All-Star Base Or Flyer...?

[MamaMya04]

I love to see my CP fly because she loves to fly and her persona on stage confirms that. This year she decided to crossover to a junior team specifically so that she can learn to base and she's excited about it. I think that you should support the coaches decision (whatever it turns out to be) and encourage your CP to play her position the best way she possibly can. And if she does base, I suggest handstand pushups along the wall.

 

[Cheermom1969]

Gracie has always been a flyer. This year she is basing on a youth level 2 and flying on a Jr 3. She absolutely loves basing!!! She likes proving that she is strong enough to do it. So far this season she is more exited about basing than flying. She has also said that since she has flown for so many years it makes her better able to determine how to help her flyer stay in the air. She sure has been taking a beating though - just kicked in the eye a few days ago. She says it is a harder job basing than flying. I am of the mindset that whatever is best for the team is what my child should happily do. Every position on a cheer team is important. There would be no flyers without bases.

Oh yes, the bases and back spots get beat up. I always laugh at how the flyer is always in the pictures you see and the spotlight is on them and they're so pretty and graceful up there. Meanwhile, you have three girls under you who have fat lips, bruises, and cuts! lol My cp pretty much had a fat lip all last season because she has braces.

 

[CatFan22]

My CP12 has been a flyer for the past 8 years. She's flown L5 for the past 4 years (2 years on J5 and 2 years on SrR5). This year, she's basing on J5. I'm not gonna lie, there were tears at first over giving up flying and the fact that several of her flyer friends went to fly on worlds teams. BUT, she was willing to give it a try and guess what.....she loves it! She's not small for her age at all and I think the coaches recognize that she's not done growing (her sister is 15 and 5'6). I've always tried to prepare her that someday she may outgrow flying. I think it's smart that they're pulling her in to learn to base on a junior team with smaller flyers NOW before she ages out of juniors. I have to admit, she's doing an amazing job and I couldn't be more proud that she's gone into it with a very positive attitude. She came out of her first practice BEAMING! Jags is an amazing team and was VERY good to my CP15 for the past two years. I think CP12 is going to have an incredible experience with them too. And in the end, she'll come out as a stronger, more well rounded athlete.

 

[Mndl]

My CP will be a flyer this year only because she is the smallest and youngest on her team. However I am quite sure that if she continues in cheer she will end up basing. She has always been tall for her age and she is very strong from gymnastics, so if after this year she moves to a gym with more age appropiate teams, I think her flying days will be over. She knows this and is fine with it, she likes showing everyone how strong she is

 

[shawtyyBHADDx3]

If the coaches have an issue with her not listening or doing what they're asking, that's a coaching issue and they should handle it. If they can't handle it because she's not being coach able, then that's a whole different issue. If she's bucking basing because she wants to fly then putting her in the air to appease a temper tantrum is about the worst thing that can be done for her, the group and the team.

At this point, you're her parent, not her coach. Your job is to say, great job, I'm proud of you, you're awesome and I believe in you. Cuddle, hug and high five. That's your job from this point forward. All coaching decisions and repercussions should be left with the coaches.

If she is too "weak" they'll put her with someone she can be successfull with, but the truth of the matter is this....if she can do a handstand, she can hold her own body weight...which also means she can hold half (or a third) of the body weight of a flyer that is her same size at extension....and flyers are generally smaller.

So the "too weak" argument only works for me if an athlete actually can't hold a handstand (which also means they can't do a cartwheel, handspring, walkover etc). All of those require to be able to hold at least your own body weight.

But I can't do a handstand and I was one of the best back spots on my team and a pretty good base. And this was on a college team so the flyers has a lot more weight to hold up.


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[hawkeye87]

Oh yes, the bases and back spots get beat up. I always laugh at how the flyer is always in the pictures you see and the spotlight is on them and they're so pretty and graceful up there. Meanwhile, you have three girls under you who have fat lips, bruises, and cuts! lol My cp pretty much had a fat lip all last season because she has braces.

This is so true. I remember doing high school cheer and I remember getting bruises so bad that a teacher pulled me out of class to ask if everything was all right at home? with my boyfriend at the time? It was so comical I burst out laughing and invited this teacher to a practice after that no more questions. I swear the injuries I got basing... broken fingers, dislocated shoulder and elbow, broken nose and concussions... omg crazy.

 

[CheerBank]

This is so true. I remember doing high school cheer and I remember getting bruises so bad that a teacher pulled me out of class to ask if everything was all right at home? with my boyfriend at the time? It was so comical I burst out laughing and invited this teacher to a practice after that no more questions. I swear the injuries I got basing... broken fingers, dislocated shoulder and elbow, broken nose and concussions... omg crazy.

Cp was asked in 7th grade if a shoe mark on the side of her neck was a hickey .

 

[CFX]

All of our competitive flyers (even the little ones) learn how to base. Not only does this help our flyers build up upper body strength, which they need, it gives a chance for some of the bases to fly a bit. Some bases who never get the chance to go up in the air really don't know what it's like to have to hold yourself up! It also seems to help them understand why basing technique is so important.

Of course, our littlest flyers (those around 8 years old or so and who are TINY) usually practice basing our mini team athletes with spotting from the coaches and older athletes for safety!

Basing is tough work. If the coaches decide to have her base and she sticks with it, she'll be building the muscle and strength that she needs very quickly.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Flyer for my entire cheer life (I'm 4'11 as an adult. Basing was just never in the cards, outside of maybe a center prep if someone was injured.)

Honestly, there were times when I WANTED to base. Sometimes you just need a break from knowing that if the stunt falls, EVERYONE AT THE GAME/IN A PACKED CONVENTION CENTER is looking at YOU.

I see folks being all OMG about wanting their child to be point flyer and I laugh a little on the inside because I was point when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and it always made me just a tad nervous.

 

[omgitssydthekid]

Flyer for my entire cheer life (I'm 4'11 as an adult. Basing was just never in the cards, outside of maybe a center prep if someone was injured.)

Honestly, there were times when I WANTED to base. Sometimes you just need a break from knowing that if the stunt falls, EVERYONE AT THE GAME/IN A PACKED CONVENTION CENTER is looking at YOU.

I see folks being all OMG about wanting their child to be point flyer and I laugh a little on the inside because I was point when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and it always made me just a tad nervous.

This was how I was! The season I was point flyer was the most stressful season I've ever had.

My first year of cheer when I was 15 (my cheer age was 14), I made a senior 2 team but halfway through the season a girl from j3 tore her ACL and I was asked to crossover because I had perfected my tuck at that point in the season. I flew on senior 2 but I got to backspot/base on junior 3 and it was the most glorious time I've ever had competing. I was so relaxed when I was competing on j3 (probably helps that my stunt never fell) and I thought that basing/backspotting was so cool. Every time a parent or teammate posted a picture of my team/stunt I made sure to tag myself in it because I wanted people to see how strong I was and how cool it was that I could lift someone.


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[nicolee]

I was a flyer my whole cheer career, as a tiny kid who grew into an average-sized adult (small by normal human standards, tall by cheer standards). Even when I had my growth spurts, I remained a flyer since I was strong enough to hold my weight. But I definitely wish I'd done more basing. I did bits and pieces here and there, but being a well-rounded athlete who can base, fly and tumble is such a wonderful and rare thing.

If you have a chance to develop all those skills, go for it.

 

[Cheermom1969]

Flyer for my entire cheer life (I'm 4'11 as an adult. Basing was just never in the cards, outside of maybe a center prep if someone was injured.)

Honestly, there were times when I WANTED to base. Sometimes you just need a break from knowing that if the stunt falls, EVERYONE AT THE GAME/IN A PACKED CONVENTION CENTER is looking at YOU.

I see folks being all OMG about wanting their child to be point flyer and I laugh a little on the inside because I was point when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and it always made me just a tad nervous.

I could one-man you now! I'm 5' 6". Just give me a few weeks to lift some weights. lol

 

[NoDramaCheerMama]

CP has always been a flyer but this year she's on a team with some tiny girls. She is small for her age but these girls are younger & smaller. She's switching in & out with a smaller girl right now. She is not too happy about it but I am hoping she gets to base some this year. I really think she'll enjoy taking some of the pressure off & I will thoroughly enjoy feeling like I'm not going to vomit at every competition [emoji16]

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

My CP12 has been a flyer for the past 8 years. She's flown L5 for the past 4 years (2 years on J5 and 2 years on SrR5). This year, she's basing on J5. I'm not gonna lie, there were tears at first over giving up flying and the fact that several of her flyer friends went to fly on worlds teams. BUT, she was willing to give it a try and guess what.....she loves it! She's not small for her age at all and I think the coaches recognize that she's not done growing (her sister is 15 and 5'6). I've always tried to prepare her that someday she may outgrow flying. I think it's smart that they're pulling her in to learn to base on a junior team with smaller flyers NOW before she ages out of juniors. I have to admit, she's doing an amazing job and I couldn't be more proud that she's gone into it with a very positive attitude. She came out of her first practice BEAMING! Jags is an amazing team and was VERY good to my CP15 for the past two years. I think CP12 is going to have an incredible experience with them too. And in the end, she'll come out as a stronger, more well rounded athlete.

Good for her!

The worst thing is to refuse to do well at basing, yet not be flying either.

As a coach, those kids are the hardest to place on teams.

 

[MomMomMamaMom]

My oldest CP is no longer flying this year, in her 6th year of cheer. She has been back spotting as a crossover on junior teams for 4 years( aged out this year) She was scared as heck because in her new team she's a main base, for a senior team and hasn't done it before. But she's rocking it. And she is fantastic at doing what she can to keep her flyer off the floor. The pride she has in her ability to base is very different than her pride in flying, but it's almost more pride. I think it's partially because she has a lot more control over her part in the stunt.