Why are these GYMS closing?

Date: Sun May 7 3:33 PM, 2006

RE: Why are these GYMS closing?

Date: Sun May 7 3:36 PM, 2006

Cheer xplosion grows because the girls cheer for both cheer xplosion and Granada High School.

Date: Sun May 7 6:15 PM, 2006

wow wrote:

wow. That might be an extreme example, and it doesn't mean those same cheerleaders will be there year after year. On the other extreme side, I know of an organization that has the nicest well mannered girls, who are now looking for a new place to cheer. I don't think you can use something that might have happened between a few girls as an example of why you shouldn't go to a particular gym. Here's another example, I have heard comments from girls (even from our gym, who claim to have the best manners) that just scream of very poor sportsmanship, things the girls say when they think nobody is looking. But I never take it as a reflection of the organization as a whole, that would be ignorant.

No, I totally agree with you, and that was my point. My point was that on the surface things may appear one way but truly be different once you get to the core. So while a successful program with a lot of teams could look like the most obvious option and a great fit, it's not always the case. I was basically just giving an example to go with the person who said that looking at the "winningness" of a team is not the best way to determine where you want to go.

Date: Sun May 7 6:20 PM, 2006

"Winning, big teams, or past championships are not reasons to pick a gym. Especially for as much time and energy that is put into all star cheerleading. You should pick a gym because it is a right fit for your family. Scheduling, staff, envrionment, safety, location, cost, and just an overall feeling when you walk in are the right reasons in my opinion. Again don't just go on whats on the surface but really check into things. "

i disagree majorly. a sucessful team (meaning they win) is the first thing i would look for. a sucessful team on the floor means they must have some pretty awesome coaching. of course location has a part of it. but if there a good team on the floor that must mean everything else goes good enough :)

Date: Sun May 7 10:27 PM, 2006

I think it's important to never judge an organization, be it small or big, new and growing or established and successful, by the actions of a few cheerleaders and/or parents. We've had this conversation before but I think it's worth mentioning again when some people around the bay area are trying to find a gym before the season officially starts. If anyone has any concerns about any gym, they should talk to the owners and coaches to make sure their concerns are addressed before joining. There is a reason strong established gyms continue to be successful, and if you think there may be hidden problems, find out the facts and see if the problems have been fixed (if they really exist). And I think it's important to never make assumptions because your daughter or son could be missing out on a wonderful opportunity.

Date: Sun May 7 10:46 PM, 2006

I DO NOT THINK THAT YOU SHOULD JUGE A TEAM BY THEIR WINS....SOME TEAMS AVOID "REAL" COMPETITION!!! YOU SHOUL JUGE A TEAM BY THE WAY THE TEAMS I TOGETHER.

Date: Sun May 7 11:16 PM, 2006

Okay, I guess that is another thing you could check out, if you really want to research a gym you're interested in. Don't just look at their wins, look at where they won and who they went against. Personally I don't know of any gyms that avoided competition last season, I've seen almost all of the bay area teams at the competitions we have been at, and the one I can think of we didn't see still attended tough competitions, just not the particular ones we did. I did not see a few at Jamz Nationals in Vegas, but I would not say those that didn't attend were trying to avoid real competition, that's just ridiculous. As far as I know some of the main competitions still have the results posted and the teams they went against, so if that's important to you, you should check out their websites.

Date: Mon May 8 12:00 AM, 2006

me me me wrote:

"Winning, big teams, or past championships are not reasons to pick a gym. Especially for as much time and energy that is put into all star cheerleading. You should pick a gym because it is a right fit for your family. Scheduling, staff, envrionment, safety, location, cost, and just an overall feeling when you walk in are the right reasons in my opinion. Again don't just go on whats on the surface but really check into things. "

i disagree majorly. a sucessful team (meaning they win) is the first thing i would look for. a sucessful team on the floor means they must have some pretty awesome coaching. of course location has a part of it. but if there a good team on the floor that must mean everything else goes good enough :)

I agree to disagree, because winning at competitions is so far from why you should pick a team its crazy. How a team looks at competition is a good reflection of championship titles, but thats it. Some of the most competitive programs have very low retention rates, poor family values, and just other internal issues which leads to kids not returning. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to win, but it wouldn't be the selling point to me on which gym to attend. Especially now a days, there are so many comps. to attend, you can win jackets and shirts anywhere. Its how you get there

Date: Mon May 8 6:38 AM, 2006

Well, off the top of my head, I can name two gyms that avoid competition. But they are both in So Cal.

Agree To Disagree: I agree and don't also. A gym should be winning for the most part, but don't just settle for a BIG NAME gym if it doesn't suit you/your child or if you are spending tons just to get there. I would have to say, look into the staff. Sign up for a tumbling class and ask parents what they think.

Real: Huh?

Date: Mon May 8 7:08 AM, 2006

All I can say is this, gyms that get a good turnout and have more than one or two teams tend to do well at competitions. Why do they have more than one or two teams? Because people are happy there (otherwise they would leave). Look at an organization's winning record and the rest just falls into place.. people are happy, they come back every year, and more girls join.

Date: Mon May 8 8:19 AM, 2006

This is competitive cheerleading and if you haven't noticed in American Cheerleader, there are probably over 50 cheerleading organizations and they all want you to attend. Compile that with budgets and individual time constraints that vary among every program. Everyone chooses the competitions that are best for their program.

Now someone said they avoided Jamz because of 'real" competition. I know personally I don't like Jamz competitions. They are to long, overpriced, unorganized, and always running behind. Even with that I could understand if their award ceremonies weren't so long. People choose competitions they like and do well at.

Date: Mon May 8 9:16 AM, 2006

I think you read that wrong, the person said that they didn't see some teams at Jamz Nationals but it did NOT mean they were avoiding competiton. Please read closely.

Regarding choosing gyms, personally I pay too much money to not go to a successful gym. This is competitive cheerleading, not the girl scouts. Girl scouts would be a heck of a lot cheaper.

Also, don't ever go by hearsay. If you think there are problems with a popular gym, just ask. A lot of gyms have isolated issues here and there and they are usually quick to correct them. Otherwise, as someone said, people wouldn't return.

Date: Mon May 8 11:15 AM, 2006

This is to the post regarding how CX gets a lot of girls because they cheer for both CX and Granada. There are plenty of girls who are not even high school age on teams, and other older girls who go to different high schools. Yes, they do have girls who cheer on both, but they have had that for years. Many other organizations have the same situation. I think they have a high turnout because they are well established and have a good reputation. My daughter is attending a high school that does not allow you to do both (high school cheer and all star cheer), so we had to choose, unfortunately. I know there is a different post about all of this, but knowing some of the girls on Cheer Xplosion I wanted to mention they don't all cheer for Granada High. Personally I don't see how parents afford to do both, I can barely afford one!

Date: Mon May 8 2:20 PM, 2006

To "cheering for both"...AMEN...

It is not easy having one child in a competitive sport, let alone two or three..i do not see how some parents do that, but they do. But I understand how almost all siblings want to be a part of some type of sports event..thats hard to deny that to them....
I have also read the posts where a lot of high schools DO NOT ALLOW their cheerleaders to cheer for both the school and a competition gym. It is either or, but not both...it seems silly at times to disallow that, but they must have their reasons. just like some gyms don`t want you cheering for two gyms...I know it`s not in my budget.
I guess for those that are able to do that, and are allowed to do that by both organizations, should find themselves in a very fortunate position...

just some thoughts

Date: Mon May 8 7:53 PM, 2006

As a pervious gym owner with a child in all star cheerleading here are some things that my family and I looked for when choosing a gym to join

Cost
*biggest for all parents
Staff history and certifications
*years of experience and organization certified by
* My biggest HOW WELL DOES THE STAFF INTERACT WITH THE KIDS?
Progression in program
*How long has the program been around?
*How well have their teams progressed with their skills?
* Winning does help yes, but if the gym has been in the same division for a couple of years then there is something wrong. Yes I understand that different competitions have different rules, but when its 4 yrs at low level and you don't have 1 team has progressed to a higher level then yes...the yellow flag is raised.
Safety
* Safety should be a big question for parents.
* Things I learned as a coach, a flyer should know how to fall and a the bases and spotter's eyes have to be on that flyer at all times to ensure for the safety of that flyer. How much is this stressed? According to the AACA safety guidelines a school or gym and be sued due to negligence up to two years after a child has turned 18 and was injured in a cheerleading accident. (Caution parents will need to contact AACA more detail info.

ONCE AGAIN THESE ARE JUST THINGS THAT MY FAMILED LOOKED FOR.

Question what happen?????????? JOB PROMOTION!!! MORE HOURS!!!!!!!

Have a great season everyone. Be safe and go get them!

Date: Sun May 14 8:24 AM, 2006

Right Reasons wrote:

As I am reading through some posts, people are choosing gyms for the wrong reasons.

Winning, big teams, or past championships are not reasons to pick a gym. Especially for as much time and energy that is put into all star cheerleading. You should pick a gym because it is a right fit for your family. Scheduling, staff, envrionment, safety, location, cost, and just an overall feeling when you walk in are the right reasons in my opinion. Again don't just go on whats on the surface but really check into things.

Not all of these are the right reasons either. You do not nessicarily pick a team because of the scheduling or the cost, because you do have to make sacrafices. And, you can look into the past championships of the team to help chose your gym. Maybe they won first out of 20 teams, you will know they are truely outstanding. Take pyramids for example, they have AMAZING teams, and win a lot. It is easier for me to say you can safrafice some of your schedule for it because I am a total loser and have NO life outside of cheer, because I am in the gym 10 BAGILLION hours a week! But for some families, you have to sacrafice some time if you want to be at the gym you love, because what fits your schedule might be the gym you will get injured at the most because of lack of technique from the coaches. I hope that everyone finds the right gym for them!

Best of luck
Not quite there yet