Gym Hoppers.

[Pebbles49]

My attitude towards this has changed the more time we have spent in this sport. The reality is "I pay". If I choose to buy Jif peanut butter after 7 years of buying Skippy... that is my right.

I have always instilled in my kids that commitment is HUGE and they should follow through always. But, like I said on another thread, commitment is a two way street. And honestly I think my views on commitment in the cheer world have changed over the years. If you can tell a child every single day that he/she will be replaced ... then the parents/athletes should be able to do the same.

And, as far as those contracts... I would be interested to see the outcome of one of those in a court of law someday. Honestly, I think if you have paid for everything you have received when you leave (and I believe some may have actually paid more if comp fees are paid ahead of time etc.) then I am guessing that no judge is going to say you have to pay for a "product" you did not receive.

Anyway... just my .02. Again, when it comes to my own kids I am a huge stickler on commitment and I believe learning to stick something out through good and bad is such an amazing life lesson. That said, if they finish the jar of Skippy and want to try Jif... that is their prerogative. IF they find a dead rat half way into their jar of Skippy... I'd likely feel that was reason to switch to Jif before finishing that jar of Skippy

I absolutely agree with everything you said including the commitment part... Most people may disagree with my feelings on this subject,,, I do not accept the idea and term 'Gym hopper', this term should only apply if you are part of a gym and accepting scholarships and grants to be part of this gym (FREE), but if you are paying your hard earn money for the sport, you are entitled to decide and go wherever you want...Furthermore, some of the people I listened to act like "Being an athlete at a XYZ gym makes them an indentured servant to that gym...
However, I definitely agree that once you start the competitive season (Sept - April) that you should stick it out to the end... no jumping around, unless your family moved too far from the gym or a plane crashed taking out the gym, etc and you live too far from the emergency practice shelter/gym...(Just kidding!!!)

 

[Lesia Rathje]

I know a kid that has been on 9 different teams/gyms, four in one season, and he's only been a cheerleader since 2007. am i the only one that finds this a bit ridiculous?

I don't think there is anything wrong with switching gyms BUT mid-season?! Come on, that is just common sense! You shouldn't be leaving your gym hanging like that mid-season!

I'll make an exception for Xavier and a few of the other SMOED recruits as most of them were from small gyms who I'm sure would have been very excited for their best athletes to have that opportunity! But when people switch between big gyms mid-season... WHY?!

 

[CheerBank]

I don't think there is anything wrong with switching gyms BUT mid-season?! Come on, that is just common sense! You shouldn't be leaving your gym hanging like that mid-season!

I'll make an exception for Xavier and a few of the other SMOED recruits as most of them were from small gyms who I'm sure would have been very excited for their best athletes to have that opportunity! But when people switch between big gyms mid-season... WHY?!

While I'm sure a small gym would be happy for the long term opportunity for their athletes, the loss of a level 5 athlete from a small gym to a big gym mid-season would be devastating to that small gym. At a big/mega gym, it would be much easier to fill in that vacated spot. I cannot see a small gym "excited" to lose their best athletes at any time.


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[retiredl5cheer]

While I'm sure a small gym would be happy for the long term opportunity for their athletes, the loss of a level 5 athlete from a small gym to a big gym mid-season would be devastating to that small gym. At a big/mega gym, it would be much easier to fill in that vacated spot. I cannot see a small gym "excited" to lose their best athletes at any time.


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Yes, thank you. Small gyms have a small pool of talent to choose from. While they may be proud of the kid, it's a pain in the rear to try to replace any athlete, let alone a level 5 kid. No gym owner says "oh, I'm so glad I trained that kid and they left mid-season for better opportunities at XYZ all stars."

 

[Lesia Rathje]

While I'm sure a small gym would be happy for the long term opportunity for their athletes, the loss of a level 5 athlete from a small gym to a big gym mid-season would be devastating to that small gym. At a big/mega gym, it would be much easier to fill in that vacated spot. I cannot see a small gym "excited" to lose their best athletes at any time.


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That is very true! I see that as the only downfall HOWEVER most small gyms are like a family and would be honored to share their talented athletes with certain gyms! I would be devastated to lose my best athletes but at the same time I would be so happy for them as I know that I had a role in their success and now it is their time to shine!

 

[Pebbles49]

That is very true! I see that as the only downfall HOWEVER most small gyms are like a family and would be honored to share their talented athletes with certain gyms! I would be devastated to lose my best athletes but at the same time I would be so happy for them as I know that I had a role in their success and now it is their time to shine!

Unfortunately, I have to disagree with your statements about a small gym being honored and want to share their most talented athletes with certain gyms... "I likened that to say, I am so honor that you want my husband, so here take him and I am so happy I had a hand in making him such a great mate"... Please are you kidding me...more and likely, if you approached me with that, we will be on an episode of Jerry Springer !!! Most people in my opinion that open gyms want to groom and attract more talented athletes to their program, so they can one day be that much sought after gym... I never heard of a gym who wants to share and give away their most talented athletes to build someone else's business and name.... :wham:

 

[DaisyGirl8183]

That is A LOT of gyms. 4 in one season?! You always have those people that switch gyms... the grass is always greener on the other side. And no matter what gym they are at they aren't happy and they keep switching gyms. You would think that at some point they would realize that the problem is actually THEM not the gyms.

That's what I say about the drifters ... maybe it's YOU not US! keep on hopping...

 

[Just-a-Mom]

@MissCongeniality yes! To your whole post. Including changing my feelings on this over the years.

Especially the part about telling kids they can be replaced every 5 minutes. I mean, that's true, they can. But don't say that every day and then act all surprised when those same kids replace you first. If you were dating someone and they told you every night that you could be easily replaced would you stick around? I wouldn't.

I had an old boss that used to tell us at least a few times a week that waitresses were a dime a dozen and that he could replace us "in about 10 minutes." I got so sick of it that finally one night when he got to "I could replace any one of you in about 10 minutes," I just said, "Hm. Why don't you try now? Because what you fail to realize is waitressing jobs are also a dime a dozen." And I walked out and never looked back. Childish? Yes. But i had a new job by the next night, which i had for 8 years. His bar closed about 3 months later. Point being, when you lord things over people long enough, sometimes they call your bluff.

I used to think that whole team commitment thing was the end all be all of cheer. But after seeing the things I've seen over the last few year's, I've decided my loyalties are to my kids. Period. These gyms don't have one ounce of commitment or loyalty to my family (despite the fact that we are actually their customers and we are what's keeping them in business), so it's difficult for me to have it for them.

(Yes I get that it's the other kids on the team, but really, as long as you don't leave within days of a competition I don't see what the big deal is. These teams have no trouble reworking routines all season long - until it's because someone left. Then all of a sudden it's the end of the world.)

Years ago, I knew a of parent (who was a lawyer) who pulled their cp from a gym because she didn't like the way things were ran and she said there was no way the contract would hold up in court.

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I've had attorneys say they wouldn't hold up, because it's asking you to pay for something you have not received. And most of them are very poorly written. Any half decent lawyer would have it tossed out before you ever hit a courtroom.


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[Pebbles49]

Honestly you could probably call my kid a gym hopper as we are military, tend to move and sometimes start at one gym it isn't a fit and move to another.

I think we are quick to judge 'gym hoppers' and we don't know what's going on inside the gym. A change of coaching staff = change of coaching styles, maybe new kids that the cp does not feel comfortable around or get along with at all. Maybe a huge mental block a fresh perspective helps them get over. As long as the kid is happy. Who are we to judge.


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I 100% agree with your statement - when you buy into a gym because of the coaching staff and midway through the season that staff leaves - what you have is a different gym, coaching style, more and likely, different vision that the gym had that you bought into when you join... Is it fair, that the gym can make so many drastic changes and still required its clientele to remain loyal to the gym... I don't think so! What we are not addressing is when you should considered changing gyms, instead of gym hoppers?

 

[Summit Elite Cheer]

What an amazing attitude to have....I'm not sure why some people take it so personally. I am searching for the right fit for my child and not every gym has the same philosophy. I've been at the same gym for years but thinking of changing.

We have 2 (very small) cheer gyms in our town. We have had kids "try out" the other gym. No matter where they are, we always cheer them on when we see them at competition or around town. It's just the right thing to do. Plus, it is much less ackward when they come back and cheer for your again Leaving mid-season, however really hurts the team. It breaks the sisterhood you've been building and makes it hard for the coaches to re-do formations/stunts/etc. If you need to make a change...do it AFTER the season ends!

 

[CheerBank]

@MissCongeniality yes! To your whole post. Including changing my feelings on this over the years.

Especially the part about telling kids they can be replaced every 5 minutes. I mean, that's true, they can. But don't say that every day and then act all surprised when those same kids replace you first. If you were dating someone and they told you every night that you could be easily replaced would you stick around? I wouldn't.

I had an old boss that used to tell us at least a few times a week that waitresses were a dime a dozen and that he could replace us "in about 10 minutes." I got so sick of it that finally one night when he got to "I could replace any one of you in about 10 minutes," I just said, "Hm. Why don't you try now? Because what you fail to realize is waitressing jobs are also a dime a dozen." And I walked out and never looked back. Childish? Yes. But i had a new job by the next night, which i had for 8 years. His bar closed about 3 months later. Point being, when you lord things over people long enough, sometimes they call your bluff.

I used to think that whole team commitment thing was the end all be all of cheer. But after seeing the things I've seen over the last few year's, I've decided my loyalties are to my kids. Period. These gyms don't have one ounce of commitment or loyalty to my family (despite the fact that we are actually their customers and we are what's keeping them in business), so it's difficult for me to have it for them.

(Yes I get that it's the other kids on the team, but really, as long as you don't leave within days of a competition I don't see what the big deal is. These teams have no trouble reworking routines all season long - until it's because someone left. Then all of a sudden it's the end of the world.)



I've had attorneys say they wouldn't hold up, because it's asking you to pay for something you have not received. And most of them are very poorly written. Any half decent lawyer would have it tossed out before you ever hit a courtroom.


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My friend's former gym tried to claim she was responsible for the rest of the tuition and comp fees as per the contract when she pulled her cp last January. They sent her a certified letter trying to make it all official, stating that she had until a certain date to pay before they took her to court. She responded - via certified letter as well - that the gym had not upheld their end of the contract and had not provided her child with a physically and emotionally safe environment, thereby violating their own terms. She never heard from them again.

 

[TheChampIsHere]

I personally don't care for gym hoppers...I think that it's ur money and u have the right to invest it where u see fit but changing a kid from one gym to another over and over again goes against everything almost every single cheer program tries to instill in an athlete. ..commitment to something; loyalty; dedication ... All things a parent destroys each time they make a move!

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[sports_girl]

When we lived in Arizona a "gym hopper" was the worst thing to be called. Now living in Texas, everyone moves around all the time. Cp did her 1st year at CA, I drove over an hour each way. The next season we moved to Spirit because it was 10 minutes from our house and had two amazing seasons there. Then she burned out bad. So we took a season off. Around the same time CA moved closer to us, when she decided to go back she wanted to go there. Due to some crazy family stuff we ended up having to leave in July. Now we are at a small, close to home, 1st year program. The only way we are moving is if he closes or she busts out a double full and there is no team for her...then it's back to Spirit.


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wait a minute !!! you might want to go read your prior post in the SOT bulling thread

 

[sports_girl]

in case you have forgotten what you wrote :



@sports_girl that team took first this weekend at NCA Classic so it appears the "damage" wasn't as extensive as you would like to think. You seem to like calling his cp out and as someone who knows her probably better than you, and the the situation maybe you should take every seat in the arena right now because your not gaining any supporters.
Its obvious you are from Spirit, along with a couple other posters. If you are okay with that kind of coaching...have fun. Personally my child's mental health is way more important than a competition. Period. And if you think a kid should remain in a situation like that for the sake of 30 other kids then maybe YOUR parenting is in question.
For all the long term Fierceboarders that was my once a year stfu post.


so I guess thats my STFU post for the year !!!

 

[cheermommaRN]

Oh good for you you copy and pasted a response from back in October! Here's a cookie. If you read any of my other responses in that thread I have NEVER had a problem with the owners and they are the ones that coach the level 5 teams. So no I would have no problem taking my SENIOR AGE level 5 athlete to them. But my 11 year old level 2 is a whole other story because the coaches that take those teams are younger with less experience working with younger kids.
So again STFU and troll somewhere else.