All-Star Isaf Worlds Divisions

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Wow all of you guys are missing the true reason behind this. The expanded number of divisions and the changes to the requirements are to grow the sport of cheerleading all around the world.

The attitude that the US version of cheerleading is better and other countries just need to catch up is extremely arrogant and condescending. This is a sport that is welcoming to people of all ages and abilities and I personally am so excited that we are embracing the growth of cheerleading on a worldwide scale.
 
My only pause with the NT division, and it's been the same stance I've had since it was released---is that I am tired of watching division be added knowing it's going to be USA/Canada dominated. I get why it was created, I get what it's purpose is---but after watching World's weekend and seeing the scores, my fears became a reality. It was a 100% dominated USA/Canada weekend.

That is my gripe. That will always be my gripe.

As far as deadmat versus spring mat---if the majority of the world is competing on deadmat then maybe we should look at policies/funding that bring spring mats to them or the USA reverts to deadmats. No one would expect Michael Phelps to swim the 100 fly in a non-Olympics sized pool nor would they expect him to train in one. If the only time these out of country athletes are experiencing a spring mat, then that isn't what should be used. In that regard, it's not level playing field.
 
My only pause with the NT division, and it's been the same stance I've had since it was released---is that I am tired of watching division be added knowing it's going to be USA/Canada dominated. I get why it was created, I get what it's purpose is---but after watching World's weekend and seeing the scores, my fears became a reality. It was a 100% dominated USA/Canada weekend.

That is my gripe. That will always be my gripe.

As far as deadmat versus spring mat---if the majority of the world is competing on deadmat then maybe we should look at policies/funding that bring spring mats to them or the USA reverts to deadmats. No one would expect Michael Phelps to swim the 100 fly in a non-Olympics sized pool nor would they expect him to train in one. If the only time these out of country athletes are experiencing a spring mat, then that isn't what should be used. In that regard, it's not level playing field.

That's exactly why sprung floors aren't used at ICU Worlds, because so many places aren't equipped with them.
 
As far as deadmat versus spring mat---if the majority of the world is competing on deadmat then maybe we should look at policies/funding that bring spring mats to them or the USA reverts to deadmats.
The first I'd be on board with. I know far too many people with wrecked bodies from deadmats and I don't think going backwards with technology is the way forward.
 
My only pause with the NT division, and it's been the same stance I've had since it was released---is that I am tired of watching division be added knowing it's going to be USA/Canada dominated. I get why it was created, I get what it's purpose is---but after watching World's weekend and seeing the scores, my fears became a reality. It was a 100% dominated USA/Canada weekend.

That is my gripe. That will always be my gripe.

As far as deadmat versus spring mat---if the majority of the world is competing on deadmat then maybe we should look at policies/funding that bring spring mats to them or the USA reverts to deadmats. No one would expect Michael Phelps to swim the 100 fly in a non-Olympics sized pool nor would they expect him to train in one. If the only time these out of country athletes are experiencing a spring mat, then that isn't what should be used. In that regard, it's not level playing field.

I am against reverting to dead floors just because the rest of the world doesn't have easy access to them.

Spring floors are safer than dead mats, they absorb impact which benefits athletes joints when jumping and tumbling and help protect athletes in stunt falls. Sport apparatuses have evolved over time to make sports as safe as possible. That is a step backwards in athlete safety.

ETA: And as cheer gets more and more difficult, the need for a safe performance surface becomes more and more essential.
 
Popularity and the demand that comes along with it are what drives available resources in any country. Popularity is relatively high in the US and Canada, so there is a huge demand for coaches/gyms/teams/etc here. If there was enough demand for the sport in other countries, they could support more extensive facilities. The countries we are mostly talking about aren't 3rd-World countries without the ability support the sports that are popular with their citizens. There just isn't a strong demand in those countries (yet). That is the part that needs fixing.

It isn't like the US (or Canadian) government gave out a bunch of free spring floors in the 90s to spur on the industry. There was enough economic demand to gradually support more and more gyms with better and better facilities. "Huge" cheer gyms in the mid 90s (like ours) would still be considered tiny by today's standards. It took the better part of 15-20 years before "mega" gyms were really a thing and full-time "career" type coaching became more normal . That came after years of work trying to be accepted, liked, and gradually somewhat respected. It didn't happen overnight.

I generally like the idea of the sport gaining traction in lots of places. It is an awesome sport and it is cool to see other countries doing well at events. I think the majority of the US gyms would be in favor of that. However, there isn't a direct benefit to Sally's US All Stars if there are more all star teams in China. Varsity and possibly IASF are the businesses that would gain the most from increased global cheer numbers. They should be the ones that are making the most significant investments abroad to grow the sports popularity.

Examples of an "investments" that would help popularity:
- Worlds video could be public. (This would cut into their financial deal with Flo Sports, but would generate more exposure/popularity.). I am fine with them selling the actual live stream, but don't let Flo Cheer (or whoever else you have sold the live stream rights to) be militant about taking down videos afterwards.
- Instead of selling instructional materials at Varsity U, they could provide most of those materials for free to other countries to foster education/safety/popularity globally.
- Free promotional materials/video in various languages about the sport of cheer that can be used on social media in other countries.

It strikes me that the general goal should be to increase the popularity of the sport in places around the globe rather than trying to find ways to change the way the sport is scored or played. Ideas like changing our floors to dead mat would run off our athletes in droves because of safety and the increased pounding the body takes while doing skills. That would seem to be cutting off our nose to spite our face. Pushing tens of thousands (or more) US athletes from the sport to (maybe) change the results at Worlds a fraction seems like crazy talk or the premise of an Ayn Rand novel.

FWIW, I am also curious what the participation rates are world-wide. I get that the US is only a tiny portion of the world in terms of total population, but what percentage is it of the global cheer market? I would guess US/Canada is at least 90% of the total. I certainly don't believe a single US cheerleader or team is "more important" than a French, Columbian, or Egyptian one. However, I don't think a US cheerleader should count less than an "international" one either when it comes to decision about the sport.
 
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It strikes me that the general goal should be to increase the popularity of the sport in places around the globe rather than trying to find ways to change the way the sport is scored or played.


100% agree with this. Fact of the matter is that Teams that make it to Worlds get a LOT more new athletes. We went to Worlds in 2016 for the first time ever. Ever since our Gym has grown from 3 to 9 Teams. Of course us going to Worlds is not the only reason why people wanted to become a part of the Gym, but it certainly did help in terms of us getting better and people actually starting to get to know us as a Gym. I'm sure other Gyms had a similar experience.

For the Sport in Europe at least , Worlds is a very beneficial part of growing Cheerleading as a sport and getting more recognition as a sport.

I personally do not understand why our Sport has to change so much in order to be considered for the Olympics. I don't understand why Tumbling has to be worth less and we can't do certain things anymore just because they are too similar to Acro and Gymnastics. But it is the way it is and hopefully something good will come off it
 
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I personally do not understand why our Sport has to change so much in order to be considered for the Olympics. I don't understand why Tumbling has to be worth less and we can't do certain things anymore just because they are too similar to Acro and Gymnastics. But it is the way it is and hopefully something good will come off it

My thought is that it is twofold:

1. My impression is that the old-school folks at the very top of Varsity (JW) have loved the "UCA" style for decades and are not fans of the faster-paced all star style. They (one in particular) were leading the political charge to get cheer recognized.

2. Having to make distinctions between cheer and gymnastics. (appeasing FIG)
 
I'm wondering if three venues will be enough to accomodate Worlds effectively. Is there any chance that they will use/build one or two more venues?
Is there anywhere other then Florida that is big enough to accommodate Worlds? both for competing and hotel availability?
Sometimes I wonder if USASF/IASF will just build a mega venue on their own property with hotels to match LOL!
 
Is there anywhere other then Florida that is big enough to accommodate Worlds? both for competing and hotel availability?
Sometimes I wonder if USASF/IASF will just build a mega venue on their own property with hotels to match LOL!

I assume that anywhere there is a Disney Park, there's probably a decent amount venues and hotels (though I'm obviously not 100% positive). I'd honestly be down for Worlds to rotate between Anaheim, Orlando, Paris, Tokyo, Shangai, etc. if it were possible, but I also know that's not likely to ever happen due to logistics.
 
Worlds has about half the athletes of CheerSport and less than half of NCA. I’m guessing any large city, especially one with pro sports, could probably accommodate it.
 
Worlds has about half the athletes of CheerSport and less than half of NCA. I’m guessing any large city, especially one with pro sports, could probably accommodate it.

My only worry is accommodating international athletes. Language barriers, transportation, etc are all "easier" at Disney World because they have the systems in place to accommodate massive groups of foreign tourists on a daily basis. Unless IASF wants to step up and provide those resources to international teams/help plan and assist them on their trip...

I feel like this becomes even more important if IASF Worlds moved outside the US.
 
This might just be because I am burned out from many years of Summit, and I know would never happen because the powers that be want these large events, but I would be favorable to some sort of regional approach. Multiple locations and you could attend whichever was convenient. There could be multiple judging panels on site but the competition would actually be virtual, so your competitors could be performing in California or UK and you are in NC. Flocheer or maybe there is a competitor to flocheer who could broadcast everything. I know it is pie in the sky, but it just seems that we are living in such a virtual world and perhaps we should use this technology to reduce cost barriers and make the sport more accessible.
 
This might just be because I am burned out from many years of Summit, and I know would never happen because the powers that be want these large events, but I would be favorable to some sort of regional approach. Multiple locations and you could attend whichever was convenient. There could be multiple judging panels on site but the competition would actually be virtual, so your competitors could be performing in California or UK and you are in NC. Flocheer or maybe there is a competitor to flocheer who could broadcast everything. I know it is pie in the sky, but it just seems that we are living in such a virtual world and perhaps we should use this technology to reduce cost barriers and make the sport more accessible.

For the past few years I've thought a "regional" style competition should happen for all teams with bids to compete and then only the top portion of each division actually go to worlds, almost like the US trials/prelims type of thing.

But I know it doesn't really work logistically because at that point how far in advance does it need to be to allow for booking flights/accommodation etc (but wouldn't it be nice if this part was covered by USASF ;))
 
I assume that anywhere there is a Disney Park, there's probably a decent amount venues and hotels (though I'm obviously not 100% positive). I'd honestly be down for Worlds to rotate between Anaheim, Orlando, Paris, Tokyo, Shangai, etc. if it were possible, but I also know that's not likely to ever happen due to logistics.

Walt Disney World is home to around 68000 hotel rooms, Disneyland has around 3600. Not saying Disney is the end all be all for cheerleading, but I wouldn't assume Disney has the availability just because they're Disney.
 
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