All-Star Measuring Rivalries

[fullpass]

In our area there are a number of small programs and a few nationally known gyms as well. Given the close proximity there is a fair amount of movement and as a result we have dear friends in many different programs.
What I have found is that 1. At least around here, the strongest rivalries exist in the minds of grown adults who should know better. Its great to be emotionally invested in your kids activities but when your children can see past differences in Uniform colors and have friends on other teams then maybe you should follow their lead.
2. The strongest, fiercest rivalries really only exist in the mind of one side. And, IMO, it's usually the side which feels not quite good enough or feel they are 2nd. Generally the team they can't stand barely gives any thought to the 'rivalry'. Maybe there really is something to be said for keeping your focus on your own team!
Just my 2 cents

 

[tumbleyoda]

My favorite are the Imaginary Rivals. Those that want you to be a rival and get mad that you don't play that game with them. Just because gyms are close to each other in location, competes for the same athletes in the same market, or competes against each other often does not necessarily make them a rival IMO.

 

[cupieqt]

My favorite are the Imaginary Rivals. Those that want you to be a rival and get mad that you don't play that game with them. Just because gyms are close to each other in location, competes for the same athletes in the same market, or competes against each other often does not necessarily make them a rival IMO.

Lmbo!! I was JUST having this conversation this morning with TwistersPride
It's funny to watch these types make their little spectacle.

 

[gymcatmomx2]

In our town, it's most definitely NOT an imaginary rival. There have been alot of swapping of athletes between our 2 gyms since they moved to our town 4 years ago and alot of the cheerleaders are on the same high school cheer squads. There hasn't been any real ugliness between the 2 gyms but it's most definitely a very "strong" rivalry. The owner of the other gym used to have her Facebook wall open and instead of reporting that their gym was in second or third at a particular comp she would post "we are ahead of <our gym name>" or "we are only .5 points behind <our gym name>". We post our comp schedule on our website and so do they... we added a comp later in the season this year.. and low and behold they added the same comp. Our gym has been around for 13 years and has been a very successful small gym... I guess they have some catching up to do.

 

[gofriars610]

I know I do high school cheer, but if I get second to last place I would be happy if my rival team got last. haha it's sad I know.

Biddeford.

 

[12stepCheermom]

In our area there are a number of small programs and a few nationally known gyms as well. Given the close proximity there is a fair amount of movement and as a result we have dear friends in many different programs.
What I have found is that 1. At least around here, the strongest rivalries exist in the minds of grown adults who should know better. Its great to be emotionally invested in your kids activities but when your children can see past differences in Uniform colors and have friends on other teams then maybe you should follow their lead.
2. The strongest, fiercest rivalries really only exist in the mind of one side. And, IMO, it's usually the side which feels not quite good enough or feel they are 2nd. Generally the team they can't stand barely gives any thought to the 'rivalry'. Maybe there really is something to be said for keeping your focus on your own team!
Just my 2 cents

Can I get an AMEN! Or maybe to shimmy this 2,506 times!

 

[Seeker30]

coach high school. and the rivalryat our school is just
it gets real bad.

 

[12mowerd]

haha f

Biddeford.

or me its central and orono. but biddo is a very rival team for class A! and lewiston.

 

[gofriars610]

haha f
or me its central and orono. but biddo is a very rival team for class A! and lewiston.

I don't mind Lewiston. Their coach is VERY intense, but they're good girls. Biddo on the other hand..........

 

[AllstarObsession]

some girls on my team think everyone NOT in our uniform is a rival and there are usually lots of dirty looks.

Example: We are a small gym probably 10 miles away from cheergyms petaluma. And coming from Airborne, i know a fair amount of girls that are now on cheergyms. (airborne is now cheergyms petaluma) So at competitions, of course I want to talk to them and wish them good luck and that earns me a lot of dirty looks from my own teammates.

THEN we have a few girls that are too friendly with a gym that we are constantly head to head with and that really bothers me for specific reasons. that's a can of worms that i don't want to open.

I try to be respectfully friendly with all the teams. Obviously you want to be nice, play games in the warm up room, whatever, but they are still your competition and you DO still want to beat them.

So I guess I would put myself in the middle of the spectrum.

 

[WorkToWin]

some girls on my team think everyone NOT in our uniform is a rival and there are usually lots of dirty looks.

Example: We are a small gym probably 10 miles away from cheergyms petaluma. And coming from Airborne, i know a fair amount of girls that are now on cheergyms. (airborne is now cheergyms petaluma) So at competitions, of course I want to talk to them and wish them good luck and that earns me a lot of dirty looks from my own teammates.

THEN we have a few girls that are too friendly with a gym that we are constantly head to head with and that really bothers me for specific reasons. that's a can of worms that i don't want to open.

I try to be respectfully friendly with all the teams. Obviously you want to be nice, play games in the warm up room, whatever, but they are still your competition and you DO still want to beat them.

So I guess I would put myself in the middle of the spectrum.

too friendly?

 

[drewpate]

I want to beat everyone in every division I coach of course, but there may be different reasons people want to beat them.

When I'm going against a biggym like BlueCat 's or really any well known program, I want to beat them because I look up to them and maybe I'm headed in the right direction. It's not to brag, and it's only really happened twice that I know of, and not to a big as a gym as CA, however it
gave me some confidence and let me know Im starting to get it as a coach.


Then there are the teams you really want to beat, but they are good and friendly to you, so if you just have to lose at least it's them. Maybe you cheered there and some of your mentors are there that you really want to prove yourself to.

Theres gym's that you might have had personal history with that's not so positive, and though I hope you don't air your dirty laundry in front of everyone with, when your back at your house that night drinking an adult beverage, trying to figure out where you went wrong with your kids causing then to get fifth of six, and you get that smile that says, well at least I beat CrapTasticAllstars.

And then there's the teams you feel sorry for that make you want to slap a coach in the face then give them a hug and teach them the right way to choose a level for your team and what they need to work on, that you really hope you beat, but that little angel on your shoulder says be nice and let everyone have their turn.

 

[12mowerd]

I don't mind Lewiston. Their coach is VERY intense, but they're good girls. Biddo on the other hand..........

haha oh yeah. I know lewiston is a good team very nice ladies, but theyre very good so it makes them a rival in some sense but i know what u mean. ive got a couple biddos in class c.

 

[12stepCheermom]

I want to beat everyone in every division I coach of course, but there may be different reasons people want to beat them.

When I'm going against a biggym like BlueCat 's or really any well known program, I want to beat them because I look up to them and maybe I'm headed in the right direction. It's not to brag, and it's only really happened twice that I know of, and not to a big as a gym as CA, however it
gave me some confidence and let me know Im starting to get it as a coach.


Then there are the teams you really want to beat, but they are good and friendly to you, so if you just have to lose at least it's them. Maybe you cheered there and some of your mentors are there that you really want to prove yourself to.

Theres gym's that you might have had personal history with that's not so positive, and though I hope you don't air your dirty laundry in front of everyone with, when your back at your house that night drinking an adult beverage, trying to figure out where you went wrong with your kids causing then to get fifth of six, and you get that smile that says, well at least I beat CrapTasticAllstars.

And then there's the teams you feel sorry for that make you want to slap a coach in the face then give them a hug and teach them the right way to choose a level for your team and what they need to work on, that you really hope you beat, but that little angel on your shoulder says be nice and let everyone have their turn.

This is going to sound incredibly sanctimonious, but it is actually how our coaches and owners address the rivalry thing. They've trained our kids (and parents) that it's not about any other team....it's about the score sheet. We're out to beat the score sheet. If we don't win, it's because we did X, Y, and possibly Z that caused the score sheet to beat us. Another gym did a better job of taking on the score sheet that day and hence...that's why we finished in whatever place we did. To further reinforce the idea that we want to be friends with everybody....the portable Bose (we call her "bella") goes with our coaches and teams backstage in warm ups and frequent, spontaneous dance parties break out at regular intervals. We take pictures with everyone and have an album on our FB page "friends from other cheer programs" including our kids with pics of kids that used to be ours and moved to other gyms. Because stuff like that happens, and it's okay!

That's just how our program rolls, and one of the things I really like about it. We've actually established a great friendship with one of our most frequent "rivals" Elite Cheer and Dance from Raleigh and we'll go support them in VIP seating and they'll come support us (that even happened at Cheersport when two of our teams were in the same division). It's not about the other team, it's about us hitting OUR routine and beating down the score sheet. It puts the focus in the right place.

Plus the dance parties help our kids not be so star struck....at UCA our brand new Lv 5 was dancing it out with Stingrays Orange backstage (and our kids were definitely a little star struck then but they're older) two years ago, our Junior 2 (built with mostly new cheerleaders) was rocking it our backstage at BATB with Shooting Stars on one side and Senior Elite on the other and had NO IDEA who they were dancing with....which was fantastic! They just had fun with other cheerleaders backstage and our coaches were amazed they weren't the least bit "OMG IT'S ______!" Because, like we all know, if your kids grow up intimidated from other gyms, that will mess with your head and head cases are the fastest way to kill a stout routine...and rivalries imply intimidation on some level. We don't want to be intimidated by anyone so we make friends with everyone

 

[AllstarObsession]

too friendly?

no such thing, right?
but there is. its a really long, complicated story.