All-Star Documentary On World Cup Twinkles!

I'm sure the pop Warner coaches in town just love Joelle

Regarding the covering of windows, parental drama ect. That's real life for coaches. Parents texting because they don't like placement. Criticizing (during practice and in the viewing area) because their kid isn't in a certain spot. I actually enjoyed the covering of the windows most, cause every coach in this sport can absolutely relate to it. That, and it's gratifying to know I am not alone in my feelings.

It doesn't matter which gym you are at, we are all dealing with the exact same issues. "Those" parents would not like to see a documentary on what coaches have to deal with lol. Of course, they wouldn't think we are talking about them.

krystynakrez said:

I might be making this up but I remember being on twitter and seeing that some of the current Stars were on that Twinkle team and they were saying how they had that voiceover in their routine and now they are Shooting Stars

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My CP was on the 2008 - 2009 Twinkle team with that VoiceOver and she is on Shooting Stars with 8 other girls from that team. So, a total of 9 Twinkles from that season are now Shooting Stars. I loved the documentary, it really showed what it was like to be a Twinkle Girl! This past season's team was fantastic and it was really enjoyable to watch, while The Star Ledger followed them all season. Bravo SL...you did a great job!!

NJ Coach said:

Regarding the covering of windows, parental drama ect. That's real life for coaches. Parents texting because they don't like placement. Criticizing (during practice and in the viewing area) because their kid isn't in a certain spot. I actually enjoyed the covering of the windows most, cause every coach in this sport can absolutely relate to it. That, and it's gratifying to know I am not alone in my feelings.

It doesn't matter which gym you are at, we are all dealing with the exact same issues. "Those" parents would not like to see a documentary on what coaches have to deal with lol. Of course, they wouldn't think we are talking about them.

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Don't get me wrong, I totally get it..... I know we have plenty of parents like that as well and I know the coaches get a bunch of crap over stuff they don't deserve bc the parents don't understand/don't care. However, we're one of the few places I've seen that doesn't cover the windows (if you happened to watch the CEA video in the other thread, you'll see what I mean). Now the coaches will definitely close a practice if they deem it necessary, but it doesn't happen often (however, I will say the only time they closed a practice on my daughter's team-last year-the results were amazing)

The Star-Ledger said:

Regarding the negative feedback on nj.com... There are a few -ok, a large handful - of people who go to that site determined to tear apart everything The Star-Ledger does. We try to ignore the trolls, and hope you can do the same. Engaging them in any kind of discussion just stokes the egos and makes them more insulting and outrageous.
And as you already know, some people will not understand what you do. And others are inexplicably threatened by a world where cheerleaders no longer stand on the sidelines.
Just go on doing what you do best, and be proud of what you do.

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Plus there are people who literally have nothing better to do than to troll sites all day long-with the sole intent to ignite "wars". Don't feed the trolls..most of them are doing it on purpose just to upset people. Feel sorry for them bc they have nothing better to do...bc really, how sad is that?! Ya know?

If I was a cheer coach running a team, I would have all closed practices. I don't believe in open practices. What I might do is strategically select certain days where perhaps the team will demo a new routine and then I'd open the window to have the parents watch and then maybe briefly explain that the routine could possibly change depending on how things are going. My thought is for those two or three hours you drive to the gym or you drive your kids drive to the gym and drop them off for practice, they are mine for those 2-3 hours and my job is to put those athletes in the best possible p0sition to be the most successful to the team. You are paying good money for them to be on the team and I want to have them in the best environment where they can concentrate on doing what they need to do. Parents have no need to see what's going on and all it does is distract the athletes. Especially the youger ones. I don't need parents watching nor do I see the need for parents to stick around to watch when they could be doing other things in those 2-3 hours.

Just finished watching the documentary...Very nice!! Much different impression than the article. I LOVED the single cheer dad..curling his daughter's hair!!! <3 <3 <3

tucknduck said:

If I was a cheer coach running a team, I would have all closed practices. I don't believe in open practices. What I might do is strategically select certain days where perhaps the team will demo a new routine and then I'd open the window to have the parents watch and then maybe briefly explain that the routine could possibly change depending on how things are going. My thought is for those two or three hours you drive to the gym or you drive your kids drive to the gym and drop them off for practice, they are mine for those 2-3 hours and my job is to put those athletes in the best possible p0sition to be the most successful to the team. You are paying good money for them to be on the team and I want to have them in the best environment where they can concentrate on doing what they need to do. Parents have no need to see what's going on and all it does is distract the athletes. Especially the youger ones. I don't need parents watching nor do I see the need for parents to stick around to watch when they could be doing other things in those 2-3 hours.

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While you may be right about the younger ones, my little one gets upset if we AREN'T there to watch her...more so than anything else. I told her at least we still got to see what they were working on the one time last season we had a closed practice (bc they did come over to the other gym and take turns showing us their stunt groups that they had been working on).

I don't mean to be rude, but do you have children? As a parent, who are you to say what "we" should be doing w/our time? Not every parent gets a chance to spend a lot of time w/their children (like working parents) and getting to watch their children is often a joyous thing. Also, some parents drive up to 2 hours to come to practice and you're telling me they should find something better to do w/their time in another city besides watch their child practice a sport they (the kids) love?

Mine Elite, Junior Elite, Youth Elite, Coed Elite, Senior Elite, etc.. have all done pretty respectfully for a gym that allows open practices. And while there are plenty of "those" types of parents, there are also plenty more who wind up becoming valuable friends thanks to being able to attend those practices.

xtremeteal4life said:

While you may be right about the younger ones, my little one gets upset if we AREN'T there to watch her...more so than anything else. I told her at least we still got to see what they were working on the one time last season we had a closed practice (bc they did come over to the other gym and take turns showing us their stunt groups that they had been working on).

I don't mean to be rude, but do you have children? As a parent, who are you to say what "we" should be doing w/our time? Not every parent gets a chance to spend a lot of time w/their children (like working parents) and getting to watch their children is often a joyous thing. Also, some parents drive up to 2 hours to come to practice and you're telling me they should find something better to do w/their time in another city besides watch their child practice a sport they (the kids) love?

Mine Elite, Junior Elite, Youth Elite, Coed Elite, Senior Elite, etc.. have all done pretty respectfully for a gym that allows open practices. And while there are plenty of "those" types of parents, there are also plenty more who wind up becoming valuable friends thanks to being able to attend those practices.

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Yes. I'm a parent. My CP Cheered 8 yrs before aging out and going off to college and a boy who played baseball for 12 yrs from tball thru hs varsity. I also coached some baseball when my boy was in little lesgue so I have seen a lot over the years. While i understand why we want to watch our kids doing mundane practices, i believe their focus should be on their coaches. If they're getting upset that mom can't see practice, then they're not focused on what they need to be focusing on. I saw the distraction of some kids when parents came ro watch practice. Some kids look to the stands for approval and that's not condusive to what the coaches are trying to teach the kids on the field.

As a caring parent, i too would've liked to watch my son's hs practices since i couldnt make all his games but I also knew he preferred i just go to the games and im sure most of the players felt that way. Same with my CP. Sure I wouldve maybe like to kill time and watch how they practice but i saw no point to it unless she told me she got a new skill and she asked me to stick around so she can throw it, then of course I would.

Again, I understand why parents like to stick around. I like watching practices too for the ssme reasons tou do Im sure most of it is harmless but there are also parents who do just to start trouble and that's not good for the them

xtremeteal4life said:

While you may be right about the younger ones, my little one gets upset if we AREN'T there to watch her...more so than anything else. I told her at least we still got to see what they were working on the one time last season we had a closed practice (bc they did come over to the other gym and take turns showing us their stunt groups that they had been working on).

I don't mean to be rude, but do you have children? As a parent, who are you to say what "we" should be doing w/our time? Not every parent gets a chance to spend a lot of time w/their children (like working parents) and getting to watch their children is often a joyous thing. Also, some parents drive up to 2 hours to come to practice and you're telling me they should find something better to do w/their time in another city besides watch their child practice a sport they (the kids) love?

Mine Elite, Junior Elite, Youth Elite, Coed Elite, Senior Elite, etc.. have all done pretty respectfully for a gym that allows open practices. And while there are plenty of "those" types of parents, there are also plenty more who wind up becoming valuable friends thanks to being able to attend those practices.

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I understand why you would want to watch your CP's practice, but that's not a right. Just because you pay lots of money and drive 2 hours doesn't mean you have a right to watch their practice. And parents making friends with other parents isn't the priority of any gym.

Your CP probably gets upset because she's used to having you there. If it was never an option or she had to get used to no parents viewing, she would probably adjust. As kids tend to do.

I'm not speaking to what style works better. Obviously every gym needs to decide for themselves. And what works for some gyms won't work for others. Maybe CEA has more respectful parents than other gym, I don't know. But if a gym believes "those" parents are becoming a problem, they have every right to close their practice.

Absolutely love this! Such a great documentary about what Allstar Cheer is really about and pretty much captured every aspect of the sport I can think of! I didn't expect many people outside of the cheer world to change their opinions on what our sport is about, so although very annoying to read, the comments didn't surprise me. A very big well done to The Star-Ledger and of course the Twinkles!

The only part I didn't really like, other than the already mentioned bit where Jamie Parrish mentioned popularity, was when some of the girls were talking about feeling like 'Cheerlebrities' at competitions. I hate hearing that word and it saddened me that they're already thinking about their Cheerlebrity status'. They are of course such an amazingly talented group of young cheerleaders though, no doubt!

codycheerbabex said:

The only part I didn't really like, other than the already mentioned bit where Jamie Parrish mentioned popularity, was when some of the girls were talking about feeling like 'Cheerlebrities' at competitions. I hate hearing that word and it saddened me that they're already thinking about their Cheerlebrity status'. They are of course such an amazingly talented group of young cheerleaders though, no doubt!

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They (coaches, parents) may want to nip that one in the bud fast, I agree. I certainly would.

Kudos to The Star-Ledger for such a great film piece. Network TV should take lessons from you. I thought from start to finish it was entertaining but also objective, and showed all of the good, and some of the negative of all-star cheer - which IMO is not a bad thing. I have always had the utmost respect for the entire World Cup organization, and seeing how the coaches conduct their practices and handle competitions confirmed my views.
On a side note: I have to laugh at the irony of the title of this documentary, the Twinkles "Chasing Perfection" and tile of TLC's "Cheer Perfection"....seems like it should be the other way around!

quitthedrama said:

Kudos to The Star-Ledger for such a great film piece. Network TV should take lessons from you. I thought from start to finish it was entertaining but also objective, and showed all of the good, and some of the negative of all-star cheer - which IMO is not a bad thing. I have always had the utmost respect for the entire World Cup organization, and seeing how the coaches conduct their practices and handle competitions confirmed my views.
On a side note: I have to laugh at the irony of the title of this documentary, the Twinkles "Chasing Perfection" and tile of TLC's "Cheer Perfection"....seems like it should be the other way around!

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Stop reading my mind!

I really enjoyed watching this with my CP's who just so happen to be on Youth Elite. We met Bella and a few of the other Twinkles in Dallas in 2010 and have remained friends. This documentary is a very good portrayal of the youth 5 world. All of these girls are very young and talented individuals. Regardless of the rivalries we may have on the mat, we love our twinkle friends! And we always know they will be a tough competitor