- Dec 14, 2009
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Sad but true. So what other options exist for the smaller gym to survive? Sending a team called Level 5 to Worlds to place 50th out of 50 is not going to carry you for long in any market. There has to be a niche somewhere that can be effectively marketed. Unless someone figures out that answer I'm not sure how any of the proposed rule changes are going to make a difference one way or another in the survival of the small gyms.
None of those rule changes can fix the problem you stated above. Either you have the athletes to compete at the higher levels or you don't. Pushing them up and down levels by crossing over isn't going to put you on par with a higher level team fully loaded with athletes at true level. It may benefit a small gym at the lower levels, but the scenario you just stated negates the value of that.
I am probably the wrong one to answer this because I personally am not on the "go to Worlds or your program sucks" train. I also dont believe you need crossovers except in case of injury, illness or absence. Not that I dont understand the model CEA uses, it just is not my personal preference. I don't have a win at all costs mindset. I spend way more time in the gym in practices, open gym, privates and just hanging out building happy positive relationships than I will ever spend with them at a competition. I choose to maximize the former time and let the latter shake out however it shakes out.
This by no means is an excuse or platform for mediocrity. It is building within on your on terms and timeline, without being forced to compete at a level until you are ready and even then looking at is as a journey rather than a win or else event. As long as your customers are fully educated on your vision and what to reasonably expect, you should be able to retain enough to grow the business. Even if it is at a slower pace than buying/merging with other gyms.
My belief is that you have to stay true to the vision you have for your gym, stay in the boundries of the rules, keep your tumble classes and other programs just as well staffed as you do your highest level cheer team, do you and quite frankly the hell with everybody else. If you sell your parents, athletes, and community on your vision, give them a quality product w/ value against their $$$ you can survive and thrive in this market. You don't have to have a level 5 program to do it. You don't have to have a Worlds team to do it. You just gotta have the belief that you can excel being true to you instead of trying to be like everybody else or trying to impress others.