All-Star How Does Cea Stay In Business With So Many Level 5 Teams?

[socratesofcheer]

Last year was an unusual year for CAC when we lost 10-15 level 5 athletes to CEA. .

I really hope she goes down her roster and counts the homegrown kids from our program. It's a number I'd really like to know. I would venture to guess it's much higher then people think.

Personally, I could care less where they come from, but, it seems that there are some inconsistencies.

 

[mstealtoyou]

Personally, I could care less where they come from, but, it seems that there are some inconsistencies.

And I can see how you would think that from the outside looking in. Fair enough!

 

[tumbleyoda]

I really hope she goes down her roster and counts the homegrown kids from our program. It's a number I'd really like to know. I would venture to guess it's much higher then people think.

I can't tell you from last year because I am no longer in the area. However just looking at the Raleigh list and knowing others who may no longer be cheering, aged out etc. roughly between 40 - 50 left Elite to go to CEA from the time they opened until this year. The reasons for leaving as CAC mom said are varied. Just looking at the roster this year I saw at least 20 athletes that I worked/coached with while at Elite. I left at the end of the 2008-2009 season. Those that were on the mini 2 and youth 4/5 and on the Senior 4 and or 5 teams make up most of those kids. On the Kville 5 list only one guy but he was not an original as he came from SIA when they closed. Another one in K'ville I worked with for a season but she was not an original either as she came to Elite when Elite bought Spirit Explosion in Mebane.

The first year Raleigh opened Elite lost around 6 - 10 IIRC . But the second year they lost the majority of the Youth 4/5 team which they had. While the first year was a blow because it was kids who had been Elite for life type of kids, the second year was worse because those were the kids that the goal was to bring them to 5 and make the big Step into Small Senior Division. Those two years dramatically and forever altered the landscape at my former gym and in the city. JMO.

 

[cljacks99]

My lil one isn't native of Kernersville. I'd like to think she could be considered homegrown around there though. All of the coaches have invested a huge amount of time into her development. The kids made her feel at home on day one. Our cheer family there is just that, our family. It may be a little dysfunctional from time to time. At the end of the day we all love each other. Some of us just take a long time to get home from practice..

 

[StarshipTrooper]

Coutney says:

If we can't make that happen for an athlete and they summarily "fail" their grade and return back to the second grade ( repeat level 2 again )...we failed as their teachers. It is funny to me to see the celebration that exists on teams of athletes who have been level 2 for 3 or 4 years. To us, that is the equivalent of celebrating the same spelling test words for the 4th year in a row and being excited about knowing them. This is not meant to be offensive...just an analogy to see why we do have so many level 5 teams. We feel our parents as our customers are paying for instruction first and foremost...not assembly of skills

And kingston says on a different thread:

We can't all be level 5. We don't all have the same potential. As long as you can meet your own personal potential then you succeed. There are kids who walk into Rays that might cheer for 10 years and never progress past level 2. Are they failures? I can't think they are. If level 2 is their maximum potential then be the best damn level 2 we can be.

Clearly a difference in corporate philosophy, both of which seem to be highly successful. But very different. That said, as someone has noted, there is a cheer home for everyone. But it should not be surprising that CEA has less established lower level teams from the philosophy of the owner. She sees them as a stepping stone in her vision, thus the goal is never to be the best damn level 2 they can be. That simple I think.

 

[AllHeartxo3]

CEA has been a successful gym for many years and I can say that from seeing it firsthand. I've seen them with their lower level teams and grooming them to be top level 5 athletes. They've dominated at almost every level and I don't see them slowing down anytime soon. Obviously their business motto is working if they have this many teams.

 

[cheeringfor3]

CEA has been a successful gym for many years and I can say that from seeing it firsthand. I've seen them with their lower level teams and grooming them to be top level 5 athletes. They've dominated at almost every level and I don't see them slowing down anytime soon. Obviously their business motto is working if they have this many teams.

I am not arguing that CEA is a very successful gym, a program that many admire. But to say that they "dominate at almost every level" is an exaggeration. Their biggest successes are at level 5, and, from the competitions I have seen, they have the same amount of successes at lower levels as many other gyms.

 

[CGAcheer]

As to the thread question about how they stay in business with so many level 5 teams:

following their move up a level a year school analogy, most kids in their program are level 5 within their first 5 years at CEA. So anyone who has been there more than 5 years is a level 5 kid and only their brand new people are level 1, it would make sense that they have a lot more level 5 kids than other levels.

In the avg CEA 10 yr cheer career you would spend 1 year at 1, 2, 3 and 4 and then 6 years at 5 which is why there are more level 5's there.

 

[AllHeartxo3]

I am not arguing that CEA is a very successful gym, a program that many admire. But to say that they "dominate at almost every level" is an exaggeration. Their biggest successes are at level 5, and, from the competitions I have seen, they have the same amount of successes at lower levels as many other gyms.

I'm not saying they win every competition they enter, but they take each level seriously and because of that they at least get top 3 most of the time. They don't slack off on those lower level teams because they are the future level 5 athletes.

 

[King]

Coutney says:

And kingston says on a different thread:

Clearly a difference in corporate philosophy, both of which seem to be highly successful. But very different. That said, as someone has noted, there is a cheer home for everyone. But it should not be surprising that CEA has less established lower level teams from the philosophy of the owner. She sees them as a stepping stone in her vision, thus the goal is never to be the best damn level 2 they can be. That simple I think.

Just to clarify, anyone that can stay in business and has a good business model does not bother me. I don't take offense in anyway to a large number of level 5's or anything. In gymnastics I believe there are gyms that get kids from all over the country to them because they are known as the creme de la creme for gymnastics, and not a one was trained in house. So even if all the level 5 teams were terrible and placing last, if a gym gets enough business to stay open cause everyone goes there than they must be doing something right for their area.

I discussed the relevance of failure in another thread.

 

[CharlotteASMom]

Personally, I could care less where they come from, but, it seems that there are some inconsistencies.

To be fair the 10-15 last year was very unusual. I think it was the year (2 years?) before that we lost a handful of youth 5 athletes but this time it's only been 2 or 3 to the best of my knowledge. In addition some come back as well.

 

[SharkDad]

Minus the buying out part, I feel that is what cea does. They already own the other gyms, but they grow the lower level athletes. Then they are moved around.

I'm glad you said "I feel" so it's clear this is your opinion and not fact.

This IS NOT what CEA does. There is no plan, direction, or restriction for what kids can go where. The number of kids that show up at tryouts decides what teams go where. Sure the K'Ville and Raleigh gyms have a majority because they are the larger locations, but the Greenville had 2 level 5 teams their first year out. Any of the smaller locations could do the same.

One of the things that Courtney and the other coaches do is to let kids go where they want and challenge themselves. They thrive in that atmosphere. That's all there is to it.

 

[cheeromgbre]

So what I am getting from this is: stack the level 5 teams with all the best people and whoever might be level 5 and leave the other level teams with the leftovers, even though they wont be "truly competitive" til the end of the season.

 

[carolinagirl823]

So what I am getting from this is: stack the level 5 teams with all the best people and whoever might be level 5 and leave the other level teams with the leftovers, even though they wont be "truly competitive" til the end of the season.

I wouldn't say that the other level teams were the leftovers. I think it is more about giving some athletes the opportunity to showcase their non-tumbling level 5 skills on a level 5 team. This way gives the athletes the opportunity to maximize their potential each year and work harder to make it to the next level.

 

[PghxCheer2]

Leftovers? Ignoring Lower Level Teams? And to think you guys wonder why the teal army is so obnoxious. You taunt us. Just to prove that nobody can obsess over CEA like I can, they've had 50 teams level 1 through 4 teams compete at cheersport in the last 6 Cheersport Nationals. Of those, 30 have garnered top 5 finishes and 20 have not. For those of you keeping track at home, that's majority. That's also a competition that produces some of, if not, THE most competitive divisions for levels 1 through 4 in allstar. To say that CEA's lower levels teams are bad is just silly. I'm sure any gym owner would kill for statistics a gym like Rays has with their lower level teams. But if everyone produced the same product and ran their business the same way then there wouldn't be a point in representing the name on your chest. Whether your child will ever be level 5 or not in tumbling, I'm sure they'd never give it a second thought to compete on Sharks or Senior Elite or Coed Elite for worlds if given the chance. You should always be striving to be the best (that being level 5). And by saying your child will never get there is selling them short. I feel like that's why CEA can stay in business, the product she produces is very unique to the big names. Never be content with average, it's just as close to the bottom as it is to the top.