All-Star Cheer Athletics (questions/rumors)

[Bcheercoach]

Here's something I've always wondered...

Where did you guys get your first music for your routines?
What music producers have you guys used throughout the years?
When custom music started getting more and more popular, did you turn to a specific producer to supply you with music?

 

[AScheer]

Nice one.

We have really worked hard to improve our youth/mini/tiny program the last few years and it has gotten MUCH better. It is still not where we would like it to be. We would really like that to grow and be a bigger part of our business.

Also, we are not as efficient with our facility as we need to be. The gym sits empty for most of the day during the week and on Saturday. We are probably losing a great deal of money by not coming up with things to do in the building during all of that time.

The gym we train at offers school teams a discount if they come on Fridays or Saturdays. This past week there were 5 teams there training Saturday morning. I left at noon so not sure how many came the rest of the day, but it was pretty packed for a Saturday! I've also seen the gym do work out classes for adults, zumba, occupational therapy, and even one day a week let a wrestling team have a corner of the gym (the wrestlers have their own flexi roll wrestling mats they put on top of the cheer floor.)

 

[BlueCat]

Here's something I've always wondered...

Where did you guys get your first music for your routines?
What music producers have you guys used throughout the years?
When custom music started getting more and more popular, did you turn to a specific producer to supply you with music?

We don't typically complete routines until September at the earliest. Most times we have versions of our music late September or November I think.

We have used several throughout the years. The first few years We did it in house and were among the first to to it all digitally on a computer. That music sounded greet for the time. It sounds hideous now compared to the modern stuff which uses much more sophisticated programs. Since we have used nearly every major music producer.

I am not sure what my overall take in music is. It is incredibly expensive and it gets frustrating to write a check for several thousand dollars on it, only to have it floating around the Internet for free a few days later. Oh well, it is what it is.

 

[BlueCat]

Thank you for all of the suggestions about how to use the facility. We will try to work on some of those.

 

[BlueCat]

For such a successful gym what do you consider a disappointing year?

A disappointing year for us is one where we don't feel that we improved much from the year before. Our goal is to have better routines, skills, and happier athletes than the past season. If you can do those things, then the results generally take care of themselves.

We try not to get to get caught up in title counts from year to year.

 

[BlueCat]

What brand of practice wear do y'all usually have? And how many outfits per practice? How do you know what to wear on what day?

We have a variety of vendors for our practice clothes. The athletes have 3ish set of clothes and they get the information about which to wear what day from their team rep.

 

[CharlotteASMom]

Judges don't tend to care about "unique". They care about what hits the scoresheet. And I didn't say I minded the quiet crowd. I simply was illustrating that Cheer Athletics and Rays both got the same treatment...and yet, they are the winningest programs in the industry.

I think it's the culture of the gyms. It's about the cheerleading not about the hype.

 

[yojaehs]

Where do you see cheer in 5/10 years? Obviously CA has made major changes since 5/10 years ago, where do you see it going, where would you LIKE to see it go?

 

[Iamshannon]

We do not have a name for the new level 6 team. We may discuss that with the team at the first practice. There are a few good options out there, but my guess would be that Junglecats would be most likely out of the already-used names. Maybe there is another name out there that we haven't used before?

You should name them the Ladycats

 

[BlueCat]

Where do you see cheer in 5/10 years? Obviously CA has made major changes since 5/10 years ago, where do you see it going, where would you LIKE to see it go?

That is nearly impossible to say, but I'll give it a shot:
1. For better or worse, I think that more and more of the "big name" gyms will start to have multiple locations.
2. I think that we will have a universal scoresheet and completely public scoring. People will look back and be amazed that anyone was ever opposed to it.
3. Worlds will still be at Disney. People will still be complaining about the Apple Field House being much too small to host the event, even though it is now spread out over 4 days instead of 2.
4. A new gym that has not even opened yet (as of 2011) will have won 2 golds.
5. China will have won at least 3 golds, at least 1 in a senior division.
6. A reality show featuring the top 3-4 Large Senior All Girl teams will be a primetime hit.
7. Varsity, Inc. president - Justin Carrier.

I would like to see it growing at a steady, sustainable pace, with a recovered economy that will allow more athletes to be a part.

 

[Ariel]

Haha number 3 is my favorite

 

[newcheerdad]

Here's a question:

Do you think all-star cheer is too expensive, and thus is a limiting factor on the growth of the sport? Unlike baseball or soccer, where $100 can get you a season in a rec league, being on any competitive cheer team is - at a bare minimum - ten times that expensive.

If so, how do you remedy that? Do gyms need to have more "introductory" programs (i.e., teams with a lower cost and time commitment) to get people in the door and then upsell those that are interested to a "true" all-star team?

 

[The Sixth]

Haha number 3 is my favorite

Except, I believe it will either be the Facebook or Google Fieldhouse!

 

[BlueCat]

Here's a question:

Do you think all-star cheer is too expensive, and thus is a limiting factor on the growth of the sport? Unlike baseball or soccer, where $100 can get you a season in a rec league, being on any competitive cheer team is - at a bare minimum - ten times that expensive.

If so, how do you remedy that? Do gyms need to have more "introductory" programs (i.e., teams with a lower cost and time commitment) to get people in the door and then upsell those that are interested to a "true" all-star team?

I think half-year teams will start being a bit bigger for the reasons that you suggest, but they won't ever replace the regular all-star teams. The quality and time commitment of a rec league soccer/baseball league is not comparable to the typical all-star program. It is more similar to select sports leagues and gymnastics where the quality and price is much more in line with what all-star gyms typically charge.

 

[imrichhowboutu]

That is nearly impossible to say, but I'll give it a shot:
1. For better or worse, I think that more and more of the "big name" gyms will start to have multiple locations.
2. I think that we will have a universal scoresheet and completely public scoring. People will look back and be amazed that anyone was ever opposed to it.
3. Worlds will still be at Disney. People will still be complaining about the Apple Field House being much too small to host the event, even though it is now spread out over 4 days instead of 2.
4. A new gym that has not even opened yet (as of 2011) will have won 2 golds.
5. China will have won at least 3 golds, at least 1 in a senior division.
6. A reality show featuring the top 3-4 Large Senior All Girl teams will be a primetime hit.
7. Varsity, Inc. president - Justin Carrier.

I would like to see it growing at a steady, sustainable pace, with a recovered economy that will allow more athletes to be a part.

I would do anything to get a show featuring Panthers, F5, and Stars.