You only compete at thelevel that your cheerleaders can do. Just becuase you practice once a week verses 5 times a week doesn't matter really if your girls/guys aren't doing what they need to be doing at that particular level. How many of us have gone to competitions, been in a particular level and seen teams that their coaches SHOULD NOT have put them in? Let's say level 3. Your team has mostly good ro/bhs and your competition has one or two and they aren't all that great. But they practice 4 times a week and you practice 2.

You see what I mean? Your coach needs to put your team in a level that they can REALLY compete in. Now I know that the LITE program is a Cheergym program, so you won't have to worry about that. Cheergym coaches know what they are doing. But if you are from another gym, that would be my question I would ask before I signed up my child. I see your concern but just ask questions before you make a decision. It doesn't matter the amount you practice if you are competing in a level that would make you competitive.

And as for the HS teams, our gym just doesn't schedule practices on Fri, Sat and Sundays so that our HS girls can go to games and whatever else their HS needs. This makes things much easier. And we have 14 cheer teams and 6 dance teams (our HS has a dance team as well). So it CAN be done without using the weekend days. During the summer it isn't so much a problem. The HS camp is planned the week that we have off of All Star, etc. It really does make a difference. Your gym and HS have to plan these things way ahead. Sitting down for one hour and going over the schedule eliminates a season full of headaches.....

I think the last post had a good point, we will know how successful a lite team is by the end of this coming season. Until then it's hard to measure what kind of success it will have. Competing at the right level is a no brainer, and really has nothing to do with how often you practice per week, that to me is a whole different issue. But I know my daughter's team works very hard every week and depends on everyone being there to compete against the high quality teams that we are seeing today. The bar has been raised, and I just don't see one practice a week being enough. But I would love to be proven wrong!

Nothing to do with how often you practice? A no brainer? If it were a no brainer, then the person asking wouldn't have asked. You may want to watch what you say. Sometime people don't have the experience you do and need to ask these questions. That is how one learns.

Thanks for clarifying. I thought it was an insult. Please accept my apologies for jumping to conclusions also.

The All American Team didn't start until September and onlypracticed twice a MONTH.

It's all about the coaching when it comes to limited practice time.

yeaa wrote:

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well all all american had to do is put together a routine...

thats why teams like cheerathletics dont practice as much too

they already have the skillz they just have to put it together!!

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That's true, but this is California, not Texas. Girls don't walk in with fulls and hyperextended jumps all the time. We have to work much harder to attain those skills. Some programs are getting that, but still have to train more to keep up with the trends.

all I want... wrote:

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All that I want from an All Star program:

1. Practice once every two weeks and I can miss for whatever reason

2. Compete level 5

3. Be the center flyer so I can get a full ride scholarship

4. Win every competition

5. Pay $5 a month

ps out of the 200 fulls (appx) at cheer athletics, they trained 150 (appx) of them. So fulls don't just walk in the door, they train three quarters of them

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Haha.. yah I know that number too, but not to bust your bubble, they still get girls who are trained through gymnastics at a higher perecentage who will get closer to fulls quicker. Everyone knows Texas is known for Gymnastics and cheerleading. I am NOT saying that they don't train their kids as hard, but they the community is behind cheerleading more than out in California. Its not an observation, just a fact.

Of course All American had fabulous coaches, but that isn't the only piece of the puzzle. These kids are all from cheergyms.com teams and had amazing skills. Most importantly though. They were chosen by the staff because of their more amazing commitment. In otherwords, cheergyms knew these select athletes were going to put their all in every single minute and work outside of practice as well to do what it takes.

I know people are concerned with the lite program only offering one practice per week, but I hope that people would keep in consideration that really it could be two practices if people commit to their all start tumbling class. All star tumbling is a part of that team, and that would be where you work on all of the tumbling and improve. So that leaves practices for stunting, working on jumps, motions, and the routine for the season. Also, to keep in mind, that our full year teams only practice twice a week. Our most advanced team who traveled to Georgia last season, beat several teams that pracitce everyday!! So it is possible with the right coaching staff.

Then, as far as people missing whenever they want, it happened all last year. I can name several teams, not just Pyramids, that had people missing left and right for vacations, school tryips and so forth, but all the teams I am thinking of were very successful, and had a great season as far as placements go.

The Lite program, I believe will be very successful because they will be getting the exact same style of coaching the full year will be recieving, only practices one less day a week. I hope people will want to participate in our first of year of tis lite team because I feel that that team is going to be a great one. We have great kids on it now that are ready to work for this entire year!

Go Lite!

Angie Amo
Pyramids All Star Coach