All-Star "moving For Cheer" Thread Continued.

[123jump4!]

Wow... so a whip to double is welcome to level 3-4. That must depend on the gym. I've heard about kids on big name gym level 5 teams who have to be bribed to throw their 2 to full... (Absolutely no offense to that kid, she seems great.)

 

[Cheer Dad]

Wow... so a whip to double is welcome to level 3-4. That must depend on the gym. I've heard about kids on big name gym level 5 teams who have to be bribed to throw their 2 to full... (Absolutely no offense to that kid, she seems great.)

At the big gyms there is no bribing L5 kids to throw their best tumbling skills. It is either do it of the person that was made an alternate for that team will throw it and fight you for your spot. This holds true all season long. No one is not replaceable.

And yes, there are programs with enough kids that those who could be L5 at a lot of other gyms end up competing down levels because that is where they have room and it sets them up to be successful. There was a whole discussion on this aspect not to long ago. Wish I could recall the thread name.


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

 

[njallday]

I would do that before anything else. Make sure a fit before you commit.


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

in addition to this, i would try to schedule your visit during a time that you'd have practice, like a weeknight in rush hour, to see if the drive is really something you and your mom can and will do 2+ times a week. meet the owner. talk to them about your situation. go to an open gym or take a class. really get a feel for the gym and the environment before making a commitment. they may win and seem really appealing on paper, but their coaching style or gym environment may not be for you. and that's okay. it happens.

while visiting, you could also inquire about a carpool. i know you said no one from your area is really cheering or traveling, but maybe you pass one or two people at the halfway point of your drive. one day your mom could pick them up and take you all, and one day she could bring you to that house and they take you the rest of the way. it's better than nothing at all and it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[mstealtoyou]

This reminded me of a point.

The point flyer .... Whip double is great! Can you do it and hit it 100 percent AND do the rest of the mega world gym routine? Can point flyer hit her tumbling and 5 jumps to back after she's done an 11 eight count highlight elite stunt? Can you, whip double, land your pass after you've stunt point flyer in an 11 eight count elite section?

There is such a huge difference in having something and being able to land it full out consistently to get the points your team needs.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

There is such a huge difference in having something and being able to land it full out consistently to get the points your team needs.

Yes.

Let's say a kid has a whip double but it doesn't hit consistently.

For Small Gym, that 60% hit rate on your whip double might be good enough because hey, you're the only kid who can even remotely do it at all. You might even be the only kid who has one, period.

At Mega Gym, your 60% doesn't cut it because the other however many kids on the team have the same skill and it hits 90%. Your 60% gets you bumped to alternate or to a lower level team.

 

[mstealtoyou]

it's true. It's a hard core life for sure!

 

[FierceIsTheName]

Traveling for cheer more than an hour really does suck. I went to one of the biggest gyms in this state last year. We couldnt afford to go this year, but we discovered it wasn't really the gym's fault for being too expensive, but we had spent thousands just to drive there.
Commuting for an hour may not seem like a lot, until you realize your parent can't really drive home and hang out then come get you, it'd be a waste of gas and a waste of time. My dad literally had to just sit in the parking lot for my 2 1/2 hour practices, because it was pointless to try to go somewhere else. I think he went to a movie a few times though. Then you have to factor in food, because sometimes after practice is around your dinner time typically, which means having to find food after every practice.
Also, keep in mind if you do choose to commute, that practices might not be just 2 certain days, we sometimes had Saturday and Friday practices, which meant a 3 hour commute through rush hour traffic sometimes :banghead:
But seriously, good luck!! Switching gyms is kinda scary and its a very hard decision!!!

 

[kristenthegreat]

This reminded me of a point.

The point flyer .... Whip double is great! Can you do it and hit it 100 percent AND do the rest of the mega world gym routine? Can point flyer hit her tumbling and 5 jumps to back after she's done an 11 eight count highlight elite stunt? Can you, whip double, land your pass after you've stunt point flyer in an 11 eight count elite section?

There is such a huge difference in having something and being able to land it full out consistently to get the points your team needs.

And even then, if you ARE in that 90% hit rate and you just so happen to fall into that 10% fail at the biggest comp of your season, how do you handle it? Are you fighting tooth and nail to save it? Are you giving up halfway through the routine?

Champions are defined by more than just skills.

 

[123jump4!]

Alright thanks for clarifying (I typed qualifying lol). I'm just a newbie but I thought a whip to double was a pretty mean skill. Glad I wasn't wrong.

 

[mstealtoyou]

To summarize, it's a compliment to big gym teams because I think they work so hard over many many years to get to a point where a very difficult and skill packed routine can look easy. People watch and say oh I have level 5 skills I can do that. It's not. what you do day to day, month to month and year to year isn't fun, glamorous or easy. It's literally blood, sweat and tears. And sprained ankles and aching back and knees and.....I could go on and on.

 

[TheCheerleadingQueen]

all of this advice has been so helpful thank you all! ideally, the perfect gym(for me) would be one with at least one worlds team, but not so massive that I don't get the one on one coach to athlete attention that I'd like. honestly, I'm not trying to go win worlds, that's not realistic for me. Just being able to go to worlds or to compete in the arena at NCA would already be like a dream come true for me. but I would also be happy with a successful senior 4 or restricted 5, im just not being pushed at all at my gym. even though I do privates as much as I can. for example I was supposed to do one tonight, but my coach cancelled on me. I must also add, that I consider myself to be extremely self determined. my coaches would all agree that I'm one of the hardest workers they've ever seen.

 

[mstealtoyou]

Alright thanks for clarifying (I typed qualifying lol). I'm just a newbie but I thought a whip to double was a pretty mean skill. Glad I wasn't wrong.

It is a very mean skill! Just have to be able to do all parts of the routine plus landing the whip double. Lol.

 

[mstealtoyou]

all of this advice has been so helpful thank you all! ideally, the perfect gym(for me) would be one with at least one worlds team, but not so massive that I don't get the one on one coach to athlete attention that I'd like. honestly, I'm not trying to go win worlds, that's not realistic for me. Just being able to go to worlds or to compete in the arena at NCA would already be like a dream come true for me. but I would also be happy with a successful senior 4 or restricted 5, im just not being pushed at all at my gym. even though I do privates as much as I can. for example I was supposed to do one tonight, but my coach cancelled on me. I must also add, that I consider myself to be extremely self determined. my coaches would all agree that I'm one of the hardest workers they've ever seen.

Then decide on a gym and start working toward your goals!! I definitely believe in you!!!

 

[TheCheerleadingQueen]

Then decide on a gym and start working toward your goals!! I definitely believe in you!!!

thank you! just need to work out all the kinks of getting to and from the gym lol

 

[Cheer Dad]

Alright thanks for clarifying (I typed qualifying lol). I'm just a newbie but I thought a whip to double was a pretty mean skill. Glad I wasn't wrong.

It is a very mean skill! Just have to be able to do all parts of the routine plus landing the whip double. Lol.

Yup, mean skill to have and be able to throw but I know kids that can throw that skill and they are still not last pass or even have s solo tumbling pass with it.


**I am really much funnier in my own mind**