All-Star "moving For Cheer" Thread Continued.

[TheCheerleadingQueen]

Alright, so it is becoming less likely that I will actually move to go to the gym id like to. but it's still possible for me to travel to cheer at a gym. my question is, how far is too far? I know there are some exceptional athletes, like Gabi butler, who are flying far distances to cheer. I mean two hours? four? five? how much is too much to travel. keep in mind the closest gym to me in 45 minutes away and only fields up to level two. if you need more information check my previous thread first. please reply! thanks!

 

[retiredl5cheer]

Alright, so it is becoming less likely that I will actually move to go to the gym id like to. but it's still possible for me to travel to cheer at a gym. my question is, how far is too far? I know there are some exceptional athletes, like Gabi butler, who are flying far distances to cheer. I mean two hours? four? five? how much is too much to travel. keep in mind the closest gym to me in 45 minutes away and only fields up to level two. if you need more information check my previous thread first. please reply! thanks!

I wouldn't go more than 1.5 hours to a gym. That's a A LOT of driving, which means you have less time for homework and friends, let alone the high cost of gas and car repairs. You also sound like you'll be commuting by yourself, so you may not have the luxury of a carpool. Personally, I wouldn't drive more than an hour, but I have plenty of options in my area.

 

[TheCheerleadingQueen]

I wouldn't go more than 1.5 hours to a gym. That's a A LOT of driving, which means you have less time for homework and friends, let alone the high cost of gas and car repairs. You also sound like you'll be commuting by yourself, so you may not have the luxury of a carpool. Personally, I wouldn't drive more than an hour, but I have plenty of options in my area.

my mom would probably drive me most of the time. don't some people go to their main gym on weekends but like tumble at closer gyms if they travel far? is that a thing? I'm not sure how that all works

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

To me the big question in these scenarios is how many days per week would I need to do it?

I'd probably go as far as 1.5 hours each way twice a week, but if it's 3 or more times a week don't think I'd do more than an hour.

I'm not sure I'd be too thrilled about my 17-18 year old driving herself that far and late at night multiple times a week either - I'd probably want to do the driving myself and wait around, which is another reason the number of days comes into play (like I wouldn't want to be away from everyone else in the family that much).

Of course if money wasn't an issue, one could utilize airplane flights and an apartments at the destination to make a long commute much shorter and hassle free, but that would not be feasible for most.

 

[retiredl5cheer]

my mom would probably drive me most of the time. don't some people go to their main gym on weekends but like tumble at closer gyms if they travel far? is that a thing? I'm not sure how that all works

Yes, some gyms do that. You'd really have to ask ACX how their practice schedule works. If teams practice during the week, they're most likely not going to let you only come on weekends. Gyms like CEA and CA may not have weekday practices because they have tons of athletes commuting, but the average gym does.

You should probably anticipate driving there at least twice a week. Factor in any extra practices that may arise. Then consider the traveling you'll be doing on weekends for competition.

ETA: Most of these commuters are driving to Worlds teams, not lower level teams. Take it into consideration that you may be the only athlete driving over an hour and a half to get to the gym, so you may be the only one missing out on bonding events, sleepovers, etc.

 

[Keep_Believing]

I drive 1 1/2 hours one way for my 2 CP's. They practice on Sun. and Tu., but their Coach will call extra practices if they are needed during comp. season. Double check with the gym you are interested in, but most bigger gyms will allow you to tumble at whatever gym works best for you. Most likely you can cheer at your main gym and tumble at a gym closer to you. They love it, are learning a lot, and it works for us. Since I am the one driving, they tend to sleep on the drives back and forth or my youngest will work on homework. My oldest has vertigo and gets migraines easily. So, she just manages her homework very carefully. She works on homework whenever she gets the chance: at school during lunch, while waiting for me in car pick up line, etc. She has learned to be very proactive. She never procrastinates. With that said, I wouldn't be able to juggle much more than 1 1/2 hours one way. I know @TXcheermom handles a really long drive.

 

[ErinS]

Alright, so it is becoming less likely that I will actually move to go to the gym id like to. but it's still possible for me to travel to cheer at a gym. my question is, how far is too far? I know there are some exceptional athletes, like Gabi butler, who are flying far distances to cheer. I mean two hours? four? five? how much is too much to travel. keep in mind the closest gym to me in 45 minutes away and only fields up to level two. if you need more information check my previous thread first. please reply! thanks!

I know in your other post you mentioned moving 2-3 hours away for ACX?

Being from SC I can say that the state really isn't that big traveling via interstate, so I'm assuming you're in a rural-ish area and would have to take state roads to get to a gym?

Have you tried looking at gyms in other states... Cheer Savannah if you're from the low country area....or Hayden's if you're from counties near Augusta ish


Or maybe you're from the MB area or the pee dee area In general...would any gym in NC be close?

 

[SL&AM]

I think the answer is whatever you and your family can handle. I've driven an hour and a half round trip for my CP to do cheer classes over a summer, but have been thankful to never need to go further for a team. Currently we commute about 25 minutes to her new team, her team in Missouri was like 15.

 

[DropAndRun]

I drive my Droplet almost 2 hours to a gym in another state. We have a carpool and so I drive once per week, occasionally twice. I am not sure I could do it without the other parents help. It is an enormous time and financial commitments. I have no regrets about it- I knew what I was getting myself into when we started.

I have put 13,000 miles on my car since I bought it in the middle of August and can't imagine what I've paid in gas and tolls.

I would do it again though. It's definitely been worth it.

 

[Cheer Dad]

For me about 2-1/2 hrs each way was the cut off. Did that for a few years and involved a Worlds team. That as on average 2 days a week and did involve a carpool for 1 year. Not sure I would have done that for levels 1-3. Maybe for L4.


**What if 'gun control' meant flyers had to keep their arms tight so they don't elbow the bases?**

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

The "how far is too far" question depends on the person and their family/finances:

1. Can you/your family afford the gas to go back and forth? When the travel expenses start to rival your mortgage payment, it may be too far.

2. Can you/your family afford plane tickets to go back and forth? There are some peeps at places like CA who fly from another state on a regular basis, but not everyone's financial situation can handle that.

3. Is the commute going to affect your school work? Not every kid can handle homework on top of commutes and comps all the time. Some kids can be responsible for doing work in the car, others can't. If you are/your kid is getting Ds and Fs over cheer, it's not worth it in my eyes.

4. Is it going to take you/your child out of school early or entirely at an EXCESSIVE RATE? I bolded this one because I've heard of kids ending up with Cs and Ds in HIGH SCHOOL COURSES because they're out every other Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for long-distance cheer commitments. There's no spot on the college app to say "Well I got a 2.0 because of cheer but I'm an NCA champ." School is first and I have found that it is too much when kids start to fail in school due to excessive absences.

5. Any time a commute negatively affects the lives of other siblings, I find that it may be too much. For example, if Suzy Super Elite's schedule has made it so that Little Brother Larry (who is 5) is home with a sitter every other night from 4:30-10pm and cannot (for example) play tee ball or do anything fun because of her, that's not really fair.

 

[SL&AM]

5. Any time a commute negatively affects the lives of other siblings, I find that it may be too much. For example, if Suzy Super Elite's schedule has made it so that Little Brother Larry (who is 5) is home with a sitter every other night from 4:30-10pm and cannot (for example) play tee ball or do anything fun because of her, that's not really fair.

I feel like this should be bolded above all.

This statement is an, in general one, if you have siblings the world doesn't revolve around you. If you're an only child, it still doesn't revolve around you. If you don't learn to compromise now, adulthood is gonna suck.[/QUOTE]

 

[TheCheerleadingQueen]

The "how far is too far" question depends on the person and their family/finances:

1. Can you/your family afford the gas to go back and forth? When the travel expenses start to rival your mortgage payment, it may be too far.

2. Can you/your family afford plane tickets to go back and forth? There are some peeps at places like CA who fly from another state on a regular basis, but not everyone's financial situation can handle that.

3. Is the commute going to affect your school work? Not every kid can handle homework on top of commutes and comps all the time. Some kids can be responsible for doing work in the car, others can't. If you are/your kid is getting Ds and Fs over cheer, it's not worth it in my eyes.

4. Is it going to take you/your child out of school early or entirely at an EXCESSIVE RATE? I bolded this one because I've heard of kids ending up with Cs and Ds in HIGH SCHOOL COURSES because they're out every other Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for long-distance cheer commitments. There's no spot on the college app to say "Well I got a 2.0 because of cheer but I'm an NCA champ." School is first and I have found that it is too much when kids start to fail in school due to excessive absences.

5. Any time a commute negatively affects the lives of other siblings, I find that it may be too much. For example, if Suzy Super Elite's schedule has made it so that Little Brother Larry (who is 5) is home with a sitter every other night from 4:30-10pm and cannot (for example) play tee ball or do anything fun because of her, that's not really fair.

to answer your questions; 1: yes my family could afford that. 2: we probably could but I think flying would almost be too much of a hassle for my parents. 3: as odd as it sounds, the busier I am, the better I do in school. being on a super tight schedule keeps me focused. 4: this is all depending on how far I would go. also being a senior next year, I may not have a full course load anyways. 5: I am an only child so this shouldn't be a problem.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

May I be frank for a second?

Is there a reason you keep asking this if your situation is perfect and no move is too far or expensive for your family? And you're for sure going to make a team and you have no siblings? And you're an awesome student?

I mean really.

Move. Or don't. But you continue to give the same answers when anyone responds. That's weird.

 

[TheCheerleadingQueen]

May I be frank for a second?

Is there a reason you keep asking this if your situation is perfect and no move is too far or expensive for your family? And you're for sure going to make a team and you have no siblings? And you're an awesome student?

I mean really.

Move. Or don't. But you continue to give the same answers when anyone responds. That's weird.

I value your opinion but as a parent you should know it's not that easy from their perspective. My family owns four McDonald's franchises, causing us to be VERY busy. packing up and leaving isn't the easiest option. That is why I made a new thread and said that moving may not be possible. The literal reason for FierceBoard is to post questions and get other people's opinions and perspectives. I posted these things because I wanted to hear how far other people would drive to attend a certain gym. Clearly, if it was as easy as just "move or don't" then I would have moved by now. but it is not that easy. I am still discussing options with my parents about how to get me to a different gym. I'm sorry, but there's a difference between being frank and being rude and that comment did come across as rude to me because of the sarcastic tone you expressed. Thank you for you opinion but I'm sure you don't want to sit here and argue with an immature teenager right?

that's weird.