All-Star Equivalents?

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anythingforcheer

Cheer Parent
Feb 25, 2010
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Taking into account, I've heard this over the years, do you believe teams are formed based upon equivalents to provide that visual for judges? Whether its tumbling, stunting or dance, blond/ brunette, short/tall., do you believe the visual effects make a difference in how your team is scored in a routine?
 
No. That's ridiculous. Of course you don't want everyone with slicked back pony tails, and one with a Diana Ross fro, but that's a bit more understandable. Or you don't want a 6' 250lb girl opposite a 4'7 50 lb girl in the dance or jumps, but I think that's kind of obvious. It's about not drawing attention to individuals.
 
I prefer things as symmetrical as possible. Take for example the Cali Smoed "twins" (Dont think they are really twins, but might as well be) It just looked better. I dont think it effects score. Just personal preference here.
 
In our football lineup, you see the center girl. Then off set behind her is me (4'11" here) and then the tallest girl between JV and Varsity. It probably looks really awkward. It's the smallest girl and the tallest.


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What about opposites based on ethnicity? I see that a lot and don't necessarily care for it.


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I used to get affirmative actioned my way to the front for dances despite having 0 rhythm. I hated it ....never had black opposites however....


I've seen it though, probably not in the context you've probably seen....and I don't like it.
 
What about opposites based on ethnicity? I see that a lot and don't necessarily care for it.


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It is more appealing to the human eye that things are symmetrical. That symmetry means opposites being as similar as possible and putting unique things in the middle. If you have a small senior team with 19 platinum blonds with pale white skin and one girl who native american, dark skinned and dark brunette hair and you her one off the center it will be noticed. No, it will not be 'punished'. But as cheerleading is all about visuals and being visually appealing something like this can distract the judges for a second away from the task at hand. Anything you would do visually that would make people think about something other than what is being performed I would try and avoid. The same goes for crazy hair styles or tattoos. Individuals on teams like to think of themselves as special and want to stand out in a performance. That is exactly the opposite of what wins. The more homogenous a routine looks and is performed the better it will do.
 
It is more appealing to the human eye that things are symmetrical. That symmetry means opposites being as similar as possible and putting unique things in the middle. If you have a small senior team with 19 platinum blonds with pale white skin and one girl who native american, dark skinned and dark brunette hair and you her one off the center it will be noticed. No, it will not be 'punished'. But as cheerleading is all about visuals and being visually appealing something like this can distract the judges for a second away from the task at hand. Anything you would do visually that would make people think about something other than what is being performed I would try and avoid. The same goes for crazy hair styles or tattoos. Individuals on teams like to think of themselves as special and want to stand out in a performance. That is exactly the opposite of what wins. The more homogenous a routine looks and is performed the better it will do.
The only problem with this is when that person is placed not because of skill but because of their ethnicity and equal. What if there is only one minority on the team and she/he has no equal, then they are placed where ever. This sport tends to have more platinum blondes than Native Americans or others, so because of the visual appealing aspect for the judges we place the other than platinum blondes opposite as bookends when clearly one of them should be at point. I just think placement in a routine should reflect the best person for that Job and not based on the color of ones skins for visual purposes.


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The only problem with this is when that person is placed not because of skill but because of their ethnicity and equal. What if there is only one minority on the team and she/he has no equal, then they are placed where ever. This sport tends to have more platinum blondes than Native Americans or others, so because of the visual appealing aspect for the judges we place the other than platinum blondes opposite as bookends when clearly one of them should be at point. I just think placement in a routine should reflect the best person for that Job and not based on the color of ones skins for visual purposes.


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That's the challenge. Sometimes better people are also farther back in formation because the transition will not allow better placement. A coach has to balance all of that with their specific team to get the best possible result.


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In this routine, all flyers had bob hair styles and the others had pony tail hair styles. Visually, they looked perfect in stunting, basket-toss, and pyramid section. I like it.
 
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