how far is too far?

CheerMama · Senior Member

RE: how far is too far?

CSE MOM · Senior Member

When I wasn't able to get my daughter into privates at her gym (they were booked up) I took her to a gymnastic coach who teaches power tumbling. She stresses technique and it's paying off. She loves her gym and her coaches, but it's worked out for us taking her to someone on the outside. Especially someone that has helped her to unlearn bad habits. It's made her tumbling alot stronger.

COmomof2 · Senior Member

I've thought about this.

But the problem in the other gyms is that they also have cheer squads. I don't want to feel the pressure of them trying to recruit or any rivalry.

CSE MOM · Senior Member

I wouldn't take her to another cheer gym she loves her gym too much. She is going to Tumbling and Trapoline. They do nothing but power tumbling. They even have open gym so she has extra time to work on her skills. She loves it.

OC Mom · GURU

There's a gazillion gymnastic gyms out there. Just find another....

Our gym has "Academy Classes" that are for people who don't want to cheer, are on high school teams that don't allow their kids to do outside teams, or are preparing for next seasons tryouts. This has allowed us to hire gymnastic coaches. It makes ALL the difference in the world!!! But it takes time to build up clientel and have enough kids to pay to have a gymnastic coach. Having speciality coaches on hand is huge though. Really huge.

cheerwatcher · GURU

Worlds Watcher wrote:

Aren't there some gyms that have broadened their class/service offerings to draw in non-competitive cheer clientle and this has helped them hire full time coaches, rather than part time coaches. Example, add Power Tumbling or Tumbling/Trampoline classes, or recreational tumbling. Keep the coach busy full time and your competitive cheerleaders can also join the classes if they want to improve on those higher level skills.

Yea, i agree. I love how our gym has 2 level 10 gymnastics coaches. Both are very talented and always teach our kids how to tumble the right way! People are always impressed by our tumbling skills.

Cheer411 · Senior Member

I have thought about this topic for a couple of days, now.

There would be two criteria in which I would consider to leave a "Perfectly Good" gym to travel long distance for another gym.

Criteria are:

1. My cheerleader would have to be a Level 5 cheerleader. In addition, the team that I would travel for would be one that has a pretty good chance to go to WORLDS. (This would only be the way I could justify the extra expenses of travel, gym costs, competition fees, and out of state travel.)

2. My cheerleader would have to show me how bad s/he wanted the effort. My cheerleader would have to first work hard in the classroom. Grades are #1 in our house. Then, of course, my cheerleader would have to be overjoyed to go to practice every single night. (It couldn't be a chore for me to nag my cheerleader it was time for practice.)

I definitely would have more to consider before my final decision(like family time at home), but those are the two that stand out in my mind at this time.

cheerwatcher · GURU

Yeah I agree that those are valid points. There are several "perfectly good" gyms around, but many dont offer level 5 teams. Not that level 5 teams are the best or should get "better treatment or recognition" but level 5 is who competes at worlds. If my daughter was a level 5 in skill and ability, and her gym didnt offer a level 5 team then I would need to venture out and possibly find another gym that does. But again there is several things that factor in such as coaches experience, style, owners, facility. etc. Just because a gym is smaller in size doesnt always mean that it doesnt have excellent coaches or teams

CheerMama · Senior Member

I have a problem, My step daughter is moving in with us. Her mother is moving out of state. She just started taking lessons at the gymnastics gym where our 10 year old takes. Our gymnastics director approached me this week and let me know he is going to have a cheer team next year. With the interest that he has from his Power tumbling girls and his competitive team girls he has a good solid youth level 4/5 or junior level 4/5 and also a youth 2/3. Basically he has some kick butt gymnasts that are going to crossover into cheer.

My stepdaughter wants to do this team, my daughter however is unsure. She is only 10 and she would love to be on a Youth Level 5 or Junior Level 5 with her friends, Also with the rumors of the rules changing that means she won't be able to be on Senior 5 like she is this year so wherever she cheers she will have to be on a Junior team. My daughter doesn't want to make the decision. Our cheer team is a awesome cheer team but as I have stated before we go elsewhere for tumbling. HELP I need Advice, neither of us know what to do?

Cheer411 · Senior Member

CheerMama wrote:

I have a problem, My step daughter is moving in with us. Her mother is moving out of state. She just started taking lessons at the gymnastics gym where our 10 year old takes. Our gymnastics director approached me this week and let me know he is going to have a cheer team next year. With the interest that he has from his Power tumbling girls and his competitive team girls he has a good solid youth level 4/5 or junior level 4/5 and also a youth 2/3. Basically he has some kick butt gymnasts that are going to crossover into cheer.

My stepdaughter wants to do this team, my daughter however is unsure. She is only 10 and she would love to be on a Youth Level 5 or Junior Level 5 with her friends, Also with the rumors of the rules changing that means she won't be able to be on Senior 5 like she is this year so wherever she cheers she will have to be on a Junior team. My daughter doesn't want to make the decision. Our cheer team is a awesome cheer team but as I have stated before we go elsewhere for tumbling. HELP I need Advice, neither of us know what to do?

Ooh! Tough choice to make.

There is a big unknown here. Your tumbling coach may be great one-on-one, but have your seen this coach in a team situation? There's so much to think about when you are coaching a team vs. an individual. Can your coach adapt when you have an injury, illness, etc. Right now, the tumbling instructor doesn't have to worry about stuff like that. If a tumbling student doesn't show up to class, it doesn't effect the other students nor does it effect the over all grade of the entire class.

Good luck with your decision!

Worlds Watcher · GURU

CheerMama wrote:

Our gymnastics director approached me this week and let me know he is going to have a cheer team next year.

You also have to consider what background the "gymastics director" has with cheer. He/She may be a great teaching gymnastics but may have a tough go for the first few years at cheer. And you don't know yet how many kids will actually show up for tryouts, or if they are going level 4 or 5. If your daughter is level 5 but ends up on a level 4 team it may not be what either of you wants. If it is something you really want to consider, wait until tryouts, ask lots of questions, see how the girls liked tryouts, and as a parent, you need to make the final decision as kids don't always have or see all the issues that go into making a decision.

cheerwatcher · GURU

I would recommend the same thing. However, There is more that goes into a strong cheer team then tumbling. You could have kick #!@ tumblers, but on stunting and motions the tumbling director probably doesn't know what that is.

Why cant your step-daughter go to the gym your daughters at now?

CheerMama · Senior Member

Well actually the thing is My daughters old cheer coach from a few years ago is going to head up the program at the gymnastics gym so I am confident that it will be an excellent cheer team. He is going and viewing competitions now and watching taking notes ect.. My step daughter knows if she came to my daughters gym she would be placed on a team with younger girls she does not know vs. At the new gym she already knows everyone and they are already practicing stunts with the Jr age girls ect. I know excuses excuses. In the end I think I might just have to bring my stepdaughter to our gym and have the girls tumble with our gymnastics instructor.

cheermom · Veteran Member

" I guess my original dilemma was when to know that it's time to start making larger sacrifices such as longer traveling to get to a particular organization vs. waiting or settling for something that's closer, easier and perfectly good.... but just not awesome. "

I'm bored and was just wondering if you found that AWESOME gym you were looking for... or did you end up moving to Texas (I think that was another post you had going).

-- Edited by cheermom at 11:52, 2007-07-10

OC Mom · GURU

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

CheerMama · Senior Member

cheermom wrote:

" I guess my original dilemma was when to know that it's time to start making larger sacrifices such as longer traveling to get to a particular organization vs. waiting or settling for something that's closer, easier and perfectly good.... but just not awesome. "

I'm bored and was just wondering if you found that AWESOME gym you were looking for... or did you end up moving to Texas (I think that was another post you had going).

-- Edited by cheermom at 11:52, 2007-07-10

Whos moving to Texas...take me! take me! I would love to move out of California. The Cheer teams over there are amazing. Oh well I only have about 10 more years and then I can retire, then I can move whrever I want. I would n't want to lose senority by moving anywhere. I love my little valley town. This is totally random but I would love to see a team like CheerFORCE move up to the Central Valley there teams are AMAZING!!!

LadyW · Senior Member

time for my 2 cents --
-- okay so I didn't look at the date these were originally posted -- Read if you want, otherwise, ignore ---

==============

My DD started cheer at age 7. We had a horrible experience at the first gym we tried. To the point where she did not want to even begin cheering. Luckly we were steered to another place and stayed there for 2 years (long story). At the same time, my DD was also taking 3 ~ 4 hours of dance (ballet and tap) because she was considered a "natural" and every year we had offers on the table from multple studios to compete with them -- they would work around the "cheer" season. For the first year, I said no -- She needed to focus on 1 competitive sport at a time. At this age (7 thru 12) they think they can do it all and still survive.

By year 2, were were so hounded by the studios, that we took them up on the offer. That was the worst year. She was on a advanced team -- (level 4 now ) and Flying. Super super stressfull, at the same time, doing 5 hours of dance (ballet, 2 hours tap, 2 hours jazz) -- Your technique classes + your team class (similar to tumble class and team practice).

While the places were only 10 miles apart, in reality it took 20 ~ 30 mintues (depending on lights) to go back and forth. Yes we learned to do Homework in the car, but when you have a 2 -day nationals on 1 weekend, and then the very next weekned you are away for dance compeition, where 1 dance is at 10 AM and the next one is at 9 PM.

Every year its the same thing -- by oct/Nov -- I hate this, I am not doing it next year, and by march they think this is the best thing in the world and will never quit.

Today age 10 (hates studio compeititons -- last year came back to All-star on the dance end: -- yes we could have gone back to her old gym (for the dance end) but the one we are at is more centered around dance and has a fabo reputation. We still travel 20 mintues there and we still do the other styles (tap and ballet). Our big decision this year is ballet: She has been approved for Ballet Pointe (4 hours required), that in addition to the 2 routines on her current team, the Hip hop team, solo, and going into 6th grade. We are trying to decided between the fun hip hop team over the extra hours needed to be on pointe -- Of course she wants to do it all and now tells me she wants to try out for volleyball -- (no).

What we did do -- (she goes to private school), we changed schools this year and found a school closer to her gym (and dance studio), so that getting her there (I work full time - pick her up, take to practice - go back to work) takes me only 30 minutes now vs 1 hour.

Getting Pointe for those non-dancers is like someone working for 4 years advancing from level 1/2 to level 5 and finally making level 5 and doing B/H fulls. Its a huge accomplishment and status thing.

sorry this is so long, I will finish up here -- I think utlimately deep down we want to be able to give our kids the world and will support them however, but I think sometimes we need to as parents take a step back and make sure they aren't over doing it. I tend to err on the side of she can do it all, where my hubby is more realistic and puts his foot down.

-- Edited by LadyW at 16:23, 2007-07-10