- Dec 29, 2010
- 1,255
- 2,397
I think half-year teams will start being a bit bigger for the reasons that you suggest, but they won't ever replace the regular all-star teams. The quality and time commitment of a rec league soccer/baseball league is not comparable to the typical all-star program. It is more similar to select sports leagues and gymnastics where the quality and price is much more in line with what all-star gyms typically charge.
Sure, someone who wants to join an all-star team at our gym would easily shell out $4,000 (or more) this year between comp fees, uniforms, travel and tuition. That's probably a better deal than gymnastics or some select sports leagues. (not soccer, which by comparison is ridiculously cheap) For kids that just want to "try" cheer to see what it's like, but also want to compete, $4,000 is too much money.
I think half-year teams, or teams like our gym has that are "introductory" teams that practice less, are a good start. But even then, you're probably still looking at close to $1,000 a year. I know that I've personally talked to parents who love to have their kids try competitive cheer, but don't want to spend that kind of money.
I'm not smart enough to know what the answer is to this question, but I do recognize that the cost of all-star cheer is a real barrier to increasing participation. And that maybe gyms that are looking for ways to increase utilization of their facilities can find ways to create low-cost programs that allow kids to participate and even compete in cheer without the major expense.