- Apr 2, 2011
- 2,210
- 4,495
Okay, so this is gonna be a little ranty but I really want to see what everyone think and I think this is an important question to ask. So bear with me.
So instead of calling out teams Im going to use my own experience as to not be rude to any program, but Im sure everyone knows at least one team where this applies.
So I remember once there was a girl on my team who landed wrong and really hurt her ankle -like tore a ligament and broke something- and finished the routine anyways. She was in the group I based with and me and the second and I watched her struggle through the whole stunt, moaning and wincing and generally in pain. But she was a strong girl and a fighter and she finished anyways.
When the routine ended we picked her up off of the floor and carried her off. We were so sure that our coaches would be so proud!
Surprise! they werent. They were actually livid. Not at her, just at the situation. At the next practice we got this huge speech about how our coaches were like a parent with 30 kids or more, and how they ALWAYS put us and our health first.
One coach said that she would rather have one healthy kid than a thousand worlds rings, and then they pretty much beat into our head the difference between fighting through the pain (soreness, weakness, maybe a twisted ankle or something) and being injured and needing to stop.
It ended up being one of the most memorable cheer moments I had, I could easily write a term paper about the speeches they gave they were beautiful.
Now Im in college and my coach is kind of the opposite. She pressures me to do things Im not ready to do on my knee yet because we need fulls for nationals, she pressured a girl who had been having semi-regular seizures and was getting MRI's to figure out what was wrong to "push through the pain" because she had a double basket, the list goes on.
Then I see a video where two girls get injured and leave the stage and no one stops the routine!
I also remember a girl getting kicked in the head on a relatively big name team and looking visibly dazed and confused (concussion anyone?), but no one stopped the music and she kept going!
It just seems like a lot of people in the sport tend to believe that "Pushing through the pain" is something to be really proud of, and to a certain extent I agree, but these are these kids formative years! When their bodies are still maturing and growing! An injury that isn't properly treated can lead to lifelong pain and problems.
So, the question: Do you all think this is an issue? Or am I seeing a problem where there isn't one?
When do you want your kids to stop and ask for help/a break?
How much pain is too much?
Input please! I really am curious as to what other people think!
So instead of calling out teams Im going to use my own experience as to not be rude to any program, but Im sure everyone knows at least one team where this applies.
So I remember once there was a girl on my team who landed wrong and really hurt her ankle -like tore a ligament and broke something- and finished the routine anyways. She was in the group I based with and me and the second and I watched her struggle through the whole stunt, moaning and wincing and generally in pain. But she was a strong girl and a fighter and she finished anyways.
When the routine ended we picked her up off of the floor and carried her off. We were so sure that our coaches would be so proud!
Surprise! they werent. They were actually livid. Not at her, just at the situation. At the next practice we got this huge speech about how our coaches were like a parent with 30 kids or more, and how they ALWAYS put us and our health first.
One coach said that she would rather have one healthy kid than a thousand worlds rings, and then they pretty much beat into our head the difference between fighting through the pain (soreness, weakness, maybe a twisted ankle or something) and being injured and needing to stop.
It ended up being one of the most memorable cheer moments I had, I could easily write a term paper about the speeches they gave they were beautiful.
Now Im in college and my coach is kind of the opposite. She pressures me to do things Im not ready to do on my knee yet because we need fulls for nationals, she pressured a girl who had been having semi-regular seizures and was getting MRI's to figure out what was wrong to "push through the pain" because she had a double basket, the list goes on.
Then I see a video where two girls get injured and leave the stage and no one stops the routine!
I also remember a girl getting kicked in the head on a relatively big name team and looking visibly dazed and confused (concussion anyone?), but no one stopped the music and she kept going!
It just seems like a lot of people in the sport tend to believe that "Pushing through the pain" is something to be really proud of, and to a certain extent I agree, but these are these kids formative years! When their bodies are still maturing and growing! An injury that isn't properly treated can lead to lifelong pain and problems.
So, the question: Do you all think this is an issue? Or am I seeing a problem where there isn't one?
When do you want your kids to stop and ask for help/a break?
How much pain is too much?
Input please! I really am curious as to what other people think!