Hello !! Everyone I'm new here ! I just wanted to know what you think about this topic. So my Cousin Jennifer and I got into a disagreement last night about Cheerleading moms and dads pushing their kids too hard. She said that she feels that most parents of all star cheerleaders push their kids to hard to get to level 5. She said she noticed that here in ( NC ) and most of the south that parents and cheerleaders alike would spend what seemed like countless hours ( to her ) in the gym training. Jennifer said that cheerleaders in the south especially all star treat it as if it were thier life. Back were she's from ( upstate new york ) she said the parents and cheerleaders are nothing like that. They went with the flow of things. The parents dont push them as hard as they do down here and there not in such a hurry to get to that " elite level" and the parents aren't at every practice watching their kids and keeping track of their progress unlike here in the south. She said she was amazzed when she saw like 7 and 8 year old girls in the gym doing back handsprings and stuff. She said most of her friends who are cheerleaders back in New York only started when they were like 12. So I just wanted to hear your opinion on this subject do you feel that parents push their kids too hard in cheerleading. P.S Sorry for the double posting
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Michelle Kwan is the "Kween" Sasha Cohen "Ballerina on Ice" Yu Na Kim is the "Queen Yu Na" Mao Asada is the "Queen of the Triple Axel"
I'm not from the South. (well, SoCal but you know what I mean, lol) and I watched all 9 years of my daughters practices and now watch my youngest practice every single week. But I've learned over the years to just let her enjoy her time in the gym. I encourage her, make suggestions, but I also ask her questions so she can come to conclusions on her own instead of telling her what to do. I've changed quite a bit over the years. But I love watching her grow and seeing her move up day by day. I also love cheer immensely and know what I'm watching which makes it's a little easier for me to see the tiny improvements in each practice. So I'm not so stressed when the big things don't happen so quickly. I think it just takes "cheer time" and "cheer maturity" to realize that they actually progress at every practice and to see past the HUGE milestones and see the tiny improvements. It's actually quite more rewarding this way.
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OC Mom, Mom of 5 great kids! A cheerleader/softball player, a RETIRED cheerleader, a football/baseball player, 1 Airman and future Police Officer and one college student!
Is it the parent pushing the child or is the child pushing themselves? I know my 7 year old just got her round off bhs and she is the one pushing it. For her she is not looking at fulls yet but she is looking at the next skill in the lineup. she learned her back walkover and then her front walkover and then her standing bhs, you get the picture. She would not leave the gym if she were given the choice. The difference is that maybe when you treat it like a sport your kids treat it like a sport. I have a high school baseball player and a high school/club soccer player. They did not reach these levels by starting at 12 they reached them by playing peewees at 5 when it was still fun. Maybe the teams are so good in the south because the parents recognize it as a sport and let their children proceed as such. Look at ice skating and gymnastics, look at any sport out there. You do not reach the elite levels by treating it casually.
I agree with our two California moms. You treat cheerleading as a sport and this does not depend on what region of the country you are from. It is your child and in most cases as a parent you have to know when to push, when to let them make their own decisions, and when they made need extra help (training). In most cases kids that reach the elite levels have their own inherent drive - whether the parent pushes them or not. They are competitive by nature and nothing will hold them back. As a parent I love to watch the practices and competitons. Elite level cheerleading requires commitment by all parties involved - after all what they are doing out on that floor is no small feat and it needs to be taken seriously.
