All-Star I'm Going To Cheat

[King]

I still firmly believe that putting every team's group photo (with each athlete's face being clearly visible) on a public web site for every competition eliminates most of the problem. It is has nearly zero cost, simple to implement, and would be highly effective. It would be a huge deterrent and make the enforcement/punishment process MUCH easier - like security cameras at a retail store.

I do get blank stares when I try to argue this at committee and Board meetings, though - so perhaps I am wrong. It just seems like it would be SO much easier to catch cheaters if we did this.

IDK if you were the originator of this but I don't understand why this would be that hard. I feel like it is going to take a serendipitous slap in the face moment before people realize there are problems.

 

[Ashley]

At a competition every athlete has an RFID tag that is sent to them by the USASF. If you lose your tag its $50 at a competition to get a new one. As you walk into warmups, onto the stage, and off the stage you walk over a detector. (this is already done at pretty much every running race nowadays and is rather old tech). Wanna really get fancy make it so while athletes are entering warmups they must file one by one in front of a camera that looks up their ID from the RFID chip, looks up their picture, compares the kid in front of them to the pic. If they 'match' nothing happens. If they dont the system tells the high schooler running warmups there was an invalid match. All the teenager has to do is look at the athlete and the picture they uploaded. If it matches hit the match button. If not, they hit a 'silent alarm' button that calls over the USASF head person to look at the athlete.

That could work - make it a shoe tag. I normally hate shoe tags as a way of proving you're an athlete and can enter the convention center without paying admission. But since you're actually basically guaranteed to be wearing your sneakers when you go to warmups, it's not an issue.

Of course, without the facial recognition software, it would be pretty easy to take someone else's tag. Or even accidentally grab someone else's sneaker at practice.

 

[InfinitiElite]

Solution:

Parents register with the USASF. The gym is not allowed to do it. Every year the parent must upload a picture of their child on a solid white background. They only have to upload a copy of their birth certificate once. They are responsible for the validation of the birth date. If they are found to have lied that child and parent are banned from cheerleading for life.

At a competition every athlete has an RFID tag that is sent to them by the USASF. If you lose your tag its $50 at a competition to get a new one. As you walk into warmups, onto the stage, and off the stage you walk over a detector. (this is already done at pretty much every running race nowadays and is rather old tech). Wanna really get fancy make it so while athletes are entering warmups they must file one by one in front of a camera that looks up their ID from the RFID chip, looks up their picture, compares the kid in front of them to the pic. If they 'match' nothing happens. If they dont the system tells the high schooler running warmups there was an invalid match. All the teenager has to do is look at the athlete and the picture they uploaded. If it matches hit the match button. If not, they hit a 'silent alarm' button that calls over the USASF head person to look at the athlete.

I think this is a great idea. I also think it would continue to add to the image that we as an industry are trying to portray.

 

[King]

That could work - make it a shoe tag. I normally hate shoe tags as a way of proving you're an athlete and can enter the convention center without paying admission. But since you're actually basically guaranteed to be wearing your sneakers when you go to warmups, it's not an issue.

Of course, without the facial recognition software, it would be pretty easy to take someone else's tag. Or even accidentally grab someone else's sneaker at practice.

You make that mistake once, and if the punishment is bad, you don't make it again. How many time do kids touch hot stoves?

 

[BlueCat]

My ultimate solution would be like kingston says: RFID tags and a well-designed database.

The downside is that requires a level of cooperation, organization, and efficiency that doesn't exist in the industry yet.

 

[quitthedrama]

I used to work for a company that designed fingerprint technology that was inexpensive enough that school systems used it for their lunch program. You wouldn't have to worry about carrying around ID cards, and it would assure that those who registered correctly would be legal to compete.

 

[King]

My ultimate solution would be like kingston says: RFID tags and a well-designed database.

The downside is that requires a level of cooperation, organization, and efficiency that doesn't exist in the industry yet.

Does not yet exist, but is not rocket science to put into place. It would just take some humility on peoples parts asking for help. True leaders know they aren't great at everything and ask for expertise when needed.

 

[StarshipTrooper]

When everyone decides everyone really wants something akin to gymnastics meets instead of dance competitions I think you can get all this done. Until then, you are urinating in a lake.

 

[yojaehs]

When everyone decides everyone really wants something akin to gymnastics meets instead of dance competitions I think you can get all this done. Until then, you are urinating in a lake.

Made me laugh!

 

[CheerBank]

I like the above suggestions by kingston and BlueCat particularly because it puts the onus on the parent to resigter their child's information and does not give a dishonest coach much wiggle room in manipulating the system. If a parent does not provide the correct info from the start it will eventually come back to bite them in the behind. I also prefer not to swim in lakes for that very reason, StarshipTrooper

 

[StarshipTrooper]

I like the above suggestions by kingston and BlueCat particularly because it puts the onus on the parent to resigter their child's information and does not give a dishonest coach much wiggle room in manipulating the system. If a parent does not provide the correct info from the start it will eventually come back to bite them in the behind. I also prefer not to swim in lakes for that very reason, StarshipTrooper

Yeah, I think they are telling everyone the truth and have great ideas but unfortunately the system and governance makes them have to be more like Abby Lee than Karolyi.

 

[notyourcheermom]

Lol, is the last part true? Like I don't need details but I'm curious. It made me chuckle.

Happened at Cheersport mini 1 division last year from our gym. One of our mini 2 girls started filling in for someone that quit a couple weeks before and when they jump, bhs in mini 2, they jump pause bwo in 1. Everyone else paused, she went right on over. They went from 1st or 2nd day one to last. Oh, well. it happens.

 

[Cheer_Explosion_Coach]

Probably quoted the wrong post, but I am bothered by the same "money driven industry" comment that you were protesting.

1. I actually typed something ugly, but kingston must have the translator on.
2. The typical liberal economic agenda is that the government can distribute money better than anyone and anyone making money is collecting "obscene profits".
3. I will be voting Romney/Ryan in November. Though I don't agree with everything they do (including the stupid decision to not have exceptions for rape/mother's life in the abortion plank), I am much more in line with them than Mr Obama's last 4 years.

ACEDAD you are my hero...NOW if we could just get you into a purple/ gold shirt instead of that tacky crimson/white.

 

[cheer8]

Solution:

Parents register with the USASF. The gym is not allowed to do it. Every year the parent must upload a picture of their child on a solid white background. They only have to upload a copy of their birth certificate once. They are responsible for the validation of the birth date. If they are found to have lied that child and parent are banned from cheerleading for life.

At a competition every athlete has an RFID tag that is sent to them by the USASF. If you lose your tag its $50 at a competition to get a new one. As you walk into warmups, onto the stage, and off the stage you walk over a detector. (this is already done at pretty much every running race nowadays and is rather old tech). Wanna really get fancy make it so while athletes are entering warmups they must file one by one in front of a camera that looks up their ID from the RFID chip, looks up their picture, compares the kid in front of them to the pic. If they 'match' nothing happens. If they dont the system tells the high schooler running warmups there was an invalid match. All the teenager has to do is look at the athlete and the picture they uploaded. If it matches hit the match button. If not, they hit a 'silent alarm' button that calls over the USASF head person to look at the athlete.

Just don't embed the RFID in the body "Devils mark"!!!

 

[Deleted member 15]

Hmmmm.....my ACEDAD republicanism is threatening to emerge but I'll leave it at this, we have those moms and we also have kids that work jobs to pay their own way through cheer (one just showed up last night to the last summer practice before choreography because she worked all summer to save money to oay for the season) they don't want sympathy....they want to be just like everyone else and I think all of us wants to be judged with an unbiased eye.

Because who wants to win because someone felt sorry for your personal circumstances when we live in a nation that (at least in theory) celebrates perserverance and rising above the circumstances you're given.

It's not like Justin is pointing to a kid on the floor and saying please remember that kid is from a single mom family so don't deduct for anything she does. It's a general thought to give the benefit of the doubt to the kids on the floor and not to deduct 2.0 points for something that 1 kid did that really didn't help the team anyway.