How Does Rec. Cheer Differ From All-star?

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It varies depending on the rec program so keep that in mind. Rec is USUALLY a community based squad with open sign ups, meaning anyone can join and all skill levels are on the same team. Rec squads are usually coached by members of the community rather than all star coaches. It's cheaper than all star as well. Most of the time you will see that Rec squads will cheer for local youth sports (namely football) and be affiliated with those leagues. Most leagues are part of organization like Pop Warner or AYC which have their own regional and national competitions, some attend all star competitions as well to keep busy and have more chances to compete.
All star rec is a bit different so someone else can elaborate on those. Usually all star rec is a half season program, I have a few girls who cheer rec for the football league then go do all star rec during the early winter/spring. Their routines tend to be more of the UCA style with music and a cheer.
 
A noticable difference between AYC requirements and the all-star programs that we belong to is that AYC requires a "cheer" segment with use of poms, megs ect. in the routine; while allstars focuses mainly on tumbling, dance, and stunting etc.
 
A noticable difference between AYC requirements and the all-star programs that we belong to is that AYC requires a "cheer" segment with use of poms, megs ect. in the routine; while allstars focuses mainly on tumbling, dance, and stunting etc.
Is it required to use poms now? I thought it was just a cheer portion with poms/Meg/sign optional.
 
In our area Rec Cheer is required to do sideline cheer at the very least 4 games and generally start practicing routines later and do have the "all year concept" we have found with all star - our rec season went from August till May versus in our All-Star experience a week off maybe between end of season and try-out for next year. They also have to do a cheer portion (many times this is also recorded into their music almost like a voice over but they cheer with it). When my kids did rec we went to the same comps that All-Star went to (Coastal, Cheer and Dance Extreme etc) and just competed in the Rec Division - there was no requirement to have poms, meg/or sign but again we never went to events that were exclusively Rec. Another difference was in uniform requirements which was why so many parents in our area did Rec - rec was full coverage and All-Star allowed crops (which I know has some major changes coming). Interestingly in our immediate area that had a strong Rec program and has now moved to really growing in All-Star the new All-Star gyms do have full tops on at the very least their younger teams now prior to the mandatory rules.
 
Is it required to use poms now? I thought it was just a cheer portion with poms/Meg/sign optional.

Sorry Coach kelli, on both the delayed reply and poor written words. You are right, it included a cheer portion with OPTIONAL use of props.
 
Sorry Coach kelli, on both the delayed reply and poor written words. You are right, it included a cheer portion with OPTIONAL use of props.
No need to be sorry! We are in a different league now so I didn't know if the rules had changed.
 
Coach Kelli - You stated 1/2 year all star is rec, wouldn't that be prep? I take it the rules can vary depending on what system you are competing in? Also, how well do the comp. system check to see if you actually do sideline if that is required?
 
From what I have witnessed just in this one season, they don't check at all. We have competed against All-Star that never cheer for games, and then programs that trot their girls to say one middle school basketball game so they can technically qualify.
We also at one competition were told we were judged differently because they thought we were All-Star just because of what our girls were wearing, and we are a true Rec team, so who knows. Our girls did look fierce though. :)
 
Coach Kelli - You stated 1/2 year all star is rec, wouldn't that be prep? I take it the rules can vary depending on what system you are competing in? Also, how well do the comp. system check to see if you actually do sideline if that is required?
1/2 year teams are referred to as Allstar Rec or Allstar Prep interchangeably. I think the industry is trying to rebrand it completely to Prep to avoid confusion
 
Just as in Allstar, there is a wide variety in rec programs. I know of at least one rec program in my area that has their own gym.

Cp did rec comp, and we were a true rec team. We were required to cheer at EVERY football game thru the fall. Comp practice was held wherever we could steal space-- the HS cafeteria (and sometimes just the hallway), the elementary school gym, and rented spaces like an indoor soccer field. We were typically only able to rent a comp floor the night before a comp.

There are divisions in some comps for rec style with a cheer section, and "all music," which is more of an Allstar style. As others have said, typically rec teams are split by ages, with all skill levels on a single team. But going back to what I said at the start, some rec teams have grown their programs to the point where the try outs are pretty stringent, and not everyone makes a team. Some have varsity and JV teams at a couple of different age levels. We did rec comp for 4 years, and in that time, I saw a lot of teams move from a scholastic style with the cheer section to more of an Allstar style.
 
Coach Kelli - You stated 1/2 year all star is rec, wouldn't that be prep? I take it the rules can vary depending on what system you are competing in? Also, how well do the comp. system check to see if you actually do sideline if that is required?
Sorry I just always called it all star rec. I guess they're interchangeable. The comp system usually doesn't check but several teams have strict rules about cheering for games. I guess it's kinda an ethics thing?
 
Wow! The local rec team here is way different. They are competition only. They don't cheer at games at all and they have tryouts. It's definitely not an everyone gets in thing. Their coach isn't a local volunteer either, she's an allstar coach from a few towns away and she is paid for her service. Each cheerleader has a set of fees to pay each year and hers is on the paperwork.
 
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