All-Star An Article About Varsity Brands...

[GreatWhite92]

And they *don't* allow you to stunt on concrete. We got yelled at at worlds even though the grass was wet with dew and was thus probably less safe than the dozen spotters we had around us.

Plus, not too many competitions offer any sort of practice space, free or not. Is the practice time free at Cheersport? Who else offers it?

I'm not really going to hold this one against them, personally. You could get an hour free and gyms would still practice on the grass at all-star or WWOS

And it's most definitely not going to stop anyone from stunting in the hallways and ballrooms of competitions which is basically concrete with some carpet slapped over it. That's not really anything varsity has control over, that's a coach thing.


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[Twinklestars]

I hate this argument, neither my high school nor college had a pool but both had a very competitive swim and dive team for both boys and girls. The school didn't invest in a pool, they rented time using someone else's.
There's a cheer gym or gymnastics gym in every town, requiring a school to rent time in a gym isn't unheard of and it's not that big of a deal.

I would rather sacrifice a few programs in really small towns where there isn't a gym to use (or having them ground bound) in order to get spring floors for the entire industry.

Our entire area is small towns. There aren't other activities to take the place of cheer. You would take an activity away from the kids who are needing it most.

I don't think that spring floors are a necessity. Mats are needed for stunting not spring floors.

 

[Cheermom1969]

I am going to separate this into an all-star then high school response. There is no question in my mind that all-star cheer is a sport. I don't know of many people that wouldn't consider it a sport. Because all-star cheer is a private/club sport, an official designation as such doesn't hold the meaning that it does for high school cheer. Parents who have a child on an all-star team already pay immense amounts of money to have their child participate in this sport. Let's face it, this sport has already priced out those who can't afford it. There are very few gyms that can afford to give scholarships or tuition discounts to more than one or 2 kids. Therefore, if your child is desperate to cheer (outside of school) and you cannot afford all-star, your child is most likely on a rec team. I already pay $1,000's of dollars for CP to participate in this sport, I won't blink at a extra couple hundred if it means an improvement in safety (not extra padding in the Varsity wallet).

Safety regulations require teams to practice on certain surfaces. This rule is disregarded at Worlds not only by coaches and athletes, but by the official sanctioning body of the event. I have never been to Worlds, but it sounds like teams are actually encouraged to practice on the fields if their team doesn't pay for the practice floor. As far as the competition floor goes, I don't think people figured out there was something wrong with the floor until after there were several injuries. I probably wouldn't notice if a team competed on a floor with an entire panel missing before CP's team.

So what are my options for resistance? Moving gyms only means I am sucking from the same Varsity power teet in a different uniform. Pull my kid from the sport? I have a feeling that the only person who will feel that punishment is CP.

There are no other options within this sport. Varsity has a monopoly on cheerleading.

As far as high school cheer goes: I am not okay with looking the other way when it comes to safety. Safety costs money. To say we shouldn't designate cheer as a sport because it will cost more money to implement safety standards sounds ridiculous to me, no matter who makes the argument. Even without the official "sport" designation, safety standards need to be raised for high school cheerleading. Yes, designating cheer as a sport will cost schools more money. Some schools will not be able to afford to have a competition cheer team and will have to "ground" their teams to just sideline cheerleading. And that is okay.

I couldn't agree more. I only have to look into the eyes of one mother whose daughter is paralyzed from cheering to know that our kids' safety is paramount. And if that means the team is "grounded" and not able to stunt, I don't care.
When my cp cheered for her high school last year, I could see that safety wasn't a priority. And I told the coach straight out, I will NOT allow my cp to do any tumbling other than a BWO. She wasn't allowed to do her BHS in any routine or on the sideline.

 

[AndyT_T]

Our entire area is small towns. There aren't other activities to take the place of cheer. You would take an activity away from the kids who are needing it most.

I don't think that spring floors are a necessity. Mats are needed for stunting not spring floors.

If it were up to me I would say that without spring floors stunts should stay at prep level and below and tumbling should be very restricted, but that's just me.

At the end of the day, I would say that small town programs where there is absolutely no access to spring floors being ground bound would be a sacrifice I could sleep well with. It's simply not worth the risk.

That being said, I was more worried about tumbling than stunting. I've always said that if varsity required all competitions to have spring floors (including regionals) then schools would slowly start getting access to them on their own without being ordered to. If you as a coach knew your kids would be competing on spring, you'd probably start having a practice here and there on spring. And it could build from there.

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[catlady]

@Just-a-Mom @Ashley I only played devil's advocate because, people act as though they have no power. They're OUR kids and OUR finances but yet, we have no control?! Where in Hades are they getting their money from then?

Look, I'm as guilty as the next parent but, the truth is, if I give my child and money to an organization that we describe as corrupt and unethical, then what does that say about me as a parent? Honestly, from a business standpoint I find Varsity fascinating but, I also find it comical that we act as though we don't know how it became so huge and powerful. Our kids, our money.

 

[Lazydaisytoo]

Apologize, have not read the whole thread. I do have a question if cheer becomes an official sport will kids still be allowed to cheer for school and all star cheer teams? I have heard rumors kids will have to pick one or the other, but don't know if this is true.

This already happens. The HS cheer coach in our district has made it clear that her cheerleaders are hers, they are not allowed to participate in AllStar too.

 

[Twinklestars]

If it were up to me I would say that without spring floors stunts should stay at prep level and below and tumbling should be very restricted, but that's just me.

At the end of the day, I would say that small town programs where there is absolutely no access to spring floors being ground bound would be a sacrifice I could sleep well with. It's simply not worth the risk.

That being said, I was more worried about tumbling than stunting. I've always said that if varsity required all competitions to have spring floors (including regionals) then schools would slowly start getting access to them on their own without being ordered to. If you as a coach knew your kids would be competing on spring, you'd probably start having a practice here and there on spring. And it could build from there.

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Most of the schools around here aren't competition teams. They do sideline and stunt with a routine for homecomings and such. I just would like mats and access to convenient practice space, but that is sometimes asking far too much.

 

[cheerKT]

Well first off, I don't know that "we" want cheer to be a sport. Most people I know actually do not want that. I've never advocated for cheer to be a sport. My issue isn't varsity not wanting cheer to be a sort - it's their reasoning. (and my biggest issue is really just the monopoly they have. I never like monopolies, in any industry because it always hurts the consumer)

Second... The issue isn't that they charge to practice on safer surfaces. I think we all know that it would cost more to have that setup. The issue I have is that the rules actually say that practicing *must* be done on particular surfaces, yet at Worlds they are allowing the fields to be used for practicing (not just allowing but actually setting it up that way). So I don't need to put my money where my mouth is... They do. I'm not the one making rules and then making set-ups and competitions that directly violate them. If you're not supposed to practice on fields or pavement, then stop allowing it at your events.

(and really, it's not parents that make that decision, so it wouldn't show them I'M willing to put my money where my mouth is - it'd be the gym putting my money where THEIR mouth is. We all know gyms are happy to do that, as they've been doing it since day one)

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Someone thought they would "get my goat" one time in a 'watch this' kind of way by telling me cheer wasn't a sport. Imagine their surprise when I said I agreed with them and hope it never became one, and then went on to list the reasons why. (Basically what you mentioned here) They were kind of speechless after that.

 

[cheerKT]

Apologize, have not read the whole thread. I do have a question if cheer becomes an official sport will kids still be allowed to cheer for school and all star cheer teams? I have heard rumors kids will have to pick one or the other, but don't know if this is true.

That would vary state by state. In South Carolina cheerleading is recognized as a sport and governed by the high school league and you are still allowed to participate in both. Not the case in some other states.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

@Just-a-Mom @Ashley I only played devil's advocate because, people act as though they have no power. They're OUR kids and OUR finances but yet, we have no control?! Where in Hades are they getting their money from then?

Look, I'm as guilty as the next parent but, the truth is, if I give my child and money to an organization that we describe as corrupt and unethical, then what does that say about me as a parent? Honestly, from a business standpoint I find Varsity fascinating but, I also find it comical that we act as though we don't know how it became so huge and powerful. Our kids, our money.

We have very little power. We can only control what gyms we put our money into. Everything else is at the will of the gyms who pay Varsity. The issue is there is no alternative to Varsity. Either you feed into the beast or you don't cheer. There's no other option. That's why people are saying we don't have power.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind the Varsity monopoly if there was some sort of transparency, if they weren't so seedy and cared more about evolving cheer rather than the big bucks they are making. Varsity thinks more videos are more important than addressing crossover issues or our flawed scoring system. There's no place for the common folk to voice complaints and have them heard. We're at the mercy of the gyms and Varsity. Even within gyms parents have very little say.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

@Just-a-Mom @Ashley I only played devil's advocate because, people act as though they have no power. They're OUR kids and OUR finances but yet, we have no control?! Where in Hades are they getting their money from then?

Look, I'm as guilty as the next parent but, the truth is, if I give my child and money to an organization that we describe as corrupt and unethical, then what does that say about me as a parent? Honestly, from a business standpoint I find Varsity fascinating but, I also find it comical that we act as though we don't know how it became so huge and powerful. Our kids, our money.

Sorry - meant to say I was just jumping off your devil's advocate post, not disagreeing with you.

I'll just point out that my money does NOT go to cheer anymore. Both my girls still love it and want to do it... And both have been told "Nope. Choose something else."

I keep trying to go back, and 5 minutes in, I'm reminded of why I spend my money elsewhere. I cannot wrap my head around why so many parents just sit back and take it from this industry. The amount of shady behind-the-scenes garbage that goes on is mind boggling. Yet the people who know the most about it are the ones spending the most money.

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[quitthedrama]

Sorry - meant to say I was just jumping off your devil's advocate post, not disagreeing with you.

I'll just point out that my money does NOT go to cheer anymore. Both my girls still love it and want to do it... And both have been told "Nope. Choose something else."

I keep trying to go back, and 5 minutes in, I'm reminded of why I spend my money elsewhere. I cannot wrap my head around why so many parents just sit back and take it from this industry. The amount of shady behind-the-scenes garbage that goes on is mind boggling. Yet the people who know the most about it are the ones spending the most money.

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Because my kids were in it for 5+ years before I knew about the details. They have and continue to get incredible things by being involved in cheer. I love their gym - whether they support Varsity or not does not affect my kids' training. They have professional, well trained coaches and gym owners who have not only taught them skills on the mat, but life lessons both on and off the mat. Ultimately that is why I put my kids in cheer and is what I am paying for.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

Because my kids were in it for 5+ years before I knew about the details. They have and continue to get incredible things by being involved in cheer. I love their gym - whether they support Varsity or not does not affect my kids' training. They have professional, well trained coaches and gym owners who have not only taught them skills on the mat, but life lessons both on and off the mat. Ultimately that is why I put my kids in cheer and is what I am paying for.

It's not so much that I think people should all pull their kids out of cheer. It's more the fear of speaking up and the repercussions if you do that I find absurd.

I feel like you are someone that speaks their mind, so I don't think my statements apply to you. Its frustrating that only a handful of people will speak up - why would anything change if only 2 or 3 people ask for change?

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[quietmom]

Varsity through whatever arm of its corporate governance (USASF or whatever) really needs to gather input from the parents of the athletes (you know the ones who are always giving them gobs and gobs of money) on their concerns and actually address them. There has to be a way to get this information. For example, they could do online surveys with parent codes for each registered athlete that participates in various competitions. It would give them direct information and not be too cost prohibitive. They would have to promise and alleviate concerns that honesty would not result in penalization of the gyms or the parents for giving constructive feedback that is not rosy and positive. Many parents and gyms fear retaliation if they are not anything other than appreciative. There are things that can be fixed without changing the label of cheer. However, it will take a change in the overall climate and culture of cheer.

 

[KPep]

It's not so much that I think people should all pull their kids out of cheer. It's more the fear of speaking up and the repercussions if you do that I find absurd.

I feel like you are someone that speaks their mind, so I don't think my statements apply to you. Its frustrating that only a handful of people will speak up - why would anything change if only 2 or 3 people ask for change?

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Okay, you guys have to tell me...

What is the WORST that could happen if gyms and parents spoke up?