All-Star A Discussion About Tiny Teams

[Matt Faherty]

A want to share a little bit about myself before I get into talking about our youngest cheerleaders. I have been coaching all-star cheerleading, mostly tumbling, for two years now. Before cheerleading, I coached recreational gymnastics for about 4 years. I was considered the "preschool director" medium sized club, which had, i would guess, somewhere between 50-80 preschool aged athletes at any given time. In terms of education, I have a degree in physical education, as well as completed the preschool courses through USA Gymnastics and read countless books and articles.

I am curious how everyone feels about Tiny Teams. For those who are unclear, the tiny division consists of children ages 5 year and under, and is limited to level 1.

I want to know:
What role does your tiny program play into your program
Does your tiny team compete?
How do the coaches of your program adapt practices and skill building activities to young children?
What would you do to improve the way tiny teams are coached or viewed as an industry?

From my experiences with all-star cheerleading programs, it seems that most tiny teams are treated as if they are smaller versions of their older counterparts, when nothing could be further from the truth! Between the ages of 3-5 there is so many developmental milestones that children pass through, that having such wide of an age range on a team seems ludicrous to me!

At best, I have seen programs in which cheerleaders at the younger end of the tiny range, become frustrated with skills and act out when they have difficulty performing a skill. At worst, I have seen programs that arrange tumbling classes strictly on level, not age, and have seen 3-4 year olds slow down an entire tumbling class.

I think that as an industry, we should begin to take a look at how programs for our youngest athletes are run and begin to tailor them as a way to build the next generation of all-stars!

 

[cheerheart4life]

Well I would guess that most of the girls on the tiny team would be at the same level if they are below age 5, just getting into it. It would make sense for them to have their own separate classes

 

[MomOf2ThatsMe]

I want to know:
What role does your tiny program play into your program
Does your tiny team compete?
How do the coaches of your program adapt practices and skill building activities to young children?
What would you do to improve the way tiny teams are coached or viewed as an industry?

At worst, I have seen programs that arrange tumbling classes strictly on level, not age, and have seen 3-4 year olds slow down an entire tumbling class.

I think that as an industry, we should begin to take a look at how programs for our youngest athletes are run and begin to tailor them as a way to build the next generation of all-stars!

Our tiny teams are a huge part of our program! Last year we had 2 tiny teams. Our regular AS team was VERY successful, however, it was mostly comprised of 5 & 6 year olds who had done the half-year team the previous season. They were experienced, and it showed. Our half-year team from last year was what you would expect from a half-year team of 3-5 year olds who were just starting. Most of those children moved on to our full year team this season and are competing on our mini 1. Both of our tiny teams competed in the appropriate division. This season we only have a half-year tiny team, which my younger daughter is on, and they will be competing. Our gym regards our half-year program as developmental. The coaches of course are easier on the younger ones, to an extent, but still have expectations. Especially regarding behavior. This is actually the third time my younger one has started a season, first time getting past the first month. She was not mature enough until this season to get through an entire practice, so I pulled her because I did not think it was fair to the other children or the coaches to spend so much time trying to coax her into doing things.

The coaches certainly make it more "fun" at this level, due to age & the fact that they are in the learning stage of allstars. Practices last year for the full-year tiny team were much more rigid, but those children knew what was expected of them, and were probably on average a little older than this team. A year doesn't seem like much to a lot of people, but developementally it is huge at this age.

Our tumbling classes are divided well. We have preschool tumbling for ages 3-5. If the child gets beyond their basic skills of a cartwheel and roundoff (and I believe BWO) they will move them up to the regular class to start working FWO & BHS. Those classes are just divided based on level, not age, but the front desk staff is very good about trying to place the younger ones in a class with mostly kids of similar age. If I was a 13 year old just starting out and they placed me in a class with 3 & 4 year olds, I would probably be very offended TBH. It's bad enough already feeling like you are behind, but then to have salt added to the wound by being in a class with preschoolers...

 

[INeverStopCheering]

We too usually have two Tiny teams, though this year literally our entire Tiny team from last year aged up, some by just a few days, so we have a veeerry young Mini team. One of our Tiny teams is Tiny Competition, and the other is Tiny Exhibition. I want to describe the difference between the two
-Tiny Ex is considered our intro to cheerleading class, these are girls 3 to 5 who have never cheered before. We work on basic motion technique, jump technique, basic tumbling (forward rolls and cartwheels), and fine motor skills such as jumping with two feet and balancing on one foot. Our stunts are technically not even stunts as no one leaves the ground, they are "rock stands" where one kid puts her foot on the back of another in a little ball, or rock. We learn a short routine that we take to a couple local competitions. They wear a modified uniform. They are NOT scored or placed at performances, the class is just to gain experience in cheerleading. Graduates of this program move onto our full year Tiny team
-Tiny Competition
Tiny comp is a full year competition team, which travels. They are 5 to 6 years old with the occasional gifted 4. We do take this team a bit more seriously because we have the Tiny Ex, and it is a privilege to be on Tiny Comp. Tiny comp competes at a standard level one doing stunts like thigh stands and preps, tumbling like round offs and bridge kickovers. Again, because this team is competition, we do expect more out of them, but we don't have three year olds on this team.

What I wish coaches and the industry would do regarding athletes under 6:

• Make use of Exhibition. There is not a comp in the world that will tell you that you can't exhibition. If you have an especially young Tiny team, instead of pressuring them to do skills out of their ability in order to "max out" or "be competitive" put them in a division where they don't have to compete. Do what you can do and look cute, then when they are ready move them up to regular Tiny
• Up the minimum age. In my opinion in a sport where we have to mash age groups together (unlike gymnastics) three is too young for anything other than a very basic class. Other than learning motions and forward rolls, there is nothing a three year old can take away from this. Their bodies are physically not at the point where they can even start doing bridges. Not to mention, they are developmentally in a whole different place. They likely have not started going to preschool yet. Upping the age to four just makes sense.
• Owners who care. I see a lot of Tiny teams coached by people who have not a clue what they are doing, be it two teenagers or two grandmas, and I think, if I were a parent, I would have pulled my kid. I think so often owners put Tiny teams on the back burner because let's face it, your Tiny team isn't going to win you a National Championship. But Tiny parents are so observant because their kids are so young, you better make sure that whoever is running your class is doing a darn good job.
• Advance warning. Let parents know what they're getting into to. This is not a tot class, this is not a Little Gym, this is a team. If your child does not play well with others, not the place for them. If your child has intense seperation anxiety, not the place for them. If your child has a fear of crowds, loud noises, bright lights, etc etc, not the place for them. If you can't commit to practice, then don't sign up. You wouldn't sign your kids up for a ballet class then only bring them once a month.

 

[njallday]

We too usually have two Tiny teams, though this year literally our entire Tiny team from last year aged up, some by just a few days, so we have a veeerry young Mini team. One of our Tiny teams is Tiny Competition, and the other is Tiny Exhibition. I want to describe the difference between the two
-Tiny Ex is considered our intro to cheerleading class, these are girls 3 to 5 who have never cheered before. We work on basic motion technique, jump technique, basic tumbling (forward rolls and cartwheels), and fine motor skills such as jumping with two feet and balancing on one foot. Our stunts are technically not even stunts as no one leaves the ground, they are "rock stands" where one kid puts her foot on the back of another in a little ball, or rock. We learn a short routine that we take to a couple local competitions. They wear a modified uniform. They are NOT scored or placed at performances, the class is just to gain experience in cheerleading. Graduates of this program move onto our full year Tiny team
-Tiny Competition
Tiny comp is a full year competition team, which travels. They are 5 to 6 years old with the occasional gifted 4. We do take this team a bit more seriously because we have the Tiny Ex, and it is a privilege to be on Tiny Comp. Tiny comp competes at a standard level one doing stunts like thigh stands and preps, tumbling like round offs and bridge kickovers. Again, because this team is competition, we do expect more out of them, but we don't have three year olds on this team.

What I wish coaches and the industry would do regarding athletes under 6:

• Make use of Exhibition. There is not a comp in the world that will tell you that you can't exhibition. If you have an especially young Tiny team, instead of pressuring them to do skills out of their ability in order to "max out" or "be competitive" put them in a division where they don't have to compete. Do what you can do and look cute, then when they are ready move them up to regular Tiny
• Up the minimum age. In my opinion in a sport where we have to mash age groups together (unlike gymnastics) three is too young for anything other than a very basic class. Other than learning motions and forward rolls, there is nothing a three year old can take away from this. Their bodies are physically not at the point where they can even start doing bridges. Not to mention, they are developmentally in a whole different place. They likely have not started going to preschool yet. Upping the age to four just makes sense.
• Owners who care. I see a lot of Tiny teams coached by people who have not a clue what they are doing, be it two teenagers or two grandmas, and I think, if I were a parent, I would have pulled my kid. I think so often owners put Tiny teams on the back burner because let's face it, your Tiny team isn't going to win you a National Championship. But Tiny parents are so observant because their kids are so young, you better make sure that whoever is running your class is doing a darn good job.
• Advance warning. Let parents know what they're getting into to. This is not a tot class, this is not a Little Gym, this is a team. If your child does not play well with others, not the place for them. If your child has intense seperation anxiety, not the place for them. If your child has a fear of crowds, loud noises, bright lights, etc etc, not the place for them. If you can't commit to practice, then don't sign up. You wouldn't sign your kids up for a ballet class then only bring them once a month.

i don't know what gym you're from... but if i had a tiny aged athlete i'd be sending them to you!

 

[NikkiCPC]

i don't know what gym you're from... but if i had a tiny aged athlete i'd be sending them to you!

Me too!!

 

[coach12]

I have always felt that the tiny division should be exhibition only. They're 3 to 5 years old. We have a bunch of 3 year olds on our team. Half of them probably just got potty trained not too long ago! They have MANY years to be competitive. Why not give them this division to just get used to performing and having fun!
Our tiny's are just so darn cute (as most are). They don't care what place they get as long as they get some kind of trophy or something.

 

[cheeeeer93]

I have always felt that the tiny division should be exhibition only. They're 3 to 5 years old. We have a bunch of 3 year olds on our team. Half of them probably just got potty trained not too long ago! They have MANY years to be competitive. Why not give them this division to just get used to performing and having fun!
Our tiny's are just so darn cute (as most are). They don't care what place they get as long as they get some kind of trophy or something.

Having worked with tinies.. most of them really only care about a trophy so I am in favor of exhibitions! One of mine even told me she'd pay for all the trophies in the gym with her coins haha

 

[cupieqt]

I have two of my newest coaches with the Tiny team but they also coach mini 1 and Youth 1 so they have a lot to bring to the Tiny team. This is our first year being "competitive" and I know they won't beat some of the teams around us (based on what those teams looked like last year). The other teams have way bigger kids. Our 5 year olds look like 3 year olds. Our 4 year olds are even smaller. I don't allow 3 year olds simply because they need to stay in rec classes first. I definitely agree with upping the minimum age for this division.

I wish this was an exhibition only age group also. I just don't see the point in them competing when they can barely lift each other in a knee stunt and some of them can't do bridges yet. We take competition seriously so we work these kids but an elevator is the equivalent of a CEA SE pyramid for them.

 

[cupieqt]

Our tiny teams are a huge part of our program! Last year we had 2 tiny teams. Our regular AS team was VERY successful, however, it was mostly comprised of 5 & 6 year olds who had done the half-year team the previous season. They were experienced, and it showed.

I thought 5 was the maximum age for Tinys?

 

[TheVipersMom]

I thought 5 was the maximum age for Tinys?

Maybe she means they turned 6 after the date ? Lol or so we hope!!!

 

[CoachTamara]

I thought 5 was the maximum age for Tinys?

I think they probably meant turning 6 during the year.

 

[cupieqt]

^gotcha! I hope so too Kris10boo and coach tamara

 

[MomOf2ThatsMe]

I thought 5 was the maximum age for Tinys?

Yes, they turned 6 during the year

 

[SmileyRyleigh]

tinys are so stinkin' cute! i love watching them!