All-Star Is This What The Future Looks Like?

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Sorry I am tardy to the party! I was out of town all weekend and sick all of today. Anyway, I have several MAJOR questions...

Can anyone tell me the benefit of this? What good will come of this? Why does ANYONE have to control? Why is there a race to get control of the international sport of cheer? Can anyone just answer WHY?

Everyone has commented on all the other posts here but NO ONE has defended or answered why this is good?

Lets look at how this story unfolds. I see a governing body who is owned and controlled by a for profit vendor. The governing body goes against protocol and posts these outlandish rules (right around the time this FIG and ICU are under negotiations for this SportsAccord thing). THEN there is a push for this new sport STUNT to become main stream.

Am I missing anything?

Without anyone coming out and saying "ATTENTION ALL GYM OWNERS: We are trying to secure the sport of Stunt to position cheerleading in the hands of the people who know it and run it to save gym owners businesses, etc" We get nothing but an announcement saying here's a new sport.

To all you stunt fans out there, I don't know how things roll in your neck of the woods, but a sport of this nature could NOT ALLOW teams to train at gyms (Bye Bye, Money!), could phase out choreography or what you can charge for choreography (Bye Bye, Money!), could all together rule out creative choreography and go compulsory (Bye Bye, Money!) and could not allow dual participation during season (Bye Bye, Money!)

Gyms already have to compete with high school teams for kids in all star. I can't tell you how many kids we lost in Illinois to High School cheer, and now there would be one more thing to keep them from doing All Star Cheer. Weather this is an intentional side effect or not it is a HUGE possibility.

I know I can't be the I the only one who see's it this way? Can anyone put in writing these things would never happen and that myself and other colleagues I have talked to about this are crazy? If so, I think myself, along with other gym owners and coaches could rest easy!


I don't get it. What does any of this have to do with STUNT? Nothing....
 
I posted above exactly what this has to do with Stunt. Perhaps reread my post.

I've read your post. Multiple times. I still fail to see how this has anything to do with STUNT. Unless you're saying that these "outlandish" changes were made to seem so crazy that they'll push people to support STUNT.

But in reality, these changes aren't even that outlandish. ICU already does a cheer. The only major change is that there won't be partner stunt because the FIG thinks it's too much like acrobatics. In which case, they're not going to support STUNT either because the pyramids are basically acrobatics as well.

In either case, this still has literally nothing to do with all-star cheer, which is a club sport.
 
I posted above exactly what this has to do with Stunt. Perhaps reread my post.
I think her point is that this new release has to do with ICU style (which is more like a college style set up) than STUNT. I don't think STUNT will pan out the way that expected. STUNT's scoring system sucks and it's currently in ADDITION to sideline AND competition teams. They have tried to push it in my area and it's being shot down like a full body onesy uniform with footies. STUNT isn't complying with what the NCAA standard is for a "sport" by the way of Title IX. NCATA on the other hand is. But I don't see NCATA format playing out on the high school level.

The way I see this playing out is that ICU will be ONE team represented by each country to represent on a regional/national/world level.

I see this as Broadway for a dancer. Do they not join a studio? Yes. Do they compete a Broadway show? No, they compete in tap, jazz etc. Group numbers to PREPARE them to hopefully be on Broadway.

I think all-star gyms will just have one more carrot to place in front of their athletes. I don't think STUNT will have any correlation to ICU, because the way STUNT and ICU are currently set up there is no correlation.

To my knowledge STUNT and NCATA have been told to work together, which STILL hasn't happened. Honestly my fear is that they will both crash and burn bc they are BOTH stubborn.

I see this "agreement" the equivalent of it said NCA/UCA college cheerleading is a now considered a "sport" (which I would honestly prefer). Its the equivalent "style" and affect to all-stars.
 
I've read your post. Multiple times. I still fail to see how this has anything to do with STUNT. Unless you're saying that these "outlandish" changes were made to seem so crazy that they'll push people to support STUNT.

But in reality, these changes aren't even that outlandish. ICU already does a cheer. The only major change is that there won't be partner stunt because the FIG thinks it's too much like acrobatics. In which case, they're not going to support STUNT either because the pyramids are basically acrobatics as well.

In either case, this still has literally nothing to do with all-star cheer, which is a club sport.
Actually, I can see a fair bit of it having to do with allstar:
Being an allstar kid definitely ups your chances at cheering for one of the bigger competitive colleges. I'm not saying it's the ONLY way- I bet there are plenty of talented non-AS kids who regularly make these programs. But if college is in your dream and allstar is in your budget, it's a hefty help.

HOWEVER- if the focus no longer comes to college, and has everything to do with Olympics or a traveling Worlds-type deal (because if it's a legit Worlds, it's no longer going to be held strictly in America), that's a COMPLETE game-changer. For everyone. There are rules about amateur status, levels of commitment, cross-competing..the focus is switching from wanting to be a college cheerleader to a WORLDS cheerleader. At some point, depending on the skill of international countries and the desire to compete more often (ICU has regional championships that other countries do- aka the Asia Open, South American Open)..that means we'll need a team year-round which changes the game again.

I'm not saying all AS kids use it for the college route, BUT instead of being the flashy, fun 'big show' of cheer, we might become the awkward cousin..and while I don't like FIG telling us what to do because they're scared of us, and I don't think we should panic, this is DEFINITELY something where we should sit idly by and not be cautious about where all this might go. Luck favors the prepared..
 
Actually, I can see a fair bit of it having to do with allstar:
Being an allstar kid definitely ups your chances at cheering for one of the bigger competitive colleges. I'm not saying it's the ONLY way- I bet there are plenty of talented non-AS kids who regularly make these programs. But if college is in your dream and allstar is in your budget, it's a hefty help.

HOWEVER- if the focus no longer comes to college, and has everything to do with Olympics or a traveling Worlds-type deal (because if it's a legit Worlds, it's no longer going to be held strictly in America), that's a COMPLETE game-changer. For everyone. There are rules about amateur status, levels of commitment, cross-competing..the focus is switching from wanting to be a college cheerleader to a WORLDS cheerleader. At some point, depending on the skill of international countries and the desire to compete more often (ICU has regional championships that other countries do- aka the Asia Open, South American Open)..that means we'll need a team year-round which changes the game again.

I'm not saying all AS kids use it for the college route, BUT instead of being the flashy, fun 'big show' of cheer, we might become the awkward cousin..and while I don't like FIG telling us what to do because they're scared of us, and I don't think we should panic, this is DEFINITELY something where we should sit idly by and not be cautious about where all this might go. Luck favors the prepared..
Heck now we have kids forgoing college to move and cheer on IO teams across the country, what's different? I'd rather my kids go to college (which ALL of team USA have been college cheerleaders). If there is a requirement of a "cheer" then this will continue and in my HOPES encouraging more to go to COLLEGE to cheer!
 
Actually, I can see a fair bit of it having to do with allstar:
Being an allstar kid definitely ups your chances at cheering for one of the bigger competitive colleges. I'm not saying it's the ONLY way- I bet there are plenty of talented non-AS kids who regularly make these programs. But if college is in your dream and allstar is in your budget, it's a hefty help.

HOWEVER- if the focus no longer comes to college, and has everything to do with Olympics or a traveling Worlds-type deal (because if it's a legit Worlds, it's no longer going to be held strictly in America), that's a COMPLETE game-changer. For everyone. There are rules about amateur status, levels of commitment, cross-competing..the focus is switching from wanting to be a college cheerleader to a WORLDS cheerleader. At some point, depending on the skill of international countries and the desire to compete more often (ICU has regional championships that other countries do- aka the Asia Open, South American Open)..that means we'll need a team year-round which changes the game again.

I'm not saying all AS kids use it for the college route, BUT instead of being the flashy, fun 'big show' of cheer, we might become the awkward cousin..and while I don't like FIG telling us what to do because they're scared of us, and I don't think we should panic, this is DEFINITELY something where we should sit idly by and not be cautious about where all this might go. Luck favors the prepared..

But even if STUNT becomes the de facto college style, it doesn't really affect All-Star. It's a different style of competition, but the skills are all the same (ignoring the difference between college-level and high-school/level 1-5 skills of course). It's basically like going to college and competing a different swimming event than you did in high school. It's still swimming. College cheerleading as it stands now is already a different style than all-star. That doesn't preclude all-star cheerleaders from cheering in college - their skills still carry over. It's not the ultimate destination for a lot all-star cheerleaders right now anyway. A lot of them think college cheerleading is a downgrade, so what's the difference?

Even if the push is to join a Worlds team - there's only one team USA for ICU. It would be like in gymnastics where the elite gymnasts usually don't do college, or defer it until later. You only have room for 40-50 athletes on the Worlds team each year (coed and all-girl), but there are far more college cheerleaders than that. Until people actually want to sponsor Worlds-level cheerleaders, and until most college programs actually have scholarships and are recognized as an NCAA sport, the issue of fore-going NCAA eligibility that gymnasts face won't be an issue anyway.
 
Let me help clarify the latest "Hot Topic". Today I have received a number of emails concerning the ICU - Sport Accord - FIG agreement and what it means for the All Star community.

I have to say "Stop the Insanity!" (The insanity I am referring to is the long drawn out conspiracy theories in the emails I was sent.)
Here is how the agreement affects the All Star community: “IT DOESN'T!" There is no connection. However, in my opinion, Cheerleading being accepted and recognized by the Sport Accord is great for everyone (All Star, STUNT, High School, College) in the Cheer Community. We have bigger issues to address, let's not create a new one that doesn't exist.

Les Stella
Executive Director
USASF Rules, Safety and Judging

This is why I would now worry! anytime the monopoly money shows up and says dont worry...
 
Can someone answer me this - Do STUNT officials have to be credentialed and pass a background checks?

ASCheerMan
 
Maybe I'm just completely not understanding, but my biggest question is why anyone's giving FIG any control over cheer at all. Even if it's just ICU, why? There can't be any good that could come out of FIG having control. Their number one priority is gymnastics and making sure cheer doesn't threaten their sport. That could never be good for cheerleading no matter what type or style.

As for those thinking it has nothing to do with Allstars or STUNT, I have to disagree. Maybe it doesn't directly for now, I just foresee this as the beginning of whatever they are turning the sport into and eventually getting rid of allstar cheer as we currently know it.

Again what do I know I could be completely wrong, but when something seems fishy it usually is. When certain companies in the game say don't worry but try to keep things hidden and under wraps to the public, it doesn't make you want to trust them and not worry. Jmo though.
 
Can someone answer me this - Do STUNT officials have to be credentialed and pass a background checks?

ASCheerMan
Not sure. I know there is a training that I misse--which is why I'm not an official or a judge. But I don't know if that training was followed up with credentialing and background check. (You tagged me 24 hours ago and I haven't taken the time to read anyone else's response. So, I imagine your question's been answered. I'm just now checking in.)
I'd direct your question to Jim Lord. I believe he is involved.
 
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