All-Star Nca 2016

[lovecheering]

Question about stay to play? ...... a friend of mine at another gym said her and a few other moms booked their own hotel for NCA. They did not like where they were put last year so decided to take care of it themselves. I thought you had to book through connections housing in order to be eligible to compete. They said all they had to do was fill out a wavier?? Anyone know?

 

[cheermomforever]

Question about stay to play? ...... a friend of mine at another gym said her and a few other moms booked their own hotel for NCA. They did not like where they were put last year so decided to take care of it themselves. I thought you had to book through connections housing in order to be eligible to compete. They said all they had to do was fill out a wavier?? Anyone know?

Some stay and play comps have an Exception form for maybe employee discounts or points that u can get a better rate with. They have to ok it.

 

[emo_wifey]

Wish CP was doing NCA. She's tiny prep again this year though and prep teams don't go to NCA. Next year!

 

[Cheermom1969]

Question about stay to play? ...... a friend of mine at another gym said her and a few other moms booked their own hotel for NCA. They did not like where they were put last year so decided to take care of it themselves. I thought you had to book through connections housing in order to be eligible to compete. They said all they had to do was fill out a wavier?? Anyone know?

Traditionally with NCA, there have been only two exceptions for you to get a waiver - using hotel points to stay at a certain hotel or you are staying with family or friends in the area. If you are staying using hotel points, they want the hotel information and the confirmation number because they do check. If staying in a private home, they want the address of the place you're staying.

(I'm not sure about getting an employee of a hotel waiver)

 

[theoneandonly]

Yay, SO excited for all of you first timers! I've been to pretty much every cheer competition there is, and there is NOTHING like NCA! Enjoy it!

 

[acecheermom]

Okay so for a first timer, what are the major things to know?

2 years ago was our first trip to Cheersport and let me tell you no matter how well I planned ahead and all there was NO way to be prepared for that. Last year was much smoother since we'd been before and had a better idea of what to expect and definitely had learned some "Do NOTs".

So are there some major things for NCA?

 

[Cheryl]

The convention center is VERY long. You will be doing alot of walking especially if you have multiple CPs in separate halls. I suggest, if you are walking between halls, to walk inside the halls not outside of them because of crowds. Also, the arena will be packed so plan on getting there well before the teams performing time, if you want to be able to watch them.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[quitthedrama]

Okay so for a first timer, what are the major things to know?

2 years ago was our first trip to Cheersport and let me tell you no matter how well I planned ahead and all there was NO way to be prepared for that. Last year was much smoother since we'd been before and had a better idea of what to expect and definitely had learned some "Do NOTs".

So are there some major things for NCA?

For any fly-ins, Love Field is worth paying a little extra. It is closer and far easier to get in and out of than DFW.
Dallas has no clue how to do winter. If it gets below 34 degrees and there is precipitation, the city shuts down. It has happened 2 years in a row but last year was absolutely awful.
If you have a child performing in the arena, you need to get there at least an hour in advance of their performance to get a seat - probably more if they are competing near the "big name teams". "Priority seating" is available but was on the very right of the stage last year, so you are going to want to avoid sitting there. If you have a child performing in the other halls, it is very difficult to get a good viewing spot. Priority is again on the side of the mat. When my CP performed in a hall her team was one of the first to go on. Our parents got there when the hall opened and had the first rows. We gave up our seats to parents of a few other gyms so they could watch from the front and just kept cycling parents through until our kids performed. It would be great if parents would consider doing this. Instead I see a lot of fighting over seats and people saving seats for their invisible friends so they have a place to put their bags and/or not have to sit next to someone. Don't be that person!
Most of the halls are connected - if you are moving from Hall to Hall, travel along the back side rather than exiting one and entering another. The arena is an exception and a separate entrance.
There are a ton of great restaurants - but the convention center food isn't very good and is overpriced. Bring food and drinks with you and save your money for a great meal downtown when you are on your way home/back to your hotel.
I feel like NCA has gone downhill due to the overcrowding and STP, but they do a lot of things right and it is still one of my favorite competitions. According to my kids there is nothing like competing in that arena, and as a parent it is an incredible production (lighting, awards, etc). Even though the Halls aren't quite like the arena, the lighting and awards and how the athletes are treated is top notch.

 

[emo_wifey]

For any fly-ins, Love Field is worth paying a little extra. It is closer and far easier to get in and out of than DFW.
Dallas has no clue how to do winter. If it gets below 34 degrees and there is precipitation, the city shuts down. It has happened 2 years in a row but last year was absolutely awful.
If you have a child performing in the arena, you need to get there at least an hour in advance of their performance to get a seat - probably more if they are competing near the "big name teams". "Priority seating" is available but was on the very right of the stage last year, so you are going to want to avoid sitting there. If you have a child performing in the other halls, it is very difficult to get a good viewing spot. Priority is again on the side of the mat. When my CP performed in a hall her team was one of the first to go on. Our parents got there when the hall opened and had the first rows. We gave up our seats to parents of a few other gyms so they could watch from the front and just kept cycling parents through until our kids performed. It would be great if parents would consider doing this. Instead I see a lot of fighting over seats and people saving seats for their invisible friends so they have a place to put their bags and/or not have to sit next to someone. Don't be that person!
Most of the halls are connected - if you are moving from Hall to Hall, travel along the back side rather than exiting one and entering another. The arena is an exception and a separate entrance.
There are a ton of great restaurants - but the convention center food isn't very good and is overpriced. Bring food and drinks with you and save your money for a great meal downtown when you are on your way home/back to your hotel.
I feel like NCA has gone downhill due to the overcrowding and STP, but they do a lot of things right and it is still one of my favorite competitions. According to my kids there is nothing like competing in that arena, and as a parent it is an incredible production (lighting, awards, etc). Even though the Halls aren't quite like the arena, the lighting and awards and how the athletes are treated is top notch.

I'm so glad I have a couple of years being a prep mom so I can prepare for this comp! Everything you said is exactly what I've heard from parents at our gym.

Last yeat our mini 1 went pretty early on Friday, and one of the girls parents decided the travel risk was not worth it. I understand that, but there was still a lot of uproar about it and they didn't do as well as they could've, and now I know to plan to leave early!

Also I've read somewhere on here (maybe even this thread?) they are cutting 100 teams to try to help with the overcrowding issue.

 

[CatFan22]

Also I've read somewhere on here (maybe even this thread?) they are cutting 100 teams to try to help with the overcrowding issue.

Justin Carrier tweeted it.

 

[Cheermom1969]

Justin Carrier tweeted it.

He did? Because other than the weather, which they can't control, the overcrowding is the biggest draw back at NCA. Waaaaayyyyy too many teams and people. As much as I LOVE Dallas, I would not be disappointed had our gym not gone again.

 

[TheDivineCheerYaYaSecret]

When did he tweet that and how are they going to decide which teams to cut? Anyone have any information? I know our gym is bringing more teams than they normally do. I wonder if this will effect that.

 

[TheDivineCheerYaYaSecret]

Just found his tweet. I guess the registration deadline is August 20th.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

When did he tweet that and how are they going to decide which teams to cut? Anyone have any information? I know our gym is bringing more teams than they normally do. I wonder if this will effect that.

They might just have less slots for teams to register and once they fill up, they fill up.

 

[catlady]

When did he tweet that and how are they going to decide which teams to cut? Anyone have any information? I know our gym is bringing more teams than they normally do. I wonder if this will effect that.

100 teams would equate out to be about 2600-2800 families. There has to be a point where competition start and finish times, hotels, flights and parking start becoming more challenging for events that cater mainly to the out of state population. I'm all for running more efficient versus keep packing them in but, it's sad for the teams that don't get to go that wanted to attend.