This post is intended to let the cheer community know what is ACTUALLY going on with CA Crush this year. We know people will talk about this so we figured why not post it and put everyone on the same page as our parents and kids.
To all members of CA Crush,
To all of you, with profound gratitude and great humility Mike and I have decided to dissolve CA Crush All-Stars this season. Let me express my feelings to all of you who have stayed with our program this past season, especially the ones who traveled the furthest and gave the most time and dedication to the team. To all the parents who have spoke with us, we have heard you loud and clear. We are so lucky to have people like you in our lives and have made our program so successful in various ways.
We meet at this moment in time to help you all get a better understanding of what is going on. But first, I want to address that it is part of our responsibility to let you all know where we are right now as a program. This decision to resign as co-owners of CA Crush is our chance to keep our reputation in the All-Star industry and as young entrepreneurs. We are here because we love our program and the name we put on it so much that we wont let the next 10 years in business look like the past one.
Let there be no doubt that we were scrutinized and unnecessarily ridiculed by teams hating on CA Crush every chance they got but we ultimately came out on top. With that we owe so much respect and tip our hats to the girls and boys on the team last year. We admire your hard work so much! The cheer world can get very ugly but you all carried yourselves with a higher sense of self which, in turn, made you guys better than them in so many ways. We watched you all grow in front of our eyes.
You see, us coaches here at Crush have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in cheerleading. It is not how many championships you get or how many trophies you get in one season. It is the continual efforts to be the best at who you are and doing what you can to be special. We measure progress when we have kids continuing the pursuit of education just by the influence of their peers in the program. We measure progress by working hard to attain personal goals, getting new skills, and turning an unbelievable expectation into a reality. We have done this by getting our gold. Whether you can touch this kind of gold or not, that alone is enough for mike and I to take more risks. Because we were successful in these ways we promise to continue and progress.
But, for the records, those hater people have very strong opinions. They like to talk about judgment but, whos to trust their judgment when they were completely wrong about our team all year long. We decided to take the higher road and ended up currently top 9 in the IALC Championships. Crush will be video judged and the national placements will be announced by the end of this month. The truth is, on issue after issue, it is this preservation of a legacy as to why we have decided to not follow through with this season.
We just came up with this decision after our recent tryout. It is with the support of the parents and friends who extensively spoke with us. That is when we found out things that we did not know before. There is nothing we can do with the situation at hand except for look to what is best for everyone. Its time for us to continue our growth as young men and you all as athletes.
Personally, I think I have let you all down. For the most part I was absent in pursuits of education and regret that I was not there for practices. Realizing that our inexperience caused most of this does not sit lightly with us. We simply cannot go on or feel right taking money when we cannot answer all of the questions you all have. Mike and I are not willing to let our reputation suffer because of this.
A promise is the only reason why I am in this profession. I feel like I can speak for both of us when I say it is a promise to stay in cheer as long as we can. We will make a difference in this game and we realize that it is not our time now. Our promise is to take the right road towards our ambitions. It is the recognition to rise above personal pride that defines what we do.
We ask you all for your support as we will continue to support you all and your decisions. Everyone involved in this is going to have some heartache and for that we apologize. Regardless, wherever you all end up Mike and I will support you. In a perfect world you all would end up staying together but, it isnt so if need be we will be at competitions cheering on the 4 various teams you all are on. I am truly humbled by this experience because I have learned so much from your feedback.
Last year we began Crush as a dream of ours. With just 5 people at tryouts, big hopes, and through driven people we made a successful All-Star team a reality. We feel like we have given it our all and do not want to lose touch with those who made it possible. We will always be CA Crush.
With you all we began a legacy, and because we love what we do it is assured to be back.
Calvin and Mike
if there are any more questions as to our situation or regards to CRUSH, please E-mail mike @ mikesbe2@yahoo.com or Calvin @ c0calh02@louisville.edu
THIS TOPIC IS NOT MEANT FOR BASHING. YOU KNOW WE ARE TALKING TO.
So sorry to hear about your program, this year was probably a hard year to start a gym with the economy being so bad. Wasn't there a third owner of your program, I think her name was susan and I remember seeing her at competitions and she was listed as an owner on your website. Are you two sepetate from her now? Best of luck in your goals for the future, don't give up!
-- Edited by annon360 on Tuesday 12th of May 2009 01:09:09 PM
Your post is AWESOME! Thank you for saying what we have all been feeling this past year. The cheer world has changed. It used to be about helping kids become better people. It used to be a comraderie of gyms that even though we competed against each other, there was a mutual respect for each other. We used to think Northern California was immune to all the negativity, back biting and rumor mongering, but now we see we are no different then the rest of the country.
We are sad to hear you are closing. We know you guys, along with your phenomenal families, were doing great things. You were trying to create a program that wasnt about winning (and believe me we all love to win), but about teaching kids how to work hard, be dedicated, be loyal and in return they become better people. The extra reward should be winning at competitions, but that shouldnt be the end all goal.
We have been around for a long time and have made our mistakes. We have had winning years and not so winning years. We have been huge and we have been small. We have changed the way we do things 100 times to accommodate changes in the economy, cheer world, parents, friends, staff, etc. Looking back, the best years were the years we didnt lose focus on what was right, having a great program for great kids. That doesn't mean we did or didnt win, but (like you so eloquently said) we reached our gold those years.
We at Cheergyms.com want you to know that we have always respected what you were doing and enjoyed competing with you. We hope you are not finished with the cheer world, but just giving yourself a break from it.
Thanks again for your email and we hope many gym owners, coaches, parents and kids read it so they possibly can regain some perspective of what is true, genuine and right about the sport we all love which is cheer!
Danny, Derick, Morton and the entire Cheergyms.com Staff!
-- Edited by Morton on Tuesday 12th of May 2009 02:10:25 PM
-- Edited by Danny on Tuesday 12th of May 2009 02:28:40 PM
Great job with your letter and letting everyone know before the rumors got started...being an 'oldie' in the industry I can assure you that things have definately changed over the years.
Keep your heads high and always know that if you are doing what is right for the kids and their families you can never go wrong.
Big Hugs to you both and we'll see you around this season!
Your post is AWESOME! Thank you for saying what we have all been feeling this past year. The cheer world has changed. It used to be about helping kids become better people. It used to be a comraderie of gyms that even though we competed against each other, there was a mutual respect for each other. We used to think Northern California was immune to all the negativity, back biting and rumor mongering, but now we see we are no different then the rest of the country.
We are sad to hear you are closing. We know you guys, along with your phenomenal families, were doing great things. You were trying to create a program that wasnt about winning (and believe me we all love to win), but about teaching kids how to work hard, be dedicated, be loyal and in return they become better people. The extra reward should be winning at competitions, but that shouldnt be the end all goal.
We have been around for a long time and have made our mistakes. We have had winning years and not so winning years. We have been huge and we have been small. We have changed the way we do things 100 times to accommodate changes in the economy, cheer world, parents, friends, staff, etc. Looking back, the best years were the years we didnt lose focus on what was right, having a great program for great kids. That doesn't mean we did or didnt win, but (like you so eloquently said) we reached our gold those years.
We at Cheergyms.com want you to know that we have always respected what you were doing and enjoyed competing with you. We hope you are not finished with the cheer world, but just giving yourself a break from it.
Thanks again for your email and we hope many gym owners, coaches, parents and kids read it so they possibly can regain some perspective of what is true, genuine and right about the sport we all love which is cheer!
Danny, Derick, Morton and the entire Cheergyms.com Staff!
-- Edited by Morton on Tuesday 12th of May 2009 02:10:25 PM
-- Edited by Danny on Tuesday 12th of May 2009 02:28:40 PM
Please help me understand why the letter that corresponds with this announcement IS NOT POSTED????
I'm confused. The letter's at the top. Right? The one from Calvin? What am I missing. I'll fix it if I can.
The original letter that was deleted.
To all of you, with profound gratitude and great humility Mike and I have decided to dissolve CA Crush All-Stars this season. Let me express my feelings to all of you who have stayed with our program this past season, especially the ones who traveled the furthest and gave the most time and dedication to the team.To all the parents who have spoke with us, we have heard you loud and clear. We are so lucky to have people like you in our lives and have made our program so successful in various ways.
We meet at this moment in time to help you all get a better understanding of what is going on. But first, I want to address that it is part of our responsibility to let you all know where we are right now as a program. As most of you are aware, this year was a financial disaster. This decision to resign as co-owners of CA Crush is our chance to keep our reputation in the All-Star industry and as young entrepreneurs. We are here because we love our program and the name we put on it so much that we wont let the next 10 years in business look like the past one.
Let there be no doubt that we were scrutinized and unnecessarily ridiculed by teams hating on CA Crush every chance they got but we ultimately came out on top. With that we owe so much respect and tip our hats to the girls and boys on the team last year. We admire your hard work so much! The cheer world can get very ugly but you all carried yourselves with a higher sense of self which, in turn, made you guys better than them in so many ways. We watched you all grow in front of our eyes.
You see, us coaches here at Crush have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in cheerleading. It is not how many championships you get or how many trophies you get in one season. It is the continual efforts to be the best at who you are and doing what you can to be special. We measure progress when we have kids continuing the pursuit of education just by the influence of their peers in the program. We measure progress by working hard to attain personal goals, getting new skills, and turning an unbelievable expectation into a reality. We have done this by getting our gold. Whether you can touch this kind of gold or not, that alone is enough for mike and I to take more risks.Because we were successful in these ways we promise to continue and progress.
But, for the records, those hater people have very strong opinions. They like to talk about judgment but, whos to trust their judgment when they were completely wrong about our team all year long.We decided to take the higher road and ended up currently top 3 in the IALC Championships. Crush will be video judged and the national placements will be announced by the end of this month. We have a great shot at #1 so check that out online when you can. The truth is, on issue after issue, it is this preservation of this as to why we have decided to not follow through with this season.
We just came up with this decision after our recent tryout. It is with the support of the parents and friends who extensively spoke with us. That is when we found out things that we did not know before. There is nothing we can do with the situation at hand except for look to what is best for everyone. Its time for us to continue our growth as young men and you all as athletes.
Personally, I think I have let you all down. For the most part I was absent in pursuits of education and regret that I was not there for practices. Realizing that our inexperience caused most of this does not sit lightly with us. We simply cannot go on or feel right taking money when we cannot answer all of the questions you all have. Mike and I are not willing to let our reputation suffer because of naïveté and neglect.
A promise is the only reason why I am in this profession. I feel like I can speak for both of us when I say it is a promise to stay in cheer as long as we can. We will make a difference in this game and we realize that it is not our time now. Our promise is to take the right road towards our ambitions. It is the recognition to rise above personal pride that defines what we do.
We ask you all for your support as we will continue to support you all and your decisions. Everyone involved in this is going to have some heartache and for that we apologize. Regardless, wherever you all end up Mike and I will support you. In a perfect world you all would end up staying together but, it isnt so if need be we will be at competitions cheering on the 4 teams you all occupy. I am truly humbled by this experience because I have learned so much for your feedback.
Last year we began Crush as a dream of ours. With just 5 people at tryouts, big hopes, and through driven people we made a successful All-Star team a reality.We feel like we have given it our all and do not want to lose touch with those who made it possible. We will always be CA Crush.
With you all we began a legacy, and because we love what we do it is assured to be back.
