Ethical Gyms

[jasoncheerdad]

I am new to cheer, my daughter has only been doing all star cheer a couple of years. My concern is my daughter cheers for a small gym and we are very happy there, but a larger gym has come to town and is acquiring other gyms, tried to buy our owner out of her gym but when our owner refused is now trying to recruit most of our athletes. The bigger gym is actually offering a money incentive to leave your current gym and join their gym. Is this normal business in the cheer business?

 

[Cheergrandma]

I am new to cheer, my daughter has only been doing all star cheer a couple of years. My concern is my daughter cheers for a small gym and we are very happy there, but a larger gym has come to town and is acquiring other gyms, tried to buy our owner out of her gym but when our owner refused is now trying to recruit most of our athletes. The bigger gym is actually offering a money incentive to leave your current gym and join their gym. Is this normal business in the cheer business?

Unfortunately, I've heard of that happening before. Sad but true.

 

[jasoncheerdad]

So, my problem is what are we teaching our children? My daughter has friends that are leaving her small gym because the other gym wins more events. I am trying to teach my child the right thing to do and also that winning is not everything. She has actually grown and is constantly learning at our gym, but I know she is frustrated and sad because she feels she is "losing" friends.

 

[CheerBank]

So, my problem is what are we teaching our children? My daughter has friends that are leaving her small gym because the other gym wins more events. I am trying to teach my child the right thing to do and also that winning is not everything. She has actually grown and is constantly learning at our gym, but I know she is frustrated and sad because she feels she is "losing" friends.

If your small gym is right for your daughter, then stay. If it is not and the new gym offers you a better program with greater chance to advance, then go. You have to worry about yourself. True friends made through cheer or outside of cheer will remain friends although it does get a little harder when they lose the common bond of the same gym. At the end of the day, be loyal to your child not the gym and choose what is best for her.

 

[jasoncheerdad]

There is the catch 22. The new gym offers the kids bigger dreams but the girls that left are still on the same level they were when they left two years ago. Just using common sense this tells me A. The new gym stacks teams B. Does not promise what they preach. All kids like to win, so this is becoming harder and harder to teach my child the right thing and unfortunately that is not the real world.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Question: Is it possible that the kids are still on same level at new gym because they were never truly Level X when they left?

Ex: Suzy may be on a Level 3 team at Small Gym with like, a Running BHS to a tuck and no other Level 3 skills because they needed to fill a Level 3 team. She then moves to Mega Gym where she is on a Level 2 team for two years. Mega Gym may consider Suzy a Level 2 athlete.

See also: Kids who were on Small Gym's Worlds team with just a full or double, move to Mega Gym and end up on an R5 or Level 4 team.

 

[jasoncheerdad]

Well, I do personally know one of the kids very well and she has mad skills to be on a Level 5 team, but competes on two level 2 teams and one level 3 teams. She is a flyer on all. I also know this gym just had a team member on their level 2 team get hurt and brought down a flyer from their level 5 team to fill the void. Is that allowed?? Of course that kids skills are going to be crazy good. How can my child, who is a strong level 2 compete against a level 5?

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^^^Yes. It is allowed. Athletes themselves are not leveled. You can pull any kid from any team to fill a spot on any other team as long as he/she is of age to do so per the age grid.

You can pull a Worlds team kid to fill a spot on a Senior 1 if you want.

 

[jasoncheerdad]

And personally, that is why this sport suffers. How does that make sense? So, I can go pull a professional football player to play in college game if he is of age and meets college requirements?

 

[amy1k]

I don't necessarily agree with this happening in cheer, but strategic dual rostering isn't unique to this sport.

 

[jasoncheerdad]

I know I am new, but this makes absolutely no sense to me. Then why are there even different levels if you can pull kids from all different levels to compete whenever there is a need and an opportunity to win? Are there no set guideline?

 

[amy1k]

There is a lot involved in "leveling" and creating teams. Especially at smaller gyms.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

And personally, that is why this sport suffers. How does that make sense? So, I can go pull a professional football player to play in college game if he is of age and meets college requirements?

Other threads where we discuss this phenomena. You may want to read up:

Crossovers: Good, Or Bad? | Fierce Board - The Voice Of Cheer

Sandbagging | Fierce Board - The Voice Of Cheer

Can You Explain The Pros And Cons Of Crossovers? | Fierce Board - The Voice Of Cheer

 

[jasoncheerdad]

There is a lot involved in "leveling" and creating teams. Especially at smaller gyms.

I guess I can understand it in smaller gyms but why do big gyms do it. I have read and tried to become educated on this topic, but there just seems to be no consistency.

 

[jasoncheerdad]

Other threads where we discuss this phenomena. You may want to read up:

Crossovers: Good, Or Bad? | Fierce Board - The Voice Of Cheer

Sandbagging | Fierce Board - The Voice Of Cheer

Can You Explain The Pros And Cons Of Crossovers? | Fierce Board - The Voice Of Cheer

I have read all of those and have drawn the conclusion that they do whatever it takes to win. I can understand in some of the smaller gyms because just do not have as many athletes, but large gyms I do not understand except that winning is more important than teaching kids what is right and what is wrong.
I have been a coach of many youth sports, i.e. football and baseball. I would never drop one of my "elite" athletes down to help a team just so they could win a championship. You play at the level you are at and when your skills are better then you move up but never drop back down.