Ok everyone has experienced this. You enter the arena and you can't find seats. YES we all have dealt with this terrible drama. It can be the root of all evil at a cheer competition (smile). Well here is my take and my take only. I blame the cheer orginizations for announcing several hundred times during the competition, THERE WILL BE NO SAVING SEATS! Well what does that do to you when you hear that? It does 2 things! 1. it puts the person who is saving their seat for a kid who went to warm up or someone who went to the bathroom etc on the defense. 2. it puts the person who is looking for a seat in battle mode to get a seat because they know THERE IS NO SAVING SEATS!
so how do you handle this situation? First they really need to not announce that or either change the way they announce it. HOW ABOUT THEY SAY, THERE IS NO SAVING SEATS, UNLESS IT IS A SEAT BEING SAVED FOR A CHEERLEADER(which require their cheer gear being in their seats)... There is nothing worse than an adult with no compassion for the athletes who went out back to warm up and they come back and find their stuff on the floor and disgruntled adults in their seats. SO FRUSTRATING!
Maybe the cheer orginizations should only allow enough teams and cheerleaders registered to seat them all and their spectators.
i am sorry but announcing their is no saving seats only causes people to argue and fight. How many stories have you heard about kids being pushed and even adults fighting them? How about men who push and shove women over seats? How about two ladies fighting in the stands over seats. It is ridiculous. How about gym owners getting in fights over seats. I know that the spectators deserve seats, I am a mom and I won't even leave my seat to use the restroom at some competitions(there is no reason for that). So yes we deserve to sit too. But so do the athletes.
I for one, will not move a child's back pack or bag and take their seats. Have some compassion... There needs to be a general code of conduct and repsect by everyone across the board. From gym owners, coaches, parents, cheerleaders and fans. And the damn hosting orginizations need to stop announcing no saving seats and starting a war in the stands.
a little kindness goes a long way and it really doesn't have to turn into a battle. However, I can totally understand the frustration in finding seats and then even keeping your seats. As a mom, I would be fired up beyond all reason if an adult took my child's seat with nastiness. SEE WHAT I MEAN IT CAN BRING OUT THE MAMA BEAR IN YOU AND THEN ITS ON! PUT 'EM UP
this weekend at athletic I have to say that for us, everyone was so good about seats. Especially if they were for the cheerleaders and their coaches. Parents walked over and asked nicely are these seats for anyone? and when you "politely" said yes they went on their way. I tribute that to enough seats in the arena and the viewing section specifically for the team performing. now I'm sure there were a few minor issues, but for the most part IT WAS GREAT!
I think the no saving seats rule should apply in particular for cheerleaders. They sit in the seats long enough to ask Mom or Dad for some money and then they're out. There is nothing more annoying than a seat that is occupied by nothing more than a backpack or cheer bag for 95% of the competition. Some companies actually prefer the cheerleaders not to be in the stands and have a separate seating area for them. I wouldn't go so far as to ban them from the stands, but unless its a little mini or youth kid, they probably don't want to sit there anyway, so let someone else have the seat. The backpacks can go underneath "mom's" chair.
The way that I deal with this and it never is a problem. It goes as follows:
1- I sit in a seat. 2- Cheer Mama says," These seats are taken. My daughter is at warmup" 3- I turn around and say very sweetly, " Ok not a problem. I will get up when she returns. What team is she on and i will root for her." 4- Cheermama does not know what to do because a- I was nice, b- there is nothing that she can say back.
9 times out of 10. I sit there the whole day because as they are really saving them for parents that come late or thier daughter will be running around all day and nevern comes back.
If their daughter does come back, I do GET UP and thank them for letting me sit there and move on the the next "saved seats"
For the youth football competition that POWER hosts, John randomly assigns sections to each organization which works out very well. I wish other hosts would try it.
Have to agree, I hate when people save seats at competitions. Seriously why save a seat when your daughter is with her team for at least 2 hours straight. The only solution is have security walking around.
Maybe competition companies should have a side room to the competition where the cheerleaders can all put there bags. That is where the most room is taken up, is do to bags which most of the time are not even sat in.
When seating is very crowded and another mother and I have two seats for our children who are off for their performance (we save because we have little ones!). IF someone asks for our seats my heart goes out and I tell them sure you can use them till our little ones get back. We did this at Spirit Sports last year when we had great seats, most the time people just want to sit and watch a few teams. I always wish more people would do the same.
I love doing this because half the time you get to meet someone from another organization and we start cheering for each other's team. It makes it so much more fun and I love supporting all teams.
I think you and I would get along great! LOL!
The way that I deal with this and it never is a problem. It goes as follows:
1- I sit in a seat. 2- Cheer Mama says," These seats are taken. My daughter is at warmup" 3- I turn around and say very sweetly, " Ok not a problem. I will get up when she returns. What team is she on and i will root for her." 4- Cheermama does not know what to do because a- I was nice, b- there is nothing that she can say back.
9 times out of 10. I sit there the whole day because as they are really saving them for parents that come late or thier daughter will be running around all day and nevern comes back.
If their daughter does come back, I do GET UP and thank them for letting me sit there and move on the the next "saved seats"
The way that I deal with this and it never is a problem. It goes as follows:
1- I sit in a seat. 2- Cheer Mama says," These seats are taken. My daughter is at warmup" 3- I turn around and say very sweetly, " Ok not a problem. I will get up when she returns. What team is she on and i will root for her." 4- Cheermama does not know what to do because a- I was nice, b- there is nothing that she can say back.
9 times out of 10. I sit there the whole day because as they are really saving them for parents that come late or thier daughter will be running around all day and nevern comes back.
If their daughter does come back, I do GET UP and thank them for letting me sit there and move on the the next "saved seats"
I disagree that the announcement that there is no saving seats sets this issue up. I don't think spelling out every exception to the rule is the answer either. It's this simple...if one is going to be out of their seat momentarily (and, yes, at some comps the food or restroom line is going to be more than 5 mins) saving the seat is fine. However, don't save even 5 seats for people that are never going to come.
I think everyone goes already riled up because of some past experience. We just need to realize that the person asking if the seat is saved, isn't looking to turn you into the comp security, so relax (even if they aren't) tell them the person is using the phone/getting food/in warmups but they are more than welcome to sit until the person comes back. Also, when we are the ones asking if the seat is saved, we shouldn't do it with our "I'm bigger than you" voices so you better tell me no or there is going to be some major problems. Just relax (even if they aren't) and let them know that as soon as the person comes back, I'll move. Oh yeah, then do it.
I would like to thank the mom from Athletic Perfection!!
I was looking for a temporary seat to record Pyramids Special Needs team. When I asked if seats were taken she said that they were but I was welcome to sit until they returned. When they returned earlier than expected, she actually got up and went up to the walkway to stand out of the way so that I could keep the seat for that performance. As soon as they were finished, I left and didn't see her again.
THANK YOU! You give the parents of your gym a good name and restored my faith in others.
