New comp etiquite rules

Date: Thu Jul 6 5:42 AM, 2006

New comp etiquite rules

Date: Thu Jul 6 6:13 AM, 2006

Okay, also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont start jumping up and down when they announce the second place team ( because it means yours got first) and this goes to the PARENTS. Hey, I know you are excited but wait your turn!!!

Date: Thu Jul 6 6:49 AM, 2006

Good luck with both of those. First of all, cheer organizations (I'll use Power as an example) encourage and expect EVERYONE to sit together and wave/click things. So I'm sure they're not about to stop saving sections. And during the awards, you can tell girls/guys/parents not to get excited when they realize they have won until you're blue in the face, but they have just WON and have every right to get excited. These are competitions. They are not scout meetings. If it bothers you (and it has NEVER bothered me, and we've come in below first plenty of times) then you need to get over it, and work harder to win so your feelings aren't hurt. There's incentive for you.

Date: Thu Jul 6 6:51 AM, 2006

Here's a goal; let's have more teams wishing their competition "good luck" before they go on. It makes for such a nice atmosphere and makes everyone feel good. And less smack about the competition (less over confidence if you think you should win easily).

Date: Thu Jul 6 8:05 AM, 2006

To Goodluck this is a post about suggesting improvments on comp. etiquite NOT to tell people to get over it. I am sure you did not mean to be rude when making your comment .

Date: Thu Jul 6 8:17 AM, 2006

I have another fairy-tale-dream one...

When a team gets out of their seats to go to warmups, and leaves all of their things (bags, pants and jackets, etc) in their seats, please do NOT come into the section, stack all of the things on 2 or 3 chairs, and then take over the section. A team only takes up 35 seats max, and they'll be back in half an hour. I hate when my team gets back to the stands from being on the floor, and their stuff has been all rearranged and their seats are gone.

Date: Thu Jul 6 8:18 AM, 2006

Another Goal wrote:

Here's a goal; let's have more teams wishing their competition "good luck" before they go on. It makes for such a nice atmosphere and makes everyone feel good. And less smack about the competition (less over confidence if you think you should win easily).

Yes we do sit together because it promotes unity. But as you know many people that are not from POWER sit in our section. We do not block off entire sections. As for cheering when we win 1st. We are courteous and do wait until we are announced and try not to steal anyones thunder. I apologize if anyone feels that way, we do try our hardest not to jump and cheer before our time. I would like to see more organizations sit together and cheer their teams on, POWER does not prevent anyone from sitting in their section.

Date: Thu Jul 6 9:22 AM, 2006

To Positive Poster, I don't think Good Luck was being rude; I think he/she was just stating that we need to get over being overly sensitive about such things as teams celebrating when they have won (regardless of when they find out). Since this is a post about suggestions, that's mine. I hate it when people look down on other teams and label them as unsportsmanlike just because their girls are jumping up and down because they're so happy they won. I don't think at the end of the day that is what the team that came in 2nd is thinking about. When I see a team sit there emotionless when everyone realizes they have won, the first thing that comes to my mind is that they must be used to winning. Let's not take anything away from the teams who don't usually win. These moments don't last that long as it is.

Date: Thu Jul 6 10:25 AM, 2006

Maybe it's more reasonable to ask that teams tone down their celebration until their name is announced. I remember one competition where the entire section was cheering and chanting (parents and all) before their name was announced, and I have to admit that was a bit too much. Hard to control the kids jumping up and down, but the parents chanting, that can be controlled, huh?

Here's another polite thing folks can do. When a team is performing, it is not okay to be standing up, walking around, blocking everyone's view, just because it is not your team up there. Please think of others and wait until the routine is over before getting up.

Date: Thu Jul 6 11:08 AM, 2006

I would love coaches to keep their attitudes in check. For instance, yelling at the judges because they are angry as happened at Spirit Sports in San Diego. Some coach with long curly blonde/brown hair was all upset and I couldn't believe how he behaved! EMBARRASSING! If I were a parent of that gym, I would have been sooooooooooooo upset with how he behaved.

Also, parents who are rude to one another. Has anyone ever seen the comercial at the baseball game where the guy is pushing the grocery cart and running right up behind the other guy with the grocery cart in the store? Then they are literally racing thru the store to beat each other? It says, "you don't do this in real life, why would you do this in your car?" Boy if we all would only use that logic at a competition.

I wouldn't be rude to you in a store, or in public....... but because you are part of another team different than mine, I will treat you like you are stupid and have no feelings? That is so truly sad. We are becoming like those parents you see on 20/20 who beat each other up on the sidelines. Physical and emotional battery are the same.

I am going to be on my best behavior when we are at competitions. I hope you all do the same for me.

Date: Thu Jul 6 11:17 AM, 2006

I have to disagree COMPLETELY with the first/second place thing. When they call second, that's when you find out you won first or not. And you want the kids to sit there and be quiet? Oh Dear Lord.

How about this idea. If you are called second place, DONT BE A SORE LOSER. Parents, you don't have to rub it in their faces by chanting and being overly loud, but having to sit still is just plain dumb.

It's a competition people!!!!! If there are 5 teams, 4 are NOT GOING TO WIN. If you can't deal with losing, then how about not calling out places at all, just name a winner? Or, do like the Miss America Pagent does...

"1st runner up is Miss Blah Blah and your new Miss America is......." Don't even stop in between. But being angry when a team just realizes they won and then getting upset over that? Are you seriously kidding me?

And BY THE WAY I AM NOT FROM A TEAM THAT WINS ALOT. I am from the "grow up already" team.

Date: Thu Jul 6 12:30 PM, 2006

I completely agree with you! I thought I was in the minority here, but I was so glad to read your post, and a couple others. It's a sport, a competition, you have a winner and you have those who have not won. Let the winners celebrate for goodness sake. And to use your example, I never see Miss USA standing there politely clapping when the first runner up is announced, lol. Anytime you have a situation where you're down to the final two, I don't care what sport it is, you just can't expect the #1 team to hold off on their celebrating. To the organizations that mandate your teams sit politely and wait, good for you. But don't expect others to do the same, because some of us don't feel it's an issue.

Date: Thu Jul 6 1:20 PM, 2006

IF MY TEAM IS NAMED NUMBER TWO AND THE FIRST PLACE TEAM JUMPS UP AND DOWN, SCREAMS, HOLLERS, AND MORE

GOOD FOR THEM.

THEY WON

WE DIDN'T

WE WILL WORK HARDER NEXT TIME

BECAUSE IF THEY ARE THAT HAPPY TO WIN, THEN WE MUST HAVE BEEN GREAT COMPETITION.

THAT'S A COMPLIMENT PEOPLE

END OF STORY

Date: Thu Jul 6 1:51 PM, 2006

Very good point "mE". You don't want your team looking like they expected the win all along. Show everyone you're thrilled to win!! Show the 2nd place team you really weren't sure which way it would go and you're jumping in the air because this time, it went YOUR way. How can anything be wrong with that?

Date: Thu Jul 6 4:48 PM, 2006

Yea, to have to sit when you find out you won is ridiculous.

To not save seats is a bit dumb too. Save 5 or 6, not 35. But still. If you have 8 or 10 people with you, then you could rightfully save a section. But my suggestion would be to save a huge section off to the side. Not dead center. Especially if the comp allows you to sit up front when your team performs. Then go to the side, and move up front when they are up. This way you can all sit together, and don't save an entire center section. If you know cheer well enough, you can watch from the back and still know if the routine was good or bad. If Grandma or Auntie May want to see it, then THEY can sit in the middle. They would probably be happier NOT sitting to a bunch of gossiping, noise making, food eating, running around kids and parents.

Date: Thu Jul 6 6:29 PM, 2006

Wow this didn't go the way I had intended it to go.

To POWER , I honestly didn't even think of you when I posted this thought. I am very sorry if you felt like I was singling you out because that was not my intention at all. I actually am in awe of your cheering section and wish our gym could get it together and be just like yours. :)

Date: Thu Jul 6 7:41 PM, 2006

I LOVE Powers cheer parents so much that I cant stand them! I think they all take a mandatory towel waving or thunder stick waving cheer class! They are that extra "something" that all teams should have. They are intimidating to others and an awesome support to their own team! Go POWER Parents, I can't wait to see what you bring this year, you guys keep it interesting and only make us want to drag all of our grandmas, and aunties to competitions at the crack of dawn to get a block of seats! Everyone knowes you name.... enough said.
Cheer Mom from down the street!

Date: Thu Jul 6 8:22 PM, 2006

Well now that brings a new aspect to all that we complain about. We don't want teams to save seats and yet it's what is most intimidating about Power. We are in awe. Do you think it might be a bit of jealousy? I do.

And the same goes for the cheering when 2nd place is called. I think most of our complaints stem from jealousy. Now mind you, jealousy is natural. But it's also a bad thing.

Does everyone think that maybe the ones saying that we SHOULDN'T do these things are the ones who truly wish they could be a part of it all????

I don't do these things and now I am rethinking my position.

Date: Thu Jul 6 9:01 PM, 2006

Maybe your right I will ponder this thought.

Date: Fri Jul 7 4:21 AM, 2006

Please keep in mind that this is not a negative post. Just something that has been bothering me for a long time. I'm in awe of the power parents. The support they give there teams is awesome. But please loose the red stick things. The noise they make is deafening. I don't mind it so much in the beginning of the day but after sitting there all day having to listen to it ehhh!!!. I usually leave with a massive headache. Many times I will I had a very sharp safety pin with me, cause I sure would like to pop some of those thingy's.