High School Nca Hs Nationals 2017

[Official OWECheer]

Just found out dance score was 9.8. The top 3 were all great teams but I just can't see how the scoring added up based on the rubric and that makes me sad. Money, politics whatever you want to call it should not come into play when talking about High School Nationals. I get that All Stars is just a huge money machine but it shouldn't be the case with high school. Everyone is forced to qualify at camp next year so I hope that puts an end to some of the nonsense.

So now they're forcing the camp requirement on NCA teams as well?

 

[allstarmama]

So now they're forcing the camp requirement on NCA teams as well?

Yup

 

[LittleMissA17]

I don't see the problem with the camp requirement, teams will usually learn safety procedure there. And if someone can't afford to go to an overnight they can do the required home camp time.

 

[Official OWECheer]

I don't see the problem with the camp requirement, teams will usually learn safety procedure there. And if someone can't afford to go to an overnight they can do the required home camp time.

I see a huge problem. Having teams stunt on surfaces like grass above critical height is not safe. I know not every camp has kids doing this, but many do. In addition, I personally don't feel that 3 to 5 days is enough time to effectively correct the more dangerous stunting habits that some teams have, and many coaches don't continue to correct them after camp. But perhaps I am just a cynic.

 

[LittleMissA17]

I see a huge problem. Having teams stunt on surfaces like grass above critical height is not safe. I know not every camp has kids doing this, but many do. In addition, I personally don't feel that 3 to 5 days is enough time to effectively correct the more dangerous stunting habits that some teams have, and many coaches don't continue to correct them after camp. But perhaps I am just a cynic.

We will get to see the results of this new rule at UCA next weekend. I still remember how many falls/bad technique I saw during prelims and it was hard to watch.

 

[Official OWECheer]

We will get to see the results of this new rule at UCA next weekend. I still remember how many falls/bad technique I saw during prelims and it was hard to watch.

Same. The real issues, the technique mistakes that 99% of teams are guilty of, even the heavy hitters (tumbling errors, poor sponge technique, sloppy full downs, incorrect body positions), are present every year and traditionally many of the teams guilty of this have attended camp every year. Now EVERY team will have to regularly attend camp and if the technique errors are not fixed, it will say a lot about the product being served.

 

[ScottyB]

I see a huge problem. Having teams stunt on surfaces like grass above critical height is not safe. I know not every camp has kids doing this, but many do. In addition, I personally don't feel that 3 to 5 days is enough time to effectively correct the more dangerous stunting habits that some teams have, and many coaches don't continue to correct them after camp. But perhaps I am just a cynic.

I am confused what you mean about Grass as a safe surface?

Grass is a safe surface for skills (at camp and at games, etc). As is the basketball hard court (for some skills). Concrete/stone/etc are not safe surfaces, and camp skills are never performed or practiced on those

 

[LittleMissA17]

Same. The real issues, the technique mistakes that 99% of teams are guilty of, even the heavy hitters (tumbling errors, poor sponge technique, sloppy full downs, incorrect body positions), are present every year and traditionally many of the teams guilty of this have attended camp every year. Now EVERY team will have to regularly attend camp and if the technique errors are not fixed, it will say a lot about the product being served.

It could be an issue of not taking progressions seriously and letting people throw/do skills that they are clearly not ready for. I was seeing similar discussion in all star threads where people have noticed the quality of tumbling and stunts being thrown may be getting harder but they are done sloppily.

 

[Official OWECheer]

I am confused what you mean about Grass as a safe surface?

Grass is a safe surface for skills (at camp and at games, etc). As is the basketball hard court (for some skills). Concrete/stone/etc are not safe surfaces, and camp skills are never performed or practiced on those

'Safe' depends on what is being done on those surfaces. The skills typically being executed (at shoulder height and above, as well as tumbling) at the HS levels on grass and rubberized are not safe. But I understand why some might disagree with me. I don't think our sport's standards are strigent enough when it comes to things like that.

 

[Official OWECheer]

It could be an issue of not taking progressions seriously and letting people throw/do skills that they are clearly not ready for. I was seeing similar discussion in all star threads where people have noticed the quality of tumbling and stunts being thrown may be getting harder but they are done sloppily.

Definitely. And I sound like a broken record, but I blame the scoresheet. Every watch 80s and 90s Nationals videos of teams, back when motions and dance counted for more on the scoresheet? As well as form being more heavily emphasized overall? While no one was perfect, everyone was CLEANER. The little things actually mattered. Nowadays I feel like most people are paying lip service; "everything has to be clean and sharp", "tumbling has to be clean", etc., but then watch a competition and most teams don't do that. Back in the day, even the teams that weren't super competitive made a serious effort to be sharp with whatever skills they had (though I will make an exception for tumbling, as a sport we've always had some issues with that, though things have gotten worse over the years). It's hard to undo a mentality (huck-'n'-chuck) that many coaches and parents were taught as athletes themselves, and stop it from spreading to the next generation.

I'm too young to be lamenting like I refer to everyone as whippersnappers, LOL. But that's just how I feel.

 

[EWalsh1029]

We will get to see the results of this new rule at UCA next weekend. I still remember how many falls/bad technique I saw during prelims and it was hard to watch.

I'm confused, did you have to attend a UCA camp to attend UCA this year? I feel like a handful of MA teams are attending UCA this year and I feel like they did not attend camp? Any clarification would be great (I don't really follow UCA...)

 

[Official OWECheer]

I'm confused, did you have to attend a UCA camp to attend UCA this year? I feel like a handful of MA teams are attending UCA this year and I feel like they did not attend camp? Any clarification would be great (I don't really follow UCA...)

Last year Varsity (UCA) put out a notice that all teams would be required to get credentialing (basically, an official declaration of technical competence) at a UCA camp in order to be allowed to go to UCA nationals (prior to this, only Game Day teams had been required to go to camp in order to attend UCA). They claimed that it is because too many teams were going out of their depth and bombing in prelims (basically the same horror show you see at Worlds every year, with teams trying to compete skills that they can't hit consistently). I guess now they're doing the same thing with NCA teams and NCA camps. It's a shame because many teams opted out of those camps to keep their costs down (granted there are multiple Varsity camp options but even the cheapest ones will run you around $150 per kid). In addition, if you live in a state in which coaches aren't allowed to mandate cheer camp (because cheer has been ruled a sport), then that likely means no more UCA/NCA for you.

 

[SparkleSpankies]

Last year Varsity (UCA) put out a notice that all teams would be required to get credentialing (basically, an official declaration of technical competence) at a UCA camp in order to be allowed to go to UCA nationals (prior to this, only Game Day teams had been required to go to camp in order to attend UCA). They claimed that it is because too many teams were going out of their depth and bombing in prelims (basically the same horror show you see at Worlds every year, with teams trying to compete skills that they can't hit consistently). I guess now they're doing the same thing with NCA teams and NCA camps. It's a shame because many teams opted out of those camps to keep their costs down (granted there are multiple Varsity camp options but even the cheapest ones will run you around $150 per kid). In addition, if you live in a state in which coaches aren't allowed to mandate cheer camp (because cheer has been ruled a sport), then that likely means no more UCA/NCA for you.

It was attend a VARSITY Brands camp for credentialing, inclusive of VRoc, NCA, UCA. It was the legnth of the camp that mattered... but as a coach who attended, it really just went over with the kids safety and skillset and so on, and the instructors worked w/ the kids on this NOT the coaches who preach the same thing every day and they don't listen. Camp instructors tend to have magical powers while us coaches sound like broken records!

 

[LaurenYHScoach]

Same. The real issues, the technique mistakes that 99% of teams are guilty of, even the heavy hitters (tumbling errors, poor sponge technique, sloppy full downs, incorrect body positions), are present every year and traditionally many of the teams guilty of this have attended camp every year. Now EVERY team will have to regularly attend camp and if the technique errors are not fixed, it will say a lot about the product being served.

An away 4 day camp or a home 2 day camp will not prevent or change bad technique. It has to be taught from the beginning and done with consistency throughout the whole season. The credentialing did not teach my cheerleaders better technique, it focused on how to be a better all around cheerleaders. Talked about safety yes, also about game day and rally roles, cheerleader expectations etc. The technique portion comes from repetition. Learning it the correct way at camp helps, but if not repeated at home it will not do anything. We personally go to another camp and then did a home camp with UCA to get the credentialing taken care of. It was expensive, but you have to play the game.

 

[Official OWECheer]

It was attend a VARSITY Brands camp for credentialing, inclusive of VRoc, NCA, UCA. It was the legnth of the camp that mattered... but as a coach who attended, it really just went over with the kids safety and skillset and so on, and the instructors worked w/ the kids on this NOT the coaches who preach the same thing every day and they don't listen. Camp instructors tend to have magical powers while us coaches sound like broken records!

Maybe it's like when your parents tell you something, but you think it's just them saying it and disregard it until someone else comes in and confirms it..