that out of their Tiny aged kid.

Ridiculous.

1. When you push your 5 year old through skills to the point that they're "working fulls" at such an early age, they are not developing strong technique.

Your 5 year old doesn't have a full.

She probably has a tumbling Death Star.

She also doesn't have a layout.

She has a Whip Out or Pike-out.

2. You're going to push her through skills so quickly that your small program is literally going to have to create teams just so she won't want to go to the "carpool to CA" route. Ex: I am convinced CTR created that Worlds team to accommodate the older L5 tumbler daughter.

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

Ridiculous.

1. When you push your 5 year old through skills to the point that they're "working fulls" at such an early age, they are not developing strong technique.

Your 5 year old doesn't have a full.

She probably has a tumbling Death Star.

She also doesn't have a layout.

She has a Whip Out or Pike-out.

2. You're going to push her through skills so quickly that your small program is literally going to have to create teams just so she won't want to go to the "carpool to CA" route. Ex: I am convinced CTR created that Worlds team to accommodate the older L5 tumbler daughter.

Then that daughter fell all over the place at worlds - I wonder what came first, the no name all stars mix w/ the line "that point flyer on the ground, yeah, that's the owners kid" or that CTR worlds performance. Just so many things in that mix could be about them that season.

 

[SL&AM]

Ridiculous.

1. When you push your 5 year old through skills to the point that they're "working fulls" at such an early age, they are not developing strong technique.

Your 5 year old doesn't have a full.

She probably has a tumbling Death Star.

She also doesn't have a layout.

She has a Whip Out or Pike-out.

2. You're going to push her through skills so quickly that your small program is literally going to have to create teams just so she won't want to go to the "carpool to CA" route. Ex: I am convinced CTR created that Worlds team to accommodate the older L5 tumbler daughter.

I really don't understand what she has against the carpool to CA for her eldest daughter, I mean, I get that you want to have an amazing program but it's not gonna happen for Cass so why not let her go off to CA while you build for Cam & Chan instead.