So, here is an interesting subject. Do you think that cheer will ever be admitted to the Olympics? What do you think it will take to get it added? And how do you think an Olympic team would be selected? At USASF Worlds or by tryouts like gymnastics?
I hope that one day it goes to the olympics. I'd love to be on the olympic team too.
I think that if they were going to put cheerleading in the olympics, they would select it from Worlds. However much I'd like them to make a team by trying out, that would defeat the purpose of worlds. Besides, as a memeber of the All American Team, it is very hard to start practicing with a brand new team of people that you dont see very often, and it is dissappointing to make mistakes, since we have not been a close team like the teams we practice 2 times a week with.
One of the main reasons that the USASF was formed was that in order to become an Olympic event or even an exhibition sport you must have a governing body.
As far as selecting the team. I can't think of another sport that simply sends their National Champion. (world champ in our case)
I would hope that the team would be selected at least 2 years in advance forming a team of 75 members or so. Then widdle down to the limited amount plus 10 alternates or so. Of course you'd have to give up your gym team but hey, it's the Olympics, it representing your country. I would expect us to train just as hard as any other olympic athlete. That might require moving to a different part of the country and/or transitioning to independent studies.
Sure, we could simply send one of our world champions ie. Miami Elite or Spirit of Texas. I'm sure they'd have no problem. The fact is though that it would just be a matter of time before other countries got better. It would happen fast. It is my opinion that we would need to get together a serious training system right off the bat so we would be prepared for years to come.
There is no sport more American than baseball and unfortunatly we are far from the world power that we once were in that sport. Some experts would say that we are no better than the 3rd best in the world.
Did you go to the NACCC meeting in Atlanta this year? I heard from someone that attended the meeting that it was discussed and coaches and the forming of the teams were brought up. Some names were thrown out but I do not want to start rumors or what not.
I think the following people would be great coaches for an olympic team, here is why too:
Jamie Parrish: great gymnastics background
Victor and Kristen: Great Motivators
Kevin Brubaker: Rules God
Roger Schonders: Keeping it clean
Both SOT Owners: enough said, technically so great with teaching skills
Nope I wasn't there. Morton was and I think John Hebert was there too (power)
Maybe they can answer your questions.
If you just had to go with ONE coach I'd have to go with James Speed. In my 20 years in the business I've seen a lot of gyms come and go and have up & down years. James Speed has never put a sub par product on the mat. Plus he's a really nice and genuine guy.
I think if cheer was taken to the olympics it would be awsome. and i think that it might even be taken more seriously by others, once they see the kind oif CCCRRRAAAAZZZZYYYY stuff that we do. I mean, sure gymnastics are interesting to watch on the olympics, but i think watching people do back fulls in the air 30 feet above the ground is much better!!!!!
I think tumbling would have to be much better than it currently is in cheer. Most cheer tumbling doesn't come close to what Olympic level gymnasts are doing. Yes, they are throwing amazing stuff but it doesn't look good from a technique perspective. Perfect technique and I think cheer has a better chance of getting into the Olympics.
In order for a new sport to be entered into the Olympics, something else must be eliminated. This is what I've heard. They only allow a particular "number" of sporting events. You can't just add new ones. You have to get rid of something else first. That's another reason it's tough to get a sport into the Olympics.
Having studied the process of the Olympic Committee and Games, here is what I can share.
It is correct (for now) that the addition of one sport requires the elimination of another. And the process is long. For example: vaulting (gymnastics on horseback) was a demonstration sport at the '92 Olympics and has still not been added to the Olympic sporting roster almost 15 years later. Skateboarding, which is a very international sport, cannot seem to break through the barrier, either.
When a sport is added to the roster a certain percentage of countries have to have governing bodies within thier country and many times sports have to have a counterpart to maintain equality among the sexes (i.e. baseball and softball). (We have to remember that softball was recently eliminated due to baseballs elimination and these are both highly represented international sports.) Cheerleading could be interesting because it would be one of very few coed sports...I believe curling is the only other.
Our best bet is for the IOC to accept a member onto thier committee who is heavily involved in cheerleading. Someone has to be there to speak on our behalf. (Softball was eliminated largely due to the fact that a female softball representative was not present at the elimination meeting. Great planning Mr. Rogge.)
Bryan I agree with you, it would be great to represent our country, but because this may take decades...not years, let's keep our hopes up that the USASF and other international cheerleading federations can make some strides. I too hope to see it there someday.
I don't think cheerleading will ever become an Olympic Sport until they can figure out that a dive roll is safer and easier to perform than a standing double full.
Worlds Wather wrote: I think tumbling would have to be much better than it currently is in cheer. Most cheer tumbling doesn't come close to what Olympic level gymnasts are doing. Yes, they are throwing amazing stuff but it doesn't look good from a technique perspective. Perfect technique and I think cheer has a better chance of getting into the Olympics.
i agree COMPLETELY .. but for that to happen then cheer rules and regulation would have to raise the bar as far as what tumbling is allowed..liek maybe allowing double backs and triple/quad fulls and such..although dangerous..it would improve routines alot visually.
"raising the bar" is what I think USASF had in mind when they were considering changing Worlds to level 6 instead of level 5 for 2006 Worlds. The cheer community wasn't ready for it. And I believe USASF is considering changing the age limitation on level 6, moving it down so it doesn't eliminate high school age.
Yes, you are right. Cheer has a long way to go. But I am glad there is a governing organization now. Hopefully that is the first step to the Olympics, even if it takes 20+ years.
