All-Star Is It A Failure To Not Progress?

[Pebbles49]

No, it's not. Some kids progress faster than others. Some take longer. Some just don't want to progress. Personally, I think that if kids progress a level a year, they are going to backtrack at some time or another. That's just based on what I've seen and read over the years. It can take a couple years, or more, to feel confident in your ability and to really perfect your skills. That's perfectly OK with me.


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Hey Dawgshow, I am kind of stumped by the comments you made about kids not wanting to progress to the next level... Isn't this suppose to be 'Competitive' cheerleading? Why would anyone be content to stay at the same level year after year, and furthermore, if this is your child, why not put them in a sport that is less expensive and can be more like a hobby ('Recreational' Cheerleading)... Additionally, I still consider myself a newbie in this sport- (2+years), Explain why a child who was progressing level to level each year will need to backtrack at some point...I can see, reaching level 5 and hitting a ceiling, but needing to back track...I just do not get it!!!

 

[busycrazycheermom]

there are kids aging out this year who have spent 14 years in the sport. there's 5 levels. it'll be okay if you have to spend more than one season at the same level. the world isn't over if you get to level 3 or 2 or 1 and stop. it's only a failure when you stop learning.

I totally agree with this... with 5 levels, if a kid starts on mini 1 at age 6 and moves up one level per year, winding up on youth 5 at age 10 - she'll spend the next 8 years at level 5. Obviously she hasn't failed to progress for those 8 years! (Or as I like to tell my CPs, pace yourself, cupcake... you got years and years to go!)

I have one CP on level 2 who very much wants to move up to level 3 for the upcoming year, but I think she would benefit quite a bit more from one more year at level 2. Her tumbling - both her level 2 and level 3 skills - could only improve with the extra year of work, so that when she does move up she is rock solid with those level 3 skills rather than crossing her fingers and hoping for the best every time she throws them. And as a flyer, one more year at level 2 will only strengthen her technique and body awareness, and literally strengthen her body even more as well. All good things before the big jump from level 2 to level 3 stunting.

I am ALL for taking a year to really perfect one level before moving right along to the next one!

 

[Jenniturtle]

my CP has a friend who goes to the same classes as my daughter, her friend made the school team while my CP did not. My child who started cheering for the first time last October has her ROBHS while the other child does not have her BHS. the girls mom wanted to take her to another gym because she wasn't progressing fast enough. I explained to her that no gym no matter how great can get your child to the level they want to be on. Only the child themselves can work to achieve their goals. Her child skips classes while mine is hungry for them and is super excited when she masters a skill. Don't blame the gym, the color of the mats on the floor or the coaches. It comes down to hard work and sometimes a little luck.

 

[Pebbles49]

there are kids aging out this year who have spent 14 years in the sport. there's 5 levels. it'll be okay if you have to spend more than one season at the same level. the world isn't over if you get to level 3 or 2 or 1 and stop. it's only a failure when you stop learning.

Hey njallday, I must disagree with you on the matter of whether it is failure, I will be quite concern, if my child, after 14 years in a 'Competitive' sport was only able to accomplish 1 or 2 levels in that sport... If we are looking at AS cheerleading as a competitive sport... Shouldn't we be pushing our children to strive to be the best at it or considered recreational forms of cheerleading... As a newbie, I would think we will want our children to strive to want that NCA or Summit recognition and not be able to say, Oh yeah, I used to be a All star Cheerleader, but we only competed against our neighbor around the corner...Just Saying!

 

[BigBow]

Hey njallday, I must disagree with you on the matter of whether it is failure, I will be quite concern, if my child, after 14 years in a 'Competitive' sport was only able to accomplish 1 or 2 levels in that sport... If we are looking at AS cheerleading as a competitive sport... Shouldn't we be pushing our children to strive to be the best at it or considered recreational forms of cheerleading... As a newbie, I would think we will want our children to strive to want that NCA or Summit recognition and not be able to say, Oh yeah, I used to be a All star Cheerleader, but we only competed against our neighbor around the corner...Just Saying!

Being a level 1 or 2 doesn't mean you can't be bomb and win NCA or the summit in those divisions.

Level 5 does NOT equal success.

 

[dawgshow]

Hey Dawgshow, I am kind of stumped by the comments you made about kids not wanting to progress to the next level... Isn't this suppose to be 'Competitive' cheerleading? Why would anyone be content to stay at the same level year after year, and furthermore, if this is your child, why not put them in a sport that is less expensive and can be more like a hobby ('Recreational' Cheerleading)... Additionally, I still consider myself a newbie in this sport- (2+years), Explain why a child who was progressing level to level each year will need to backtrack at some point...I can see, reaching level 5 and hitting a ceiling, but needing to back track...I just do not get it!!!

From my experience kids who progress quickly tend to block at some time. Certainly not every child but quite a few. Why? I don't know. I have my theories though.
As for not wanting to progress, some kids may reach a level and find that they really enjoy what they are doing so they have no desire to work harder. Personally I'm fine with this. Not everyone has the drive to be an elite athlete. Rec and all star are so different that I don't see how you can say "don't want to be L5? Go do rec". Not everyone has to be "the best"

ETA: burn out is also a serious consideration when pushing anyone to excel. Especially when you expect a quick progression.


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[a_cheer_leaderxo]

Hey njallday, I must disagree with you on the matter of whether it is failure, I will be quite concern, if my child, after 14 years in a 'Competitive' sport was only able to accomplish 1 or 2 levels in that sport... If we are looking at AS cheerleading as a competitive sport... Shouldn't we be pushing our children to strive to be the best at it or considered recreational forms of cheerleading... As a newbie, I would think we will want our children to strive to want that NCA or Summit recognition and not be able to say, Oh yeah, I used to be a All star Cheerleader, but we only competed against our neighbor around the corner...Just Saying!

I cheered for around 9 years (recently stopped in Feb due to various reasons) and finished on a highly competitive Senior 2 team at what is considered to be one of the top gyms in the UK. When I started competing I was in the 'Novice' division which I guess is the equivalent to Level 1 so I 'was only able to accomplish 1 or 2 levels'. During that time, especially from the 2010/11 season when I moved to my last gym, I won regional, national and grand national titles. I was pushed in the best way to aim high and accomplish skills but for me that didn't come naturally so I finished cheer with a cartwheel.

Did I want to be on a higher level team? Yes. Did I want to some day end up at Worlds? Of course. But things don't always work out that way, I still considered myself to be part of a competitive sport even though I didn't rise up the levels as most other people did. Just because I didn't progress much it doesn't mean that I should have considered recreational cheer or that my time as a cheerleader was a 'failure'

Why can't a cheerleader say in the same level for more than one season? I was level 2 for my whole time at my last gym (3 1/2 seasons) and in one of those seasons, at one of our nationals, the junior 2 team I was on scored 291 out of 300 which was the highest score of the whole entire competition. There is more to cheer than what level you are on, if you are at the right gym, then level 1/2 can feel like you are on level 5 and I am so glad my parents kept me in the sport and supported me for as long as they did.

(I'm sorry if I misread you post or took it the wrong way but I felt I needed to answer as it's a very 'close to home' issue for me)

 

[retiredl5cheer]

Hey Dawgshow, I am kind of stumped by the comments you made about kids not wanting to progress to the next level... Isn't this suppose to be 'Competitive' cheerleading? Why would anyone be content to stay at the same level year after year, and furthermore, if this is your child, why not put them in a sport that is less expensive and can be more like a hobby ('Recreational' Cheerleading)... Additionally, I still consider myself a newbie in this sport- (2+years), Explain why a child who was progressing level to level each year will need to backtrack at some point...I can see, reaching level 5 and hitting a ceiling, but needing to back track...I just do not get it!!!

All star cheerleading is a recreational sport. It is a hobby. The minute we stop treating it as one is the minute it stops being fun. I understand that there is a "medal for everyone" mentality these days that I don't agree with--but not progressing is not the same as settling for less and rewarding mediocrity. Cheer is just like other athletic activities...some kids just can't be the best. It could be because of motivation or it could be because they lack real athletic ability. Should they be encouraged to quit for rec cheer because they aren't worthy of all star? That seems a little harsh.

Even if an athlete doesn't progress to level 5, the benefit of being in the sport is huge. We put kids into cheerleading to learn respect, confidence and hard work, not just to cheer level 5 and go to Worlds. In a good gym, the only thing that level 5 teams have that others don't are the level 5 skills.

Please excuse me if I misinterpreted your posts. I know that you didn't intend to cause offense or harm. Your history as a poster shows that you do care about the kids and the sport. As a coach of level 1 teams, I just take offense because I have some kids that will never progress past level 1 or 2. Some may quit eventually, but others have a real passion for the sport and give 100%. They shouldn't feel like a failure because they never reached level 5.

 

[CheerBank]

I plugged 'progress*' in the search bar and this thread surfaced... I am wondering, since the last message was written almost 2 years ago... where do everybody stand on the idea of progression especially with tryout season upon us again... Is it still a failure to not progress to the next level?

I just read through this entire thread, wondering who bumped it! It is amazing to see how many familiar posters are still on here but in significantly different places from when they originally posted.

 

[Cheermom1969]

My daughter is 13 and started doing AS two years ago. She has been level 1 the last two years because tumbling does not come easily to her. She is working on perfecting her BHS and ROBHS. Do I stress that she's been in two years and isn't progressing quickly or at a pace some would seem acceptable? H*ll no. She has other talents that help her team tremendously, in my never humble mommy eyes. Dance? Kills it. She was center dancer this last year. Strong? Oh yes. Flyers love when she's their backspot.

Will I be super excited if she's on level 1 again this next season? Ugh, no. But it won't send me into SM mode. I'll accept it and so will she.

I get that tumbling is what everyone seems to measure a kid's "success" on, but it's not the only thing this sport is about. Each child will progress at their own pace. I know some parents want fast and now but as I'm learning, it's just not always the case.

 

[CheerBank]

From my experience kids who progress quickly tend to block at some time. Certainly not every child but quite a few. Why? I don't know. I have my theories though.
As for not wanting to progress, some kids may reach a level and find that they really enjoy what they are doing so they have no desire to work harder. Personally I'm fine with this. Not everyone has the drive to be an elite athlete. Rec and all star are so different that I don't see how you can say "don't want to be L5? Go do rec". Not everyone has to be "the best"

ETA: burn out is also a serious consideration when pushing anyone to excel. Especially when you expect a quick progression.


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Fully agree with this. This is cp's 4th season on a level 3, and is also on a level 4 this season. She's only 13 1/2. She has 4 full years of all-star cheer left if she doesn't super senior. Her progression has been steady but not at a ridiculous pace, she loves the sport more than ever (this is her 8th season), and I'd truly be shocked if she burned out at any point soon. And I think that is because she has not progressed at a ridiculous speed only to see others who were once behind her catch up or surpass her (which we often see with those amazing 8 year olds who are just naturally talented). But who knows - maybe I will be looking back on this thread in 2 years, smh at this post.

 

[Cheermom1969]

Ignore. Posted twice. Grrrr

 

[dawgshow]

I just read through this entire thread, wondering who bumped it! It is amazing to see how many familiar posters are still on here but in significantly different places from when they originally posted.

Funny how life can change you


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[BuegeSmalls]

I don't think that we should base tumbling just tumbling on progress. Maybe a girl started with an awful toe touch at the start of the season and by the end has hyper extended jumps, but she just can seem to master her standing tuck.
Or take a girl that has never flown before and by the end of the season she has a double down. That shows progress to me.

Tumbling wise I've probably digressed over the years because of stupid mental block. Sure I can do those jumps to a tuck but i just can't seem to get that round off back handspring tuck. But I've become a much better stunter & jumper over the years, which shows progress
This is just my view on things

Two years later and I still agree with what I had to say, but I can proudly say I got over that awful mental block on round off backhand tucks & standing handspring tucks....actually I got over it around a week after I posted my original message. Interesting.

 

[CheerBank]

Two years later and I still agree with what I had to say, but I can proudly say I got over that awful mental block on round off backhand tucks & standing handspring tucks....actually I got over it around a week after I posted my original message. Interesting.

Maybe you set yourself free...