All-Star crossovers!!!

[Ignis Pater]

I don't think that it is unethical. I don't fault the kids for doing it if their coach lets them. It just (unfairly or not) makes me less impressed with a set of teams when I know that many of their athletes are "permanent" cross-competers.

Example A:
39 L5 athletes (3 boys, 36 females).
They are used to make:
Large Senior 5
Small Senior 5
Large Limited 5
Small Limited 5
Senior Open 5

Example B
148 L5 athletes (142 girls 6 boys) same teams but evenly spread out (no crossovers)

Assuming the sets of teams are roughly similar in ability,which is harder to do as a gym? Which takes more total talent to accomplish? Which are you more impressed with?

This an severe example, but used to illustrate a point.

This is a great example! And I hate it when it happens.

 

[WyldWon]

My daughter is 15 and has been on a senior 5 team for 3 years. This season our junior 3 team had 4 or 5 kids quit, they couldnt replace all of them but asked my daughter to cross over. At first I was like NOOOO but after thinking about it, I thought it would be a great learning lesson....she has been a flyer for 7 years and had no clue how to base or backspot. Being the oldest on the team and one of the bigger girls she got to learn something she never did before. The routine features the girls who were already on the team even though my daughters skills were more advanced and that is the way it should be. I always have been nervous that if my daughter didnt fly anymore she would have to learn to base level 5, now she is learning at a lower level which is safer for her. We try to discourage crossovers but there are a few kids in our gym that just love to cheer...and the more cheer the better.

 

[Aw.Work.]

some people in my gym, and on my team, cross over and they love it. they say it warms them up and gets them ready for the harder routines. personally im all for cross overs, if the kid wants to do it then i dont see the problem. i would be on every team in the gym if i could be but my age kinda prevents that haha. i of course dont want to see the whole team [exagerating] cross over but i dont care if like 6 or 7ish kids per team do. doesnt bother me at alll =p

 

[ztaprincess]

i don't mind crossovers if it a few kids due to injuries or filling in for a sick person. when it comes to over half the team crossing over just to make another team for the gym it can get annoying. it does bother me when i see a gym with different uniforms for each team have someone in the wrong uniform crossing over. they just stick out really bad.

i think someone said something about crossing over for levels 1-4 but not 5, and i don't understand what the difference would be. if an athlete is a level 5 athlete and crosses over to a level 3 team they can still only do level 3 skills. if someone is on a level 4 team and crosses to a level 2 team they can still only do level 2 skills. if you are going to get rid of crossing over for just level 5 then why not do away with it across the board because it is the same thing. sorry this might have gone a little off topic that comment just stood out to me.

 

[garretttt]

It doesnt bother me one bit. If the parents are paying for it and the kids are having a good time, thats all that should matter. Although if your using the same kids to make 5 different teams thats just wrong

 

[Jessica]

i have no problem with crossovers in general but i dont like when gyms abuse the privilege.... i used to triple compete and i loved it but i was one of few people in the gym to even double compete

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

Im fine with a few crossovers, especially at smaller gyms - just to maybe max out numbers on a team. I know our gym for example, had 14 level 3s after tryouts and only like 14 level 4's. To have four stunts up, we would need 16 people, we we had two crossovers from levels above. As soon as we had some new people join after our season started, we took them out. Now we only have 1 cross ove on level 2 (this is per request of parent), 1 one level 3, and none on level 4.

i'm ok with this too, it's not fair to punish a gym because they don't have as large as of a talent pool, and it's not fair to punish the kids because there aren't enough athletes to fill up their team. I also understand using crossovers for injuries or some kind of emergency matter. I HATE, however, when you see like all of one team on another, just for example when all of a large senior 5 is also on their open 5. There really is not reason for it if you ask me, and in my eyes it is a form of cheating, it's stacking your team and it's not right.
just my opinion of course =]

 

[ChaufferOfQueenie]

I don't mind crossovers, but I can't stand when over 3/4 of a team crossing over

 

[NineLives]

Im fine with a few crossovers, especially at smaller gyms - just to maybe max out numbers on a team. I know our gym for example, had 14 level 3s after tryouts and only like 14 level 4's. To have four stunts up, we would need 16 people, we we had two crossovers from levels above. As soon as we had some new people join after our season started, we took them out. Now we only have 1 cross ove on level 2 (this is per request of parent), 1 one level 3, and none on level 4.

i'm ok with this too, it's not fair to punish a gym because they don't have as large as of a talent pool, and it's not fair to punish the kids because there aren't enough athletes to fill up their team. I also understand using crossovers for injuries or some kind of emergency matter. I HATE, however, when you see like all of one team on another, just for example when all of a large senior 5 is also on their open 5. There really is not reason for it if you ask me, and in my eyes it is a form of cheating, it's stacking your team and it's not right.
just my opinion of course =]

Let me start by saying that in regards to crossovers I agree completely with everything BlueCat had said earlier. In a situation where you are filling in for an injury I feel like it is totally acceptable, and while legal to do otherwise, I think that it makes a program less impressive. I've noticed alot of you feel like small gyms deserve "special consideration" when it comes to crossing over, and this is where I'd have to disagree. Think about it from this perspective; programs like Georgia allstars and Spirit of Texas have pretty much always been small gyms, but are still perennial powerhouses (please note that I am speaking from past experience as I do not know how many teams either program has this year). Statistically speaking I am pretty sure they have two of the most sucessful winning records (as a program) in cheerleading. Anyway I guess the point of my ramblings is that whether a gym is large or small is insignificant when it comes to the need to cross over, with the right coaching any team can be successful! Just my two cents

 

[iSTJC]

To me it's better if a "crossed over" team was small. A lack of numbers has much more of an impact on a small team than it does on a large team. A small team with 16 people is at much more of a disadvantage than a large team with 32 people when it comes to stunts, tumbling and variety of formations/transitions. If a program is crossing over kids, I'd rather it be to fill out a small team than a large team simply because I don't think it's as necessary for a large team to be full versus a small team.

 

[Jay0628]

I'm a crossover now, at my old gym my main team was sr 4 co-ed but I had and still have a double so i moved up to open international 5. But level 6 wanted me to so i was cheering on 3 teams. I don't think it's bad in anyway. I think it's more like helping out and plus it's fun to know more than 1 routine.

 

[BlueCat]

Coaches need to do what is best for their team. It is just my opinion that it gets overused.

 

[f16cc028]

Every sport has its controversial issues and this seems to be a major one for allstars and probably will always be. The best reason I know of for implementing a rule limiting crossovers is to prevent sandbagging. Although the skills performed are dictated by the level requirements crossovers can make for an unfair advantage. For example, a true L2 team is going to be at a competitive disadvantage versus a L2 team competing with a significant number of L4/5 athetes. This is the reason why the levels were established so that all teams have a fair chance to be competitive at their respective level. This is crucial to maintaining the integrity of the sport. My point is to limit not eliminate crossovers. What the limit should be is also a matter of debate. Should it be a firm number, i.e. no more than 4/team, or should it be limited to a % of the team size, i.e. no more than 20% of the team. To me the % based limit makes more sense versus a firm number limit. One idea is to make a rule which stipulates a maximum crossover level variance of 2 levels, meaning a L5 could cross to a L3 but not to L2. This could reasonably accommodate both injury replacements those who have the desire and ability to crossover.

 

[klcsooner]

Silly question, but why don't all cheer companies follow the same rules for cross over? I think in some cases you can only cross at the same level?

 

[Ariel]

Silly question, but why don't all cheer companies follow the same rules for cross over? I think in some cases you can only cross at the same level?

I've always wondered that too..you think it would be regulated. And yes @ NCA you can only cross over to the same level, can only be on 2 different teams & only 5 crossovers/team.