All-Star Cover Up Rule, For Those That Have Competed This Season

[Coach Troy]

but that does not make it there event....

 

[wcdad]

What about at awards. I cannot stand when a team is not in uniform at awards. To me it smacks of disrespect for not only the event, but the program you represent.

Full uniforms, no cell phones, no uggs, as if you were ready to perform once again. Just my opinion.

 

[NoOneSpecial]

I assume if it is USASF sanctioned event they expect you to abide by the guidelines as well as if you are a USASF gym member. I would also think that USASF would expect coaches to help enforce this guideline. If one of our athletes don't abide by it, I am sure a coach will approach and ask them to cover up or have a convo with them.

As just-a-mom has mentioned - other sports have dress requirements. For both my boys, they have to wear dress pants, dress shirt and tie, dress socks and shoes to their hockey games. On some occasions they get to wear warm up jacket and pants. Hockey is a VERY expensive sport but these are their dress requirements to show up for games and cost way more then asking these kids to put a tshirt on. Which by the way - who buys their program tshirts from Varsity anyway, so no money made by them.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

but that does not make it there event....

Well I guess i'll be happy that out of that whole thing I posted you only picked that little part... Their logo is on the websites. Their logo is on the banners and posters and advertisements. They "approved" the event. So, yes, in my mind that makes it theirs. I know you feel differently and I'm not having a 5 page argument with you about this rule (or guideline or whatever it is). You're not changing your mind and neither am I.

I do not, and will not ever, understand this whole "you can't tell me what to do" attitude the world has. Yes, I'm sorry to tell you, but sometimes in life people are going to tell you what to do. I can't wrap my head around where everyone got this idea that suddenly no one can tell anyone what to do. But like i said before, at least now I know where the kids got the idea.

I don't remember what program you're with, so I don't know what your uniforms look like. I only know what some uniforms look like. As I said in the other thread about this...as usual, the few have spoiled it for the many. Instead of being mad at the USASF, you should be mad at the gyms with ridiculous uniforms that made the rule happen.

And you always have to option of boycotting all events sanctioned by USASF if you don't like their rules. Fortunately in cheer you do still have that choice. I don't know what else to tell you. If your attitude is "no one tells me what to do" you are just going to have to take your gym on a route where no one will tell you what to do.

 

[NoOneSpecial]

but that does not make it there event....

Then does that mean they don't have to follow the USASF safety guidelines if they are a USASF sanctioned event?

 

[Coach Troy]

The rest was your opinion and I am super happy to honor that.
I don't think that I am of the opinion that "no one should tell me what to do" I've been married for 20 years I'm told what to do all day every day.

And yes we have given the power to the USASF to tell us what to do and I agree with 95% of what comes down from them it is just my opinion that this is one area that they should leave alone rather then impose their "image" on people that don't need or want it.
My program will comply in as much as we will suggest the "guidlines" be followed to the letter and if i am asked to remind a memer of one of my teams i will be an obedient soldier and do so, but I think that my parents have a wonderful sense of right and wrong and I am sure they already do what is right for their children.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

Fair enough.

 

[Coach Troy]

Then does that mean they don't have to follow the USASF safety guidelines if they are a USASF sanctioned event?

Yeah cause they have chosen to be sanctioned
But they could also choose not too then they are free pick and choose.

 

[ptcheerboi]

At my gym, our kids have never been allowed to have on just their uniform tops at competitions. They are to wear the gym shirt for the season over their top. If they wear pants, their skirt may NOT hang over their pants. It is one or the other. Kids are also not allowed to wear Ugz or any other non cheer shoe while in uniform. Hair must be competition ready before arriving at the venue. No whispies on the sides of the head. It is all or nothing when in public. Kids will condition if they are caught in any form of uniform violation. No excuses are accepted. Hair must be in a high ponytail (meaning the top of your head) if it is not up, the child will have one chance to correct it. Coaches always have hair spray on hand. The logo on the bogo should be visible.. If it isn't, that means that the ponytail is not high enough. There are tutorials at the gym offered to show new athletes how to properly apply the make up. The kids will also condition if it is not applied properly.

 

[kristenthegreat]

While I was at Costco, I stood in line two rows from one of our athletes and her family. She, 11 years old, was "competition ready" with full make-up, hair, and uniform (no cover-up). For those that don't believe people talk, I heard these two comments in my line alone: "Why would any parent allow their daughter to walk around looking like a sk---" and "I didn't know streetwalkers had teams." These comments did not come from teens but, from 30-40 year old parents.

We're used to the uniform, make up, glitter, hair, and gi-normous bows but, the rest of the world...not so much. Look at your competition ready child from someone else's view, one that isn't familiar with the sport. It may give you a different perspective on covering your child up.

I do wonder, though, how much of that was the uniform and the rest of it was full-on makeup, hair and bow..

I'm used to living in NYC, where anything I do is only half as shocking as some of the stuff that's out there. (Red lipstick? I'm so boring...) If I take red lipstick to my hometown, my mum tries to tell me to tone it down a wee bit..

 

[CheerBank]

While I was at Costco, I stood in line two rows from one of our athletes and her family. She, 11 years old, was "competition ready" with full make-up, hair, and uniform (no cover-up). For those that don't believe people talk, I heard these two comments in my line alone: "Why would any parent allow their daughter to walk around looking like a sk---" and "I didn't know streetwalkers had teams." These comments did not come from teens but, from 30-40 year old parents.

We're used to the uniform, make up, glitter, hair, and gi-normous bows but, the rest of the world...not so much. Look at your competition ready child from someone else's view, one that isn't familiar with the sport. It may give you a different perspective on covering your child up.

I think that's such a huge part of it. We are so used to it all that we aren't able to see how it truly looks through an outsider's eyes.
Now take the same child - with the make-up, hair comp-ready and bow in place -and put them in a warm-up jacket and pants. People might still stop and stare at the hair and make-up but I'm pretty sure they will not get the same negative reactions as when she was wearing only the uniform.

 

[acheer]

World Cup has always had Warm Ups as well as program shirts. World Cup has always had a dress code as well. Nothing new for this gym..

Yeah i agree it would look better to collect an award but there is no harm in wearing warm ups - did you watch the olympics all athletes collected their medals in warm up clothes!

 

[catlady]

I do wonder, though, how much of that was the uniform and the rest of it was full-on makeup, hair and bow..

I'm used to living in NYC, where anything I do is only half as shocking as some of the stuff that's out there. (Red lipstick? I'm so boring...) If I take red lipstick to my hometown, my mum tries to tell me to tone it down a wee bit..

kristenthegreat I don't think it is one particular thing. I do believe it is when you put it all together in the "competition ready" package that outsiders look at our children with critical eyes. Bright red lipstick, blush that goes beyond what a clown would ever wear, eye make up that has more bling than a rap artist and a Brazillian tan out of a can. Then put that with big hair and a bow bigger than her head. Finish it off with a uniform with cut outs, bling, cropped, short, and what do you have? A girl that simply looks adorable to us in the cheer world but, to the rest of the world, they see a child looking like they're ready to work the Blvd. I have to agree with CheerBank when she said a warm-up would probably deter a lot of the criticism.

Let's face it, the athletic, fit, tan body in a tight, short, cropped, blinged out uniform is going to draw a lot more attention from everyone, than a made up face, huge hair, and gi-normous bow in a head to toe warm up. I will be the first one to admit, I will miss seeing the uniforms but, I think this rule is worth it for the sport in the long run.

 

[Jule]

but that does not make it there event....

No one eats my casserole!

(sorry, had to )

 

[cheermeup]

We've already competed and our gym follows guidelines set forth by USASF.

After reading some of these comments, I'm glad that our gym follows all guidelines. It's not the gym's job to raise my child, but I am thankful that the gym follows rules no ifs, ands, or buts. I think kids are growing up with disrespect, which I realize is a whole 'nother topic. I don't understand questioning and challenging the rules/guidelines on a forum, because that's not going to change anything. I teach my kids that rules are rules and you need to suck it up and follow them, if you have issues with them go to the source respectfully for clarification.

That being said....our gym provided really cute tshirts for the kids and coaches. I got more compliments on my daughters tshirt than her new uniform, because everyone had already seen her uniform on here or on Facebook. The new uniform made a huge impact seeing it full on for the first time with a team wearing it walking onto the stage. There were no logistical problems with the tshirts. When I took her to meet her team, I took her shirt and some of the shirts from the other girls and gave them to their moms who were still in the competition hall. After the kids competed, they went and got their shirts out of their bags or from their moms and put them back on, same process for awards.

I liked seeing our kids walk around in their shirts, they looked uniform, and the shirts didn't seem to affect anyone's happiness at the event. It was refreshing. I used to have to text coaches at my old gym to have them text kids who were walking around in sports bras or spankies.

I feel like the cover shirts did their job, our kids looked uniform, athletic and wholesome.