All-Star Gym Viewing Area

When CP first started in comp cheer, she was in a rec program with closed practices, so it was the only thing I knew. We did go to tumbling at a gymnastics gym with a viewing area, but the way the gym was set up, the main mat was pretty much obstructed. You could only see your kid well if they finished their pass in one direction, or if they were on the tumbl trak.

Our Allstar gym does have a balcony viewing area. Because my kid is older, I don't feel the need to stay for practice. Sometimes I go for a run while they practice and get back before they're done, so I go upstairs to do my stretching. There typically aren't more than 2-3 parents up there. I don't know if there is more parent attendance with the younger teams. I kind of guess yes.

I do think parent involvement at practices can really harm a program. There is one family who seems to be destroying our old rec program. The drama they started stirring caused a lot of people to leave. A main coach left when an opportunity opened up, and CP and her friends followed her to our new Allstar program.

There is no viewing area in our gym. We just have the gym itself and a small front room, and you can only see through to the gym from the front room through the door.

If it's a child's first class, the parent is allowed to come inside the gym and watch, but this is for the first class only. After this they must wait in the front room.

We have no viewing area. Sometimes towards the end of practice, they'll come out to the main floor and work or parents will be invited in the back to watch.


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I went to a gym in Ft. Walton that had a cheer room in the back part of the gym. It had an open door but you have to cross the bars and beams, the gymnastics floor and then the tumble track to go in.
The parent seating was enclosed with glass windows and a silent video feed from the cheer room. I loved it.


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We have both options. There is a small viewing area that allows parents to see 3 floors and a tumbling area (behind glass) and an unviewable area around the corner that coaches can use when they need undivided attention.


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Gym lobby has windows to the practice area. Blinds are open 1 week a month for viewing.

Previous gym, parent viewing area with glass view. Curtains were added to window due to DRAMA parents. Most times viewing area was open and closed during choreography.

Current gym has parent view area.

We have three big viewing areas in the gym. The 2 downstairs rooms are in front of the main floor and offer a limited view of the gym. The upstairs waiting room overlooks the entire gym.

Our gym is pretty much only the mats. Nothing else. It's quite small actually but there's an upstairs portion with a balcony that parents can sit in if the want. Up there there's couches and lockers for us to put our stuff in.


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We don't really have a "viewing area" per say.... During the very last week of each month, the staff sets up chairs in an open area that we have inside the gym that has a view of the two main floors, our tumble track, and rod floor, and the parents are allowed to come in and watch. Other than that we don't have a viewing area and all of our practices/classes are "closed" unless parents are told otherwise by a member of the staff.

we have two gyms on the same grounds. Both have parent viewing windows in the lobby. When there's a need, they put up black curtains over the windows to "close" practices.
Over the summer I visited a handful of gyms across the country, and I must say I was most impressed with Tribe Cheer in Oklahoma City. They have their floors completely closed off...as in I walked in and didn't really know I was in a cheer gym...and then there's a parent viewing area with TV's that are connected to cameras on the multiple floors. Such a cool idea!

We have an open viewing area, with some chairs. I believe there was some drama with parents from 1 team, and that was dealt with immediately by the owner. Most parents don't stay

our gym has an over head balcony that lets you view the entire gym! its great, because parents that stay can see which girls are fooling around, and which are trying, it also the coaches because girls can not come home and lie about a coach being "too harsh"

We have an open balcony in both section's of our gym. Infrequently the staff will close a practice but I can count on 1 hand the time's that happened that I can remember. I can see where a set up like our's could be a drama magnet but I still love our's.