All-Star Alcohol/drugs At Worlds

"I understand my position as a role model for my team and will conduct myself in a professional manner at all times; and I understand that my behavior is subject to disciplinary action if it violates the USASF Professional Responsibility Code"




I fully support this policy and feel that it is about time this happened. This did not happen on a whim. This is Worlds. It is supposed to have the best of the best teams. Like it or not, the athletes and coaches at this event are role models. They represent their gyms and the USASF. Athletes and coaches are there to compete in a sporting event. It is not a gigantic party. Previous behavior of athletes and coaches and gym owners (I'm not naming names, but you know who you are) are exactly why this policy has been put into place. Flaunting it over social media doesn't help. I am pretty sure the resort and park got sick of the behavior too. Remember, there are other guests there who have nothing to do with Worlds. There were probably tons of complaints. People on vacation don't want to be around a bunch of drunk/high teens and young adult cheerleaders acting like fools either. The rest of the world is clueless about this event or when it happens. And it is not a good way to represent this sport.

If you can't control your behavior for 4 days and act professionally, you have a serious problem. And it is perfectly fine to expect adults to act professionally for 4 days. There are many work conferences that expect adults to behave in an appropriate manner. Failure to maintain decorum at events like this usually result in unemployment. I see this as nothing different.

Can anyone expand on the no smoking rule? That is the only one I don’t really understand! I get no drugs or drinking because they impact a persons ability to function but smoking to me doesn’t make sense. Are they just trying to implement an umbrella rule for any substances that could be potientally given to a minor?

justcheering said:

Can anyone expand on the no smoking rule? That is the only one I don’t really understand! I get no drugs or drinking because they impact a persons ability to function but smoking to me doesn’t make sense. Are they just trying to implement an umbrella rule for any substances that could be potientally given to a minor?

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I don't smoke but from past experiences with weekend comps on an Open team, several athletes did. They struggled not having a cigarette for a day, so I think that one may cause a bunch of issues for people. Is the no smoking thing maybe to do with Disney banning cigarettes and vaporizers in the parks though?

WinstonsGirl said:

It was also stated that USASF are reasonable people (though popular opinion on social media may disagree - yes, she actually said something like that). If you're being a jerk about it, sure they'll look at harsher punishments, but if you're respectful, polite, they won't. It's also about the severity of the offence. They're not going to ban a gym for 3 years for 1 21+ athlete having a smoke, is my guess. Treat this like police. If you're respectful, you generally get off with a warning/ticket. If you're a jerk to them, they start looking for more, at least that's my feeling about this

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I’m ambivalent about this part, because I think that if the rules are not applied uniformly there is little point to having such drastic consequences to the rules. While I agree that blatant disrespect can and should be handled differently, I also see this as a way to not enforce consequences for a variety of other reasons. And I guess I’m cynical enough to believe that there will continue to be Athletes/Programs that are immune from consequences. I think it is acceptable for an athlete organization to set forth standards for conduct, but I feel like the past few rounds of USASF image campaigns ring hollow. I get the distinct impression that USASF is trying to revamp their own image more than they are trying to guide, or improve the sport for the athletes.

TealArmySparkle said:

I don't smoke but from past experiences with weekend comps on an Open team, several athletes did. They struggled not having a cigarette for a day, so I think that one may cause a bunch of issues for people. Is the no smoking thing maybe to do with Disney banning cigarettes and vaporizers in the parks though?

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Sorry to double post. But it will likely be an issue for any smokers. Disney properties are going to continue to have smoking areas, just not as many. And I don’t know when the rules were made public, but to quit smoking in 2 weeks would be pretty difficult. All the same, I can’t imagine being a hard core smoker and having the endurance to compete @ world’s.

Knowcheering said:

They probably think that if they make the punishment so severe, it will really deter anyone from thinking of breaking the rules. And for the most part, they’re right. But you still might get a clown or two who doesn’t believe they’ll get caught and tries to drink anyway. And it seems pretty brutal to punish an entire team or organization (and their parents who are paying for Worlds) based on the actions of one idiot.

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I think the overarching threat is just there to make kids think twice and maybe more prone to policing each other. It’s like my lateness policy: if a girl’s late, the team runs laps until she gets there. And she has to deal with the resentment of her teammates which is way more effective than any lecture I could come up with. And in the fifteen minutes before practice I hear a lot of, “Hurry up and change because I AM NOT running for you.” Same idea: when kids realise it’s not just their butts on the line, they shape up because they don’t want their peers mad at them.

I think they are going to enforce the alcohol and drug part of this. I don't think they really can enforce the smoking part if you are not in uniform and at the venue. If Disney is smoke free on property or has designated smoking places, I think that is where smoking will happen. There is no real way to enforce this part unless you are unwise enough to post about it on social media.

quietmom said:

I think they are going to enforce the alcohol and drug part of this. I don't think they really can enforce the smoking part if you are not in uniform and at the venue. If Disney is smoke free on property or has designated smoking places, I think that is where smoking will happen. There is no real way to enforce this part unless you are unwise enough to post about it on social media.

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Yeah I’m not sure how they’re going to enforce the smoking rule. It’s definitely the least offensive of the substances they’re trying to ban. Personally I don’t mind if a kid smokes as long as they’re adults, they keep it self-contained, and it’s the right place/time. I mean smoking is terrible for you, but it’s legal and does not affect your judgment. So of all the potential stressors at Worlds, this seems to be one of the most benign ones.

quietmom said:

I am pretty sure the resort and park got sick of the behavior too. Remember, there are other guests there who have nothing to do with Worlds. There were probably tons of complaints. People on vacation don't want to be around a bunch of drunk/high teens and young adult cheerleaders acting like fools either. The rest of the world is clueless about this event or when it happens. And it is not a good way to represent this sport.

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CP is a teenager. And as people who like to go to Disney, we have known since she was a toddler and before she was ever interested in AS, that certain weeks were cheerleader weeks and to avoid Disney during those weeks. If the behavior has gotten worse in the past 10 years ( and social media makes me believe that it has) then you'd better believe that Disney has gotten more and more complaints about it. For them it becomes an issue of ' is the money made by the cheerleaders more than what is being lost by the families who avoid Disney because of them' And if they have decided that the cheerleading weeks are a money loss then they will play a part in cracking down on whatever is causing it.

alpaca said:

CP is a teenager. And as people who like to go to Disney, we have known since she was a toddler and before she was ever interested in AS, that certain weeks were cheerleader weeks and to avoid Disney during those weeks. If the behavior has gotten worse in the past 10 years ( and social media makes me believe that it has) then you'd better believe that Disney has gotten more and more complaints about it. For them it becomes an issue of ' is the money made by the cheerleaders more than what is being lost by the families who avoid Disney because of them' And if they have decided that the cheerleading weeks are a money loss then they will play a part in cracking down on whatever is causing it.

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Just a thought: I don’t know if people would complain to Disney about it. It never made sense to me to complain to a business about their customers. Employees and services yes, customers no. And if there are complaints, I think there are probably way more paying/returning cheer customers that Disney would want to cater to more than any number of complainants.

ETA: not “cater to” like “Let them do whatever they want,” more like “Let’s find a reasonable solution that makes everyone happy” rather than an absolutist approach.

alpaca said:

CP is a teenager. And as people who like to go to Disney, we have known since she was a toddler and before she was ever interested in AS, that certain weeks were cheerleader weeks and to avoid Disney during those weeks. If the behavior has gotten worse in the past 10 years ( and social media makes me believe that it has) then you'd better believe that Disney has gotten more and more complaints about it. For them it becomes an issue of ' is the money made by the cheerleaders more than what is being lost by the families who avoid Disney because of them' And if they have decided that the cheerleading weeks are a money loss then they will play a part in cracking down on whatever is causing it.

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Sterling von Shimmer said:

Just a thought: I don’t know if people would complain to Disney about it. It never made sense to me to complain to a business about their customers. Employees and services yes, customers no. And if there are complaints, I think there are probably way more paying/returning cheer customers that Disney would want to cater to more than any number of complainants.

ETA: not “cater to” like “Let them do whatever they want,” more like “Let’s find a reasonable solution that makes everyone happy” rather than an absolutist approach.

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Two thoughts. The first is that customers do not have to complain verbally, only with their wallet. If Disney travel agents are being asked “is that a cheer week”, or if overall bookings are lower than in a comparable non-cheer week with a similar amount of student athletes, say a big TKD Nationals, that indicates the cheerleaders are part of the problem. They can also compare Worlds to UCA college nationals or Summit to NHSCC.

And the second is Disney employees. I have a friend who’s college student son did the Disney College Program, specifically at WWOS, and when he heard we were going, warned us that Cheer weeks are crazy weeks. Employees at All Star and Coronado would also be reporting back. Not to mention metrics like security calls, drunk driving incidents, etc. Disney keeps a lot of data. To be honest, even never having gone to a comp at Disney before, all of his complaints were things familiar to me from other STP comps (it is perfectly believable to me that lifeguards dread cheer weeks due to unaccompanied kids stunting and tumbling in and around the pool, for example, because I’ve seen that in every hotel we have stayed in for cheer comps since CP started rec cheer at age 4!). And, again, while he didn’t specify WHICH cheer weeks were bad, the folks who track that almost certainly know if it is harder to clean rooms due to glitter after Summit than after NHSCC, or if there are more drunk driving arrests duringWorlds than while the college teams are there.

Sterling von Shimmer said:

Just a thought: I don’t know if people would complain to Disney about it. It never made sense to me to complain to a business about their customers. Employees and services yes, customers no. And if there are complaints, I think there are probably way more paying/returning cheer customers that Disney would want to cater to more than any number of complainants.

ETA: not “cater to” like “Let them do whatever they want,” more like “Let’s find a reasonable solution that makes everyone happy” rather than an absolutist approach.

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Some families happily drop $10,000-$30,000 for a Disney vacation experience on a yearly basis. They aren't even unusual. If one group upsets enough of these families to the point where they are complaining about bad behavior, you can bet that Disney takes notice.

On many Disney travel blogs cheer competitions are written about as a time to avoid the parks. Most things I have read state that the kids are obnoxious unruly teens taking over the park. I haven’t had that experience but it’s how it is seen by others.

Kiermyc said:

On many Disney travel blogs cheer competitions are written about as a time to avoid the parks. Most things I have read state that the kids are obnoxious unruly teens taking over the park. I haven’t had that experience but it’s how it is seen by others.

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It’s not a good look for us, but I still resent the accusation that cheerleaders are the problem. It’s not cheerleaders specifically that are the problem, it’s the TONS AND TONS AND TONS of teenagers that happen to cheer. Some of these negative descriptions being thrown at them aren’t specific to cheerleaders, just teens in general. And teens are part of Disney’s target demo. So yeah, if you’re looking to go at a time when the park isn’t too busy, don’t go when a bunch of teenagers will also be paying customers. Same could be said of grad weeks or birthdays. A small part of me feels like this is latent cheer hate

Sterling von Shimmer said:

It’s not a good look for us, but I still resent the accusation that cheerleaders are the problem. It’s not cheerleaders specifically that are the problem, it’s the TONS AND TONS AND TONS of teenagers that happen to cheer. Some of these negative descriptions being thrown at them aren’t specific to cheerleaders, just teens in general. And teens are part of Disney’s target demo. So yeah, if you’re looking to go at a time when the park isn’t too busy, don’t go when a bunch of teenagers will also be paying customers. Same could be said of grad weeks or birthdays. A small part of me feels like this is latent cheer hate

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I totally agree and have set some people straight. We pay to be there also, this isn’t some free trip they just hand out to cheerleaders. But to be honest I skip the celebration party every year cause it is too many teenagers for me, especially after being at the arena all day.