All-Star New Tryout Procedures At Gyms

[cheermommaRN]

A fairly large, multi location gym (no Worlds teams) released their tryout packet recently. I always like looking at other gyms tryout information because it gives you an idea of how the industry is adjusting to rules or whatever.
Anyway, they are running their tryout similar to what you would see in other select sports. First they are offering two full year and two half year programs...that's not new. What is new is that when an athlete tries out for the full year teams they have no input in to whether they end up on "select" or "prep". According to a mom I know whose cp attends the gym, the athletes will specify their preference but if they do not have all skills for that level they will be placed on prep. If they refuse their spot they lose the $200 commitment fee.
I'm used to this process from diving, you don't walk in and pay for your child to be on the JO (select) team, they start out in FC (Future Champions) work up to Novice and then get invited to the JO team.
Are other gyms taking up this procedure of having the program decide an athlete's team between all star and prep?
As a parent what are your thoughts on paying $200 and not knowing if your child will be AS or prep and then losing that money of you don't agree?
Coaches, is this the direction we see the sport going, if so I think it's great...except for the losing money part.

Summer is coming...talk amongst yourselves....

 

[cheergoogle]

....

 

[dawgshow]

My CP has been on a prep team and if we were in the situation described above, we would find somewhere else to cheer. Why? Because I think that prep fits a certain niche-kids who want to test the waters or have other commitments so they need the flexibility of prep. If CP wants to cheer all star and get the full experience, that's what I'll pay for.
If she doesn't have the skills a coach is looking for then either put her on a lower level or release her (and my money) to look elsewhere.

 

[retiredl5cheer]

Love it, especially for the tiny, mini and youth age groups. As a former mini coach, I would have loved to do a mini 1 and a mini prep 1. I had too many kids with low attention spans to have gone mini 1, so we all had to go prep.

 

[cheermommaRN]

Families already at this gym will not leave, the koolaid is strong in the program but I think it will impact people wanting to take their kids there. I think CA took this approach with their mini 1 team the past couple years and it has panned out well for them with much stronger mini 1 and youth 1 teams.

 

[CookieMomster]

It's an interesting concept and similar to what other sports do. A gym wants to put their best foot forward when they compete, not the best interest of the parents and CP's. If a CP doesn't have the necessary skills then it is what it is. Might put a bit of a spark under those who assumed they're just make a select team.

Our big news at our gym is we're not holding try outs for returning athlete's! Only new athlete's will have a try out during a designate open house over the course of 1 week. Every person makes a team and if you have new skills attending the 4 weeks of clinics and levelled practices is where you will have a chance to demonstrate new skills. Otherwise, the entire season has been 1 long try out and you coaches know your skills and will be consulted as to what team you make. So no try out crazies this year!

 

[queenie]

I thought winter was coming...

Anyway... lol (game of thrones reference)

We’re at a large gym, with two-ish(?) Worlds teams. I think youth and mini have a prep team but it’s really just for new athletes. Any returning athlete is placed on a competitive team. That is weird that your gym has Tiny kids going straight to M2. Are they on M2 even if they don’t have their bhs? At our gym, we have a prep level M1 team, an entry level M1 team, a stronger M1 team, and a M2 team but the kids need L2 skills to be on the M2 team so Tinys only go there if they have their bhs or they are really close. So the Tiny kids are placed wherever their skills lie – either M1 (entry), M1 (strong), or M2 (although by this point in the season both M1 teams are really similar in skill set). In past years, tryouts were held to determine placement but this year the coaches are placing all returning athletes and only new athletes will attend a tryout. I like it. No tryout pressure. We haven’t gotten the registration package yet but it should be out soon! We have 30+ competitive teams and only two prep teams (I think). Do your prep teams still compete?

N

 

[queenie]

LOL - cookie posted while I was typing. She and I are at the same gym.

 

[CookieMomster]

LOL - cookie posted while I was typing. She and I are at the same gym.

Great minds think alike!

 

[schpo]

It's an interesting concept and similar to what other sports do. A gym wants to put their best foot forward when they compete, not the best interest of the parents and CP's. If a CP doesn't have the necessary skills then it is what it is. Might put a bit of a spark under those who assumed they're just make a select team.

Our big news at our gym is we're not holding try outs for returning athlete's! Only new athlete's will have a try out during a designate open house over the course of 1 week. Every person makes a team and if you have new skills attending the 4 weeks of clinics and levelled practices is where you will have a chance to demonstrate new skills. Otherwise, the entire season has been 1 long try out and you coaches know your skills and will be consulted as to what team you make. So no try out crazies this year!

I like this idea. It seems odd that an athlete's placement would be based on one particular two-hour try-out session (where she could either be on top of her game, or having a bad day), rather than a whole year's worth of observation on the part of the coaches. A full year's worth of observation also allows the coaches to consider the athlete's attitude and commitment, rather than just her physical skills.

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

I don't think this would fly around here - I think parents call the shots too much for supply/demand reasons - especially when it comes to level 1 or 2 kids. I can't imagine a gym telling a parent who was looking at level 1 or 2 and wanted their kid on a full year team that they weren't ready, and no parent would risk an amount as high as $200 if they could be told that. They would accept level 1 instead of level 2, but not prep when they wanted full year or vice versa - the fee that they'd have to walk away from would need to be much less IMO.

Parents who want their kids in levels 3 and up need to have the skills to back it up, so in those situations the gym can do what they want, but those levels are rarely half year around me anyways.

 

[kristenthegreat]

A fairly large, multi location gym (no Worlds teams) released their tryout packet recently. I always like looking at other gyms tryout information because it gives you an idea of how the industry is adjusting to rules or whatever.
Anyway, they are running their tryout similar to what you would see in other select sports. First they are offering two full year and two half year programs...that's not new. What is new is that when an athlete tries out for the full year teams they have no input in to whether they end up on "select" or "prep". According to a mom I know whose cp attends the gym, the athletes will specify their preference but if they do not have all skills for that level they will be placed on prep. If they refuse their spot they lose the $200 commitment fee.
I'm used to this process from diving, you don't walk in and pay for your child to be on the JO (select) team, they start out in FC (Future Champions) work up to Novice and then get invited to the JO team.
Are other gyms taking up this procedure of having the program decide an athlete's team between all star and prep?
As a parent what are your thoughts on paying $200 and not knowing if your child will be AS or prep and then losing that money of you don't agree?
Coaches, is this the direction we see the sport going, if so I think it's great...except for the losing money part.

Summer is coming...talk amongst yourselves....

So is it 2 tracks? IE Full Year 'Select and Full Year 'Prep', AS WELL AS Half Year 'Select' and Half Year 'Prep'. Or something different?

I think this would make more sense if division sizes were smaller. Particularly in the tiny/mini/youth 1s and 2s. Unless you were overflowing with so many kids in those groups that you had extras to be selective on how you set up your teams. It's an interesting concept, and would definitely weed out those whose commitment levels are 'in flux.' Can you be 'promoted'/'demoted' (I use those terms loosely) based on commitment and attitude?

 

[cheerKT]

My gym ran a tryout similar to this one year. You tried out and were put in to select level groups strictly based on tumbling and general age ranges. You came in and tumbled and worked basic stunts with that group until teams were formed a month or two later. Those with no tumbling were place in a "prep" group, which eventually formed into level 1 and 2 teams.

It was successful I think, they had a decent season. But the allstar director left after that year and the incoming one just chose to run his tryouts differently.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

My gym ran a tryout similar to this one year. You tried out and were put in to select level groups strictly based on tumbling and general age ranges. You came in and tumbled and worked basic stunts with that group until teams were formed a month or two later. Those with no tumbling were place in a "prep" group, which eventually formed into level 1 and 2 teams.

It was successful I think, they had a decent season. But the allstar director left after that year and the incoming one just chose to run his tryouts differently.

A couple of bigger gyms do this. They call them workout groups. You're in a certain level group to workout for summer, then teams are formed later on. I think @Kris has posted about this format being used at Woodlands?

 

[Keep_Believing]

A couple of bigger gyms do this. They call them workout groups. You're in a certain level group to workout for summer, then teams are formed later on. I think @Kris has posted about this format being used at Woodlands?

Yes, WE has workout groups.