All-Star Cheer Athletics (questions/rumors)

I have said this before and will say it again. Level 6 isnt coaching, it is "managing personalities". I still love it, but it is nothing like coaching a normal team.

Mr May said:

I have said this before and will say it again. Level 6 isnt coaching, it is "managing personalities". I still love it, but it is nothing like coaching a normal team.

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It is more like coaching a mini team.


Oh your hurt? I'm sorry punkin. I wont let that mean flyer hit you in the head again, ok? You are doing such a good job holding up that stunt. Get back out there and show me what you got! (to a coed team)

As an athlete on a coed 6 team, I'm nodding my head at all of this. Sunday night practices for us.


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is coaching ioc 5 any similar to coaching ioc 6? King BlueCat

X-sam said:

is coaching ioc 5 any similar to coaching ioc 6? King BlueCat

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Yes and no. The skillset isn't as unique as level 6, you can use athletes in high school, and lots of times they just came off doing a club level worlds team doing the exact same thing.

Level 5 is easier than level 6, but not 'easy'. This is not a comment on the competitiveness of the division, but talking about coaching the team in general.

BlueCat said:

On paper, it ought to be easy. Most of the athletes have been in the sport forever. Many of them are coaches themselves.

However, attendance is awful. (unless you basically use a college team.) Egos are huge. Tuition is non-existent, because none of them believe THEY should not have to pay, since they are doing you a favor by being on your team.

Coaching that division is usually a miserable experience, the gym loses money, then you get beat by a college team that essentially gets to practice 4 times a week with everyone there.

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Wow, I had no idea. Very interesting


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I cheer on a level 6 team and I love it. Everyone gets along so well and my coach is fantastic at coaching. I think it helps from the array of people you have. I come from a little city in Manitoba, Canada. Where we have 3 level 6 teams and they're all small. The cheerleaders we have here want to do it more than anything and I think tht helps a lot with the way we function. I feel like to be a functional level six team, you almost need to not be a part of a big gym.


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•do y'all have any athletes who have chosen to stay at another athletes home in order to cheer (I guess you can call it a "housing" situation)
•how many teams do y'all have practicing at once?



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King BlueCat is IO6 just as difficult? Obviously CA is taking LadyKatz to worlds, and took them last year--did you just essentially get lucky with a good group of females? or is coed harder specifically because of the males?

Courtney David said:

I cheer on a level 6 team and I love it. Everyone gets along so well and my coach is fantastic at coaching. I think it helps from the array of people you have. I come from a little city in Manitoba, Canada. Where we have 3 level 6 teams and they're all small. The cheerleaders we have here want to do it more than anything and I think tht helps a lot with the way we function. I feel like to be a functional level six team, you almost need to not be a part of a big gym.

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I'm glad that it works for you.

platinumcheerashley said:

•do y'all have any athletes who have chosen to stay at another athletes home in order to cheer (I guess you can call it a "housing" situation)
•how many teams do y'all have practicing at once?

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Yes, we have had several athletes who have been "hosted" by other athletes for a season.

We usually have 5-6 teams practicing at once. (We have 6 full spring floors, plus a full size matted floor.) There are times when it is more right before big competitions, and there are times when it is fewer, but 5-6 is most typical.

tuckxandxtwist said:

King BlueCat is IO6 just as difficult? Obviously CA is taking LadyKatz to worlds, and took them last year--did you just essentially get lucky with a good group of females? or is coed harder specifically because of the males?

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Coed is harder primarily because of the males.

King said:

It is more like coaching a mini team.


Oh your hurt? I'm sorry punkin. I wont let that mean flyer hit you in the head again, ok? You are doing such a good job holding up that stunt. Get back out there and show me what you got! (to a coed team)

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This. 100 times this. I think that with IOC6 you end up with people who realize more that an injury will impact their entire lives, not just homework. So they start to get scared.

IOC6 is my favourite and most hated division I coach for all the reasons you stated above. It really and truly does become about managing personalities more than actually coaching skills.


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Are you opening up at location in Pittsburgh?


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tuckxandxtwist said:

King BlueCat is IO6 just as difficult? Obviously CA is taking LadyKatz to worlds, and took them last year--did you just essentially get lucky with a good group of females? or is coed harder specifically because of the males?

Click to expand...

I cheer IOAG 6, and it can be. One year, we hadn't planned on going to Worlds (rebuilding) but decided last minute to go for a bid. We received one but turned it down due to the conflict between people who wanted to go and people who didn't/couldn't afford it. As well, our team wasn't as committed and dedicated that year. People just didn't care as much cos we weren't the Worlds team.

This year, we held tryouts as the "Worlds" team. We knew we were going for a bid and advertised and picked people accordingly. We are having a killer year cos that's what everyone signed up for.

Our IOC 6 team is more laid back. They practice less and the whole atmosphere is different cos they are not going to any major comps. I think the attitude will change next year when they try for a bid too. Everything posted before about IOC 6 teams is so true. But I think that if you market your upcoming team in a specific way, you will get those people who are more committed as well