All-Star Micro Flyers And Their Dilemma (refuse To Use The Hated "f" Name!)

[TheDivineCheerYaYaSecret]

Was in another thread but I really want an open communication, honestly!! Here is the post that sort of prompted me to start this thread:

I think people just need a different perspective on it. In acrobatic gymnastics you generally start out as a top (flyer) when you're young and tiny, but you're being based by people that were tops when they were young and tiny too. You go into it knowing that once you grow up you generally have to switch to basing unless you are just naturally short and thin. It's not a bad thing, it's just how it is. You know that eventually you'll be basing too most likely so you're fine with them putting the smallest up because you want that same right once you're a base.
I don't get why there's such a stigma about small flyers in Allstar when they're isn't the same stigma in hs cheer, college cheer, or acro.
What do you expect a 5 foot 12 year old with a double to do? Base a girl 5 years older than her?
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I think this is the way all star cheer is now or is going. This is our third year. CP just turned 11 about two weeks ago. She is a flyer. First year it was M1 and S2. Second year it was Y1 and S2. In our third year at a new gym she is S3. I think she is going to grow. She is a good flyer, tight in the air, fearless, pulls her moves well, stretches. Her tumbling is very solid level 4 and shaky level 5 (but getting better).
Where should she be?
I worry that when she is moved out of flying that she will not know what she needs to base on a higher level team. I'm serious!! I honestly think I may need to pay for some privates so she can learn the appropriate techniques for basing the levels she needs.
So when I see that term used to describe a smaller, younger flyer (the f one) It about sends me through the roof. I'm honestly trying to do what is best for my CP!
Can anyone else out there, coaches or parents that have experience with this give me some thoughts, ideas, pointers?

 

[Ashley]

In response to the comment you quoted, there's absolutely a stigma in college too. I can name at least one school that has a reputation of having big guys and "fetus" flyers.

That being said, in college the tiny flyers tend to be on coed teams and all girl teams tend to have the "normal" sized flyers.

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[cheermuse]

A girl my CP used to cheer with was very lean tall flyer (beautiful in the air) she was 5'5 and 12 years old. They took her out of the air 2 seasons ago. Reason given: she was too tall to fly. She has level 4/5 tumbling, she is now a base. what she learned she learned from coaches and teammates during practices.

She may fly longer than you fear, flyers are based on team dynamics.

 

[retiredl5cheer]

I remember CSP citing this as part of the reason that so many CEA kids crossover. If your kid is still youth aged, consider crossing her to a youth or junior team where she will have the chance to learn to base. I can vouch that it's really good to be able to do both once you get to college.

 

[notimeforthat]

my cp is a flyer. She is small for her age and has great flexibility. She is 13 and almost done growing (i think). She is not a fetus anymore, but she was. I would not mind her learning to base as even petite girls seem to "bigger" when they are seniors in high school. IMO there is way less pressure being a base. As long as she is an asset her team, whatever works best. The coaches know what they are doing.

 

[TheDivineCheerYaYaSecret]

I remember CSP citing this as part of the reason that so many CEA kids crossover. If your kid is still youth aged, consider crossing her to a youth or junior team where she will have the chance to learn to base. I can vouch that it's really good to be able to do both once you get to college.

They did ask her to cross over this year but it would have been to the S2 team as a flyer. I actually think the crossing over to a youth or Junior team as a base would be a good thing.

 

[cheernerd5678]

I feel like there's not such a stigma in HS Cheer because the youngest you're gonna get is a freshman... 14/15 years old. So it's not really an equal chance. You work with what you have, while in allstar you can pull up 10 year olds to fly. You just don't see as many tiny flyers in HS, and when you do you know it's because they're naturally tiny, not because they're 10.
It's all about perception IMO. If it looks like the girls are especially tiny then they're more likely to be called "fetus flyers." I've heard people who are seniors in HS called that, just because they look tiny. Nobody would say that on a HS team bc they know she's the same age as everyone, but on an allstar team when there are tiny girls, a lot of people assume they're 10/11/12. Some people may look at my stunt group and go "oh, they're basing a normal sized girl, yay them for not basing a 12 year old" well she's 13, so she IS younger than us, just super tall and skinny... She just doesn't look that young from far away bc she's taller than our whole stunt group.
Basically if people would stop assuming the tiny girls are automatically 10/11/12 and the taller girls are automatically older, we wouldn't have this problem.


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[cheer36mom]

My oldest was a flyer for 3 years two on a level 4 and one on restricted 5 then moved to basing level 5 and she is a beast base I honestly feel that her flying experience has helped her become a better base

 

[TheDivineCheerYaYaSecret]

My oldest was a flyer for 3 years two on a level 4 and one on restricted 5 then moved to basing level 5 and she is a beast base I honestly feel that her flying experience has helped her become a better base

I have heard that said. Some of my CPs bases fly on their HS team and flew all star before, they are amazing!!!!! They really know what is going on and they work so well together to help work out any kinks.

 

[TheDivineCheerYaYaSecret]

I feel like there's not such a stigma in HS Cheer because the youngest you're gonna get is a freshman... 14/15 years old.



Not here. They can be on the Varsity squad when they are in the seventh grade and it happens. So that means they could be 12.

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[TheDivineCheerYaYaSecret]

I hate when it includes the comment in the quote area...

 

[MissCongeniality]

My oldest was a flyer for 3 years two on a level 4 and one on restricted 5 then moved to basing level 5 and she is a beast base I honestly feel that her flying experience has helped her become a better base

This about describes mine. She was a flyer for a couple of years on level 2-4 and then moved to 5 where she learned to base. I did pay for a couple of privates for the coach to really work with her on hand positioning etc. so she had confidence. But I think the time in the air actually helped her with basing more than you would expect.

 

[FierceIsTheName]

In response to the comment you quoted, there's absolutely a stigma in college too. I can name at least one school that has a reputation of having big guys and "fetus" flyers.

That being said, in college the tiny flyers tend to be on coed teams and all girl teams tend to have the "normal" sized flyers.

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I might know that school...I was looking up colleges with good cheer programs (trying to get ideas for college but I'm only in 9th grade) and I came across a certain college that required "females over 115 lbs will be trying out for a tumbling position"
...I dont know about you guys but as a 15 year old I am already above that, and I consider myself quite small (about 5' 3" and I wear sized Small clothes) I was almost offended by this. I always had hopes of when I got on a Coed team, that I would get the opportunity to fly again.
What bothers me most is that they are suggesting that someone at 115 lbs or more is too heavy to fly, but they could be the most amazing flyer ever, but because "they weigh too much" they won't get that opportunity. (sorry for this rant)

I believe flyers should not be a "weight". I don't care if you're 90lb flyer, if you do your job up there, thats all that matters.

 

[retiredl5cheer]

I might know that school...I was looking up colleges with good cheer programs (trying to get ideas for college but I'm only in 9th grade) and I came across a certain college that required "females over 115 lbs will be trying out for a tumbling position"
...I dont know about you guys but as a 15 year old I am already above that, and I consider myself quite small (about 5' 3" and I wear sized Small clothes) I was almost offended by this. I always had hopes of when I got on a Coed team, that I would get the opportunity to fly again.
What bothers me most is that they are suggesting that someone at 115 lbs or more is too heavy to fly, but they could be the most amazing flyer ever, but because "they weigh too much" they won't get that opportunity. (sorry for this rant)

I believe flyers should not be a "weight". I don't care if you're 90lb flyer, if you do your job up there, thats all that matters.

I'm not defending the weight requirement but...

If it's a large coed DI school, they're probably looking for flyers to be short (under 5 foot). If you're under 5 foot and you weigh more than 115, the composition of your body probably isn't suited to flying on a large coed team. The fact of the matter is, size matters. Short, light flyers are easier to coed stunt with because they're smaller. That doesn't mean that a small flyer with no skills would make the team. These large coed flyers are the best of the best and the smallest of the small because the elite schools can afford to seek "perfection."

On the flip side, I am 5'5" and 110 lbs and I had many college coaches telling me I was way too small to base. Some even said that they wouldn't let me base if I tried out. It happens both ways. Unfortunately for some of us, there's an ideal body type for every position in every sport. That's the nature of the game.

ETA: There are plenty of schools that would accept a flyer over 115 lbs. You just have to find the right fit for you.

 

[chyeeaaa69]

I might know that school...I was looking up colleges with good cheer programs (trying to get ideas for college but I'm only in 9th grade) and I came across a certain college that required "females over 115 lbs will be trying out for a tumbling position"
...I dont know about you guys but as a 15 year old I am already above that, and I consider myself quite small (about 5' 3" and I wear sized Small clothes) I was almost offended by this. I always had hopes of when I got on a Coed team, that I would get the opportunity to fly again.
What bothers me most is that they are suggesting that someone at 115 lbs or more is too heavy to fly, but they could be the most amazing flyer ever, but because "they weigh too much" they won't get that opportunity. (sorry for this rant)

I believe flyers should not be a "weight". I don't care if you're 90lb flyer, if you do your job up there, thats all that matters.

Similar to what retiredl5cheer said, unfortunately having 3 girls under a 115 pound girl is a lot easier than one male. The demand for difficult coed stunting is always increasing, and the reality is that many of the hardest level 6 coed stunts are simply not as easily do-able the larger the flyer. I know some damn good coed stunters that struggle with a basic level 6 rewind with anyone around/over 115. They can do it, but it's not up to par with the execution they need.
I will say this though. Almost every girl on the coed 6 I was on the last season and a half that would probably surpass the "normal" or "ideal" level 6 coed flyer basketed like a b.a.b.