All-Star Base Or Flyer...?

[gofriars610]

Thank god I live in Canada, we have Tims on every corner!

omgggg i miss Tims so badly. it's always one of my first stops whenever I arrive in Maine.

I don't like how there are no Dunkin Donuts in Minneapolis but there are locations internationally

and guys, let's not gang up on OP. I'd be nervous too if it were my child. I think, however, everything is going to work out just as it should.

 

[12stepCheermom]

If the coaches have an issue with her not listening or doing what they're asking, that's a coaching issue and they should handle it. If they can't handle it because she's not being coach able, then that's a whole different issue. If she's bucking basing because she wants to fly then putting her in the air to appease a temper tantrum is about the worst thing that can be done for her, the group and the team.

At this point, you're her parent, not her coach. Your job is to say, great job, I'm proud of you, you're awesome and I believe in you. Cuddle, hug and high five. That's your job from this point forward. All coaching decisions and repercussions should be left with the coaches.

If she is too "weak" they'll put her with someone she can be successfull with, but the truth of the matter is this....if she can do a handstand, she can hold her own body weight...which also means she can hold half (or a third) of the body weight of a flyer that is her same size at extension....and flyers are generally smaller.

So the "too weak" argument only works for me if an athlete actually can't hold a handstand (which also means they can't do a cartwheel, handspring, walkover etc). All of those require to be able to hold at least your own body weight.

 

[getsum]

i didnt want to make a thread about this, so this thread seems like a good place to put it:

am i the only one that has a problem with the job of the lower level bases who have to get down on their knees and forearms or hands with their face down to the ground. this position is used to have a flyer stand on the base's back/spine. one, i wouldnt want anyone standing on my, or my kid's, back/spine. two, the position is sort of degrading. why cant a different position be used? such as having one knee raised and the other down on the ground with the upper body upright? the upper thigh, of the leg with the knee raised, can be the place where the flyer stands. ive seen that used, so i dont get why a persons back is used as a pedestal.

if someone didnt like their kid or themselves being a base for that reason, id think their complaint would be justified.

other than that, being the strength and a pillar of a stunt group is something to be proud of.

 

[mamabear]

i didnt want to make a thread about this, so this thread seems like a good place to put it:

am i the only one that has a problem with the job of the lower level bases who have to get down on their knees and forearms or hands with their face down to the ground. this position is used to have a flyer stand on the base's back/spine. one, i wouldnt want anyone standing on my, or my kid's, back/spine. two, the position is sort of degrading. why cant a different position be used? such as having one knee raised and the other down on the ground with the upper body upright? the upper thigh, of the leg with the knee raised, can be the place where the flyer stands. ive seen that used, so i dont get why a persons back is used as a pedestal.

if someone didnt like their kid or themselves being a base for that reason, id think their complaint would be justified.

other than that, being the strength and a pillar of a stunt group is something to be proud of.

lol! I totally agree with you! Luckily, I have seen very few teams use this move and they usually are tinys.

 

[momsy]

am i the only one that has a problem with the job of the lower level bases who have to get down on their knees and forearms or hands with their face down to the ground. this position is used to have a flyer stand on the base's back/spine. one, i wouldnt want anyone standing on my, or my kid's, back/spine. two, the position is sort of degrading. why cant a different position be used? such as having one knee raised and the other down on the ground with the upper body upright? the upper thigh, of the leg with the knee raised, can be the place where the flyer stands. ive seen that used, so i dont get why a persons back is used as a pedestal.

My daughter's team (J1) did a stunt sequence using the described basing technique this past season. It was creative and visually appealing - the judges loved it, and the kids loved placing top three in every one of their competitions. Nobody ever complained about feeling degraded or inferior, and the parents only complained about having to wash the shoe prints out of the white practice uniforms.

 

[getsum]

My daughter's team (J1) did a stunt sequence using the described basing technique this past season. It was creative and visually appealing - the judges loved it, and the kids loved placing top three in every one of their competitions. Nobody ever complained about feeling degraded or inferior, and the parents only complained about having to wash the shoe prints out of the white practice uniforms.

while they may not have complained about it, and people arent always vocal about how theyre feeling inside, and it may have looked appealing, that only addresses my second point, which was actually my minor/superficial complaint.

i still wouldnt allow someone to stand and fall on my or my kid's spine. living with back is not fun.

 

[CookieMomster]

For me it's a time thing. Her practices here are more days a week but less time; with the time of day and rush hour traffic, if I left I could very well not get back in time.

Those shorter practices can be frustrating. I have a young CP (just turned 6) but we've always dropped her off and then grabbed a coffee or something. When the season starts again in a couple of weeks she'll be there 2-3 days per week and I'm treating myself to walking so I can finally have enough endurance to do a Couch 2 5K program. She may have goals for her season and I've decided to set myself some goals too.

 

[Belinda]

i didnt want to make a thread about this, so this thread seems like a good place to put it:

am i the only one that has a problem with the job of the lower level bases who have to get down on their knees and forearms or hands with their face down to the ground. this position is used to have a flyer stand on the base's back/spine. one, i wouldnt want anyone standing on my, or my kid's, back/spine. two, the position is sort of degrading. why cant a different position be used? such as having one knee raised and the other down on the ground with the upper body upright? the upper thigh, of the leg with the knee raised, can be the place where the flyer stands. ive seen that used, so i dont get why a persons back is used as a pedestal.

if someone didnt like their kid or themselves being a base for that reason, id think their complaint would be justified.

other than that, being the strength and a pillar of a stunt group is something to be proud of.

I actually did circus/acrobatics for 7 years before cheer, and that is one of the most common ways to build a pyramid(obvi not when you're elite but yeah..), and I've never ever thought of it as degrading in any way. It's just an easy and stable foundation to build upon. Especially younger kids will have a much easier time to hold their balance on all four, compared to on one knee/foot. Also, done right, it will not harm your back. But as with all stunting, done with the wrong technique, it will cause injuries. The thought is to place a knee or foot on the hip bone, and not on the spine. I guess since I grew up with it, it just didn't bother me, but I can kind of see where you're coming from, it should be harmless though.

 

[momsy]

while they may not have complained about it, and people arent always vocal about how theyre feeling inside, and it may have looked appealing, that only addresses my second point, which was actually my minor/superficial complaint.

i still wouldnt allow someone to stand and fall on my or my kid's spine. living with back is not fun.

I wasn't really attempting to address any of your points, but to rather just share my personal experience with you. But, since you mentioned it... nobody fell on anyone's spine, and nobody's back was injured in the 9 or 10 months time-frame in which they learned, practiced and performed the stunt.

I have to ask - is falling on your own spine ok? What about spinal hyperflexion? Overuse? I am not being facetious when I ask you if you would also not allow your child to do any tumbling, tossing or stunting at all? There's far more risk of back injury in throwing just about every tumbling skill from levels 1 (Pars Fracture from repetitive BWO, anyone?) through 5 than there is in having a 45 pound flyer standing between a 120 pound base's shoulder blades or on the pelvis/hips.

I'm not trying to say that an injury isn't possible, because anyone who's been around cheer for any amount of time knows that injuries can happen by simply spiriting onto the performance floor. I guess I'm just perplexed as to why it's *this* particular stunt that has you so concerned, when the reality of it isn't as bad as I think your perception of it is.

 

[wallflower]

I haven't read all the post. Last season was the 1st time mine based (10yrs). She flew her other two years (7&8yrs), once on a mini and once on a Jr. She has had a major growth spurt going from being the smallest girl in her class (school) to one of the taller (more mature, puberty wise in her class/school). Their was no way any of those girls would be strong enough to base her, even DD stated that. She is very fit, her size has nothing to-do with being pudgy. Yes it was sad, she wasn't able to utilize a skill that she had has a flyer and I hope her time as a flyer would help her base. The coaches said she was doing great has a base. She also noticed things about the flyers, sticking their buts out, wiggling not being tight etc. I sometimes wonder if she knew what she was talking about, but maybe it'll help her when and if she ever goes to back to being a flyer.

 

[Cheerfun2]

My dd has been a flier since she started on Mini 1 six years ago. She is 12 now, and last year they needed her as a base on J4 (the team had a TON of very young fliers, new to cheer gymnast babies that had awesome tumbling, too) and asked her to crossover to fly on a S4.2 team. She discovered she LOVES basing! She was so proud when her flier got moved to center point...her stunt group wore it as a badge of honor amongst themselves. (quietly, lol!) Anyway, she wants to do school cheer this year so we told her no crossing over, and she decided she would tell her coaches she would prefer to base, unless they really needed her to fly. Honestly, I am not sure how other moms feel, but being a base mom is sooooo much less stressful to me during comps. It was really obvious last year when I would get to see her compete both at every comp...I was always a pit of nerves during her 4.2 routine, and much more relaxed during j4! I do think basing is more dangerous, though, and my non-cheer friends don't get that at all. I have seen broken noses, concussions, and horrible bruises to bases, so that is stressful, but other than that the only downside to me is she isn't in as many photos at the comps...but that saves me $, so there is a silver lining to that, too!

Just wanted to give you the perspective of a mom whose cp has done both!

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

My favorite phrase is "Basing is too hard on her back!"

Well you're in luck because she's technically supposed to be driving the stunt up with her legs, ma'am!

 

[cheerKT]

My favorite phrase is "Basing is too hard on her back!"

Well you're in luck because she's technically supposed to be driving the stunt up with her legs, ma'am!

Oh so basing is too hard on her back but contorting her body to kick up that straight leg scorp isn't? Got it.

 

[IACheerMom]

Gracie has always been a flyer. This year she is basing on a youth level 2 and flying on a Jr 3. She absolutely loves basing!!! She likes proving that she is strong enough to do it. So far this season she is more exited about basing than flying. She has also said that since she has flown for so many years it makes her better able to determine how to help her flyer stay in the air. She sure has been taking a beating though - just kicked in the eye a few days ago. She says it is a harder job basing than flying. I am of the mindset that whatever is best for the team is what my child should happily do. Every position on a cheer team is important. There would be no flyers without bases.

 

[SparkleSpankies]

I think I'm more worried about her dropping someone to be honest lol...

OK, I coach a school team, but I have a kid who is afraid of stunts and I also have a girl who has flown since 9th grade (did a little basing in 8th grade b/c middle school goes to 6th grade) that is now one of the bases on Varsity. It goes deeper, but this was what bothered me. The mother is always saying my daughter is 90 pounds... she can't hold people. 1: Yes, she can, she needs to learn technique, I am not asking her to do a co-ed toss lib and 2: It is very common for bodies to change and people to grow and need to learn new roles.

For your daughter, it would be very benficial if she wants to continue to cheer to do what your gym feels is right for her. If she seems to be happy basing, let her do it. Only worry if she is coming home crying day after day.. also, remember kids have bad practices here and there, so one or 2 days upset isn't the indication of anything wrong.

I understand you have coached her, but being her coach, you should be able to see the big picture.