How Much Competition Do You Want?

[juscheerthatisall]

I LOVE competition I think since US Finals and Summit is my end goal the more teams we can compete against on the way there the better. I have had as many as 30 teams in a division . My kids are small so they have no idea who is in their division but as a coach I say the more the merrier. First competition of the year I prefer small division

 

[alexamarysouza]

What's the point of traveling, paying, primping, the whole nine-yards...just to have no competition? It doesn't happen as often anymore for my division, but when it does I'm so sad. We don't have any competitions that are under a couple hours away...no big convention centers in our city...so to travel so far and then essentially just pick up our trophy/jacket/banner for showing up? Not my cup of tea! I'd rather be given a challenge; be given the drive to fight. I LOVE having big divisions. This fuels the fire to push and (hopefully) win. If you don't have a goal to fight for and are just going to walk in and pick up your trophy, why go at all?

 

[HeyMom]

CP and I recently had this exact conversation - especially since it is nationals season and her former gym had a couple of teams win jackets at a small, very local "national championship" where there was only one other team in the division. I thought her response was pretty profound for a 9 year old - "I would rather lose with the best of the best than win with the least of the least." Which was her way of saying that she would rather compete against many teams and receive the placement they earn than win because no one else showed up.

 

[BCAKT]

I personally like to have some competition. It doesn't have to be a huge number of teams in your division, but the win isn't the same if you don't actually "beat" anyone! When I competed in high school, we had a co-ed squad in PA (which is rare in our area). We never had anyone is our divisions, and it just wasn't as much fun.