All-Star Gym Hopping

I don't really like to think of it as gym hopping when you're at a new gym every year. My issue is with people that switch mid-year.
Anyhoe

TheTalkedAboutMinor said:

I don't really like to think of it as gym hopping when you're at a new gym every year. My issue is with people that switch mid-year.
Anyhoe

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That was a baaad typo and I sent that message by mistake. I don't think a gym needs to take an athlete's leaving for another gym personally. It's just that some kids have certain preferences that should be accommodated. Some kids like stern coaches, some like positive and nurturing coaches. Some like having a smaller gym, some like a larger gym. Some are willing to drive hours, some are not. Some people like undivided attention, some like working with other cheerleaders. Gym hopping isn't bad, it's just to assure that your child is having the best experience he or she can have.

russmin said:

Can someone elaborate on the high school rule?

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Not sure about AZ, but in IL a cheerleader cannot do high school cheer and Allstar.

Cheerleading is a business just like everything else. If you honor your commitment then after the fact it doesn't matter what you do after. It's like signing a one year lease on an apartment... You pay your rent and fees for the year and if you wanna continue living there, you sign another lease and if you don't you move on to whatever new things you decide.

People often "label" kids and families that leave one gym for another. If your gym isn't offering what that kid needs, why continue paying? If someone wants to move halfway across the country in hopes of winning with a team... It's their choice. Does it hurt programs that lose talented kids? Yes but it happens in everything. Often times people want to see the kids they trained become successful.

I don't know if anyone watches hockey but Jerome Iginla played for the Calgary Flames for a long long time and was the captain. He currently plays for the Penguins because he believed he could win a cup with them and the GM of his old team and most of his fans wanted nothing more than to see him win one too. Calgary hasn't had a strong enough team to even make a run for the cup so he decided to be traded to someone who did. He also made a statement saying that if he won, he wanted to finish his career with the team who made him who he is.


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CAPheebersMom said:

A few years ago the cheerleading got recognized as a sport in high school, and was held to the same rules as other HS sports meaning you either compete for your high school or you compete club (all star) and you can't do both. This is why 1/2 year teams have taken off so well out there. Before the HS rule cheer in AZ was on the bubble of breaking out, the new rules killed it.
There were quite a few gyms that chose not to fight for the higher level athletes and just grow their own. The result is really strong lower level programs like AZ Allstars, Desert Devils, ect.
Out here I would consider Spirit Extreme to be one of the strongest lower level programs. Their level 1-4 teams are probably some of the best in the DFW.

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I coach in Arizona, it is not recognized as a sport but as an activity. Check AIAonline.org. It is in the same category as Debate, Theater and Chess. Trust me the AIA frustrates me to no end. If you wanna have fun, go to the Spiritline page and look at our score sheets that also does not tell you how to get points.

I feel like the word 'gym-hopping' is so taboo! People leave for whatever reason they decide. They might not have a team that is suitable, they might not have any flyer positions and that's all that kid has ever known, the drive might be too far. Whatever the case may be, it's not a crime and it shouldn't be taboo.

Someone posted earlier, they only have a problem with people leaving mid season. Yes I have that same problem. Don't quit your team, suck it up until the season is over then make your exit.

Always keep in mind, you don't know a person's life until you have walked a mile in their shoes!! People should be able to make a change without being bashed and in return being gracious upon their exit.

I think "gym hopping" is a label that gets put on moms/dads who change gyms AFTER having stirred up controversy or been a poor team player at the previous gym. Even if they leave at the end of the season they may be thought of as a gym hopper because they are leaving one gym for another gym where they don't yet have a reputation.

I don't really see athletes being called gym hoppers, just their parents!

Megan:) said:

Iowa definitly has this problem!! It causes a lot of hate between the two "better" gyms... last year there were two girls on my team who gym hopped in the middle of the year. One of them had gone back and forth for a while now.

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Shame on the other gyms for allowing it!

12stepCheermom said:

We changed gyms this year. It will be my daughters 8th year and our third gym. We started in a rec type program, moved after three years to a mud-sized program, and after four years there made the move to a large gym.

I don't consider that hopping. We completed everything we've committed to and left after the season. We moved the first time at lv2 this time were moving at lv5.

I get that it's a bad situation for a smaller gym. We're moving because they don't have a team to meet both my kids' needs. And I get that with us leaving it makes it even harder for them to build that team where they can meet those needs for everyone.

But at the end of the day, as a customer, it's not my responsibility to build a program for a gym, it's my responsibility to ensure my kids needs are met if they're going to reach their ultimate goals. I'm not sure what the answer is for the smaller gyms that are repeatedly finding themselves in this position, maybe the founders of large gyms can answer how they pushed through.


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One of the best posts I've read on here. I agree completely. I find there are very few extenuating circumstances and Susie wanting a better team is not one of them. Gym hopping does happen, but I feel if you've fulfilled your obligation and completed your season, you are doing the right thing. You have a right to change gyms. Now, if you are doing it every season, there may be a problem you need to look at and it probably isn't the gym.

I look at gyms all over like the restaurant business. There are TONS of restaurants some are big some are small, some are cheap some are pricey. If your gym is catering to your customers you will be the favorite. If you burn your bridge (as a customer or an owner) you may not be welcome back or lose business.

I will say this bc in my experience those that leave may return, be careful what you say and how you treat those that leave. I've gained business because a parent from another program saw me wish a former athlete at another gym "good luck". Insert "Little Eyes Upon You" poem here.

xomckenzieee said:

People often "label" kids and families that leave one gym for another. If
I don't know if anyone watches hockey but Jerome Iginla played for the Calgary Flames for a long long time and was the captain. He currently plays for the Penguins because he believed he could win a cup with them and the GM of his old team and most of his fans wanted nothing more than to see him win one too. Calgary hasn't had a strong enough team to even make a run for the cup so he decided to be traded to someone who did. He also made a statement saying that if he won, he wanted to finish his career with the team who made him who he is.


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He's a very smart man.

Teasing aside, it seems that many people think an athlete leaving a gym is always about team placement. I would guess the majority of the time it it not.

IMO, there is a difference between leaving a gym for a certain reason and gym hopping. For example, if someone was not happy with something at their gym or maybe they were not offering a certain level of coaching they needed, that would be a good reason for leaving. Or maybe you just want to move somewhere else for a new experience. Gym hopping is when you move to multiple gyms until you make the team you want. I know multiple people who have hopped around 2 or 3 gyms in one season until they make a team that they see as "good" or "has a chance at winning".

I agree with what others have said; simply moving from a small gym to a large gym isn't what I'd call gym hopping.

After following the CA thread, it made me curious, as to whether the industry is growing that much, or athletes are just reshuffling.

Back on topic, I'm not really for gym hopping, but I'm not against it either. I believe it cuts both ways. Some gym's are willing to drop athletes at a moment's notice because they found a better replacement, so I don't see any issue with an athlete doing the same.

There are some people I see who stay with a small gym for their entire cheer career. A lot of these athletes get level 5 skills after a few years, but they are stuck on level 3 or 4 teams, year after year, because their gyms don't have enough athletes to form a Level 5 team. Personally I think it's a shame when athletes with such high potential can't excel as far as they could be, or competing at bigger competitions (like...WORLDS haha) because they stuck with one gym.

My take on Gym Hopping is:

After a season is over and you choose to weigh your options and see what may be a better fit for you and your CP for various reasons: Team, Level, Location, Financial, Friends, Staff, etc, that is up to you. It's OK. That is why there are many gyms of all shapes and sizes.

I think true gym hopping is the person who is never "content", always thinks the grass is greener each year tries out for somewhere else or 3-4 places in the evaluation period, reasons vary - oh they don't have CPs level, oh CP's BFFL is on this team, oh I just think this or that OR they leave mid-season because CP isn't center of attention anymore or they get mad about a rule, or something.

A good program will always try and keep a positive relationship with members who leave, however, it's not always peaceful... so a good program will typically not say anything bad even though CP and parent were causing more stress then it was worth, b/c seriously, at the end of the day, the notorious "gym hoppers" are out there and usually when they first decide your program is for them, it's all rainbows and butterflies until one day when you put that kid in a formation for transitions and flow and parent gets mad... That to me is a true gym hopper