All-Star How Two New Worlds Divisions Are Going To Define A New Era In Cheerleading

[Lisa Seye]

This is exactly how I feel about these new divisions. I know that it's not necessarily a popular decision, but I think the ability of small/medium gyms to have this "waterfall" effect will make the sport stronger overall.

There's SO much pressure on small gyms to make a worlds team. Then when they do, (and I'm generalizing here) they're weaker, and we hear that they shouldn't' even be at worlds. By allowing an XS division, you're fostering the overall growth and development of the sport *on the whole* by letting small/medium gyms, that could be that size due to market size, compete without forcing kids up a level and being "that team" on the worlds floor that we all see struggle.

I don't like the idea of, too bad, you don't get to go to worlds then if you're not good enough. I do *not* enjoy participation medals, and I don't like everyone being a champion. But I don't think that a gym in the middle of nowhere with 12 super talented athletes should suffer, just because they're not in a populated area.

Exactly. Or those athletes leave to seek gyms with worlds teams and eventually smaller gyms close their doors and less teams compete meaning less money for EPs . So to keep doors open and the sport growing, you have to make a way for small gyms to keep their doors open.

 

[alpaca]

THIS IS AWESOME!! Thank you for looking this up, this is VERY interesting and actaully worse than I expected it was. I did some research for the article, and wish I would have gone back 1 more year. So crazy that only 4 teams total have made it from pre-lims to finals in the last 3 years. Really makes me question whether its even worth it going on an at-large bid. It is just an unbelievably rare occurrence to make it through.

So, does that make an at-0larg bid the same as a wild card bid at Summit?

 

[luv2cheer92]

So, does that make an at-0larg bid the same as a wild card bid at Summit?

In the sense of having to go through an extra round, yes. But that's only for small senior/coed and medium senior/coed teams. Though there may or may not be the at large round for medium senior this year since there were so few teams last year. They seem to go by previous years numbers to determine that, but who knows at this point.