All-Star Flyers

joespeach said:

So, where do we draw the line?

What if your girl has the ability and at a gym that doesn't have a team to match her skill level? Hold her back or risk losing cred by putting a little girl on an older team? What's the answer?

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I don't mind if a small flyer is in the air if they have the talent to be there and the bases to match her size....but you have a good point about credibility. Who do they lose the cred with? Us or the judges? I honestly don't know if this bothers the judges as much as it does some of us.

i get so mad when this topic comes up because i am a flyer on a senior restricted team. i am 11 years old and one of the shortest. i was on that team not because of flying, because of my tumbling. i have tricks through to full. everybody assumes when they see a small flyer on a senior team that they were only put on there because of height. well most of the time they r WRONG! and most of the time, the small girls get stuck with the weak, not so great, bases. we can all say that the taller flyers look better on taller bases but sometimes it just doesnt happen that way.

cheerstalker2 said:

I so agree. A 7 year old on are sr 2 team came home and asked her mother what a BJ is? There are age limits on different levels for a reason, I feel it goes way beyond just tumbling/flying experience.

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As the mother of a fetus flyer, I have to question this as a valid point? Maybe instead our issue should be if our teenagers need to learn more restraint with their choice of topics around younger children. There may be a time and place for this conversation, but I really think any coach would agree that time is not on the cheer floor. Are you saying that teenagers should be segregated at all times from young children because of what might be heard? No, teenagers must keep their language appropriate when around younger children...which I'm sure they are capable of bc I have not heard many teenagers discussing BJ's around their Father at the dinner table.

I think teams should be formed around stunting, dancing, jumping, and tumbling skills. If a 12 year old matches up to the expectations of the coach in these areas for the Sr. age team....then enough said. For many years we have all seen level 5 routines choreographed to hide the beast base who couldn't throw a layout or land a standing back...but the coaches feel she serves a purpose. So just bc she meets a minimum height requirement she deserves to be on the worlds team more than a 12 year old stud? Let's leave the coaching to the coaches...and know that a team is like a puzzle where everyone fills a role. If the coaches thought a 15 year old could fill that spot better than a 12 year old....they would have done it.

I promise that is my only rant for the day!

Ya I dont like "Fetus Flyers" on sr. teams and that's all I have to say.

I'm not a fan of little flyers, except Gabi of course. I think it makes the skills look less difficult. Because if I look at a team doing a crazy stunt it's not impressive if it's a 50 lb girl because the bases can just throw them around.

I still want my junior in high school daughter flying, rather than losing her spot to jr. high girls just because they are smaller. Yes, the young girls are good and small, but our high school girls, small and tall, need to stay in the air too. They are going to be in college in the next year or two. They need the continued experience in the air. I am so glad we are at a gym that values our high school girls and will fly our tall flyers. They look beautiful in the air.

I don't like super small fliers in the air when they are sloppy and dont know how to hole their weight. But I dont think a girl should be counted out because of her height either. So if the girl is 4'10 and can hold her weight and be sharp by all means let her fly! But I looooove tall girls flying. In one of my stunt groups my flier is about 5'5" and she has super long legs and she looks gorgeous in the air.

I personally don't like when it looks like a "baby" is on the mat with senior teams. I do understand that if they deserve the spot they should be recognized however. I personally think teenage looking girls flying on senior teams makes the team look better though. That's just my own opinion.

I'm not talking about people that are just small either. I'm small for my age so I know people are just small. I don't mind when the flyer looks old enough for the team, or atleast don't look like a 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11 year old(maybe). The girls that look very young just don't look as good in the air as the older ones in my opinion. Gabi Butler looks old enough for that team in my opinion, yes she looks like the youngest, which she is, but she doesn't look like a baby.

I'd be more concerned with gyms having the same flyer on multiple teams on multiple levels.

Zombie thread.

If the smaller girl is age eligible and better able to get the job done she should get the spot, period. We have that attitude with every other position in cheer, so I don't understand why fitting should be different? The person in the best position to help the team win should be there. We wouldn't make the best jumper on the tram take a back row spot just because they are tall so why should this be any different?

cheer25mom said:

If the smaller girl is age eligible and better able to get the job done she should get the spot, period. We have that attitude with every other position in cheer, so I don't understand why fitting should be different? The person in the best position to help the team win should be there. We wouldn't make the best jumper on the tram take a back row spot just because they are tall so why should this be any different?

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And in the instance of my cp she is much denser than 100 's of girls that would want her spot but its hers because she is a good flyer and has good bases.
Dont let size/weight be the only excuse. Look at the entire picture including who the gym chooses to base and their abilities as well.
Sometimes coming down is a good option for some, but I look at it as filling a jop position and having a good track record, experience and talent should come before the label of to big to fly.

If you take all of the best bases on a team and put them together, nearly anyone could fly on that group. Of course, then all of your other groups (and the team's score) suffer immensely.

One can argue all day long about what is "fair" regarding who gets to fly. Unfortunately for some, physics doesn't care one bit about what is "fair". (For that matter, neither does the scoresheet.) Regardless of how you think it "ought" to be, the reality is that being incredibly small is a MASSIVE advantage when it comes to flying. It isn't the only thing that matters, but it is pretty far ahead of the next most important thing. It is like speed for a wide receiver, or height for a center in basketball.