Flyer & Backspot?!?!

[CCA_Nicole]

why does she always hit the ground? do her bases even know what they're doing?

i get blamed for everything because one, i just can't back but i try to catch her. she always falls on top of me. and two, the bases don't move, they just stand there & let me get blamed. the bases have been front spots for like the last 2 seasons & never based.

 

[CCA_Nicole]

That does sound pretty ridiculous, but you are flyer for most of the other stunts so you can't complain too much about not being a flyer. But making you run laps so much is definitely ridiculous! I mean how are you meant to be perfect at back spotting a girl who's a lot bigger than you when you are normally a flyer?

I agree with foxy^^ I would go check out CEA and if you like it then consider moving

thanks!! at first i didn't mind because it was just a elevator but now my coach is adding in full ups & everything. i just cant do it, and then i get blamed & have to run laps in front of everyone in the whole gym....

 

[cheerbear]

i get blamed for everything because one, i just can't back but i try to catch her. she always falls on top of me. and two, the bases don't move, they just stand there & let me get blamed. the bases have been front spots for like the last 2 seasons & never based.

well it definitely sounds like your whole stunt group needs help in learning their new stunting positions. maybe try coming to practice early/staying late to practice together?

 

[CCA_Nicole]

I think that you should definitely talk to your coach before you leave. Ask if you can meet with her before or after practice and have a discussion. Explain your difficulties and that you don't think you can keep your flyer safe. Your coach may not put you in as flyer - she may put you in another position that's better off than backing, but still gives this girl a chance to fly. I'm sure if you talk to her outside of practice she'll realize the issues you're having and try to figure something out with you.
On another note, your flyer is NOT twice your size. If she was twice your size, she would weigh 146 pounds. Think about it. 14 pounds is not very much weight. But it isn't about her weight, weight isn't all that matters. I understand that you don't feel like you can back, but your coach may think you're just not trying because you want to fly. That's how it comes across when you say "my flyer is twice my size" and "I got taken out". Maybe you should make sure you're trying to get stronger and try really hard so that the coach sees that you are trying and not just giving up. If your coach thinks you aren't trying, she isn't going to want to reward you with putting you back in as a flyer or moving you.
At some point in your life, you'll probably have to know how to do all stunt positions, so it's good to build up your strength and diversity now. We have flyers who back and are fine at it, even though they're tiny, because they've learned how and they've worked on it. I think if you work on it you can get better.

thanks & i'm not trying to sound like i'm complaining about not flying. i will take ANYTHING but backing. i've always been horrible at it. i wouldn't mind fronting or basing.

 

[CCA_Nicole]

well it definitely sounds like your whole stunt group needs help in learning their new stunting positions. maybe try coming to practice early/staying late to practice together?

once a month we have open gym & we will go practice but it just isn't working. the main base is really good now but the other just can't at all...the only problem the main base has is that she don't understand you have to catch the flyer when she goes backwards or forwards. when the flyer hits the ground, the first person she yells at is always me...

 

[cheernerd5678]

thanks & i'm not trying to sound like i'm complaining about not flying. i will take ANYTHING but backing. i've always been horrible at it. i wouldn't mind fronting or basing.

I'm sure you aren't! Just communicate with your coach before you make any decisions. Maybe she'll switch you if she sees you're really struggling, and taking the initiative to come to her will be good for you Don't come to her in a defensive manner, or angry, just try to have a calm conversation in private with her to let her know how you feel and what you need as an athlete.

 

[CCA_Nicole]

I'm sure you aren't! Just communicate with your coach before you make any decisions. Maybe she'll switch you if she sees you're really struggling, and taking the initiative to come to her will be good for you Don't come to her in a defensive manner, or angry, just try to have a calm conversation in private with her to let her know how you feel and what you need as an athlete.

thanks, i'm gonna try to talk to her before we start practicing. i have tumbling classes before cheer practice so before practice starts i'm gonna try to talk to her.

 

[ashscott41]

This is going to come off harsh, and I really don't mean it to because you seem quite young, but my advice would be to suck it up and get in the gym. Weight has nothing to do with flying. I was taller than my bases/back for the majority of my cheer career, but my group was the most solid group every year. You seem to be mentally fixated on not being able to back. I flew for 8 years and then got asked to back at school. Cheerleading is a team sport and you have to do what is best for the team. If your coach asked you to back, you should be putting all of your energy into learning to back. There is no excuse for letting your fly hit the floor so I don't blame your coaches for making you run. You must sacrifice yourself and protect your fly. And moving to CEA won't guarantee that you don't back. Maddie Gardner is the most famous flyer to come from CEA and she based in parts of their pyramid because it was best for the team.

Work on strengthening your core, quads, and shoulders and that should help you pull up harder. Always keep your eyes on your fly's bum/hips. That will tell you where she is going. Don't be afraid to catch her. Just because you think she is "bigger" doesn't mean she should hit the floor. If I can catch my 6'3" uncle from falling off a ladder, you can catch your fly. I hope this doesn't sound too awful, but I think you might have needed to hear tough love. Good luck.

 

[CCA_Nicole]

This is going to come off harsh, and I really don't mean it to because you seem quite young, but my advice would be to suck it up and get in the gym. Weight has nothing to do with flying. I was taller than my bases/back for the majority of my cheer career, but my group was the most solid group every year. You seem to be mentally fixated on not being able to back. I flew for 8 years and then got asked to back at school. Cheerleading is a team sport and you have to do what is best for the team. If your coach asked you to back, you should be putting all of your energy into learning to back. There is no excuse for letting your fly hit the floor so I don't blame your coaches for making you run. You must sacrifice yourself and protect your fly. And moving to CEA won't guarantee that you don't back. Maddie Gardner is the most famous flyer to come from CEA and she based in parts of their pyramid because it was best for the team.

Work on strengthening your core, quads, and shoulders and that should help you pull up harder. Always keep your eyes on your fly's bum/hips. That will tell you where she is going. Don't be afraid to catch her. Just because you think she is "bigger" doesn't mean she should hit the floor. If I can catch my 6'3" uncle from falling off a ladder, you can catch your fly. I hope this doesn't sound too awful, but I think you might have needed to hear tough love. Good luck.

thanks, and i really don't understand why my bases just stand there and let her fall on me. i go and try to catch her but we both go down when the bases just stand there watching. i really dont think it would be as bad if i had better bases. i really dont mind not getting to fly in the whole routine. i just feel guilty for not being as good as the other backs. i'm not trying to complain about not flying in the pyramid, i'm not trying to sound like that!! i just don't think it's good for my flyer to be getting hurt every practice because i cant catch her all by myself because my bases don't wanna help me...

 

[cheermommaRN]

It's not unheard of for flyers to back pyramids...I dont why, it doesnt make sense to me...why would you have the tallest girls back the stunts but then not have them back the pyramid? I never got it. The scariest was watching my little pip squeak of a cp try to back a girl a good foot taller than her and 5 years older (so way more than 14 pound difference)...everytime it got shaky I was afraid cp would be squished like a bug on the floor. Luckily after a couple of times trying it the coach realized cp was on her tippy toes and moved her to stand in Guam but if you watch the videos, she stands back there mouthing the music and hair whipping.

 

[GreenStormLucy]

thanks, and i really don't understand why my bases just stand there and let her fall on me. i go and try to catch her but we both go down when the bases just stand there watching. i really dont think it would be as bad if i had better bases. i really dont mind not getting to fly in the whole routine. i just feel guilty for not being as good as the other backs. i'm not trying to complain about not flying in the pyramid, i'm not trying to sound like that!! i just don't think it's good for my flyer to be getting hurt every practice because i cant catch her all by myself because my bases don't wanna help me...

I think you should tell this your coach. Don´t tell her about your flyer beeing taller than you, don´t tell her about your unsupportive base, but tell her that you want to make these stunts in the pyramid hit, but you don´t know how. That you feel bad not catching your flyer. Ask her if she has any advice for you. Your first post sounded to me like: I don´t wanna be a backspot, my flyers twice my size, i´m afraid she will fall on me .. (Hope that doesn´t sound harsh).
But if you really want to make it work, for you and your team, talk to her.

 

[SmileyRyleigh]

The only problem I had with being a flyer and being moved to back for a portion of the cheer was the group was 5+ inches taller than me and I couldn't reach anything. If that's your problem, understandable... If its just weight, you've got a whole nother thing coming for you the next couple of years. In middle school I flew on Allstar and based on school cheer. My flyer was taller than me, But the group worked together as a whole and she stayed up.

 

[CCA_Nicole]

The only problem I had with being a flyer and being moved to back for a portion of the cheer was the group was 5+ inches taller than me and I couldn't reach anything. If that's your problem, understandable... If its just weight, you've got a whole nother thing coming for you the next couple of years. In middle school I flew on Allstar and based on school cheer. My flyer was taller than me, But the group worked together as a whole and she stayed up.

yah, that is one of the problems. i have to stand on my toes when trying to reach her.