How many hours in the gym do you think is enough to be really competitive in the current cheer world? 5 hours a week seems a bit low. Everyone wants to win but no one wants to put in the hours....
thats without driving 25 minutes each way or the added on practices, or having practices on thankgiving or fathers day or something like that. some people drive up to two hours to get to the gym i think 5 hours it low too. it takes MAJOR dedication!
you give up a lot, but it paysoff in the end, having a sucessful team, possibly winning a few national titles along the way makes it all worth it in the end, because when you leave the gym a little piece of you will stay there with the banners that cover the walls :)
I agree you should have to put in alot of hard work and alot of time but to me having banners on the wall and winning nationals isnt whats its all about.. its being around the people you love the most and having a good time...just my opinion..
I think it depends on what you do with the hours you spend there.. Not how many hours you spen there. Our gym is alway open to kids who want to come in to work out a little extra, but the thing is that the kids WANT to come in extra. They WANT to spend as much time in the gym as possible. (Read my post on the "World's" topic.) Some of us have been known to be at the gym 2 hours AFTER practice is over, just because we don't want to leave! Its not JUST dedication.. I think if your gym is somewhere that your kids just LOVE to be, the hours and the dedication parts follow.
i agree to have an amazing team you should be spending as much time in the gym as possible but it is very dificult to put in that many hours and keep up your grades at the same time. I'm sure there are some girls that can manage it but I am not one of them. I know that I haven't reached my full potential in either cheer or school because I spend so much time on each and end up being constantly exausted during competition season which makes me always be sick because I have to stay up so late doing my homework or doing makeup work after missing school for a comptition. I wish I could spend more hours in the gym but since I know cheer isn't what is going to get me into college I need to get good grades so I can get into a good college and have a successful career later in life. If someone has figured out how to spend 24 hours a week in the gym and keep up a 3.5 or better (at a hard school like mine) please tell me how you did it. And then how did you have a social life too?
Another Coach wrote: I agree you should have to put in alot of hard work and alot of time but to me having banners on the wall and winning nationals isnt whats its all about.. its being around the people you love the most and having a good time...just my opinion..
Of course! its all about being around the people you love! but it also makes the experience that much sweeter and the bond even stronger within a team with the extra hours put in and the rewarding experince of succeeding as a team. its a different kind of fun but its definitely worth it and just as much of a "good time" if not even better. just my 2 cents...
I don't go out to the mall, I do go to the movies with my friends now and then but I don't stay out late. My friends are in the gym. On top of that, I also have a job and work part time but I keep my grades at a B or higher. Wanna know how??? MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR TEACHERS AND BE EXTREMLY RESPECTFUL.... trust me. It gets you EVERYWHERE. Teachers love it when you come to them for help. When I am having a tough time , expecially during the Feb, March and April months, my teachers come to bat for me. They help me out in every way they can. Yes, I stay up to 11 or sometimes midnight doing homework. But that isn't TOO often. I keep on top of my work at all costs. On busier days I bring my books to the gym. Sounds tough but it's not too tough. Some days are tougher than others. But since I am friendly with my teachers and they know that at 14 I have two outside things to do, they are quite leiniant and helpful to me because they know that not only am I learning from my school, I am learning from from being on a team, staying in shape and getting life lessons thru my job. (Yes i work at 14.... I won't go into it cause then people will know who I am and NO it's not illegal)
You CAN do it. My time is spent with my friends at the gym. My social life is the parties we have, the team get togethers, the social activities with my teammates and the kids I work with. It's soooooooooooooooooo worth it. I have a huge headstart and am not wasting my time in front of the TV. Yes you have to work hard but only at first. It gets easier over time cause you learn to maximize your time and then it's not hard at all.
PS Give it 2 months. You will be surprised how much easier it gets and how less important the kids outside of your hobbies become. They won't pay your bills one day.....
