All-Star Are Loopholes What 'make' Cheerleading?

[yojaehs]

I am not a fan that the cheer section is being taken off the score sheet. It doesn't make sense to me that a cheer team would just dance, tumble and stunt without a cheer at all. I LOVE the other parts I just don't want to lose the cheer portion,

My bad, it didn't leave it off on purpose. I'll include - Stunts, tumbling, jumps, dance, pyramid, baskets and Motions/Cheer! ALL EQUAL!

 

[SharkDad]

I don't think cheer is anywhere close to other basis of this argument. The problem I see now is that cheer is not close to standardized. Event producers use the USASF age grid, but add a division for these 3 teams, then change the scoresheet a little here and there, but use USASF definitions. There are so many differences from one event to another that the rules are changing to try and get them CLOSE to standardized.

Maybe after another round or two of rules changes we can have this discussion and worry about innovation being squashed, but I think that's close to 10 years down the road.

 

[championprincess]

I think that the industry will change a LOT in the next 10 years. As sad as I am to say it, I do believe that a lot of the innovation has been done. As everyone plays "keep up with the Joneses" (or the Stingrays...) for the next 3-4 years, everyone will be doing the same skills. However, I think that it will drastically turn the separation from 1st to last to execution...and by pushing cleanliness will result in safer & better executed skills. Once all of this happens for a couple of years, and the clean & safe mindset is more universally accepted, we can slowly add in more and more allowed skills each year, or even another level, and it not be as scary and dangerous as it would be now.

I don't want to see creativity go, but I would love to see safer be a universal goal.

 

[kristenthegreat]

I think keeping the creative elements (cheer/motions/dance) is the main thread that is and will keep us from strictly compulsory routines. You can't win with a 30 second cowboy dance, but it sure makes the rest of your skills look good. I don't think innovation will ever TRULY go away, because unless you can remember every routine done by every team ever, there are certain formations and motions that will look 'different' each year. Plus, there are always baskets. Hello full toe touch full down!!

As far as 'loopholes' go, I think there is a difference between innovation and breaking safety rules. Certain ones (like how you're allowed to land) are different across the levels for safety reasons/progression. Creativity has been doing just fine with them in place.