All-Star Is The Grass Any Greener At Another Gym?

[Maddie's Mom]

After two years of experience at this gym, I am thinking I have all the information I need about my own gym. Thanks for all the comments

 

[Maddie's Mom]

I agree with pretty much all the advice given. I am going to bring up one thing though you may want to consider...being at a smaller gym, your CP may have been on her team carrying the bare minimum skills to make that team. I'm only making that assumption because you said the lesser skilled kids were removed from the team and the kids that were in the front were moved to the back so the higher skilled kids could take their spots. Just keep in mind that at a larger gym, it is very possible your CP may not make the level of team she wants or thinks she should be on. The larger the pool of athletes is, the harder it is to make a team. So as long as you go into a move knowing that different gyms put teams together very very differently, I think you are on the right track.

I am completely against removing a kid from the team (unless there is a mental block involved) so I would be making a move if it were me. But make sure you are aware of what requirements each gym has for each level team. ;-)


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I'm not sure it is about just skill for that level or team but athletes of the higher level team are just more solid cheerleaders....I just think if you win with kids that worked hard to replace them to win at summit or what ever other comp it may be is unfair.

 

[NJ Coach]

Just remember, there's no such thing as a perfect gym. We all have our pros and we all have our cons.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^^There are NO perfect coaches either.

Ex: It's like Goldilocks and The Three Coaches. There are folks who have said I was "too tough." Then they went to others and complained that they were "too soft."

There's no "And this coach was just right!"

 

[CheerOnSeattle]

We are with a smaller gym, and they are uncertain about whether or not there will be enough girls for a jr. 3 team, and historically have only had a sr. 3 team. Ideally, we would stay with this gym but we won't know about the team options available until after tryouts, and tryouts are after tryouts for all of the other gyms within driving distance that are larger and have younger level 3 teams. Any thoughts on how to approach this? We don't want to mislead any gym about our intentions, or be seen as demanding our child be placed on a level 3 team. I'm new...sorry if this isn't the right place to post this question, but it seemed to follow the original question...

 

[CheerBank]

@CheerOnSeattle I think you have to decide which is more important to you and your cp, staying at your current gym regardless of whether their level 3 is a junior or senior, or moving onto another gym that has the numbers to support an age-appropriate level-appropriate team for your cp if that is the right team for her. I do not know how old your cp is or what her skills are, but if you are thinking about changing I would at this point visit the possible gyms on my own without cp just to observe (and try to coordinate your visit for when their jr 3 teams are practicing if they will allow you to observe). Also, many gyms will allow athletes to still tryout out after their official tryout dates if they still have room on their teams, so even if your cp waits until your current gym has tryouts, if the outcome is not optimal (your 10 year old on a team with all 13-18 year olds lets say), you can still approach another gym to find out your options.

 

[anythingforcheer]

Will you know what teams immediately after tryouts to make that decision? Brings me to the question, do most gyms form teams after tryouts or later in the summer?

 

[Cheer Dad]

Will you know what teams immediately after tryouts to make that decision? Brings me to the question, do most gyms form teams after tryouts or later in the summer?

very much depends on the gym. I recalling correct our gym will set what they think teams will be, practice a bit and then make adjustments if needed.

 

[TheDivineCheerYaYaSecret]

We are with a smaller gym, and they are uncertain about whether or not there will be enough girls for a jr. 3 team, and historically have only had a sr. 3 team. Ideally, we would stay with this gym but we won't know about the team options available until after tryouts, and tryouts are after tryouts for all of the other gyms within driving distance that are larger and have younger level 3 teams. Any thoughts on how to approach this? We don't want to mislead any gym about our intentions, or be seen as demanding our child be placed on a level 3 team. I'm new...sorry if this isn't the right place to post this question, but it seemed to follow the original question...

I would check out the other gyms without your CP and trying to visit when their J3's are practicing would be nice.

But may I ask about the issue with an S3 team instead of a J3 (or is it a possibility that there will not be a level 3 at all)? I don't know the age of your CP but I don't personally believe that age alone is an indicator of an athlete's ability to be on a Senior team versus a Junior team. How to say this without coming off cheeky or rude?

We were at a small gym previously that we absolutely love (notice the present tense?). My CP is now 11 but was 8 when she started and was on a S2 team her first two years. The first year it fit the rules I think and the next year they didn't compete at any USASF sanctioned events because there were three girls on the team that were not 10 by 8/31 of that year. The ages of the athletes ranged from 9-16 and it was an amazing experience all the way around. I guess it depends on each gym. I knew all those girls well and their families too. We still see them as often as we can. Unfortunately that gym was not able to field a team above level 3 this year and my CP had just moved too far past level 2 to be fully happy on one of those teams.

We are now at a much larger gym and we love it too! Interestingly enough my CP who was 10 on 8/31 was placed on a S3 team and they have a J3 team as well. She is extremely happy with her team mates and there haven't been any bad experiences. It really feels like the old gym where the older girls are looking out for the younger ones, leading them by very good examples, careful of their conversations, etc. We have been very blessed with our gyms.

I am in full agreement with the USASF age guidelines. There is a reason the minimum allowable age for a Senior team is 10. I'm not saying an athlete should be placed on a Senior team just because they are 10. However if that athlete can bring to the team the same overall skills that the rest of the team can and can execute them just as well and can handle the Senior team coaching style, then why shouldn't they be on a Senior team? Part of the placements is building the best team and that may mean a 10 or 11 yo on a Senior team.

Of course if your CP is not 10 or older I suppose the above from me is just moot anyway.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^^^You raise an interesting point.

I know that there are some programs who (even though it is fully legal) will NOT put 10 year olds on Senior teams. Ever. The 10 year olds have to be on Juniors.

However, I think the age guideline is set that way specifically for coaches to be able to include the EXCEPTIONAL 10 year old who is mature and really ready for Seniors. Not every 10, though.

When I coached S2, I was VERY picky about the caliber of age 10 kid I put on. I also let it be known that EVERY 10 yr old was not going to be there.

It gets sticky here because folks will be like "But she's 10, she NEEDS to be on Seniors!" not realizing that not everyone is THAT girl.

Ex: One of my best girls that season was 10 and a half. She was more coachable and whined less than some of her high school aged counterparts.

 

[cheermom02]

My cp will only turn 9 this summer but she has as good if not better skills than a lot of the girls on our senior team. We are a small gym and this year we didn't have a juniors team. Mini 1 youth 3 and senior 4. A lot of the senior moms have asked me if I would be ok with her being on the seniors team when she does turn 10. At this point that would be a big NO!!! She is not ready for that kind of pressure. She needs confidence and I don't think she could handle the pressure of it. Of course it's the coaches decision but I'm pretty sure she would agree. Unless some big changes happen in the next year or so she needs to stay where she is at. I used to think it would be fun for her to be on an older team but the longer I've been around the more I realize she needs to stay at the level she is aged in if at all possible. She had plenty of time and there is no need to rush her.


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[Cheer Dad]

My cp will only turn 9 this summer but she has as good if not better skills than a lot of the girls on our senior team. We are a small gym and this year we didn't have a juniors team. Mini 1 youth 3 and senior 4. A lot of the senior moms have asked me if I would be ok with her being on the seniors team when she does turn 10. At this point that would be a big NO!!! She is not ready for that kind of pressure. She needs confidence and I don't think she could handle the pressure of it. Of course it's the coaches decision but I'm pretty sure she would agree. Unless some big changes happen in the next year or so she needs to stay where she is at. I used to think it would be fun for her to be on an older team but the longer I've been around the more I realize she needs to stay at the level she is aged in if at all possible. She had plenty of time and there is no need to rush her.


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I like age appropriate when possible but understand that is not always possible. CP did senior team stating very young and it presented a challenge. Allowing him to crossover to a junior team a few years was an excellent option for him. Gave him a chance to mature with his peers and have more fun but at the same time his current maturity level and confidence is where it is because of his senior teams. Was a learning curve but it worked. That is what was right for him so just do what's right for your cp.


Pretending to be a parent since 1993

 

[cheerinatorXdad]

One thing I would look for, and I know now from experience, is to look how your gym and any prospective new gyms place athletes. Do they fill a team with a large number of kids that should really be a lower level? Do they place kids on teams that have no business being at that level?

After a few years now I see that as an important factor and eventually how a team does and sometime that can equate to the happiness of your cp.

 

[alexamarysouza]

When you're making this decision, keep your CP's opinion in mind. You don't want to drag them out of their current gym because you feel it's better for them if they're not going to be able to enjoy the new gym because they're not happy. I know your CP is only 9, but I bet she could tell you up front if she wants to find a new gym or not! I was personally not asked my opinion, and got dragged out of my old gym when I was 13...I understand why my parents made me leave now, but I literally grew up there (started at age 6 for perspective), and with the same coaches/athletes, so it was very hard for me. I cried after every practice at my new gym over the summer because I honestly just missed everybody and was angry with my parents. It's sometimes hard...even though I understand why they made me leave now, I still get a little upset every now and again thinking about how you could do that to a child overnight, and rip them away from the only place/coaches/athletes they had ever known. So I guess what I'm getting at is just keep your kid's opinion in mind. You won't regret it!!


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[CheerOnSeattle]

Thanks for the input. My CP is 9 years old, but will be 10 this summer and technically eligible for a Senior team. I don't know what I think about having her with older girls- she was on Jr 2 team this year and has gotten along better with the older kids than the younger kids, and generally shares the work ethic of older girls, but she is really small for her age and I don't know what I think about her travelling and rooming with high school kids. Her J2 team is also really young- I think the oldest child is just turning 14. My CP has mixed feelings about a move- she doesn't want all of her friends to move up to the S3 team and have her be left on a Y2 or J2 team because of her age and size.​