All-Star Anyone Else Notice Alot Of 12 Year Old Flyers On The Floor?

[tgfam]

Our findings (and of course it would vary gym to gym and team to team) It wasn't the kids who had a problem... it was the parents! With rare exception...all the kids did just fine.

Funny thing is... in so many issues that arise in cheer, you will find a parent at the heart of it! In my years as a cheer parent I have watched so many parents make issues out of things that their kids don't even really care about. In fact, I've even seen parents contaminate the kids with these thoughts and ideas, pushing the kid into having a problem that didn't exist before the parent's prodding.

Most kids just want to cheer and have a good time. With some exceptions of course. There are a few flat out nasty kids out there who haven't been brought up right and are out for themselves... but for the most part, the kids just love being together and competing together. That's the beauty of this sport. It is the parents that could learn a valuable lesson from this!

 

[cheer36mom]

Funny thing is... in so many issues that arise in cheer, you will find a parent at the heart of it! In my years as a cheer parent I have watched so many parents make issues out of things that their kids don't even really care about. In fact, I've even seen parents contaminate the kids with these thoughts and ideas, pushing the kid into having a problem that didn't exist before the parent's prodding.

Most kids just want to cheer and have a good time. With some exceptions of course. There are a few flat out nasty kids out there who haven't been brought up right and are out for themselves... but for the most part, the kids just love being together and competing together. That's the beauty of this sport. It is the parents that could learn a valuable lesson from this!

i agree with you on this my cp has been in all stars for 5 years now and i have seen parents cause so many issues generally the kids are happy to just be part of a team but it seems to be the parents that find something to be unhappy about i dont know how the coaches and gym owners deal with it

 

[Cheer4bella]

I guess it really depends if their small (like me) or young. I hate to see young girls on a senior team. I HATE that. But if they are the age and they have the skills you should be put in the air. If their young it still depends. If flyers look REALLY young (like 5) they dont look as dynamic flying on a senior team. I agree that the lines of taller flyers looks amazing in the air. But if their small and they can pull it off, put them I'm the air!

 

[coach.elle]

I genuinely envy you. I have not seen that many high schools that focus on execution (in FL) as much as allstars. There are always exceptions in both allstars and high school.
About putting younger bases with younger flyers - that makes sense since your flyers have some skills and you're putting them with girls that probably have an equal amount of difficulty putting a 7th grader up as a 12th grader has putting a 12th grader up. Do you coach at a public or private school? I know that private schools can get away with MS girls in FL on the varsity team (depending on the competitions they participate in), however I don't think public schools have any access to this mostly because the HS is a different location from the MS.

I coach at a brand new public school. It's pretty large now but lAst year we didn't have seniors. That's why we had to dip into the middle schools to fill a team. The rule is: a 7th or 8th grader has to be considerably better than a high school girl to make a jv or varsity team. So if they have high tumbling they can make it over a senior with no tumbling but if they are the same we have to take the older girl.

We have 5 or 6middle schools that have kids that feed to us. So the rule is.. If they live in our school bounderies they can try out. I actually have a girl on jv that just moved from FL. She said she was on varsity as an 8th grader. Pm me if you wanna chat more!

 

[cheerbear2x]

I don't mind it, but in some cases, younger girls WITHOUT skills get put on older teams just to fly, when in fact they don't have the tumbling skills. I don't mind girls that are 12 being on senior 5 teams, as long as they deserve it.

 

[Titi Cheer]

I'm a "peanut" flyer and I work extra hard to be on a senior team. I'm going to be 13 but I look alot younger. The skills that I've learned from being on a senior team would be wasted if I had small girls under me. Shouldn't every cheerleader be used to their fullest potenial?? If I can do what is needed of me on a senior team , then I ask why not?

 

[fullpass]

I'm a "peanut" flyer and I work extra hard to be on a senior team. I'm going to be 13 but I look alot younger. The skills that I've learned from being on a senior team would be wasted if I had small girls under me. Shouldn't every cheerleader be used to their fullest potenial?? If I can do what is needed of me on a senior team , then I ask why not?

You should be proud of what you have accomplished. Good job!

My friend's CP was originally on a Senior team this season but then put as an alternate (she double teams so it's not the biggest deal) because she is so small and it 'threw off the look'. But in the end she was put back in because she could hit better than the 'size appropriate' kid. Stunts are only part of the equation people. You still need to be able to jump and tumble as well!

PS if anyone is opposed to any 'look' then they have the right to start their own gym and do whatever they like.

 

[Rudags]

I don't mind it, but in some cases, younger girls WITHOUT skills get put on older teams just to fly, when in fact they don't have the tumbling skills. I don't mind girls that are 12 being on senior 5 teams, as long as they deserve it.

You know, there is more to the scoresheet than tumbling. There is still flying, performance, dance, jumps, etc that a flyer with no tumbling can make up in. I hate this sport is so tumbling based. If you throw squad doubles and can't hit a stunt, it doesn't matter.

 

[Ashay]

the youngsters in your gym are your future....if you have several 12 year olds on your worlds team chances are they are seasoned cheerleaders who (A) have been in your gym since the beginning and have earned that spot on that worlds team or (B) they have the skills to be on the worlds team. IMO it doesnt really matter how old they are as long as they are worlds age appropriate!

 

[yojaehs]

Yet another thread making excuses and whining.

 

[MomOf2ThatsMe]

:enjoyshow:

 

[Mclovin]

You know, there is more to the scoresheet than tumbling. There is still flying, performance, dance, jumps, etc that a flyer with no tumbling can make up in. I hate this sport is so tumbling based. If you throw squad doubles and can't hit a stunt, it doesn't matter.

If you can hit squad double ups yet no one on the team has fulls, it doesn't matter either This sport should be about a well rounded team. And I do believe the scoresheets are starting to give more weight to stunting over tumbling now aren't they??

 

[yojaehs]

I agree with @Mclovin 100%, its about having a well rounded team. A well rounded routine. I personally think that things vary per gym. Some gyms prefer one thing while others prefer another, I get that those at a particular gym live and die by those preferences but why criticize others for theirs? I just don't get it. So much has been made about the age thing how 12 yr olds shouldn't be on a team with 18 yr olds, blah. Most teams aren't made up of 19-18 yr olds and one 12 yr old. We have 12 yr olds on our senior team bc they are good, worked hard and have the skills and maturity to be on a senior team, and they are doing an amazing job. We have 10 year olds on our Senior Restricted team, and they are doing a great job as well, judge me and my gym all you want but we take pride in our kids and feel when they work hard they deserve to be rewarded. We discuss this with their parents as well and what we expect of our senior team (heck most 18 yr olds are the immature ones) and we have their support. I feel like the exceptional 10/11/12 yr olds are the exception to the rule but they exist and work just as hard as the rest of the kids. If its within the rules and handled appropriately they deserve the same opportunities as everyone else. And from a judges perspective, its never been written on my score sheet that it looked bad, actually the opposite, "that little girl in your center stunt is amazing". I'll keep my score sheet and my young kids all day long.

 

[Mclovin]

I agree with @Mclovin 100%, its about having a well rounded team. A well rounded routine. I personally think that things vary per gym. Some gyms prefer one thing while others prefer another, I get that those at a particular gym live and die by those preferences but why criticize others for theirs? I just don't get it. So much has been made about the age thing how 12 yr olds shouldn't be on a team with 18 yr olds, blah. Most teams aren't made up of 19-18 yr olds and one 12 yr old. We have 12 yr olds on our senior team bc they are good, worked hard and have the skills and maturity to be on a senior team, and they are doing an amazing job. We have 10 year olds on our Senior Restricted team, and they are doing a great job as well, judge me and my gym all you want but we take pride in our kids and feel when they work hard they deserve to be rewarded. We discuss this with their parents as well and what we expect of our senior team (heck most 18 yr olds are the immature ones) and we have their support. I feel like the exceptional 10/11/12 yr olds are the exception to the rule but they exist and work just as hard as the rest of the kids. If its within the rules and handled appropriately they deserve the same opportunities as everyone else. And from a judges perspective, its never been written on my score sheet that it looked bad, actually the opposite, "that little girl in your center stunt is amazing". I'll keep my score sheet and my young kids all day long.

Very well stated

 

[Just-a-Mom]

Yet another thread making excuses and whining.

(Just for the record...it's not "yet another". It's the same old one brought back up - this thread was started a YEAR ago and the last post before it was dredged back up today was in January. )