All-Star Ex All Star Cheerleaders

[whatsarisalee]

I miss my bows the most. Followed by a reason to curl my hair besides special occasions. I miss the tumbling too, but every once in a while you'll catch me up at Twisters tumbling.

 

[IloveSeniorElite]

College cheerleading made my motions horrid. I didn't realize how bad they were until I would watch myself in the mirror and be like wait my wrists are bent in my high V, seriously? And even though I graduated college in May, it has taken me this many years to figure out what I think went wrong.
I think part of it is in college we always cheered with poms, so much so that I actually forget how to spirit without them in my hand, what did I used to do? To hand your arms in a high V you kind of have to have broken wrists to shake poms. If you have straight arms and wrists and try to shake your poms, no only do they not really move, but your wrists looks bent when shaking your poms if they are straight and not broken. But when you break your wrists, your high V looks perfect and you can move your arms better.
I just went on a tangent about cheering with poms, I'm sorry, I am losing my mind. Oh, and also I can't do a jump or a backhandspring anymore. My point is, I miss being a real, all-star cheerleader.

 

[cheeeeer93]

There is nothing about cheering that I don't miss. The blue mat, the feeling that tiny second before the music starts, the sight of my coach jumping like crazy for us, the circle we did before competing encouraging each other, wearing my infinities (that I still won't get rid of), wearing bows I miss a lot, being out of breath for 2:30 just for that second after when you know you hit and did all you can do, getting up early for comps doing hair and makeup, traveling to competitions, the actual competitors and taking in their routines. I was always a person who paid a lot of attention to everyone competing. I miss it more than anything in the world and I'm sad I didn't start younger so I had more time. The bond you have with teammates is special and I know I won't find things like that elsewhere. 6 years is not enough at FCA (two prior at a lesser known gym).

THIS. I actually teared up a little. All the time at college people will ask me if I miss cheering and all I can say is "everyday". I miss stalking competition schedules and letting my coach know who we were competing against. I miss every little ritual I did with teammates before/when we got on the mat. I miss my rug burned knees during dance choreography that would eventually go away because I just got used to it. I miss the smell of excessive hairspray and tanning lotion. I miss screaming my heart out for other teams and thinking I lost my hearing after the noise at some competitions. I miss the long car rides with my mom on the way to competitions just talking, cheer related or not. I miss the family atmosphere of my gym through my teammates, other girls in the gym and most of all my coach. I miss being around people who understand this part of my life. Basically, there isn't one thing I don't miss.. I even kind of miss the occasional black eye just because I could have a story to tell at school and people had a glimmer of respect for my sport.

 

[ssccxnce]

this thread may or make me start crying. honestly i miss every single thing. i miss those moments when i was arguing in the car with my mom about how im going to be late and my coaches are going to murder me, i miss complaining about conditioning with my other teammates while we were running laps, i miss the inside jokes with the girls, i miss dressing up doing my makeup, the hair putting on my uniform and feeling completely untouchable even when i knew my team was going to do awful. i miss being in the practice room and hitting something that wasnt working at practice and feeling so totally confident about victory. if it wasnt for the fact that there aren't any gyms that close to me i would literally live in the gym.

 

[dmouth11]

I took a pause from allstars for 4 years. My college had the equivalent of a level 2.1 cheer team and I really had no time amidst the rigorous academics to help "build" the program. Thus, I jumped back to dance to stay in shape.

The Fierce Board certainly kept me alive those four years tho and kept me well informed on our sport. Post graduation, I jumped on the other side of the mat as a Coach for a year, but even that wasn't enough so I'm now a Coach and on my old program's IOC5.

The point in this tale is to say that there are a host of opportunities to stay in touch with the sport and there's almost never a reason to have to give it up after aging out. If you can't do an Open team or coach at a local gym, I'm almost positive that if you budget to attend a few comps every year (especially the right ones) and stay active on these boards, the sport will remain a strong presence. The other guys at work come in and discuss this team and that game blah blah... me? I have to wait till I can sign in here to peak weekend comp vids and share the excitement for MY fav sport, but that's totally fine w/ me. I love the allstar cheer community and the Fierce Board has been a central hub. =)

 

[cheertired]

I miss absolutly everything about this unique sport. I am on a D3 college team who are a level 2 in allstar world at best... I was used to a level 5 regimen. Its not the same and I hate it now.... I miss not being able to put on my all-star uniform, with all of the glitz and glam, and completly transform into another person. I miss being able to walk around in curlformers in my hair and a huge bow atop. I miss throwing elite stunts and tumbling as a team. I miss the nervous pee I would get every competiton. I miss going to a real competition and not an unorganized, horrible one. I miss pouring glitter all over my body, and covering my eyelids with it. I miss being able to talk to a different set of individuals who will work just as hard as you, coming to every team event with one heart and one desire. I miss being able to have people on a team who are all dedicated, amazing athletes. I hate being the only one on my college team who knows about anything all-star related. I still wear my bows to practice (the one and only....) To have someone who understands my cheer athletics sports bra... to have people who get cheerleading. Its not just a social hour.... I miss the feeling I would get every practice... and even hearing the two most scariest words in the world- "full out". Allstar cheer helped me find my only true place that I fit in and feel comfortable.... on that 9 panel cheer floor with a Jamfest backdrop. But most of all I miss being able to feel complete at a cheer competition. It was the one place that I truly felt amazing.... I would give anything to have Allstar cheerleading back in my life... college cheer just isnt cutting it.

 

[Tealxblack25]

I just pulled out my old uniform top and I thought about putting it on but I didnt. I just miss the atmosphere of being in a warm up area and bonding with my teammates before I go on :/ stinks getting oldddd

 

[Jj:*]

is there an age, where you get too old to still follow all-star?

 

[cheertired]

is there an age, where you get too old to still follow all-star?

I hope not....

 

[Jj:*]

I hope not....

mee too!!

 

[stretch!]

WHY THE RIBBONS? But honestly, nobody ever said the transition would be this hard...at the end of the day my passion is for one and the same, but it doesn't feel like it. I don't think this is something we will ever be able to truly let go of.

 

[Carson92]

I was never an excellent tumbler, but always enjoyed the sport of cheerleading. I know in all star, it's considered fabulous to be on a level 5 team - but I was always proud of when my lower level team could hit amazing routines. It just shows there's a lot to learn from this sport, regardless of the level. When I did improve my tumbling skills to the point where I could cheer at the collegiate level, I realized how much I missed the quirks of the all-star world. The love for the music, the lights, the make up and performing. Thank the lawd for fierceboard and youtube - I can continually to live my cheer dreams vicariously through others while I am in denial that I am getting old!

 

[Aussiekat]

I wish the USA offered something other than level 5 and 6 for 18+ athletes. 18 is too young to be told "no more". The transition into college, moving away, new friends, balancing work/study/life… even if you move to a new gym there's that familiarity and space to know that for the next two hours all you have to do is what you've done for the last five or ten years… work your heart out and forget about the world.

18 is just way too young to be told you're too old

 

[VTX]

I miss the friendships with those who have nothing to do with school live, I miss having my stress out let, I miss fighting for stunts. I coach now and when I have girls who don't get how to fight it drives me crazy and I just want to fill in and fight to make that stunt work, occasionally I show them how it's done
And I will forever miss BIG BOWS!

 

[UEAcheerchick]

I wish the USA offered something other than level 5 and 6 for 18+ athletes. 18 is too young to be told "no more". The transition into college, moving away, new friends, balancing work/study/life… even if you move to a new gym there's that familiarity and space to know that for the next two hours all you have to do is what you've done for the last five or ten years… work your heart out and forget about the world.

18 is just way too young to be told you're too old

I feel like 18 is pretty young for a lot of the things you have to deal with at that age