2009 Cheerleading World Cup

Worlds Watcher · GURU

2009 Cheerleading World Cup

Date: Thu Dec 27 5:51 PM, 2007

That Is A Great Idea. I Think The US Should Totally Participate. I Think They Would Have Individuals Try Out.

Worlds Watcher · GURU

Anonymous wrote:
That Is A Great Idea. I Think The US Should Totally Participate. I Think They Would Have Individuals Try Out.

If individual tryouts are held, answer the following:

1. What skill levels are required?
2. Do you have to have level 5 skills in all areas?
a. Tumbling
b. basing
c. flying?
3. If team members were from all over the country:
a. where would they practice?
b. how often would they practice?
4. How would the coach(es) be selected for this team?

Date: Thu Dec 27 10:47 PM, 2007

I think they should take that years World Champion team. Pulling athletes from all over the country would be difficult and I feel that a team that is together most of the season would do better.

Date: Thu Dec 27 10:58 PM, 2007

Anonymous wrote:

I think they should take that years World Champion team. Pulling athletes from all over the country would be difficult and I feel that a team that is together most of the season would do better.

Thw world champion team in what division?

Date: Fri Dec 28 6:21 AM, 2007

Why not put together a team in the same manner as our U.S. Olympic basketball team or other sports do? They select the top players for required positions on the team (in the case of cheerleading: bases, flyers, tumbling, jumps, etc, including back up positions) from those teams already organized in that country. So the U.S. would select from, for example, TG, Power, Stingrays, and Woodlands Elite, California Bullets or any small gyms who has the talent pool to compete for a position. (I just used these gyms as examples. I am in no way trying to ofFend any gym or any person's talent level.) Perhaps participants could be nominated, with limits of course on how many could be nominated from a gym (clearly thinking as I'm typing here).

Does anyone know whether other countries have enough teams to field a team of this nature. I recognize that all things need to be fair. I'm also hoping that this concept will level the playing field for all countries, meaning raise the bar in other countries so that competitions will be about competing on fair ground and not promoting separate divisions to accommodate.

Also, I was reading over the rules and wondered why there was no obvious rule that addressed regulating the cost of the sport, i.e. the cost of competitions. Sort of like rent control. As much as we all love this sport if somethings not done to control the cost only the top 1% of the U.S. and possibly no one in our neighboring continents will be able to afford it.

Any thought?...

flipkidjudge · Senior Member

From my time teaching gymnastics i saw kids who had immense talent who could not afford to go to the larger gyms where they had a chance to make the national level teams. Cost is a definite factor that will decrease the talent pool. While the programs I taught in were in no way sub standard, they did not have the same level of exposure. Nor was it in the vision or mission of those programs to be nationally known.

I see the same divide coming now in cheerleading and I am afraid that many kids will lose out in our quest to prove (?) we are the best in the world. We are already seeing smaller programs have to merge in order to compete more effectively against the larger gyms. That will probably increase dramatically under this plan. We will see children and families move across the country to find a program that their child can have a chance to be on this squad.

Date: Fri Dec 28 8:30 AM, 2007

My daughter loves cheerleading and I've tried my best to allow her to continue doing All Stars. Sad to say after 4 years, because of the cost we have decided this will be her last year. Cost is one of the main factors. It's not just the gym and competition fees, but all the travel costs combined. Yes I know there are gyms who do fund raising, etc., but not all and it is not enough to defer alot of the costs. Right now we are looking at college in a couple years. A lot of her friends would love to cheer on an All Star team but don't because of the expense. These are kids with talent that would be an asset to any program.

flipkidjudge · Senior Member

Anonymous wrote:

My daughter loves cheerleading and I've tried my best to allow her to continue doing All Stars. Sad to say after 4 years, because of the cost we have decided this will be her last year. Cost is one of the main factors. It's not just the gym and competition fees, but all the travel costs combined. Yes I know there are gyms who do fund raising, etc., but not all and it is not enough to defer alot of the costs. Right now we are looking at college in a couple years. A lot of her friends would love to cheer on an All Star team but don't because of the expense. These are kids with talent that would be an asset to any program.

I completely understand. If it was not for the fact that I have an awesome set of owners who have given my 15 year old level 2 grace in the form of reduced tuition, she would not be cheering right now either. My wife and i simply could not afford it otherwise.

I do know that many gyms do offer some type of scholarship/reduced tuition but every program has different requirements. Of course they can not advertise it because then you would have those who could pay full fare demanding to get it at 1/2 price as well. Our gym does fundraisers as well as cut costs by not traveling outside a reasonable geographic region. However since we serve in a section of the city where there is a severe economic downturn, our owners have worked hard to let everyone that wants to cheer do so. So many of our kids come from middle and lower income families.

What I like is they do not just offer scholarships to the level 5 kids...my child is a very strong 2/3 base/backspot/jumps and dance but a level 1 tumbling(afraid to go backwards) From day one gave her a break in the program when she had zero experience.

I do not know what part of the country you are in, but I would go in and talk with the owners before calling it quits. I wish your daughter and your family all the best.

Worlds Watcher · GURU

Anonymous wrote:
...Does anyone know whether other countries have enough teams to field a team of this nature....

If you look at the "other" worlds competitions outside of the US other countries definitely have enough teams. In November IFC held their Cheerleading Worlds Championships (check it out on YouTube). And I believe the Japan team that won was a "National" team, not one team from a specific gym. I can't seem to verify that information, so if someone else can that would be great.

The "world" is coming to recognize cheer and is making a strong effort to bring it to the Olympics. I think it will change the landscape of cheer in the US and I'm not sure it is gong to be a good change for the "mass", as some have already pointed out in their comments.

And I wonder how it will effect the gyms across the country if a National team is pulled together from individuals rather than a gym team that won USASF Worlds.

And do you think the "Cheer XS Search" for the best is a beginning of the process of fielding a National team? Something to think about.

Worlds Watcher · GURU

Looks like England has officially moved their cheerleading organization under the control of the British Gymnastics organization. And they will be forming a National team to send to 2009 World Championships in Germany.

http://www.british-gymnastics.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=319&Itemid=167

Do we have a split in the cheerleading world? Is USASF/IASF/ICU/2009 Cheerleading World Cup in conflict/competition with IFC/Cheerleading World Championships to become the official recognized organization(s) to bring cheer to the Olympics?

Morton, Danny, ACEDAD? Do you know or can you clarify what is behind the scenes?

-- Edited by Worlds Watcher at 10:12, 2007-12-28

flipkidjudge · Senior Member

Worlds Watcher wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
...Does anyone know whether other countries have enough teams to field a team of this nature....
If you look at the "other" worlds competitions outside of the US other countries definitely have enough teams. In November IFC held their Cheerleading Worlds Championships (check it out on YouTube). And I believe the Japan team that won was a "National" team, not one team from a specific gym. I can't seem to verify that information, so if someone else can that would be great.

The "world" is coming to recognize cheer and is making a strong effort to bring it to the Olympics. I think it will change the landscape of cheer in the US and I'm not sure it is gong to be a good change for the "mass", as some have already pointed out in their comments.

And I wonder how it will effect the gyms across the country if a National team is pulled together from individuals rather than a gym team that won USASF Worlds.

And do you think the "Cheer XS Search" for the best is a beginning of the process of fielding a National team? Something to think about.

Yes I actually do think it is at least an attempt. Look at the format. Tryouts scheduled at major gyms/programs around the country serve as a draw from the curious to the committed. Sure it is open to anyone currently but are we sure it will continue to be that way? Is it disingenious to not openly say what they are doing and who is truly involved? Who established the criteria? Who will make the decisions? It all looks like it is going to one company/group of people making the most important decisions for the entire industry while riduculing anyone who does not agree.

You will have kids that willl only join programs that will give them a chance to be on this team. Or they will do what currently happens in gymnastics. Train at a facility, get all of the skill sets necessary, then move to the larger gym and forget where they came from. I do not know if I would want to place a kid on my teams that was not committed to the goals of our program over his/her personal goals.
Well that is from a loose intepretation based on the reading of many message boards that speak on similar topics.