Showing Class...Win with Dignity, Lose with Respect!

ProudCheerParent · Veteran Member

Showing Class...Win with Dignity, Lose with Respect!

COmomof2 · Senior Member

That was really nice ProudCheerParent, I am about to cry.

We love all our cheerleaders and we truly are a family and are very close knit.

I have never seen our gym turn their backs on anyone, as I have seen girls come back.
And the ones that have left, My children still have sleep overs, we make it a point to say hello to them at comps and we will always remain friends.

And for it to be something other than that, it truly is sad.

Thanks again, ProudCheerParent!

Dstewie · Member

That is so mean. This is not the way a winning team should act. They should have that 1 place turned to DQ for their attitudes. How did they get 1st with those attitudes. I hate to say it but yes the cheer industry is crazy at times almost too crazy. I know there are gyms out there that just want drama. They look for ways to make other people look bad so their gym will look better. Ive seen it first hand from one gym I left a few years ago.. I went to a new gym and I found that the new gym was nothing like my old gym made them out to be. I have never heard my new gym say anything about my old gym they just welcomed me open arms. So yes when gyms like CO become so big and successfull you will have those gyms that are jealous. It is everywhere. I have never seen such a crazy industry. I have to say if I were to vote on the most courteous gym where the members, staff and owners are SUPER. All around I would say cheer gyms. They are amazing and yet never ****y. They get along with everyone and if all gyms were like CG we would have much less drama in this industry.

Ellis78 · Newbie

ProudCheerParent wrote:

This is my first time posting here, actually my daughters first year and was recommended this site to view. I have read many posts and since our team attended this last comp I would like to add my input.

The venue I thought was not very organized compared to other Jamz comps we have attended. And there happened to be some very ungracious winners. Actually I was disgusted by 1 team in particular. But i'll get into that later.

Norcal - Has definitely stepped up to the plate, they were shakey the beginning of the season but have really come out to the mat and blown me away. So much energy, just very entertaining to watch.

Jewels Cheer - Finally has their uniforms and you know what I think it has made a world of difference! Way to go on your 1st place.

Starstruck - Always so clean but something is definitely lacking in the cheer division - BUT WOWEE on your dance squads, good job! And yes the girl at the ending of the Sr 4 wonderful flexibility.

Team X - where did you guys come from? WHAT A GREAT ROUTINE! Congrats!

Odyssey - You definitely have very entertaining routines! Your Youth team - is AWESOME! Your Junior team - has great potential. Your Sr 3 team - WOW, definitely should have gotten 1st, but just wasn't your day, otherwise better team overall for sr.3 lg division.

This is where my disgust part comes in - I will not name names but to an ungracious winner - Once they heard who was in 2nd place - screamed (i'm sure in their excitement) as their coach started in with the chanting. And 2 girls of this team loudly said "F*** Cheer -------" All I want to say is how horrible I think that team is, Just horrible. What? Why? Uck.

Cheer Xperience - Wonderful routines - You've done awesome so far this season!

And Odyssey struck - Terrific! Gave me tingles! Was that coach b out there?

__________________
CheerMomX

I copied this from another post, because I really feel this is a subject that all cheerleaders, coaches, parents and gyms should talk about. What kind of gym, parent, coach or cheerleader would say such a thing and nothing, I repeat NOTHING be done about it?

Yes, we all love to WIN. But, if we don't I feel we should Congratulate the Team WHO DID! These teams WIN because they deserved it. The judges at JAMZ, UCA, Spirit and so forth do not play favoritism, they pick the WINNERS! By Stating F*** Cheer Odyssey when they won was so uncalled for. I have heard rumors that the owners of VEA were ex coaches of Cheer Odyssey from years back and they would stop at nothing to see Cheer Odyssey crumble. Sadly, I personally have heard some of the awful things the VEA parents and Cheerleaders say about Cheer Odyssey. Very un-derserving to say the least. I watch the Chher Odyssey staff give out Congratulations to other Gyms and Coaches, as a matter of fact... cheerleaders and parents who have left their program ....Cheer Odyssey Staff always hug and congratulate them no matter what. From what I understand from Coach B is this: "If they choose to leave our program, we are always sad and will miss them but we want them to be happy, we don't want anyone with our program that is not happy. If they choose to come back, we have an open door policy", we are not just a cheer gym, we are a Cheer Family!

How horrible that this was said, I also heard they were chanting through the hallways, F*** Cheer Odyssey to the CO Teams... I say "way to show Class CO girls and guys and not saying anything back. Your organization is truly one to be admired!

We are all here for the same reason, and yes, it sucks to lose, but lose with respect. I feel the gym owners of VEA should find out who these girls are with their gym and have long talks with them, the parents and their coaches about what is appropriate behavior.

Good Luck to all teams the rest of the season, I agree Odyssey Struck has the WOW Factor!! Congrats Odyssey!!

-- Edited by ProudCheerParent at 18:10, 2009-01-18

As a head coach and cheerleader for Cheer Odyssey I want to thank you for all of the teams who have supported us throughout the years. Coming from a gym who still congratulates and welcomes any cheerlearder who leaves our gym, I must say I am very honored.In my 8 years at CO i've seen many girls leave to differeent gyms, quit cheerleading all together, and some have choose to return to CO, but in all my years i've supported every single one of them. I am very proud to say that I have tons of friends from all different gyms. I believe that all cheerleaders should walk with dignity and respect no matter what gym you come from. We are all apart of this sport because we share the love of competitive cheer. NO matter what gym you come from, NO matter what color is running through your veins, and NO matter where you come from, if you are a competitive cheerleader you are part of a family who all shares ONE love.

PS, being apart of Odyssey Struck, thank you. We work hard, as hard as humanly possible. I like to think of Odyssey Struck as a pure example as to two cheer gyms, to VERY different cheer gyms sharing their ONE love of competitive cheerleading! "Odyssey Struck, a dream combined, two familys as one, together we shine!"

Melissa

cheerfanatic · Senior Member

* I love oddessey strucks cheer

Well, back to the topic I believe vea did not have to go there, if u have a problem with CO prove it on the mat, not out side what's that going to prove that your a bunch of HATERS yeah well that will get you no where,

Well, CO I've always loved your teams and also I love the little girl tumbler, who does the last pass in junior 4 omg she's so fierce and coach b is always nice, when myself or some of my girls say hi, they are all really nice

And no I am not a part of co but they are really nice

Best of luck to co

AbbyByTheBay · Senior Member

I don't know if this particular gym reads these posts but I think they need to know what was heard during the awards because there is no excuse for it.

Now here's the part I may get blasted for. We've been to many competitions over the years and have supported numerous gyms. I can tell you that no gym can speak for all their members, they only know what they have observed. They don't know about what is said in the restrooms, or on the way to the parking lot after a competition, or standing in line to get food. You can tell your members to be courteous and good sports, but you can't control their actions when you're not there, trust me. So when someone comes on here and states their gym gets along with everyone, I think they need to add "to the best of my knowledge". It's a sport and athletes will be competitive, I get that and so I don't take comments I hear personally. But I agree what was said during the awards crossed the line and needs to be addressed by this gym.

MyOpinionOnly · Veteran Member

That is soooooooo true. You can not expect an organization to be responsible for every word, phrase, sentence, comment, body action, or behavior that may come from someone that wears your t-shirt. It's absolutely impossible.

You can, however, take these examples and learn from them. Teach your child why it's not okay to behave this way. But the biggest hurdle you must jump is peer pressure. It's those that your child surrounds themselves with are those that you will probably end up acting like in society.

No gym is perfect. Everyone needs a reminder every now and then. It starts at home. Parents need to lead by example and remember that you are models for your children. Parents should also start watching the Human Dynamics of the competition itself. It's interesting what you will see when you are observing though out the day. Lots can be learned from observatiion alone.

my3grlz · Veteran Member

cheerfanatic wrote:

* I love oddessey strucks cheer

Well, back to the topic I believe vea did not have to go there, if u have a problem with CO prove it on the mat, not out side what's that going to prove that your a bunch of HATERS yeah well that will get you no where,

Well, CO I've always loved your teams and also I love the little girl tumbler, who does the last pass in junior 4 omg she's so fierce and coach b is always nice, when myself or some of my girls say hi, they are all really nice

And no I am not a part of co but they are really nice

Best of luck to co

Thank you! That's my daughter Kiara! She's only 10 and we're very proud of her! biggrin

my3grlz · Veteran Member

I also want to say something about the comment that was made as well!! It does break my heart that they would say that! I understand that they do not have control of what is said but I do think that now that they know this they should at least address it!
I know when it comes to my daughters I have taught them to show respect to other teams. If you win don't rub it in and if you lose congratulate!! We have been with CO for 6 years and this is the same thing the coaches teach the girls too!
There's always going to be negative people out there! It's life! We all just have to learn to ignore it!

VegasCheerParent · Veteran Member

Yeah, that is pretty bad...I could give a few examples and even a picture or two from our so-called local "Rivals" here in Vegas. Especially in '06 after beating them at 4 different comps. The haters can really come out of their cave- cheerleaders and parents!

We all win and lose AT SOMETHING in life and besides that fact people, you can be world champs in this sport and most people would not know or care. The "cheer community" only knows.
I myself am still figuring out what is the point after your kids team win 8-10 Nationals...guess it is still fun to perform what ever level a person is at.

"VegasCheerParent"
"PAC"ing for Worlds

sha-sha · Newbie

This hole thing is so stupid all the rumors that are going around no one realy knows the truth. I think that if we all are adults and we are to lead by example then this is not the way to do it by posting information that you have not witnessed yourself. You have no idea what type of people the coaches are from the other team so you should no judge. By this being posted what do you think is going to happen with our children that attend school together. if this was trully said by two of the team members then they should be spoken too. That team has parents that teach their kids respect regarless of what comment has been said.

writting by a concerned parent.

Fierce Coach · GURU

Always remember that there are people that will always "put a bad name out there" for your program, either by their behavior or mouths... I choose not to judge the program as a whole, because people make their own decisions and there is no way to control that. But if a coach or owner heard from the program that said that rude statement heard about the comment made, and chose not to say anything to that person... then that is wrong. Take responsibility for your program.

CoachAmy · Newbie

I am the Owner and Head Coach of Victorious Elite Allstars (VEA). I do not usually play into the cheer drama, as it is definitely not the reason that I am involved in this youth driven industry. However, upon hearing of this anonymous bulletin posting last night at practice I felt I need to set the story straight.

I opened VEA 5 years ago in hopes of bringing another positive youth organization to Manteca and the surrounding community. We are a non-profit organization with the goal to create a family oriented gym that not only focuses on the athletic and competitive aspect of cheer, but more importantly on the teamwork, dedication, respect, integrity and good sportsmanship that I believe all kids should develop through sports. It is true that I coached for Cheer Odyssey during their first two years of business. During that time I got to know many wonderful coaches, parents and kids. The experience taught me a lot and made me want to open my own gym to create another great place for kids; this was the only reason. I highly respect Cheer Odyssey and their coaches as I myself have coached among them and also have coached many of the kids who have moved on to become coaches and Jamz staff themselves. My athletes and parents are friends with many families at CO. We get our uniforms done by a parent at CO. There is definitely no problems on our side.

I support and applaud every cheer gym as they also provide positive after school programs for kids; keeping them out of trouble and teaching them valuable life skills through team building. It is pretty bold for someone who obviously has never even met me to say "that I want nothing more than to see Cheer Odyssey crumble." This person could not be further from the truth. CO along with our other fellow competitors are making kids passionate about the sport of cheerleading, win or lose.

As for my athletes and parents. I do enforce a strict code of conduct for all events; practices and competitions. My cheerleaders are always instructed to cheer on other teams and to be graceful winners or losers. Of course as a coach I would love if my teams always got first place, however, I always stress the point of giving 100%. These are kids, they are going to make mistakes. As coaches all we can ask for is that they do their absolute best. Should teams start celebrating when the second place team is called and they know that they have won first? Absolutely not. In the last 8 years of coaching have I witnessed just about every team do this? Absolutely. These are kids, winning is exciting, period. It is not the excitement of the other team losing do they celebrate, it is in celebration of their own success on that particular day. Why must anyone turn this simple fact into anything more than it is?

On the particular day in question, I was on the floor with my other coaches (the only 2 that were there that day) and none of us joined in on the cheering and chanting when CO was called 2^nd. We stayed on stage and hugged and congratulated Coach Char, Kelvin and Brandon. After the entire floor was cleared my team ran on stage to celebrate their win with us coaches. We walked up the stairs together as a team to meet our parents. Never once did I hear my athletes making any comments in regards to CO as they were too busy being happy for their own team.

I cannot say for certain that my athletes have never said anything negative in regards to other teams. They are not perfect! I can however attest that they definitely get as much as they might give. We have to remember that these kids all go to school together. Is there going to be a natural rivalry? Sure. I have heard many immature comments made from kids at other gyms towards my athletes, but kids are immature. Ironically, it is not the kids that are posting these bulletins, it is the adults. So before you start pointing fingers at other parents and coaches about teaching our kids right from wrong, respect, and how to be graceful winners; take a look at what these bulletins can and will create. They are unnecessary and as the old but wise saying goes, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!"

If someone truly witnessed what I will for now call a vicious rumor, than please feel free to contact me via email at info@pinkblacksilver.com and point out the kids that you witnessed so I can properly address the situation with them.

I hope that my post has cleared up the confusion and that these bulletins will stop. Let's do exactly what most of you are advising and SET THE EXAMPLE FOR OUR KIDS!

-- Edited by CoachAmy at 15:11, 2009-01-21

-- Edited by CoachAmy at 15:13, 2009-01-21

PROUD VEA PARENT · Newbie

ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.....
I am not ashamed nor afraid to say that I am a parent of a VEA cheerleader. I just can not believe the childesh behavior on this "chat". I would like to start off by addressing the person that posted this initial "rumor". As a parent, if you heard a "child" using this kind of language regarding someone else; you should have approached the coaches of that team and advised them of what you heard instead of causing more "conflict". Prime example of why kids are the way they are in this day and age. I would also like to add that the coaches and staff of VEA would never tolerate this type of behavior if it was known. As coach Amy suggested, the person needs to step forward that actually heard this being said by a couple of our girls. How else can it be addressed; surely not by a chat room "rumor". People need to clean up their own "home" before they start accusing others. Because I have had to "comfort" my child on several occassions this season because of the harrassment being handed down from a "rival" team, during school.
As for cheering when our girls earned and were awarded First place, darn right... I am proud of our team and the accomplishment's that they have EARNED.
Good luck on the rest of the season to ALL CHEER SQUADS..

VetMom · Newbie

Good luck to your teams Coach Amy and to the whole VEA organization. I'm not familiar with too many of the teams from that area, but you sound like a class organization.

kit89cat · Newbie

It's sad that someone needs cut our team in such a public forum. We are not jealous. We are proud of our teams accomplishments. WIN OR LOSE. This same rival team chanted their cheer very loudly behind where our supporters were sitting. Letting us know they were there. Are we complaining? NO. My child has been harrassed at school by a cheereleader on this same rival team. To this so called rival teams cheerleader, we will never be good enough. Whether we come in first, second, or third. Do I go complain to this organization? NO. Were we excited that we won? YES. Did we deserve to win? YES. If this in fact was said, I am sorry. You can't judge an organization in whole, by one or two persons. I heard nothing from where we were seated. I have been a very proud parent of a VICTORIOUS ELITE ALLSTARS CHEERLEADER. We have been with this team since the beginning. We were so impressed with this teams integrity and cheer style. Their first year we were just the supporter of a VEA cheerleader. Their second year we had to be a part of this organization. We also think of ourselves as a proud VEA FAMILY. We get along great, for the most part, and have welcomed new cheerleaders and parents with open arms and encourage anyone to join. Sure we are disappointed when we lose cheerleaders. People live different lives and have their own reasons for leaving. We don't hold grudges. We would welcome them to come back any time. We encourage our cheerleaders regardless of their choice to leave. This whole thing just needs to get squashed. I am proud of all the cheer and dance teams that compete. My family, home or cheer, would agree. It takes alot for these kids to get out there and do what they love to do. I consider myself an unbiased spectator. I can admit when another team is better. We love the sport.

(Forever Proud V.E.A. Parent)

AbbyByTheBay · Senior Member

Both gyms should be very proud of their accomplishments. I completely agree if someone has an issue with a gym or members of a gym they need to contact the gym directly and not post the issue on this board. I was guilty of reading the post as fact, it's easy to forget it is just one person's point of view or interpretation of an event. Gyms shouldn't have to come on here to defend themselves. Good luck to both gyms, your routines are always entertaining and you both have an awesome fan base -- you can always tell when CO and VEA are in the house! smile