We have been "cheering" for many years now. You will go to a gym and they may try and wow you with their gym, their location or their low prices. But once you see past all that, take a look at their history. What are the parents saying? What is their record? When we moved away from our old gym, we had to start new. My very very first concern were the rules. What rules does that gym have in place? The reason I say this is because we went to one gym that the coaches came in late and the girls spent most of the time just chit chatting. Not too much was done and then there was alot of yelling. Trust me, when it comes to competition time, you will wish you didn't mess around in the gym so much and you will wonder why you paid so much for a tiny little trophy and girls that are always crying. This gym wa cheaper also and this is what I got.

Secondly. Is that gym going anywhere? Where we are, there are several gyms around. Ask how long they have been in business. Have they gone up at all? Do you want your child staying the same while your costs rise? Or would you prefer paying more or the same for a gym that continues to grow. There's a reason kids are joining every year. Word gets out. People want to win and feel like everyone "knows who they are."

Thirdly, and most importantly, see what the coaches have done. Does this gym have the same coaches? Do they have a big turnover? Do they know how to coach these kids or they just repeating what they hear. Does the director know what they are coaching? Have the coaches ever even cheered at an all star level?

I really would shy away from a gym that asks for tuition monthly that includes competition costs and extras. Find a gym that asks for a lump sum up front then a monthly tuition that stays basically the same. This way should you have to get something extra along the way, you aren't struggling. You know where your money goes and why. A gym that has a parent organization in place is good too. This keeps the gym "honest" and helps the girls with all the extras.

Be present. Don't always just drop off and pick up. Ask questions. Know where your child is going and what they are doing. When you are informed, you feel better for writing that check. Trust me, there is a reason a Hundai is cheaper than a Mercedes. Yea you may save on some cash, but once you are driving it around, you feel a little bit less "luxurios" too. You get what you pay for but it has to be maintained. You can't just pay for it and not do the necessary maintenance.

Lastly, does the gym travel. I know sometimes this adds extra expenses but this is vital to a gyms success. When your gym is known, colleges want your kids. When colleges want your kids, coaches want to coach there after college. People always want to be a part of winning gyms. This helps your daughter/son. When they get to the point of their college years, they can coach for extra money if they want or need to and they have the system in place to help them. They have the resources. A gym doesn't necessarily need to be expensive to do this, but see where the people who have graduated from this program have gone. See what they are doing. This tells you what kind of impact that gym has had on them. Not only if they are cheering still but even if they still have contact with these people. Happy people always come back to their roots to share their successes. You want your child to be happy even after their cheer career is over.

This is just what I have seen so far.

I think "Not in Nor Cal" brings up many valid points, but the bottom line is that your kids want to be happy. Not all kids want to attend big gyms, not all kids want to attend small gyms. Every program isn't for every family. Gyms do what is good for them and their expectations. Paying one price every month is 10 times easier than paying your monthly tuition, paying for competitions on the side, paying for travel on the side, and paying for other events as they come up. Kids and families also want to go where there coaches and staff care about there kids. Yes its great to win, but those trophies don't amount to anything if the athletes are unhappy. Also progressing individually and as a team is very important. "Not in norcal" seems to have some good points, but I think kids and families just want to feel a part of something positive, which will lead to success.

The CCACC non profit group that handles fundraising for Pyramids is really great too, I ended up only paying three months of tuition and the uniform this year, and I only signed up for about 50% off all the events they offered, we worked sports events and concerts, its actually a lot of fun. (Especially the Rolling Stones concert!!!)
PLUS....my daughter is having a lot of fun, her team is doing great, she's learned so much, and the coaches are awesome, supportive, and the kids love them!

C.A. I think you will very happy at cheergyms. I drive my daughter over to Concord from Petaluma to be on Pyramids. I sooooo agree with Another Mom's post about being nickel and dimed to death. So many people who are new to competitive cheer don't know what all the costs are. It is important for them to do the necessary research about program costs. At first cheergyms may seem expensive, but if you add up everything, they are right in line. Also, you are getting awesome coaches. My daughter is on the senior gold team and she loves her team and her coach.