Frogged over backhandspring, I love it!   I sure see a lot of those!

Danny wrote:

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This may seem like I'm joking but I'm not. Next year cheergyms.com is considering letting every family straight up choose which team they'd like to be on. Levels 1-4.

We would announce what teams we will field and then you can simply sign up and be on that team or teams. We're thinking that maybe when the ultimate choice is put in the customer's hand that the correct choice will be made. And if it isn't then you know what? Why is it such a big deal? I feel like a little bit of fun needs to be brought back to the sport.

In addition...the constant struggle is that the coaching staffs basically want their athletes to work hard, never complain, never miss practice, always be a team player and trust them without question. While all along most athletes (MOST not all) want to ride the wave of a good team, come and go as they please and wait for the staff to force them to improve at a level they're not ready for.

Why fight it? Sign up for a level 4 team with your frogged over backhandspring! The Pizza Parties are gonna be swell!

Ok well maybe there was a bit of joking in there.

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Lol....too funny..and too true. I can't begin to count the amount of kids that we have lost because they wanted to be on a higher team than they (in our opinions) were not yet ready for, only to go to other gyms and be placed on the level team they wanted to be on but really not contribute...in other words they squated more of the routine than the performed...but they werre on a higher level team

One of the constant challenges coaches and owners must do is to educate their customers/clients/familes about what it takes to be on every level (minimum requirements) and to be truly competitive in their market...which are two different things. For example in my market if your level 2 team does not have a minimum of 70% backhandsprings (standing and running) you will probably get creamed at competitions. That includes the Mini's and Youth.  If all of your level 4 flyers can not double down then you are going into competition knowing you have a lower "start value" than other teams in your division. Now it may not be that way in every market, which is why coaches need to know what is going on in their areas and educate their parents in a positive manner about it.

Most parents prefer to transition through a level than to complete a level. It is always...what does "Suzy" need to move up to the next team not what can Suzy do to better help this team?"  Get the basics and move up. As a result that child when promoted has a lot of weaknesses they need to shore up. But why should they because now they are on a Level 4 team. So why fix the tumbling, dance, motions, jumps, etc? What incentive is there? Very little unless the child is inwardly motivated to do so.

So many just see the tumbling aspect and figure if they get that, they can get the rest later. Others feel (and perhaps rightly so based on their personal expereince) that if their child is placed on a Level 2 team they will never work on level 3 skills until tryout time next year. Other want their child to fly and to be honest some are scared to fly with kids their own age/size. They want to fly with the older bigger kids so they feel safer...this is much of the junior vs senior debate.

Others just want to keep up with the Jones's. It has nothing to do with appropiate leveling or crossovers. If they don't get what they want (which is why I love Danny's post) they just pack up and leave. I personally blame myself for us losing two kids because I would not allow them to twist when they wanted to. One had a full, then lost it and got it back. She wanted to learn Doubles. She only wanted to do it to keep up with her sister and told me so. I would not let her because we were approaching comp season, I did not want to risk an unecessary injury, it was not necessary for her to keep up with her sister and the most imnportant factor she had never competed a full at a competition. Ever. So my gymnast training would not allow me to do it. At least compete it a couple of times and show you have masterd it. She threw a fit and left a few weeks later.

Another child wanted to twist who had just finished competing as a level 2. It was after her first year of cheerleading as a level 2. She had made a Level 3 team as her base/primary team and she crossed down to a Level 2 team to keep working on the things she needed to get with the understanding that if she did that probaly next year she would make the level 5 team easily. One year was all we asked.

I would not allow it nor would I allow any of the staff to teach her a twist. She did not even have a layout but a whip over. Rather than fix it, she would continue to do the whip over and try to twist (ACL's ankle injuries...yikes!!!)She would go and try to twist anyhow against everyone's instruction. Mom bought her a trampoline and she tried to twist there as well. She wanted to be on a level 5 team and felt if she had the full she would automatically be put on that team. Plus she was trying to keep up with a couple of other girls who had similarly jumped in one season from level 2 at the start of the summer to level 5 by next years tryouts. The facts were (beyond mine) that she would not would on anything else but tumbling. Not jumps, motions, dance, stunting, nothing. Rather than work hard as asigned and even with knowing it was possible that the level 3 team could be level 4 by Jan/Feb she left.

Let's do it Danny. Pick your own teams. Pick your own music. Pick your own choerographers. Pick your own competitions. Heck you don't even need us at all....lol.  You can fires us as coaches. TYhen when you get in trouble and need help you can rehire us as consultants....for double the pay of course....rofl!!!!! (I am being sarcastic people....not serious at all in this last paragraph)

This is why I think it's unfair when gyms are criticized for trying a higher level and then realizing during the season they have no business being at that level and moving down.   Yes they probably should have figured it out before the season started, but sometimes you don't know until you see how sharp your competition is.  Maybe the old way of doing things (not 100% proper form, etc...) used to work but when you realize it doesn't it's best to work on sharpening those lower level skills and doing them correctly.  If members get upset and quit there's nothing you can do, but my guess is by then they all realize it's the right move (they're not blind, they can see what their competition is doing). 

Anonymous wrote:

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okayy , so im doingg Juniors and Seniors this year but i wan't to quitt Juniors but i already madee captain so doesn't look likee im goingg anywhere. If this is a parent from Royals that startedd this post i'de reallyy likee if you justt camee up to me and talkedd aboutt itt ratherr than puttingg on cheergyms. Likee reallyy ? C'mon.

-Desirae.

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okayy , so i ment wanted to quit not want. im happy with the Junior team so far this year , it's my lastt year to cross compete and im gunna makee the bestt of itt.

-Desirae.

Danny wrote:

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This may seem like I'm joking but I'm not.  Next year cheergyms.com is considering letting every family straight up choose which team they'd like to be on.  Levels 1-4.

We would announce what teams we will field and then you can simply sign up and be on that team or teams.  We're thinking that maybe when the ultimate choice is put in the customer's hand that the correct choice will be made.  And if it isn't then you know what?  Why is it such a big deal?  I feel like a little bit of fun needs to be brought back to the sport.

In addition...the constant struggle is that the coaching staffs basically want their athletes to work hard, never complain, never miss practice, always be a team player and trust them without question.  While all along most athletes (MOST not all) want to ride the wave of a good team, come and go as they please and wait for the staff to force them to improve at a level they're not ready for.

Why fight it?  Sign up for a level 4 team with your frogged over backhandspring!  The Pizza Parties are gonna be swell!

Ok well maybe there was a bit of joking in there.

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Wouldn't that be interesting....I was even considering this year allowing the kids to right out the list of teams to see where they would put themselves compared to their friends....that would be really great to see.

If you ask the kids they may be even more honest then what you think they are capable of.  I know that I am sick of begging people to work on skills just to be able to 'hang' in their specific level. 

How great would it be to have a full team that could front through to layout in level 4?  That is a true level 4 team in my book and with that being said, I would rather see 14 kids with true level 4 skills then 20 and only half of the team tumbling.

To whomever started this thread, I feel bad for you.  you obviously don't know  the whole story here and are behaving badly.  This is a situation that is private and different so instead of bashing people on a message board, why not approach your gym owner and ask!  Or perhaps it is none of your business!