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

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^You do have to consider social maturity issues as well.

Ex: I've had kids move up to S2 at 10 and while they enjoyed competing with a senior team, they HATED it socially.

It really depends on the senior team's age composition and social maturity level.

If the senior team is really young (like most of the girls are fresh off of juniors or from youth - like 12-14) it may not be an issue.

In contrast, my S2 was much older (i.e. most girls were in HS.) A 5th grader socially has nothing in common with a junior in HS. The girls were polite, and never inappropriate, but a 5th grader just can't related to 11th grade conversations about clothes, jobs, boyfriends, etc.

 

[BellaCheerMom]

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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@cheermom2 - Can I ever relate! My CP will also be 10 in August and there has already been talk about putting her on the Senior 3 team next year. Currently she is on a Junior 3. There are no Youth Teams and one other Senior 5. We are a small gym and regardless of skill, Junior age girls make the Junior team. Same with the Senior 3 - unless they pull a full once and then - Bam! they're on Senior 5. My feelings are to keep her on Junior 3 with girls closer to her age. Honestly, I feel like both teams should be Junior 2 and Senior 2, but I'm of the school that I would rather have a great Level 2 team than a "barely half the girls can pull off the level 3 skills team." I'll admit, I am very proud at the hard work my CP puts in and she does have killer tumbling skills - and it's apparent the gym puts more stock in getting the senior age girls ready for Level 5. My CP is also very tiny and is a flyer and it's apparent too that they would love to have the older girls be able to base my little nugget than the other older perfectly good flyers they already have. I just don't agree with that and don't get the rush. She has 8 years left to cheer - she'll have her chance.

As my CP gets older I am becoming more aware of this push to gets to Worlds at all costs and that they would rather say they have all higher level teams - even if they never win - than to say they have lower levels - which the girls would have a much better chance in. I have been trying to discreetly check out other gyms, but the problem is despite the fact that I disagree with team levels and chasing a bid to Worlds, the owners/coaches, are such truly wonderful, caring, geniune people that I really do love. I drive myself crazy going back and forth with what to do!

 

[cheermom02]

@cheermom2 - Can I ever relate! My CP will also be 10 in August and there has already been talk about putting her on the Senior 3 team next year. Currently she is on a Junior 3. There are no Youth Teams and one other Senior 5. We are a small gym and regardless of skill, Junior age girls make the Junior team. Same with the Senior 3 - unless they pull a full once and then - Bam! they're on Senior 5. My feelings are to keep her on Junior 3 with girls closer to her age. Honestly, I feel like both teams should be Junior 2 and Senior 2, but I'm of the school that I would rather have a great Level 2 team than a "barely half the girls can pull off the level 3 skills team." I'll admit, I am very proud at the hard work my CP puts in and she does have killer tumbling skills - and it's apparent the gym puts more stock in getting the senior age girls ready for Level 5. My CP is also very tiny and is a flyer and it's apparent too that they would love to have the older girls be able to base my little nugget than the other older perfectly good flyers they already have. I just don't agree with that and don't get the rush. She has 8 years left to cheer - she'll have her chance.

As my CP gets older I am becoming more aware of this push to gets to Worlds at all costs and that they would rather say they have all higher level teams - even if they never win - than to say they have lower levels - which the girls would have a much better chance in. I have been trying to discreetly check out other gyms, but the problem is despite the fact that I disagree with team levels and chasing a bid to Worlds, the owners/coaches, are such truly wonderful, caring, geniune people that I really do love. I drive myself crazy going back and forth with what to do!

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[cheermom02]

Whoops hit reply to soon. Lol but I feel like we are living the same cheer life! We are actually going as a level 2 for just this one competition next weekend. I believe we should be a level 2 not a 3. I don't know why we can't master one level before jumping to the next? We were level 2 last year and we should have been level 1, now we are level 3 but should be a level 2. The girls with level 3 skills are inconsistent and our level 2 tumbling is so much better and almost every girl has it solid. I just had an hour and a half conversation with my mom about cheer and she said "why don't you go somewhere else?" Well were to begin? She has only been to this gym, has basically grown up there. The one coach is amazing and is the one who does all her privates and I know she would miss him. It would be so hard to go somewhere else but at the same time I think we need too. Right I'm just trying to focus on our last two competitions and take it from there.


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[HeyMom]

I don't know why we can't master one level before jumping to the next? We were level 2 last year and we should have been level 1, now we are level 3 but should be a level 2. The girls with level 3 skills are inconsistent and our level 2 tumbling is so much better and almost every girl has it solid.

This was the biggest reason I made the decision to change gyms. For some reason, the parents at our previous gym viewed all star like school - everybody just moved up a "grade" at the end of the season regardless of skills..and the gym owners fed into this. The team CP was on last season was a weak L2 and since some kids started "chunking" tucks at the end of last season, VOILA - onto L3. Most of this season, that L3 was barely scoring above the max score for L2. If CP is going to stick with this sport, I want her at a gym that will teach how to do things safely and correctly. I would rather she spend a season or two on L2 mastering those skills before moving on to the next level.

 

[Labegg]

I don't mean this in a mean way but the grass is not going to be greener at another gym if you/or your CP is the reason the grass is yellow in the first place...With that said sometimes a change of field makes for a healthier crop.

 

[retiredl5cheer]

I don't mean this in a mean way but the grass is not going to be greener at another gym if you/or your CP is the reason the grass is yellow in the first place...With that said sometimes a change of field makes for a healthier crop.

LOL. If you pee on the grass with your negativity, the grass doesn't get any greener on the other side of the fence!

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

This was the biggest reason I made the decision to change gyms. For some reason, the parents at our previous gym viewed all star like school - everybody just moved up a "grade" at the end of the season regardless of skills..and the gym owners fed into this. The team CP was on last season was a weak L2 and since some kids started "chunking" tucks at the end of last season, VOILA - onto L3. Most of this season, that L3 was barely scoring above the max score for L2. If CP is going to stick with this sport, I want her at a gym that will teach how to do things safely and correctly. I would rather she spend a season or two on L2 mastering those skills before moving on to the next level.

Oh YES.

If I could tell any NEW parent or new athlete anything is that a level is not like second grade in which you graduate at the end and go on to 3rd.

Cheerleader: "BUT I'VE BEEN ON LEVEL 2 for TWO SEASONS!"

Yes, because your skills have been level 2 for two seasons.

 

[CheerKatie08]

Cheerleading is expensive. If you feel as if you aren't getting your money's worth, look around.

As far as the age old "small gym vs. big gym" debate, you will be satisfied wherever there is a great staff. I cheered at a gym with one senior team who didn't get a Worlds bid until my senior year of high school. A year later, I cheered at a gym that sent 6 teams to worlds. Completely different experiences, but I couldn't trade either for anything. It's really about your kid and the coaches that they "click" with, more than the gym size itself. If the gym size affects the coaching, it's definitely time to look around.

 

[alexamarysouza]

On the small gym/big gym debate, it really just depends on what skills your CP has and what's offered in the area...if CP has level five skills and there are worlds gyms in the area, the choice is obvious, but if CP is lower level, big gym isn't always the way to go...I have personal experience and in NC I personally think big gym is definitely not the way to go for lower levels! So just find what gym fits your needs most, and where y'all can be successful and happy!


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