All-Star Is All Star At The Proverbial Fork In The Road?

[catlady]

Often, people post "if we want cheerleading to be a sport...." and today it made me wonder where the majority of the AS community see AS heading. If we want it to be a sport I see it heading more toward a collegiate style with skills, technique, cleanliness, athletic appearance and an objective score sheet. If we want it to be more entertaining and creative, I see it heading more towards a dance score sheet. Only meaning, creativity and performance will have a heavier weight on the score sheet and things such as, hair, make up, bling, and uniforms would take part in scoring. Technique and difficulty would still matter but, a more subjective score sheet.

Where do you see AS heading and where would you like it to go?

 

[SL&AM]

I see it heading more towards dance tbh. To be honest, I don't care which way it heads as long as it heads in a direction that makes sense, can be justified, and is organized.

 

[uhhlyssa01]

I see it becoming more and more split between all-star and STUNT/NCATA. With those wanting it to go more towards a sport heading towards the STUNT route, and those that want it to be more creative and flashy heading towards dance.

 

[Official OWECheer]

Often, people post "if we want cheerleading to be a sport...." and today it made me wonder where the majority of the AS community see AS heading. If we want it to be a sport I see it heading more toward a collegiate style with skills, technique, cleanliness, athletic appearance and an objective score sheet. If we want it to be more entertaining and creative, I see it heading more towards a dance score sheet. Only meaning, creativity and performance will have a heavier weight on the score sheet and things such as, hair, make up, bling, and uniforms would take part in scoring. Technique and difficulty would still matter but, a more subjective score sheet.

Where do you see AS heading and where would you like it to go?

Creativity and performance is something that I feel EVERYONE values. The thing about being a true performace sport is that there will always be some degree of subjectivity in the scoring.

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

I'd much prefer that it head in the direction of a sport and away from dance - I think creativity and performance should matter, but should never trump difficultly, technique and having a set list of required elements.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I see it becoming more and more split between all-star and STUNT/NCATA. With those wanting it to go more towards a sport heading towards the STUNT route, and those that want it to be more creative and flashy heading towards dance.

Yes. It has been interesting to see how many kids with impressive all star careers choose to go A&T vs. college cheer when they age out.

 

[njallday]

Yes. It has been interesting to see how many kids with impressive all star careers choose to go A&T vs. college cheer when they age out.

but they doesn't mean they hated the glitz and glamour or even prefer NCATA to traditional cheer... if you were offered a full ride to play a D1 sport wouldn't you take it? Daytona is fun and all, but I'd rather graduate with zero debt. and hey, if you win an NCAA championship, your school will actually respect you and let you get rings WITH your school's logo. crazy, i know (*cough* Alabama *cough*)

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Yes. There are definite advantages that A&T has on cheer in a financial sense.

At the end of the day, there is no "pay by rings and NCA jackets" option on Sallie Mae's website.

 

[calikaitlyn_]

I think it should stay split including a heavier influence on difficulty. Creativity should matter but not as much as execution. I don't want to see the current layout change though (time of routine, etc). I also think the uniforms should have a clear distinction as allstar instead of college or high school, but not a ridiculous amount of mesh cutouts etc.

 

[Wendylady123]

Why must it be one or the other? Why must we choose between collegiate type sport or dance? Why can't we go down a different path and let all star cheer simply be all star cheer?

I enjoy where all star cheer is. Let's keep pushing the envelope, creating new skills, refining current skills, and blaze our own path.

 

[AndrewSky]

Why must it be one or the other? Why must we choose between collegiate type sport or dance? Why can't we go down a different path and let all star cheer simply be all star cheer?

I enjoy where all star cheer is. Let's keep pushing the envelope, creating new skills, refining current skills, and blaze our own path.

I enjoyed where allstar cheer WAS. The past two or three years don't make any sense to me in the direction of the sport. You've got anti-cheerlebrity, youtube shows, too much subjectivity and not even ONE fun Jump Sequence (the ones which take five eight counts.)

 

[Momager]

Why must it be one or the other? Why must we choose between collegiate type sport or dance? Why can't we go down a different path and let all star cheer simply be all star cheer?

I enjoy where all star cheer is. Let's keep pushing the envelope, creating new skills, refining current skills, and blaze our own path.

Most of us parents hope to see our kids excel in college, therefore, we see this as a precursor to collegiste cheer. Even if we do enjoy the bows snd make up for the moment.

 

[idrive]

I think we have been standing at the fork for a few years now. We have too many competitions with little and in some cases no competition. USASF and Varsity need to be separated. Yes I know on paper they are but that does not appear to be the reality. In addition I feel we need better leadership from the USASF along with a healthy dose of common sense. Someone willing to force some necessary changes and shows no bias to a gym name large or small. I do feel some things have got better but there are also other areas that have got worse.

 

[cheerisloving]

Not to mention the obvious: college cheer and allstar cheer are very different.

Most high-scoring tumbling passes in AS are obsolete in college. Most high scoring college stunts are not legal on level 5. College teams that field one all girl team, can only take 20 to NCA, not sure on the numbers for UCA. Small coed, large coed have their limits but how many colleges field teams in multiple divisions? Add in game day which most teams do, it's a huge transition that doesn't have a huge payoff in the long run.

I love this sport but I would like for it to get back to having fun and enjoying it. When I was 12 on a level 3, going to worlds or being cheer famous wasn't my concern. I never thought I'd cheer for my college program but as I'm discovering there is a team for everyone. And, like we bring up everytime college and cheer come up, it's about academics. Even NCAA sport athletes pick schools because of academics because that's what matters in the long run.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I do wonder if "cheer fame" will start to invade the post-all star world (ex: A&T and college athletes.)

Ex: At this time, you don't see the former AS kids on A&T teams selling signed jerseys and such (which is not allowed per NCAA I don't think) or college athletes doing meet and greets while affiliated with college teams (ex: How many UL girls do you see doing meet & greets in Daytona now?)

Are "cheer famous" college kids going to become a thing as the current crowd of kids from high-profile teams heads off to college? Will we start to see college kids signing bows and selling scented ones?

I doubt that your average college cheer or A&T coach is going to support that, but you never know.