murrietamom wrote:

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I have heard the word loyalty over and over again. that is a sword that cuts two ways. You can remain loyal to a gym, but they do not always remain loyal to you. I too stayed at a gym 1 year too long. They taught my girls how to cheer and then threw them away when a new flavor arrived. My oldest felt it most keenly. We made the move to a new gym and were excited with the results. Both girls improved and both came out of the season excited for the new one. They miss being there if they are gone for more then 2 days. I don't care about the name on the door, I care about the smiles and excitement of my girls. One cheer year? expensive The joy of my kids? priceless!

-- Edited by murrietamom on Saturday 2nd of May 2009 07:31:38 AM

Wow!!  This all sounds too familiar.  Glad you are happy at your new gym.  I know we are looking forward to a great season.  I totally agree that loyalty should go both ways.  As parents we are the consumers and should be able to get the product we want and be completly satisfied.  When you feel your child is being treated unfairly or differently from the others, or is not progressing, it is time to move on.

Good luck this year and I hope your kids continue to improve and have fun!!

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LOL 123 wrote:

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CheerFan wrote:

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Feel bitter, I mean better now? All this stuff about CA's new team member has brought out the ugly side of some people. You'd think that they're upset that they didn't get invited to join the party or something. LOL

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never would i want to join THAT party.  but anything anyone says against CA is going to get verbally bashed or their post taken off, obviously by all the posts that are not on here but are in the chatbox.  whetev.  like i said they are not invincible.  They are beatable. just work hard everyone.  Don't be bitter be better.  Better than them.  

also there are many reasons to leave a gym.  but in this instance it was stated it was for CA's goal of defending their World title in coeds.  not the best interest of the girl.  look at the post 2009-2010 teams in the chatbox.  they took the post off.

-- Edited by LOL 123 on Friday 1st of May 2009 11:35:29 PM

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IM sorry but if this nonsense is true about why they convinced her to make the transfer to their gym then its pathetic.....I hope her parents can find out that she is simply being used as a marketing tool to attract more people to their gym. She will only be practicing on weekends which means all she will do is tumble which proves they dont care about her interests only her talent....she is a phenomenal flier and has gorgeous baskets but no they wont put her in that cuz they only want to showcase her and her tumbling

so sad... all in all i really hope she is happy there wherever she cheers she is a great girl and deserves to be happy

cheerstud16 wrote:

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LOL 123 wrote:

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CheerFan wrote:

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Feel bitter, I mean better now? All this stuff about CA's new team member has brought out the ugly side of some people. You'd think that they're upset that they didn't get invited to join the party or something. LOL

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never would i want to join THAT party.  but anything anyone says against CA is going to get verbally bashed or their post taken off, obviously by all the posts that are not on here but are in the chatbox.  whetev.  like i said they are not invincible.  They are beatable. just work hard everyone.  Don't be bitter be better.  Better than them.  

also there are many reasons to leave a gym.  but in this instance it was stated it was for CA's goal of defending their World title in coeds.  not the best interest of the girl.  look at the post 2009-2010 teams in the chatbox.  they took the post off.

-- Edited by LOL 123 on Friday 1st of May 2009 11:35:29 PM

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IM sorry but if this nonsense is true about why they convinced her to make the transfer to their gym then its pathetic.....I hope her parents can find out that she is simply being used as a marketing tool to attract more people to their gym. She will only be practicing on weekends which means all she will do is tumble which proves they dont care about her interests only her talent....she is a phenomenal flier and has gorgeous baskets but no they wont put her in that cuz they only want to showcase her and her tumbling

so sad... all in all i really hope she is happy there wherever she cheers she is a great girl and deserves to be happy

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And Cheerforce didn't use her as a marketing tool??? They most certainly did and btw do you not think cheerforce "poaches" athletes? How do you think they got her and all the other level 5 tumblers from Club Cheer Twiters and VCSC back in the day? Wise Up. 

 

I would like to start out by stating that I am not from CA nor any of the other gyms mentioned in this thread.

I can not believe what I am reading here. When did it become anyones business what any cheer parent decided to do with their own child.

By the way this is someone's child you are all talking about not a commodity. There is an actual person attached to this name that you all so freely feel the right to talk about.

For all of you to use this person or any other to bad mouth a gym is beyond ridiculous. How dare any of you feel that you have that right. You all should most certainly should feel ashamed of yourselves.

Athletes (children) have the right to cheer where ever want to. Quite frankly, I do not actively target athletes from other gyms but if they decide to come to me or go somewhere else so be it. It is not a conversation for the general public but a private decision between the parent, athlete, and gym.

I am not condeming the choice of an athlete and their parents and I understand switching gyms because you want something better for your child but I would like to know does Tannaz meet seperately with all the new people who want to try out or just the really good ones? I think everyone level 1 - 5 should be given the same treatment and consideration when trying out.

IwantGold wrote:

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i would like to know if you must believe everything you read?

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 No I don't. But if I wanted to take my level 3 child to tryouts would I be given the same consideration and private meeting as a level 5 parent?

cheerfan09 wrote:

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I am not condeming the choice of an athlete and their parents and I understand switching gyms because you want something better for your child but I would like to know does Tannaz meet seperately with all the new people who want to try out or just the really good ones? I think everyone level 1 - 5 should be given the same treatment and consideration when trying out.

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seriously, if you want to know that bad give CA a phone call

 

POSITIVElycheer wrote:

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I would like to start out by stating that I am not from CA nor any of the other gyms mentioned in this thread.

I can not believe what I am reading here. When did it become anyones business what any cheer parent decided to do with their own child.

By the way this is someone's child you are all talking about not a commodity. There is an actual person attached to this name that you all so freely feel the right to talk about.

For all of you to use this person or any other to bad mouth a gym is beyond ridiculous. How dare any of you feel that you have that right. You all should most certainly should feel ashamed of yourselves.

Athletes (children) have the right to cheer where ever want to. Quite frankly, I do not actively target athletes from other gyms but if they decide to come to me or go somewhere else so be it. It is not a conversation for the general public but a private decision between the parent, athlete, and gym.

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 I think those of us who have been in all star cheerleading for a long time have seen the shift in parents/athletes. It used to be about the team/program and the friendships built on the team. Now its all about the individual and you don't know who is coming back from year to year. I understand parents want their kids to excel or be in a positive environmen, but sometimes situations are unique from year to year and won't continue each season. I wish people would think about their decisions befor they are made because they do effect the athletes long term. Some parents don't even wait until the end of the year, they just take their kids somewhere else because of one issue. Some of you don't value loyalty, but I feel its a strong lesson some of our youth could learn.

xpressjag wrote:

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POSITIVElycheer wrote:

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I would like to start out by stating that I am not from CA nor any of the other gyms mentioned in this thread.

I can not believe what I am reading here. When did it become anyones business what any cheer parent decided to do with their own child.

By the way this is someone's child you are all talking about not a commodity. There is an actual person attached to this name that you all so freely feel the right to talk about.

For all of you to use this person or any other to bad mouth a gym is beyond ridiculous. How dare any of you feel that you have that right. You all should most certainly should feel ashamed of yourselves.

Athletes (children) have the right to cheer where ever want to. Quite frankly, I do not actively target athletes from other gyms but if they decide to come to me or go somewhere else so be it. It is not a conversation for the general public but a private decision between the parent, athlete, and gym.

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 I think those of us who have been in all star cheerleading for a long time have seen the shift in parents/athletes. It used to be about the team/program and the friendships built on the team. Now its all about the individual and you don't know who is coming back from year to year. I understand parents want their kids to excel or be in a positive environmen, but sometimes situations are unique from year to year and won't continue each season. I wish people would think about their decisions befor they are made because they do effect the athletes long term. Some parents don't even wait until the end of the year, they just take their kids somewhere else because of one issue. Some of you don't value loyalty, but I feel its a strong lesson some of our youth could learn.

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I think we can all agree that parents and athletes with knee jerk reactions who just up and quit mid season are frustrating and that finishing a committment is a valuable lesson.

But I think to say that someone who leaves a gym to go to another doesn't value loyalty is not accurate. There is so much more to it than loyalty. How about finances? With travel and other costs, cheer can easily cost 4-5K a year. Even more for athletes whose teams travel great distances for competitions. That is not chump change! That is EXPENSIVE for a youth sport! I don't think many parents out there want to pay 5 grand for "friendship". Parents and children can find friendships for free! If I am bankrolling my child's sport to the tune of 1000s of dollars, I am going to look at the whole package (coaches attitudes, team attitude, philosophy of the gym to name a few) and while I do care about the team as a whole, my focus, naturally, is going to be on my own child and what combination of factors is best for him/her. I do not have an extra $5000 to throw down in hopes that a given situation is unique to this year and will change next season ESPECIALLY in this current economy where my house value has fallen , my stocks are worth next to nothing and my employment status is at risk!

Cheer gyms need to remember that they are a business! That in order for a business to survive it needs to provide a valuable product or service for their customers. Sure it is impossible to make EVERYONE happy ALL the time, but if you want to survive you need to make sure that you are making MOST of the people happy, MOST of the time.

Are you providing an environment where athletes AND parents feel welcome and appreciated for their committment in time, energy and finances? Or is your environment more one where parents and athletes are treated more like "don't let the door hit you on the way out"? Is there "open" communication and an opportunity for parents/coaches/athletes to address any concerns or issues with each other? Or does one party or another feel like "they don't care what I have to say or how I feel"?

How about the demeanor of the coaches at the gym? Do they enjoy what they are doing or is it just a party and a paycheck? Are the coaches good role models and do they genuinely care about the athletes? Are cheer competitions a time to bond as a team or a time to go out and party with friends in the industry? 

For some parents and athletes friendship may be the ultimate and only reason for choosing a gym, but for most it is only part of a much more complicated equation.

I think that with few exceptions the decision to change gyms is a REALLY tough decision and one that most parents and athletes don't make without a great deal of thought and without heartache. If a family leaves your gym, don't get angry and don't take it personally (though I know that is hard not to do). Ask them why and listen to what they have to say. If they have complaints, listen and take them into consideration and perhaps make appropriate changes the following season. All too often one complaint that is voiced is representative of many who stay silent. Most importantly, let them know that they are welcome back if things don't work out elsewhere.

Just my 2 cents.