2008-009 season!!

lve2cheer · Veteran Member

2008-009 season!!

Date: Fri Jun 6 9:02 PM, 2008

i think this season is going to be fierce.

Date: Fri Jun 6 10:33 PM, 2008

lve2cheer wrote:

how do u think this season is going to be???

I believe this season will be amazing. They changes in the gyms and coming back from a tough economy will be a challenge however I believe they will all do well.

Date: Fri Jun 6 11:20 PM, 2008

come on now, its gonna be stressful of course

Date: Sat Jun 7 6:02 AM, 2008

Im not thinking about this season anymore, I got gas to pay for. I estimate that by the ttime this season starts...GAS WILL BE $5.55 or more per gallon. No more tumbling class, need to fill up my tank furious

lve2cheer · Veteran Member

my parents are not to happy about that either the gas is going to be insane driving to palm sparings and anhiem and irvine!!!

Date: Sat Jun 7 8:55 AM, 2008

So here is a question, would your season be just as fulfilling if you kept all the competitions local? It would certainly save families a ton of money. My thought is there is plenty of awesome talent locally, the competitions would be just as competitive. Or maybe one out of area competition instead of three? I just think gyms need to work with us, help us get through this tough time.

lve2cheer · Veteran Member

i agree but cheerleaders love to go to the far places like atlanta texas vegas hawaii but haing the comps closer would be great !!!

CHEERMOMI2 · Senior Member

Under normal circumstances parents love to travel too. But traveling so much just isn't reasonable right now. I hope all of the gyms give serious consideration to the needs of their families. 1 or 2 comps fewer with reduced overall comp fees would be difficult for comp companies (oh well!) but help family wallets. Maybe local comps can be limited to a certain radius ouside of the gym's area and comps that require airfare can be cut by 1 comp to, for example, 2 max unless you're level 5 (thats up to the gym and those parents). Please don't be offended...these are just thoughts that might help people to hang on for a season or two longer until (pray pray pray) a solution can be considered. I'm as competitive as the next parent/kid/family, maybe moreso, but we can't continue as though nothing's happening. For example, I took my little ones to McD's after practice last week. We ordered a happy meal and 2 number 3s(2 cheesburger meal). It cost.....are you ready for this???...$17 dollars! That's no lie! I asked the kid working drive thru to read the order back to me twice. This is crazy! All I can say is that we need to include our kids in conversations about the economy so that they can understand the changes to come.

Date: Sat Jun 7 12:34 PM, 2008

CHEERMOMI2 wrote:

Under normal circumstances parents love to travel too. But traveling so much just isn't reasonable right now. I hope all of the gyms give serious consideration to the needs of their families. 1 or 2 comps fewer with reduced overall comp fees would be difficult for comp companies (oh well!) but help family wallets. Maybe local comps can be limited to a certain radius ouside of the gym's area and comps that require airfare can be cut by 1 comp to, for example, 2 max unless you're level 5 (thats up to the gym and those parents). Please don't be offended...these are just thoughts that might help people to hang on for a season or two longer until (pray pray pray) a solution can be considered. I'm as competitive as the next parent/kid/family, maybe moreso, but we can't continue as though nothing's happening. For example, I took my little ones to McD's after practice last week. We ordered a happy meal and 2 number 3s(2 cheesburger meal). It cost.....are you ready for this???...$17 dollars! That's no lie! I asked the kid working drive thru to read the order back to me twice. This is crazy! All I can say is that we need to include our kids in conversations about the economy so that they can understand the changes to come.

Although GAS is very high, you can still find great deals to Vegas, Palm Springs and Anaheim.

APLOVER · Senior Member

i thing that there is going to be so fierce competition this year i cant wait till the competitions start!!!!!!!!!!

Date: Sat Jun 7 1:04 PM, 2008

Everyone has necessities and luxeries..unfortunitly cheer will be a luxery many people will forgo

Date: Sat Jun 7 3:03 PM, 2008

But that is the issue, if comp fees along with travel, hotels, etc... weren't so high, some families wouldn't have to give it up. Honestly, you don't need to travel to have an awesome cheer season. We've all been spoiled, and now it's time to be realistic.

Date: Sat Jun 7 4:37 PM, 2008

cheer costs too much, and going to boring comps is soooo out of the questsion..who wants to sit allday at a comp stuff in a school gym. so yes we do have to travel to get to prticipate in the best comps possible to get the parents their monies worth. If you can't afford cheer try something else.

Date: Sat Jun 7 5:44 PM, 2008

Anonymous wrote:

CHEERMOMI2 wrote:

Under normal circumstances parents love to travel too. But traveling so much just isn't reasonable right now. I hope all of the gyms give serious consideration to the needs of their families. 1 or 2 comps fewer with reduced overall comp fees would be difficult for comp companies (oh well!) but help family wallets. Maybe local comps can be limited to a certain radius ouside of the gym's area and comps that require airfare can be cut by 1 comp to, for example, 2 max unless you're level 5 (thats up to the gym and those parents). Please don't be offended...these are just thoughts that might help people to hang on for a season or two longer until (pray pray pray) a solution can be considered. I'm as competitive as the next parent/kid/family, maybe moreso, but we can't continue as though nothing's happening. For example, I took my little ones to McD's after practice last week. We ordered a happy meal and 2 number 3s(2 cheesburger meal). It cost.....are you ready for this???...$17 dollars! That's no lie! I asked the kid working drive thru to read the order back to me twice. This is crazy! All I can say is that we need to include our kids in conversations about the economy so that they can understand the changes to come.

Although GAS is very high, you can still find great deals to Vegas, Palm Springs and Anaheim.

I consider Palm Springs and Anaheim local, for us anyway. Vegas isnt so bad either. I believe most would consider Dallas, Atlanta, Florida, as traveling.

Date: Sat Jun 7 7:40 PM, 2008

Anonymous wrote:

cheer costs too much, and going to boring comps is soooo out of the questsion..who wants to sit allday at a comp stuff in a school gym. so yes we do have to travel to get to prticipate in the best comps possible to get the parents their monies worth. If you can't afford cheer try something else.

Who's talking about a school gym? There are awesome competitions locally in great venues. Besides, I think it is who you are competiting against that gives parents their money's worth, not the competitions themselves. We have been to wonderful venues in expensive out of the area locations (little mini-vacations) and have gone against nobody. Did we get our money's worth? No. But the competitions less than an hour away that put our team against more than a few others, those were the ones we will remember the most.

Date: Sat Jun 7 9:14 PM, 2008

I just put $ 120.00 in my tank YIKES I have never put that much in my car before. I am lucky to live only 8 miles from the gym. There is no way I would be willing to travel a 1/2 hour in any direction with these gas prices.

I would be ever so grateful if gym owners would have us compete closer to home this season.

Anon3784 · Member

So many different ways you could take this topic, but I'll go with this rant...

I understand uniform costs. I understand competition fees. What I don't understand is $250 a month in tuition! WTF MATE?! That's a car payment!

With the economy as crappy as it is, shouldn't the we be helping to keep kids in the gym? I would imagine that even $20 off tuition rates would be helpful.

I know I know, "but there is rent and utilities and payroll." But let's face it, ultimately, if you want to stay in business and keep kids in the gym during this rough time you need to help them out! That $20 a month = $20 parents could pull together to arrange a carpool to get kids to and from practices.

"Oh, but we have to pay for choreography or music!" Well, do your own choreography! Music is an art, I will give you that, but shop around or don't buy that new Bose sound system or ten new panel mats - BUDGET!

I know I know "I still have to pay my staff." Well, it's time to lock down on hours, make sure coaches are only working pre-determined hours, not clocking in for random stuff and cut back on classes that have low enrollment and switch over to private lessons before and after practice times and give the majority to the instructor and a small portion to the gym. Don't over staff either! Do you really need four coaches for a small senior level 2 team?

And for god's sake, offer fund raising! It is always more effective and meaningful if the gym owner and staff get involved, and on the same vein of keeping the driving to a minimum, do fund raisers that the parents and kids can facilitate where they live.

And, echoing previous posters, more local competitions, only one traveling competition and the gyms help in facilitating ride shares.

Help a brother out gyms!

Let's make it an amazing season everyone :)

-- Edited by Anon3784 at 23:44, 2008-06-07

Date: Sat Jun 7 11:00 PM, 2008

Okay so what is considered local to most, taking into account that I assume most posters are in Cali. Being in the bay anything that is an hour drive to me is local. So going to San Jose, Oakland, SF isn't a big deal for us. So for us we typically stay "local" with the exception of Nationals. Now this past season when times started to get rough, we did have two competitions that were two day events. I opted not to stay in the ridiculously priced hotel at $180.00 per night near the convention center and just drove home. So that day was about $40.00 in gas for me, but it beats spending $180.00 for a hotel. The next morning we got up early to be back at the convention center at 8 am and brought food with us which we always do because the food at those types of large competitions are just crazy ($7.00 for one serving of nachos).

We are partcipating in every fundraiser, booster event, sponsorships etc. These options have always been available but now people are actually participating to make sure they don't have to break their child's heart and pull them out of something they love so much.

Date: Sat Jun 7 11:20 PM, 2008

Anon3784 wrote:

So many different ways you could take this topic, but I'll go with this rant...

I understand uniform costs. I understand competition fees. What I don't understand is $250 a month in tuition! WTF MATE?! That's a car payment!

With the economy as crappy as it is, shouldn't the we be helping to keep kids in the gym? I would imagine that even $20 off tuition rates would be helpful.

I know I know, "but there is rent and utilities and payroll." But let's face it, ultimately, if you want to stay in business and keep kids in the gym during this rough time you need to help them out! That $20 a month = $20 parents could pull together to arrange a carpool to get kids to and from practices.

"Oh, but we have to pay for choreography or music!" Well, do your own choreography! Music is an art, I will give you that, but shop around or don't buy that new Bose sound system or ten new panel mats - BUDGET!

I know I know "I still have to pay my staff." Well, it's time to lock down on hours, make sure coaches are only working pre-determined hours, not clocking in for random stuff and cut back on classes that have low enrollment and switch over to private lessons before and after practice times and give the majority to the instructor and a small portion to the gym. Don't over staff either! Do you really need four coaches for a small senior level 2 team?

And for god's sake, offer fund raising! It is always more effective and meaningful if the gym owner and staff get involved, and on the same vein of keeping the driving to a minimum, do fund raisers that the parents and kids can facilitate where they live.

And, echoing previous posters, more local competitions, only one traveling competition and the gyms help in facilitating ride shares.

Help a brother out gyms!

Let's make it an amazing season everyone :)

-- Edited by Anon3784 at 23:44, 2008-06-07

I Payed 250 A Month Last Year And It Actually Came Out To Be Cheper Than Paying 100 A Month Plus Uniforms Comp Fees And Things Like That Which I Am Paying This Year! My Family Is Actually Thinking About Taking The Comute Again To Cheer At The Other Gym Because With The Money We Will Be Saving From Tuition And Things We Can Use On Gas!