All-Star Jewish Holidays And Missing Practice

[cheergirlbrey]

Lol on Easter! CP had practice on Easter last year. And no I am not kidding!

I know teams that did this year!


The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android

 

[Mamarazzi]

All the FAME Midlo Worlds teams had practice on Easter this year. The calendar timed it poorly with Worlds 2014.

 

[funsizemom]

Passover I understand sort of and we had half a Seder and went late. The bat mitzvah is causing additional stress - the date is given two years ahead and it takes the full two years to learn the date specific Torah and haftorah portions. This is a major life event with years and years of studying in preparation. We arranged to have a date in the summer to avoid it being during competition season instead of around her birthday like normal. It is only at one location I see us having an issue and not even with the coach but the gym mom - unfortunately this is not a gym mom who you want to be on her bad side.... This is affecting our tryout decision and causing additional stress but the good news is after this year we won't have another bat mitzvah to worry about!!!


The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android

 

[kristenthegreat]

Passover I understand sort of and we had half a Seder and went late. The bat mitzvah is causing additional stress - the date is given two years ahead and it takes the full two years to learn the date specific Torah and haftorah portions. This is a major life event with years and years of studying in preparation. We arranged to have a date in the summer to avoid it being during competition season instead of around her birthday like normal. It is only at one location I see us having an issue and not even with the coach but the gym mom - unfortunately this is not a gym mom who you want to be on her bad side.... This is affecting our tryout decision and causing additional stress but the good news is after this year we won't have another bat mitzvah to worry about!!!


The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android

Umm, it's a bat mitzvah. She (team mom) needs to tone it down a notch, because it's KINDA a big deal.

Seriously- for my cousin Sophie's, they had two dancers, a DJ, a huge lunch, all sorts of free goodies, and a cake that looked like a sandcastle. And they aren't even that wealthy. It's a special ceremony, she played the flute for it. It was actually really beautiful (and I'm not big on organized religion!)..

 

[xtremeteal4life]

IMO, this is one of those situations where at least two things should be considered-
1). How important your religious and/or spiritual beliefs, including holidays, worship services, rituals, etc. are to you- and with which of those things you are/aren't flexible.
2). Being part of a gym that does/doesn't and/or will/won't support your individual requirements, preferences, etc.

Since I have no religious affiliations, I can see both sides of this issue fairly objectively.

On the one hand, unlike public school, cheer is a voluntary sport/activity for which you pay. So unlike missing school for religious reasons, which is a right, it is a personal choice to miss cheer based on religious beliefs. A program can't accommodate the religious beliefs of everyone, if not for the sheer logistics alone.

On the other hand, cheer is a voluntary sport/activity for which you pay (sort of like private school), and it would be nice to have your beliefs respected and/or accommodated (which is where #2 would come into play). So for example, if you decided on T&S as your CP's gym, logically it would make more sense that they are more likely to accommodate Christian holidays, etc. *anyone within that program feel free to correct me in case I am mistaken (that they are an openly Christian gym)*

That's not to say that they wouldn't accommodate other members of a different religious affiliation, merely that by choosing them I would know more from the get go, that I'm choosing a gym whose beliefs aren't closely aligned with my own. Does that make sense?

Please for the love of god don't anyone jump to the conclusion that I'm "religion bashing" before actually really reading what I'm saying (particularly regarding my example of an openly Christian gym). For clarification, my second point regarding gym choice is that it would be more prudent to know and/or pick a gym in advance with a belief structure either similar to yours, or one that's supportive/understanding, etc. towards your specific needs, concerns, etc.

Again, I can see both sides of the situation. It's hard to accommodate a wide variety of different beliefs with regards to missing practices, comps, etc. with a competitive, paid for team sport. Yet I can also understand wanting your child to have the same opportunity to cheer (since you're paying for it) while allowing for major religious holidays, etc to be observed without penalty. Most likely everyone has to find a happy medium and decide what's ultimately best for their families.

Side note- even though as an adult I have no specific religious affiliation, I was raised a Christian- and there's no way in hell (pun intended) my parents would have allowed me to repetitively miss church on Sundays for cheer practice and most comps that carried over to Sunday- and NEVER for a major religious holiday like Easter or Christmas!! Possibly for a major comp that happened to fall on a major holiday as a fluke (as in not regularly), maybe-but as the norm? Never.

I'll never forget one weekend when I was in high school coming back from a two day debate tournament (so not even a sport, an academia based class and activity)- I had been up all Thursday night preparing bc we left after homeroom Friday morning (for two day out of town comps). We competed Friday afternoon/evening, stayed up all night Friday, competed all day Sat- and came back home late Sat night (as in tech 2-3am Sun). I seriously did not expect to have to attend church that morning, but boy was I wrong!! :help: Dad wakes me up at 7 and I was like, "please tell me you're joking?!" :bangheadIn my head of course bc you know, we didn't talk back to our parents back then ).
So I literally got up, hid in between one of the chairs and couch in the den, and fell back asleep. Yes, I was dumb enough (more like delirious from lack of sleep) to think they wouldn't make me go bc I wasn't "ready in time", which included not only actually getting dressed, but putting on makeup and contacts. Oh, but not that day- no sir! I had to throw something on, no hair and makeup done and no contacts (did I mention I was 16?) :starwars:
Guess who never tried to get out of going to church again?!

 

[CheerBank]

IMO, this is one of those situations where at least two things should be considered-
1). How important your religious and/or spiritual beliefs, including holidays, worship services, rituals, etc. are to you- and with which of those things you are/aren't flexible.
2). Being part of a gym that does/doesn't and/or will/won't support your individual requirements, preferences, etc.

Since I have no religious affiliations, I can see both sides of this issue fairly objectively.

On the one hand, unlike public school, cheer is a voluntary sport/activity for which you pay. So unlike missing school for religious reasons, which is a right, it is a personal choice to miss cheer based on religious beliefs. A program can't accommodate the religious beliefs of everyone, if not for the sheer logistics alone.

On the other hand, cheer is a voluntary sport/activity for which you pay (sort of like private school), and it would be nice to have your beliefs respected and/or accommodated (which is where #2 would come into play). So for example, if you decided on T&S as your CP's gym, logically it would make more sense that they are more likely to accommodate Christian holidays, etc. *anyone within that program feel free to correct me in case I am mistaken (that they are an openly Christian gym)*

That's not to say that they wouldn't accommodate other members of a different religious affiliation, merely that by choosing them I would know more from the get go, that I'm choosing a gym whose beliefs aren't closely aligned with my own. Does that make sense?

Please for the love of god don't anyone jump to the conclusion that I'm "religion bashing" before actually really reading what I'm saying (particularly regarding my example of an openly Christian gym). For clarification, my second point regarding gym choice is that it would be more prudent to know and/or pick a gym in advance with a belief structure either similar to yours, or one that's supportive/understanding, etc. towards your specific needs, concerns, etc.

Again, I can see both sides of the situation. It's hard to accommodate a wide variety of different beliefs with regards to missing practices, comps, etc. with a competitive, paid for team sport. Yet I can also understand wanting your child to have the same opportunity to cheer (since you're paying for it) while allowing for major religious holidays, etc to be observed without penalty. Most likely everyone has to find a happy medium and decide what's ultimately best for their families.

Side note- even though as an adult I have no specific religious affiliation, I was raised a Christian- and there's no way in hell (pun intended) my parents would have allowed me to repetitively miss church on Sundays for cheer practice and most comps that carried over to Sunday- and NEVER for a major religious holiday like Easter or Christmas!! Possibly for a major comp that happened to fall on a major holiday as a fluke (as in not regularly), maybe-but as the norm? Never.

I'll never forget one weekend when I was in high school coming back from a two day debate tournament (so not even a sport, an academia based class and activity)- I had been up all Thursday night preparing bc we left after homeroom Friday morning (for two day out of town comps). We competed Friday afternoon/evening, stayed up all night Friday, competed all day Sat- and came back home late Sat night (as in tech 2-3am Sun). I seriously did not expect to have to attend church that morning, but boy was I wrong!! :help: Dad wakes me up at 7 and I was like, "please tell me you're joking?!" :bangheadIn my head of course bc you know, we didn't talk back to our parents back then ).
So I literally got up, hid in between one of the chairs and couch in the den, and fell back asleep. Yes, I was dumb enough (more like delirious from lack of sleep) to think they wouldn't make me go bc I wasn't "ready in time", which included not only actually getting dressed, but putting on makeup and contacts. Oh, but not that day- no sir! I had to throw something on, no hair and makeup done and no contacts (did I mention I was 16?) :starwars:
Guess who never tried to get out of going to church again?!

I agree 100%. At our first gym there was one season where former-cp's team was practicing on Friday evenings. There was another Jewish kid on her team and it was the year of her bat mitzvah. She needed Friday nights free to attend services on a pretty regular basis. The coach refused to switch practice nights and that family wound up leaving the gym. You have to decide what is right for your child and your family, but imho you also have to handle it in a way that doesn't make it seem like the earth revolves around you and your world.

 

[jcheermom]

I'll never forget one weekend when I was in high school coming back from a two day debate tournament (so not even a sport, an academia based class and activity)- I had been up all Thursday night preparing bc we left after homeroom Friday morning (for two day out of town comps). We competed Friday afternoon/evening, stayed up all night Friday, competed all day Sat- and came back home late Sat night (as in tech 2-3am Sun). I seriously did not expect to have to attend church that morning, but boy was I wrong!! :help: Dad wakes me up at 7 and I was like, "please tell me you're joking?!" :bangheadIn my head of course bc you know, we didn't talk back to our parents back then ).
So I literally got up, hid in between one of the chairs and couch in the den, and fell back asleep. Yes, I was dumb enough (more like delirious from lack of sleep) to think they wouldn't make me go bc I wasn't "ready in time", which included not only actually getting dressed, but putting on makeup and contacts. Oh, but not that day- no sir! I had to throw something on, no hair and makeup done and no contacts (did I mention I was 16?) :starwars:
Guess who never tried to get out of going to church again?![/QUOTE]

Is it wrong that I actually had an image in my mind of this scene of a teen girl who had 'made' an effort to get ready for church and was in a sad state of mind, 'praying' that you would be given a free pass for that week of Sunday mass just so you could sleep?



The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android

 

[Ashley]

Lol on Easter! CP had practice on Easter last year. And no I am not kidding!

We have practice on Easter every year. We're only a once a week team, and, this year in particular, the holiday is so close to Worlds. We just practice later, like 7-9 or 8-10. That way everyone can still make Easter dinner.

Umm, it's a bat mitzvah. She (team mom) needs to tone it down a notch, because it's KINDA a big deal.

Seriously- for my cousin Sophie's, they had two dancers, a DJ, a huge lunch, all sorts of free goodies, and a cake that looked like a sandcastle. And they aren't even that wealthy. It's a special ceremony, she played the flute for it. It was actually really beautiful (and I'm not big on organized religion!)..

I was talking to a coworker whose kids are that age. He was telling me what his wife had budgeted for the bat mitzvah - it was more than my wedding budget, any my wedding is not cheap.

 

[catlady]

Talk to the coach, I'm hoping this team mom just felt as though she didn't have the authority to approve your request and was just regurgitating the information she was given.

With that said, our neighbor is a club soccer coach and went to a "no exception" rule right down to funerals. He is very sympathetic, but tells parents we all have priorities, life situations, and he will always be very understanding, but stands firm on the child not participating in the next game including playoffs, and large tournaments. He said if something or someone means the world to you, then missing a game/tournament/playoff should mean very little in comparison. I think it's harsh, but he said he went from having over 100 requests each season, to having 2 last year. He said Grandmas' 100th birthday, my favorite aunt's wedding, and grandpa's funeral often wound up on Instagram looking more like a cruise or a Taylor Swift concert.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Talk to the coach, I'm hoping this team mom just felt as though she didn't have the authority to approve your request and was just regurgitating the information she was given.

With that said, our neighbor is a club soccer coach and went to a "no exception" rule right down to funerals. He is very sympathetic, but tells parents we all have priorities, life situations, and he will always be very understanding, but stands firm on the child not participating in the next game including playoffs, and large tournaments. He said if something or someone means the world to you, then missing a game/tournament/playoff should mean very little in comparison. I think it's harsh, but he said he went from having over 100 requests each season, to having 2 last year. He said Grandmas' 100th birthday, my favorite aunt's wedding, and grandpa's funeral often wound up on Instagram looking more like a cruise or a Taylor Swift concert.

This is what's hard about coaching.

There are kids who have totally legitimate reasons for missing and would NEVER ask you to miss outside of that (ex: Grandpa had a heart attack last night, today he's dead, and his funeral is comp weekend.)

Then there are those for whom it is "my cousin is getting married."

Those are both important things, but they hurt the team equally because you're still not going to be there.

I will say though, that when I started giving out at set number of absences, things changed a lot. Use them however you want (only they cannot be used for comps or choreography weeks), but if you run out, you're out and if you miss after that you're going to be an alternate. Suddenly, you start looking at Suzie's birthday party at Six Flags and wondering if it's REALLY worth a use of your absences.

 

[kristenthegreat]

We have practice on Easter every year. We're only a once a week team, and, this year in particular, the holiday is so close to Worlds. We just practice later, like 7-9 or 8-10. That way everyone can still make Easter dinner.



I was talking to a coworker whose kids are that age. He was telling me what his wife had budgeted for the bat mitzvah - it was more than my wedding budget, any my wedding is not cheap.

I don't want to imagine what my pretentiously-wealthy ex-bf's bar mitzvah was like. If it was anything like his 21st birthday, he had fire breathers and go-go dancers and a full free open bar. Yes, at 13.

 

[xtremeteal4life]

I'll never forget one weekend when I was in high school coming back from a two day debate tournament (so not even a sport, an academia based class and activity)- I had been up all Thursday night preparing bc we left after homeroom Friday morning (for two day out of town comps). We competed Friday afternoon/evening, stayed up all night Friday, competed all day Sat- and came back home late Sat night (as in tech 2-3am Sun). I seriously did not expect to have to attend church that morning, but boy was I wrong!! :help: Dad wakes me up at 7 and I was like, "please tell me you're joking?!" :bangheadIn my head of course bc you know, we didn't talk back to our parents back then ).
So I literally got up, hid in between one of the chairs and couch in the den, and fell back asleep. Yes, I was dumb enough (more like delirious from lack of sleep) to think they wouldn't make me go bc I wasn't "ready in time", which included not only actually getting dressed, but putting on makeup and contacts. Oh, but not that day- no sir! I had to throw something on, no hair and makeup done and no contacts (did I mention I was 16?) :starwars:
Guess who never tried to get out of going to church again?!

Is it wrong that I actually had an image in my mind of this scene of a teen girl who had 'made' an effort to get ready for church and was in a sad state of mind, 'praying' that you would be given a free pass for that week of Sunday mass just so you could sleep?



The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android[/QUOTE]
Lol- depends on what you mean by
"wrong"- funny, sarcastic, serious, etc..

If you were being serious- tech I didn't even get ready at first. My parents woke us (me) up and since there were 4 of us (kids) I hid in between the couch and chair w/my pj's on. I figured my dad wouldn't want to be late and once they did find me they'd have to leave me (and I'd deal w/the punishment later).

Actually you'd be fairly correct in that I really was so exhausted I "prayed" (figuratively) that he'd have no choice but to leave me at home so I could sleep! I guess the "sad state of mind" part threw me for a min, but then I realized, "oh yeah- I was pretty sad" bc my mind was functioning in a pure state of delirium bc I was sooo sleepy!!

 

[CheerBank]

I don't want to imagine what my pretentiously-wealthy ex-bf's bar mitzvah was like. If it was anything like his 21st birthday, he had fire breathers and go-go dancers and a full free open bar. Yes, at 13.

I was talking to a coworker whose kids are that age. He was telling me what his wife had budgeted for the bat mitzvah - it was more than my wedding budget, any my wedding is not cheap.

I have two daughters who have become bat mitzvahs, and it's like everything else in life, you decide how you want to approach it and they you (hopefully) do what you can afford and stick to what you want to spend. My feeling is as long as the party does not overshadow the significance of the event, then to each their own.

 

[funsizemom]

Yes we are keeping this low key fun family friends filled weekend which is fun since my daughter is slowly becoming bridezilla about the event and I have to keep bringing her back to reality. Good news is I have gotten the a ok to have four days zero cheer obligations in August so the bat mitzvah will not hold us back from tryouts... My daughter is excited because I had told her without this we would not be trying out and would spend the summer tumbling and ask to be added to a team in August - now she is all in and working her tumble for tryouts! (Plus studying her Torah portion)


The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android

 

[mamabear]

I don't want to imagine what my pretentiously-wealthy ex-bf's bar mitzvah was like. If it was anything like his 21st birthday, he had fire breathers and go-go dancers and a full free open bar. Yes, at 13.

I was just at a First Communion party that had a stiltwalker, a magician, a Ringling Brothers clown, a balloon maker and a dj. I have to say it was a ton of fun