Local Small Gym Or Bigger Gym

[123jump4!]

Hi... I'm a newbie mom. A month ago I knew nothing about cheer, but after watching practices and hours of googling and youtube I now know at least a little bit! It looks like so much fun.

I'll try to keep this as short as I can. My 6-year-old girl has done gymnastics for a few years. At our local gym they also have a cheer all star team. So, my daughter decided to quit gymnastics and start cheer instead! This was about 3 weeks ago. Because gymnastics level 1 is pretty simple on floor, she had never really attempted back walkovers or even bridge kickovers (can do bridge though). She does great cartwheels and has picked up roundoffs too in no time. She can also almost do a full split. And forward rolls to standing. She's getting pretty good at basic cheer routines including "toe touch" jump. Working on backbend but not quite there yet.

Now, at her cheer, they have a gang of girls who competed together last season. They range from age 5 to 11 and they will all be in Youth level 1. And then they want to put my CP plus 4 other girls age 5-6 in a new Mini level 1 team. Three of the girls can not do a cartwheel at all, they look like complete beginners. I feel my daughter is way above their level, having done gymastics and having some natural athletic talent... maybe. Plus, is 5 girls even enough for a team? What happens if one leaves? I don't want to pay competition and uniform fees when the team's future looks uncertain. And she might be bored.

Then I checked out this other gym nearby, which is bigger and more successful and has all star teams all levels. They told me my CP can come to practice with their Mini level 1 this Tuesday! I said yes but now I'm freaking. They are probably really good! I was told no set skills required. What does this mean? That if they see some potential in my CP she might be able to join the team?

Can anyone tell me what you think will happen at this practice, what skills the girls will do and if they will want my CP to join.......... I know you don't have crystal balls but any comments will be appreciated! It's not a necessity for her to join by the way, if not then we might just do tumbling classes this year.

thanks in advance!

 

[sarahh_cheers]

firstly, all-star cheer gyms do not cut. meaning every girl that trys out will make a team. at a mini level 1 they will not expect your daughter to be experienced at all. she is most likely on the same level as the rest of the girls. she would probably do very well on that team! if you can, watch a practice at both gyms and see which one you would feel more comfortable having your daughter attend.

 

[alexacheer2010]

Definitely attend the practice and see how your daughter likes it. I don't think making new friends at a new gym will be much of an issue for a little girl! Worst case you don't like it and you let her do the smaller team or tumble instead. Mini teams are all about building the foundation for the future. I wouldn't worry about your daughter not having as many skills because they are all beginners at that level. Mini is 8 and under so that would be a good fit age wise! It's probably better to not have 6 year olds and 11 year olds on the same team (just my opinion it does work sometimes)!

 

[mamabear]

A year on minis will be beneficial to your cp as a new cheerleader, before moving up to youth imo. Since they are both the same skill level, I am guessing from what you said that the more experienced kids at the gym are doing youth. Doing minis for a year, will allow her to learn the basics . It sounds like she has a good foundation in tumbling, but there is a lot more to cheer than that, like clean motions, strong stunting and learning to be a true member of a team. I agree that the smaller size of the team is a little worrisome. Have you asked if they compete or if they are exhibition? fwiw, I am glad that my cp's first year was exhibition. They get to learn what is expected of them and what competitions will be like. They get to preform on stage and usually still receive acknowledgement of their routine- but they were not competing. She will have plenty of time for that if she decided to stay in it! She will definitely feel the thrill and pressures of competing as she eventually moves up to the youth team, since several of them are older and certainly more competitive than the under eight set.

Choosing between the smaller gym and the large gym, is more of hard thing to decide. I would let her check out the big gym on Tuesday to see if it is a good fit for both her and you! Take time to consider what their comp schedule looks like, how practices fit into your lifestyle, and the cost. Also see how she likes it. Does she seem to connect with the coaches and team more at one place than another?

 

[123jump4!]

Thanks for the replies! I don't want her on youth, I want her on mini as long as possible, but I want a Mini team with not just complete beginners! So maybe the new bigger gym will work. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I feel less nervous now so thank you all! Will report back Tuesday night.

 

[BlockHead]

You never know what you are going to see on a mini level 1 squad at a larger gym. It could be filled with a bunch of beginners....which is ok and perfect. I would expect that their more advanced minis would be on their mini 2 squad. There is so much time for them to improve during cheer season. When my daughters started on her mini squad, only 5 or 6 kids could do a backwalkover. When they were done for the season, 18 of the 19 kids could do them.

I was worried at the time, because my daughter could only do a backbend, round-off, cartwheel, forward and backward rolls when she started minis. None of the "important" skills, but this stuff always works itself out.

As far as size limits, I believe that they have to have 5 members on a squad to compete.

 

[123jump4!]

Yeah that's it, I just don't know what to expect! I have seen some Mini 1 team videos on youtube that look great, everyone doing BWOs etc. And I have also seen some where only a few of the girls do it. I guess my daughter has at least a few months to try to learn more advanced skills before the first showcase in late Nov.

Just talked to a mom at school and she said her kid and some friends are joining the mini team at the small gym, so it seems like at least there will be a team.

I'm not sure if it's best for my CP to be one of the stars of a "worse" team, or one of the worst ones on a better team. We will have to see how we feel after Tuesday...

 

[Helen uk uni cheer]

Yeah that's it, I just don't know what to expect! I have seen some Mini 1 team videos on youtube that look great, everyone doing BWOs etc. And I have also seen some where only a few of the girls do it. I guess my daughter has at least a few months to try to learn more advanced skills before the first showcase in late Nov.

Just talked to a mom at school and she said her kid and some friends are joining the mini team at the small gym, so it seems like at least there will be a team.

I'm not sure if it's best for my CP to be one of the stars of a "worse" team, or one of the worst ones on a better team. We will have to see how we feel after Tuesday...

It really depends on your CP'S work ethic for instance if she is really motivated to be the best she can be then her not being the best will help her strive to be better. Also another thing to consider is what teams in the future do the other gyms have for instance if she gets level 2 skills for the following season is there a mini team for her so that you can stay more than one season

 

[BlockHead]

Yeah that's it, I just don't know what to expect! I have seen some Mini 1 team videos on youtube that look great, everyone doing BWOs etc. And I have also seen some where only a few of the girls do it. I guess my daughter has at least a few months to try to learn more advanced skills before the first showcase in late Nov.

Just talked to a mom at school and she said her kid and some friends are joining the mini team at the small gym, so it seems like at least there will be a team.

I'm not sure if it's best for my CP to be one of the stars of a "worse" team, or one of the worst ones on a better team. We will have to see how we feel after Tuesday...

I would just do what feels best. My CP prefers our small gym (we literally have 1 squad) vs her old gym that had 13 squads. Her current squad never wins anything. They usually place last or close to it. She doesn't care. She loves going and that is all that matters to her.

 

[Alphaelite]

Your daughter will love the all star cheer. it is completely different them gymnastics,but if I could I require all my girls to take a gymnastics class. The more technical tightness, sharpness experience helps in all aspects of cheerleading.

 

[Cheer Dad]

Hi... I'm a newbie mom. A month ago I knew nothing about cheer, but after watching practices and hours of googling and youtube I now know at least a little bit! It looks like so much fun.

I'll try to keep this as short as I can. My 6-year-old girl has done gymnastics for a few years. At our local gym they also have a cheer all star team. So, my daughter decided to quit gymnastics and start cheer instead! This was about 3 weeks ago. Because gymnastics level 1 is pretty simple on floor, she had never really attempted back walkovers or even bridge kickovers (can do bridge though). She does great cartwheels and has picked up roundoffs too in no time. She can also almost do a full split. And forward rolls to standing. She's getting pretty good at basic cheer routines including "toe touch" jump. Working on backbend but not quite there yet.

Now, at her cheer, they have a gang of girls who competed together last season. They range from age 5 to 11 and they will all be in Youth level 1. And then they want to put my CP plus 4 other girls age 5-6 in a new Mini level 1 team. Three of the girls can not do a cartwheel at all, they look like complete beginners. I feel my daughter is way above their level, having done gymastics and having some natural athletic talent... maybe. Plus, is 5 girls even enough for a team? What happens if one leaves? I don't want to pay competition and uniform fees when the team's future looks uncertain. And she might be bored.

Then I checked out this other gym nearby, which is bigger and more successful and has all star teams all levels. They told me my CP can come to practice with their Mini level 1 this Tuesday! I said yes but now I'm freaking. They are probably really good! I was told no set skills required. What does this mean? That if they see some potential in my CP she might be able to join the team?

Can anyone tell me what you think will happen at this practice, what skills the girls will do and if they will want my CP to join.......... I know you don't have crystal balls but any comments will be appreciated! It's not a necessity for her to join by the way, if not then we might just do tumbling classes this year.

thanks in advance!

By your last statement are you saying if she doesn't make the big gym team then she will basically sit the year out and miss out on developing other cheer related skills?

Honestly, for a mini 1 team skill development and having fun is the priority, not competing and winning it all.

Now, since your cp seems to be doing well compared to the other kids based on her gymnastics background are you sure the other kids are not just starting out and will surpass your cp? Only ask because I have seen it happen. Everyone develops at different paces and in different areas. It is quite possible cp excels in tumbling and jumps but not in stunting which could be a huge factor in her progression. Not saying this is the case but just offering something to think about.

 

[123jump4!]

Hmm Cheer Dad, I did actually think that, a little bit. That the others at the small gym could catch up. I guess it was just not what we expected. We expected to work hard for her to get to the same level as the other girls, not her being the star of the team... but you're right things could change. However, in my opinion, a good cartwheel takes quite a long time to learn, at least for some people (including my kids). That's why I was concerned when I saw that at least 3 girls were not even close. Ugh I hate to sound this snobby. But I know my daughter. She will get annoyed if the level is too low.

Your other point... I thought tumbling was the most important skill so I thought tumbling classes might be a possible option if it doesn't work out with a team this year. There's also rec cheer classes to consider.

Thanks all for your input, I'm so happy! I don't really have many friends to discuss this with.

 

[12stepCheermom]

Hmm Cheer Dad, I did actually think that, a little bit. That the others at the small gym could catch up. I guess it was just not what we expected. We expected to work hard for her to get to the same level as the other girls, not her being the star of the team... but you're right things could change. However, in my opinion, a good cartwheel takes quite a long time to learn, at least for some people (including my kids). That's why I was concerned when I saw that at least 3 girls were not even close. Ugh I hate to sound this snobby. But I know my daughter. She will get annoyed if the level is too low.

Your other point... I thought tumbling was the most important skill so I thought tumbling classes might be a possible option if it doesn't work out with a team this year. There's also rec cheer classes to consider.

Thanks all for your input, I'm so happy! I don't really have many friends to discuss this with.

While tumbling is important, it's less than half of the scoresheet. Stunting (which can really only be learned in a group on a team) is a necessity. Focus on one while forgetting the others and you'll develop a "one trick pony." You can have the best tumbling in the world and if you can't stunt you'll be little value to a well rounded team (and the reverse is also true).

I've always thought it's better to have a kid "middle of the road" in all aspects than a superstar in only one.

As an aside, for as quickly as you're judging the other baby cheerleaders on that team, some other mom is judging yours. I'd encourage you to be careful to not get into the comparison and judgement habit so early in the game. That road leads to nothing but darkness and absolutely nothing positive comes from it.

 

[dawgshow]

Your other point... I thought tumbling was the most important skill so I thought tumbling classes might be a possible option if it doesn't work out with a team this year. There's also rec cheer classes to consider.

.

Not the most important, but definitely the most discussed. You really want your child to develop all necessary skills simultaneously. I've see too many kids (well, the parents usually) focus on tumbling but ignore jumps and stunting to the point that the skills are drastically different. This can cause issues with team placement in later years. I feel the frustration of kids when they have solid standing tucks but can't execute jumps or hold a simple two legged extension. So, they are placed on a team to develop the lesser skills and are unable to throw their tumbling skills.

 

[123jump4!]

I'm trying not to Cheer Dad (to be judging)... but like I said, it was definitely not what we expected! I guess I thought that you have to have some basic skills before you can join a cheer all star team. But I now realize that's not always the case, at least not for level 1. Also I'm more than aware that my CP is definitely not an advanced cheerleader. Far from it. But she is great at roundoffs, she's practicing them as I type this...

As a parent you want to find what you think will work best for your child. She gets bored easily and possibly has ADHD. That's why I feel it's important for her that the level is high enough. Not because I want her to go to Worlds at age 10... lol.