All-Star Cea Chicago

[WOWFACTOR]

I just really don't like this at all. Like I know this has all been discussed but just seeing on twitter all of these athletes jumping ship to head over to CEA makes me feel bad for the athletes who do stay on their team and have to fix a routine that a good amount of people just up and left It's going to be rough. I'm sure everyone has their reasons that obviously don't need to be made public but it's all so unfortunate. Good luck to all though!

For a TEAM sport it would appear these new teams will consist of INDIVIDUALS who WALKED out on their TEAM in the middle of NATIONAL's season. Perhaps your team just got better with them gone.

 

[Hodiestoe]

I feel this so much. I always tell people I'm from Syracuse even though I'm technically not in Syracuse, I'm like 20ish minutes from it. If I tell anyone I'm from "Liverpool" they go "like where the Beatles are from?" Nah son. It's just easier this way.

Worse though, if I'm talking to someone not from NY, I say I'm from Upstate NY. That feels like I'm flat out lying to people because, despite what some people believe, that's not Upstate NY. But it's so I don't get "oh so can you like see the Empire State building from your window?" Haha yeah from my Googe Maps Street View window.

If people ask me where I live now who aren't in MA I say "between Worcester and Boston but closer to Worcester." And then when people ask where I went to school I say "between Binghamton and Albany".

I'm so vague.

I live in the Beatles Liverpool, but I've been to your one, is Heid's still there???


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[WOWFACTOR]

Yeah I've seen some really awful ones. I get that there's a lot that could have happened at ICE that no one knows about but there are still so many athletes that now have no idea how they're going to compete the rest of the season because half of their teams left the gym overnight. It really puts a bad taste in my mouth and the things I'm seeing make it worse.

And you wonder why Illinois cheerleading has such a bad reputation and now getting worse.... Encouraging children to walk on their team. If they've walked once or twice they'll walk again. Perhaps when CA or TG comes to ILL. You can change the team name but you're still the same individual.

 

[Beans100]

THIS!!!! Cheerleading is a business people, you pay to cheer. Therefore if you are not happy with the product you are receiving, you have every right to take your business elsewhere


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While this is true, and I am not against athletes leaving gyms for whatever reasons they choose, I do believe in commitment. Unless some s**t really hit the fan, those athletes made a commitment to the gym, and to the other girls on their team; they should have honored that commitment. But overnight, they just burned a lot of bridges. (I'm assuming the other coaches did not know that plans for this had been occurring since summer...)

You're right, cheerleading is a business, and you don't want to have a bad reputation in a world made of networking. I don't know what happened at ICE and maybe they deserved to have the girls leave. But, if they didn't, then the girls probably won't have a chance at being welcomed back at ICE. Say this CEA thing doesn't work out, then what?

 

[Lablover]

I can totally get that. But I will never ever get behind leaving a team midseason, unless there are some serious legal/ethical issues going on. Which I could be wrong, but I kinda doubt is happening in this situation.

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i think a few years ago I would have said the same thing but as I get older and realize that my children's childhoods are fleeting I'm less likely to make them stay in a situation that is making them truly unhappy. Same for myself. Cheerleading is expensive and at the end of the day everyone (parents, cheerleaders, coaches and owners) need to want to be there I order to put the best routine on the mat. And while yes there are some SMs most parents are pretty reasonable and I don't think would up and quit mid year and have to buy a new uniform, pay for new choreography/music, etc unless they felt the situation warranted it.

 

[luv2cheer92]

i think a few years ago I would have said the same thing but as I get older and realize that my children's childhoods are fleeting I'm less likely to make them stay in a situation that is making them truly unhappy. Same for myself. Cheerleading is expensive and at the end of the day everyone (parents, cheerleaders, coaches and owners) need to want to be there I order to put the best routine on the mat. And while yes there are some SMs most parents are pretty reasonable and I don't think would up and quit mid year and have to buy a new uniform, pay for new choreography/music, etc unless they felt the situation warranted it.

I don't have kids yet, so my viewpoint could change when/if that happens. But, if the situation truly warranted a change (as I mentioned in my post) then that is one thing. But for now I'm sticking to my opinion of finish your commitment to your team even if your team isn't winning/you don't like one of your teammates/you'd rather be shopping than practicing/your best friend is at a different gym/you changed your mind and would rather be at the other gym/whatever other "unwarranted" reason kids come up with for leaving a team mid-season. But if the gym or coach is being unethical or doing something illegal, then by all means please do change gyms mid season.

ETA: I used quotations around unwarranted as that is likely a subjective definition and could vary person to person.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

I live in the Beatles Liverpool, but I've been to your one, is Heid's still there???


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Heids is still rocking! I can't live without their hotdogs, fries, and chocolate milk. It's a summer tradition. I think people would revolt if they ever tried to close. (I am so blown away that you just asked that because I feel like it's our little gem and no one gets our loyalty to a hyped up, permanent hotdog stand. This was the best thing to wake up to )

 

[Fiercecheermom]

Wow...as I stated earlier in this thread, I will support any gym opening wherever they want as long as they do it legally with all the required permits/insurance, etc. Not sure why all of these athletes are leaving ICE and would like to hear from those parents/athletes. To me, unless we are talking EGREGIOUS circumstances, and I mean extreme/felonious, my CP would finish out her season. Suffice to say I made this requirement of my daughter last year. And yes I know this is a business. Yes, I know we ALL have choices. BUT we also are raising athletes into HUMAN BEINGS and you are teaching your kids that if you make a bad decision at the beginning of the season, continue through almost half of the season, it is okay/acceptable to just up and leave. THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU SHOULD BE TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN! They will NEVER learn to accept and take responsibility for their mistakes. Mistakes are what will give them experience and teach them to think about a decision before jumping in too quickly. Remember, there is life after cheer and at the end of the day, we should be raising children with education, experience, and a decent moral character.

 

[12stepCheermom]

My kids (and we) were unhappy by late November in a program. After December is was downright unbearable and we made the decision to leave...

...at the end of the season.

Integrity is important in our house and leaving mid season on their coaches/teams wasn't even a consideration. To make it seem shorter we all privately counted down the number of times they'd have to put the uniform on (because it was a smaller number).

The following year I fought the same battle with ex-CP and doubted myself many times on whether forcing her to finish what she started was the right choice. In the end, she let me know it was (even though it was 4ish months of hell in our house). But when we picked her up on worlds finals day for some park time (her team didn't make the finals cut) one of the first things she said from the backseat was "mom....dad....I never said thank you."

"Thanks for what babe? Starbucks?" (We'd just gotten her some)

"No. Thank you for making me finish the season. You're right. I would've regretted it if i quit when I wanted to."

Almost cried, no lie.

Maybe I'm old school but I'm not a fan of permissive parenting and immediate gratification. I believe in commitment, integrity, focus, goal setting and hard work to get what you want. And I believe in teaching that to my kids.

Because sometimes being a parent sucks and not only do you need to say "no" you need to stick to your guns through their ongoing, teenage, carpet-bombing warfare because it's what they'll learn that's more important than what they'll get.

There's not much time left in the season, that gym will still be there next season, if there was nothing personally dangerous/safety concerning at their original gym there's no way in the world I'd let my kids leave their team mid-season. What those kids will learn (and it will be a lot) will be far better for them as people. Cheer is temporary, life lessons are permanent.


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[Fiercecheermom]

My kids (and we) were unhappy by late November in a program. After December is was downright unbearable and we made the decision to leave...

...at the end of the season.

Integrity is important in our house and leaving mid season on their coaches/teams wasn't even a consideration. To make it seem shorter we all privately counted down the number of times they'd have to put the uniform on (because it was a smaller number).

The following year I fought the same battle with ex-CP and doubted myself many times on whether forcing her to finish what she started was the right choice. In the end, she let me know it was (even though it was 4ish months of hell in our house). But when we picked her up on worlds finals day for some park time (her team didn't make the finals cut) one of the first things she said from the backseat was "mom....dad....I never said thank you."

"Thanks for what babe? Starbucks?" (We'd just gotten her some)

"No. Thank you for making me finish the season. You're right. I would've regretted it if i quit when I wanted to."

Almost cried, no lie.

Maybe I'm old school but I'm not a fan of permissive parenting and immediate gratification. I believe in commitment, integrity, focus, goal setting and hard work to get what you want. And I believe in teaching that to my kids.

Because sometimes being a parent sucks and not only do you need to say "no" you need to stick to your guns through their ongoing, teenage, carpet-bombing warfare because it's what they'll learn that's more important than what they'll get.

There's not much time left in the season, that gym will still be there next season, if there was nothing personally dangerous/safety concerning at their original gym there's no way in the world I'd let my kids leave their team mid-season. What those kids will learn (and it will be a lot) will be far better for them as people. Cheer is temporary, life lessons are permanent.


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Exactly!

 

[catlady]

I'm the person that applauds any new business, however, I'm struggling to see the strategy of disrupting the season for so many kids this close to the end. Social media and emotionally charged kids don't make for great endorsements for either business, and it will overflow into school and personal relationships for the athletes being the businesses are so close.

 

[dawgshow]

I did pull my kid mid season, but there were HUGE extenuating circumstances. She didn't go to another gym, though. We pulled her totally out. 4 months later she was ready to put her toes back in the water so we went to our current gym. I can see 1 kid leaving mid year for whatever reason, but a big chunk a team following the coach? That sounds like a temper tantrum. Yep, I said what a lot of people were thinking.

 

[Ch33RDawN]

My kids (and we) were unhappy by late November in a program. After December is was downright unbearable and we made the decision to leave...

...at the end of the season.

Integrity is important in our house and leaving mid season on their coaches/teams wasn't even a consideration. To make it seem shorter we all privately counted down the number of times they'd have to put the uniform on (because it was a smaller number).

The following year I fought the same battle with ex-CP and doubted myself many times on whether forcing her to finish what she started was the right choice. In the end, she let me know it was (even though it was 4ish months of hell in our house). But when we picked her up on worlds finals day for some park time (her team didn't make the finals cut) one of the first things she said from the backseat was "mom....dad....I never said thank you."

"Thanks for what babe? Starbucks?" (We'd just gotten her some)

"No. Thank you for making me finish the season. You're right. I would've regretted it if i quit when I wanted to."

Almost cried, no lie.

Maybe I'm old school but I'm not a fan of permissive parenting and immediate gratification. I believe in commitment, integrity, focus, goal setting and hard work to get what you want. And I believe in teaching that to my kids.

Because sometimes being a parent sucks and not only do you need to say "no" you need to stick to your guns through their ongoing, teenage, carpet-bombing warfare because it's what they'll learn that's more important than what they'll get.

There's not much time left in the season, that gym will still be there next season, if there was nothing personally dangerous/safety concerning at their original gym there's no way in the world I'd let my kids leave their team mid-season. What those kids will learn (and it will be a lot) will be far better for them as people. Cheer is temporary, life lessons are permanent.


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What an amazing post! Thank you for sharing!

 

[12stepCheermom]

What an amazing post! Thank you for sharing!

Well I like to take about 1% of the credit for cp17 because that's how we parented them both and he set a ridiculously high goal for himself years ago and worked harder than any kid I know to achieve it. 99% of his achievement is his own.

I was so scared he wouldn't reach it and would call BS on everything we ever taught him.

So my tears of pride when it happened for him, mixed with the joy of watching your kid reach his dreams were also mixed with relief that maybe I got that one right.

One down, one to go [emoji4]


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[Cheer4U2]

As a director for a smaller gym in IL this is nothing new for the smaller programs! This stuff happens all the time. Even after taking a team to worlds 4 years in a row you still have athletes and parents that it turns into well now we have to make it to finals and now we have to make it into the top 10 etc etc so they leave and go over to abc gym then the next thing you know they have been at 4 gyms in 2 season chasing "the dream". I'm happy to say that the past two season have been awesome the gym has grown we have great parents and great athletes does that mean everyone will stick around forever probably not but I'm come to learn if people want to go then let them go why stress over keeping unhappy people in your gym who will just posion it from the inside! This is my gyms first season of trying to go to the summit and I'm proud to say we are going and we did it without all the drama and people that thought the grass would be greener!