All-Star A Growing Issue... I.e. Crossovers On Worlds Teams (for Bid Obtaining Purposes)

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IMO, there are two different "chicken and egg" scenarios that need to be solved before significant changes can be made.

Athlete membership.

EP's don't want to require athlete membership at their events until a majority of the athletes are already members. (They understandably don't want to turn away most of their customers.) Gym owners don't really see a point in going through the trouble of registering their athletes until it is required of them by the events they go to. So basically, EP's won't require it until more athletes are registered - more athletes won't register until it is required.

USASF Power

Fair or not, there is a general mistrust of the USASF because they haven't seemed to be efficient at getting changes made. This makes many hesitant to give them even more money, authority, and power. From the USASF perspective, they don't have the money or power needed to get things done efficiently without going through many hoops, committees, and political BS. So, basically USASF says it needs more money and power to get things done, but people don't want to give them money and power because (in their view) they haven't been able to get things done with what they have.

(Related is that USASF can't afford to move out of Varsity headquarters, but people don't trust and don't want to give money to a group that is headquartered in Varsity.)
So well put!!!
 
IMO, there are two different "chicken and egg" scenarios that need to be solved before significant changes can be made.

Athlete membership.

EP's don't want to require athlete membership at their events until a majority of the athletes are already members. (They understandably don't want to turn away most of their customers.) Gym owners don't really see a point in going through the trouble of registering their athletes until it is required of them by the events they go to. So basically, EP's won't require it until more athletes are registered - more athletes won't register until it is required.

USASF Power

Fair or not, there is a general mistrust of the USASF because they haven't seemed to be efficient at getting changes made. This makes many hesitant to give them even more money, authority, and power. From the USASF perspective, they don't have the money or power needed to get things done efficiently without going through many hoops, committees, and political BS. So, basically USASF says it needs more money and power to get things done, but people don't want to give them money and power because (in their view) they haven't been able to get things done with what they have.

(Related is that USASF can't afford to move out of Varsity headquarters, but people don't trust and don't want to give money to a group that is headquartered in Varsity.)

You just NAILED that!
 
What is USASF doing to encourage small, local gyms and athletes in Levels 1-4 to join? What benefit do they offer those athletes and families to encourage registration - above and beyond the gym certifications? That was a nice feature, but it seems they stalled at that and never moved forward from there. Did the creativity die or did the interest die as the focus became Level 5 and Worlds, Worlds, Worlds? ($$$$)[/quote]

We are a small gym and all our athletes 1-5 are members of USASF...

I for one made my kids do this b/c I believe in it and I want my kids to be apart of something REAL!... but I sure hope this gets better b/c I don't know how long I can keep asking my kids and parents to pay again if we all know the people who don't! and it's not the "small gyms" its "small, medium, large etc...gyms" NOT doing it, except level 5 world teams so they can compete! Heeeeeeeello they are doing it b/c they can't compete if they aren't members! DingDingDing!

Who cares if their is another governing body... Grass isn't greener on the other side my friends... well not always :) but in this case I don't see a problem with it. You will have most stay with USASF and then they will start paying... then you will have your ego's go and be back at a later date when they see no one is following them. So be it! Goooooooo! Just get it together!

I think people need to think of the kids for once and not their egos! We all have to think about our wallets but put it aside for once!
The end!
 
So where do we go from here? How do we change this problem?
Here are my thoughts. If you support the USASF and want them to have more power and control of direction, encourage more people to join (basically get them more money) and be as involved with them as possible (attend Doral and their regional conferences) and SPEAK UP! All to often I speak to people or read opinions people have but they wait for others to bring up topics and even don't speak up when an opportunity is available (I certainly don't mean you Mclovin;)
OR get behind other organizations that are different/separate from the USASF and get as many people on board as possible. I think parents largest strength is to choose gyms that are moving in the direction that they want their cp to go. Coaches, coach at gyms that have the same general philosophies as you do. Gym Owners, listen to your customers and staff, choose competitions accordingly and SPEAK UP. EP's listen!!!!
 
Here are my thoughts. If you support the USASF and want them to have more power and control of direction, encourage more people to join (basically get them more money) and be as involved with them as possible (attend Doral and their regional conferences) and SPEAK UP! All to often I speak to people or read opinions people have but they wait for others to bring up topics and even don't speak up when an opportunity is available (I certainly don't mean you Mclovin;)
OR get behind other organizations that are different/separate from the USASF and get as many people on board as possible. I think parents largest strength is to choose gyms that are moving in the direction that they want their cp to go. Coaches, coach at gyms that have the same general philosophies as you do. Gym Owners, listen to your customers and staff, choose competitions accordingly and SPEAK UP. EP's listen!!!!

Our owner attends Doral almost every year. He has been involved in committees, etc. He supports the USASF in every way that he can. I believe all of our athletes are members of USASF as well. So do we just sit back and wait til other gyms get on board with this as well? I'm just ready for some change in this industry. My girls only have 7 years left in this sport. I know that seems like a lot, but the way rules changes take FOREVER to be implemented, I worry that we'll still be stuck in this rut by the time they age out... As a coach I intend on being in this for the long haul and can be more patient to see the changes take place. As a parent, I'm growing more impatient every day...
 
Our owner attends Doral almost every year. He has been involved in committees, etc. He supports the USASF in every way that he can. I believe all of our athletes are members of USASF as well. So do we just sit back and wait til other gyms get on board with this as well? I'm just ready for some change in this industry. My girls only have 7 years left in this sport. I know that seems like a lot, but the way rules changes take FOREVER to be implemented, I worry that we'll still be stuck in this rut by the time they age out... As a coach I intend on being in this for the long haul and can be more patient to see the changes take place. As a parent, I'm growing more impatient every day...
I am in the same boat (minus being a parent). Myself and gym are USASF members and attend as many conferences as possible, I wish there was a better answer. As Ceacoach mentioned earlier about a group of coaches getting together and joining forces to help push USASF I'm not sure if there is anything that can be done.
 
In y'alls opinion, what would be the "ideal" set of folks to be in charge of a USASF-like body? All EPs, all coaches, all former athletes, parents, etc.? Would you stack it with industry "heavyweights" like prominent gym owners or would you want younger folks representing the more typical programs. If you do want small gym representation, who do you pick?

I often hear that we need a more diverse group at the leadership level. Who would you take out and who would you put in?
 
In y'alls opinion, what would be the "ideal" set of folks to be in charge of a USASF-like body? All EPs, all coaches, all former athletes, parents, etc.? Would you stack it with industry "heavyweights" like prominent gym owners or would you want younger folks representing the more typical programs. If you do want small gym representation, who do you pick?

I often hear that we need a more diverse group at the leadership level. Who would you take out and who would you put in?

Pick a few people from each of those groups you listed. You need a good mix so that everyone's voices can be heard in some way so that we can all work together to be on the same page. Pick from different demographics and have people vote their representatives in. EP's vote for EP's to be on the board, large gyms vote for large gyms, etc.
 
BlueCat We are not worthy!
Bow_down.gif

I was just going to say something about athlete registration. It sounds simple, but it is SO not simple. Basically it's like any other end all solution that people have on the boards. lol! I want crossovers to be mandated and I like Bluecat's numbers/ideas. I don't like that you can technically have 13 different athletes on the mat at worlds from the 20/30 you had on the floor when you won the bid. It's not really against my "morals" or anything, I just think it's excessive to be able to change that many athletes.

BUT, I do have to say this: Don't hate the player, hate the game. I don't think it's relevant to bring in names to this because they're not doing anything illegal. Why shun a gym that's not doing anything wrong on paper? The gyms in question aren't "driving 5 miles over the speed limit". Driving 5 miles over the speed limit is illegal, using 10 crossovers is not. They aren't "living on the edge" nor do they have to worry about getting caught by "the police" because they're doing nothing wrong. People who say they're cheaters or should be ashamed are obviously bitter about a former loss to one of these types of teams. It's one thing to say it's against your morals, it's a completely different situation to label them as cheaters. They aren't cheating. They're just playing the system.
 
Pick a few people from each of those groups you listed. You need a good mix so that everyone's voices can be heard in some way so that we can all work together to be on the same page. Pick from different demographics and have people vote their representatives in. EP's vote for EP's to be on the board, large gyms vote for large gyms, etc.
This. Although I worry about people screaming about favoritism/rigged voting. Heck, I'd vote in some fboard members if I could!
 
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