Comp Vs. Sideline Vs. Jv

[SMacho]

Hi everyone! For many years we have had varsity and JV squads. My JV coaches are getting very burnt out with the constant overhauling of JV every year due to kids being pulled up or not coming back. We have been discussing the possibility of doing a game team and a comp team instead of Varsity and JV. Varsity, aka the comp team, would still cheer at most games because we have to in order to compete.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[CheerBank]

Hi everyone! For many years we have had varsity and JV squads. My JV coaches are getting very burnt out with the constant overhauling of JV every year due to kids being pulled up or not coming back. We have been discussing the possibility of doing a game team and a comp team instead of Varsity and JV. Varsity, aka the comp team, would still cheer at most games because we have to in order to compete.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Isn't that the point of JV though? To get kids ready for varsity?

 

[SMacho]

Isn't that the point of JV though? To get kids ready for varsity?

Yes absolutely! I think the issue is that the talent level between Varsity and JV is getting bigger and bigger so we are pulling up less kids. So once kids see that they don't really have a chance at making Varsity, they do it for one year and leave. We're just toying with different ideas to try to keep kids more engaged. I just don't know if a game only team would motivate kids enough to stay long term. Just throwing things out there!

 

[retiredl5cheer]

I played with this idea at my middle school a few years ago. We had a number of kids who wanted to cheer, but didn't want to make the time commitment that was required of our competition team. I fielded a game day team for those interested in "testing the waters" with cheer, so to speak. The game day team practiced less, had a looser attendance policy, etc. I left the following year, however, so I can't speak to the longevity of success of the program in building future competition cheerleaders.

 

[hschoolfearleader]

this is what my coach does/did last year when we had a comp team. It was jv who ofc cheered for jv teams, varisty who cheered for varsity teams then the comp team. keep in mind jv were (9-11 grade) and varsity was (11-12 grade). Anyone from the cheer team in general were allowed to try out for the comp team, those who made it then had extra practice but still had to cheer at everygame, then comps on the weekend (they only did about 2 comps since the team started in january). Maybe that scenario may help you.

also this is my opinion but i feel like jv should not be pulled up to varsity, unless theres about 3 or 4 girls left and just pull them all up.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

We have a JV and Varsity. We do not call them that. They are Blue and Gold squad.

Gold is the competitive squad that also cheers Varsoty FB and BB. Most girls have solid level 3 to 4 ish tumbling and can full down from a lib.

Blue is not competitive. They cheer JV BB and FB. The tumbling required is a BHS. Stunting is optional but most can base an extension when they start.

I also do not place kids on Varsity due to year. Skills make the team.

This sets up a situation in which girls are constantly pushing themselves (for the most part) to get Gold skills and excel to compete.

I do get the occasional girl who cheers on Blue all through HS because she is on the Varsity soccer team and can't commit to 2 soccer teams and comp cheer. That is fine, too.

As far as class breakdown, Blue is mostly younger girls, but I had 2 freshmen make Gold this year so it happens. It also happens thar there are 11th/12th graders who cheer senior year on Blue because they still don't have Gold skills.

It all depends on skills. It doesn't make for happy parents or kids when (example) Suzie is on Blue for 2 years and fails to advance to Gold senior year - and freshman Katie makes Gold as an incoming 9th - but skills pay bills over here in my corner of the cheer world. Not seniority.

 

[CheerBank]

this is what my coach does/did last year when we had a comp team. It was jv who ofc cheered for jv teams, varisty who cheered for varsity teams then the comp team. keep in mind jv were (9-11 grade) and varsity was (11-12 grade). Anyone from the cheer team in general were allowed to try out for the comp team, those who made it then had extra practice but still had to cheer at everygame, then comps on the weekend (they only did about 2 comps since the team started in january). Maybe that scenario may help you.

also this is my opinion but i feel like jv should not be pulled up to varsity, unless theres about 3 or 4 girls left and just pull them all up.

Cp's school will not put a senior on JV. We have quite a few juniors on JV this year so it will be interesting to see what happens next year.

 

[hschoolfearleader]

We have a JV and Varsity. We do not call them that. They are Blue and Gold squad.

Gold is the competitive squad that also cheers Varsoty FB and BB. Most girls have solid level 3 to 4 ish tumbling and can full down from a lib.

Blue is not competitive. They cheer JV BB and FB. The tumbling required is a BHS. Stunting is optional but most can base an extension when they start.

I also do not place kids on Varsity due to year. Skills make the team.

This sets up a situation in which girls are constantly pushing themselves (for the most part) to get Gold skills and excel to compete.

I do get the occasional girl who cheers on Blue all through HS because she is on the Varsity soccer team and can't commit to 2 soccer teams and comp cheer. That is fine, too.

As far as class breakdown, Blue is mostly younger girls, but I had 2 freshmen make Gold this year so it happens. It also happens thar there are 11th/12th graders who cheer senior year on Blue because they still don't have Gold skills.

It all depends on skills. It doesn't make for happy parents or kids when (example) Suzie is on Blue for 2 years and fails to advance to Gold senior year - and freshman Katie makes Gold as an incoming 9th - but skills pay bills over here in my corner of the cheer world. Not seniority.

In regards to my post i said we do it based on seniority or grade is bc our school doesn't focus that much on comp/skill mostly community service and sideline which is why we would cheer for the guys/girls near our grade level (idk if that makes sense). But when we do have comp seasons thats how my coach does it, its only an example lol

 

[hschoolfearleader]

Cp's school will not put a senior on JV. We have quite a few juniors on JV this year so it will be interesting to see what happens next year.

Yeah theres never been a senior on jv on my team either, we have had alot of juniors on jv due to them not having the skill and technique for a varsity team, usually they dont get bumped up to varsity either during the season, they would just ride out jv and try out for varsity next year as a senior and if they have the skills they make varsity. I always feel bad for juniors on jv

 

[luv2cheer92]

Cp's school will not put a senior on JV. We have quite a few juniors on JV this year so it will be interesting to see what happens next year.

Seniors are not allowed to be on JV for any sport where I'm from. It was either Varsity or nothing.

 

[CheerBank]

Seniors are not allowed to be on JV for any sport where I'm from. It was either Varsity or nothing.

It can go either way next season - they will either put the handful of them who have been on JV since their freshman year on Varsity, or those girls will just not try out. In the past cheer has made very few cuts and traditionally moved those seniors to Varsity (the team is not competitive although some of them - and their moms - believe that they are ) but I have heard discussion of a coaching change which may shake things up a lot.

 

[catlady]

Cp's school will not put a senior on JV. We have quite a few juniors on JV this year so it will be interesting to see what happens next year.

Cp's school won't either. Oldest's Sr. year there were 23 (14 of them Sr's) that cheered Varsity sideline and then they had a separate roster for the Varsity comp team. If someone cheered the majority of HS on JV, they would put them on Varsity sideline their Sr. year.

 

[CheerBank]

Cp's school won't either. Oldest's Sr. year there were 23 (14 of them Sr's) that cheered Varsity sideline and then they had a separate roster for the Varsity comp team. If someone cheered the majority of HS on JV, they would put them on Varsity sideline their Sr. year.

We unfortunately do not have that distinction.

 

[ells0274]

speaking as a mom/coach...in my town, our HS only has a varsity team that consists of girls in grades 9-12. They have a varsity team then take a certain number of girls from that team to make a competition team. I personally don't like the idea. I think it would give more girls the opportunity to cheer and test the waters, sort of speak, if they had a freshman, JV and Varsity. I have never asked or inquired as the coaches are not very friendly or open to any change.

 

[alyfornia]

In high school, we only had varsity as we were a small school. My senior year, our coach didn't cut anyone (to keep our team at 15) but had a "Game Day" team and a "Competition" team. Really everyone was on the Game Day team but only about 12 were on the Competition team. The three left were used sort of like alternates (which one we had to use because of an injury). I don't believe the coach did that again after I graduated as the new team was very green and she decided to not compete with them. Two coaches have taken her place since so that program hasn't had much consistency over the years.