All-Star Advice,

yes, have the conversation. It may make you feel differently. If not, switch. This is CP's last year. We've been on a 10 year run at this. We switched gyms year 3, 9 years old, Y2 to Y2 and my kid has always been a main base, and we have stayed at the gym we switched to for the past 8 seasons. It's a lot of money, it's a lot of time. It's miserable to spend a season miserable. And when I was conflicted about switching gyms I asked myself if I was going to be miserable and make others miserable and wished I would have given the gym switch a shot? Answer to myself was yes. CP had to decide. I took her to tumbling class at new to us gym. CP finally decided after a month of tumbling there that, yes, she, too, would also like to switch. It's hard. You've made friends, you may even have a travel buddy. You and your CP will make new friends. You will have learned a few things along the way. Lots of folks are switching right now locally. Choreography has happened and people now decide if they are in for the other roughly, what, 5-$6000 more for what the rest of the season will cost in travel, etc., or they want to give a new gym a shot. Best advice I was given here privately by a poster I respect and still have a friendship with is be honest about the reasons you are leaving with the gym you are leaving. Feelings will be hurt. Give it a while for people to get over it. Sometimes a kid blooms with a fresh start. CP's gym, they welcome the folks back that left now.

It's not only about tumbling. Do they have need of a base? Weigh your options at least. If you-all are at one of those gyms that the level 1 team is so stacked it's ridiculous, ride it out and have a conversation in April next year and find out what their thoughts are on your daughter for next year as far as placement, they seriously know by then. She's trying out all year. Good luck.

When my CP was 9 she just about made a level 2 half year team. She got better during the season and had solid level 2 tumbling. Then tried out for full year when she was 10. She was placed on level 1. We just didn't want to spend all that time & money for a level she wasn't happy with. She got offered a spot on Y2 at another gym. She took it and had a great season.

This year at tryouts she had level 3 skills but was put on Y2 again. The practice times didn't work with school cheer. We were going to take a break from allstar but she did a camp and got offered a spot on Y3 at another gym. We love it there and I hope we will stay there for many years! (She has already said she doesn't have to move up to level 4 straight away lol.)

Try to talk to them, also see what else is around. Go with your gut feeling. Do what you think is best for your CP and you.

Is it possible that there is a birthdate forcing the issue? At a small gym, a kid who is just over the line for junior vs youth or senior vs junior can sometimes end up on a higher level team just due to there not being enough level 1 kids in that age group. It can seem inexplicable to the other parents.

Our opinion of what a team needs isn't always in line with the coach and the score sheet. My youngest could do a bhs, and running bhs her first year of level 2 and never tumbled. She was a slow tumbler and until she could speed up her tumbling, build up her stamina, get her feet together, do a cartwheel bhs, bwo bhs, forward roll bhs, valdez bwo bhs, and a solid specialty pass, she wasn't going to be able to benefit the team in tumbling. Seeing a kid blocking at a tumbling class tells you absolutely nothing about ratio's being met on a score sheet.

You said you spoke to the gym owner and they said, "she was doubting herself and needed more confidence." I'm not sure how talking to the owner a second time about the same season will provide you any further satisfaction, but if you think it will, go ahead. Before you do that, however, I would ask yourself and your daughter the question about what it is you're wanting out of cheer, you may find that your expectations aren't the same as the gym's expectations.

I would tell my daughter that they want you to be successful and right now they think this is where that will happen. Keep working hard and you can show them how positively you will contribute to other teams also. Then sure have a conversation but don't be surprised if you are unhappy with their answer. They may think she still needs to build more confidence to avoid another setback or maybe they need her on the level 1 team more than the level 2? Either way when you have the conversation try to only focus on your child without mentioning other children and what skills they do or don't have.

If you asked me