All-Star Opinions On Really Small Teams

[acecheermom]

Okay so question. Say a gym is going to be super strict on team placements this season. They are not allowing any athletes on a team that do not have all the required tumbling. But what happens if this team ends up with on 12 or 13 athletes or some other low number. Can they still be competitive in small against most teams of 20?

Does maxing out the tumbling skills help them? or the lack of body for things like pyramids, etc hurt them on the other end?

Just wondering if someone with way more knowledge than me has an opinion on how the team size effects their chances.

 

[Rudags]

12 is the new 20.

 

[acecheermom]

12 is the new 20.

Wow really?

 

[Lablover]

Wow really?

12 is the new 20.

I agree. I think in the past large teams had a scoring advantage more interesting pyramids and more stunt groups is visually more appealing but with emphasis on technique small is scoring better because you can keep the team tight and ensure mastery of all skills. With any competition we attended last year that published scores the small division almost always out scored large. So I imagine as long as the routine is technically well executed and visually interesting a team of 12 can do quite well.

 

[Beans100]

I can see this being an advantage on younger teams which can end up looking a little... frazzled?...

But, personally, I love the look of larger teams(that are clean) on the mat. The Large Coed 5 division gives me life.

 

[Alexx]

I've competed against teams of 5 that placed in the middle of the division. Its totally possible if everyone on the team is correct for that level and technique is perfect all around. It also means being more creative in terms of choreography.

 

[MomMomMamaMom]

Just saw a gym owner post an article about how tumbling is only 20% of the scoresheet, and that people are concentrating too much on tumbling. But I disagree. My kids competed on very small teams last year, and did way better than in the past where the teams were filled to 20. ( and all the lower division teams I saw win last year had full team tumbling) It takes a knowledgeable choreographer to compile a small routine though. My understanding is that for pyramids, stunt difficulty etc., the judges can't deduct you for skills you can't do safely with your numbers, like braced inversions etc. But things like timing, execution, and transitions were so much easier to hit with small numbers.,

 

[Cheerlicious]

My daughter's j5 team competed 13 on the mat & had an extremely successful season. Tied for 2nd at NCA, 3 national titles. We even beat large j5 teams from bug gyms when they combined divisions at some comps this season...quality over quantity can win.

 

[WinstonsGirl]

I've coached teams of 11 in the past. It's harder to be more creative, but much easier to keep clean, especially with younger kids. My team regularly placed top 3 all year and often beat out teams with more difficult stunts and tumbling specifically because they were so clean. We started getting caught at the end of the season when we couldn't keep up with the difficulty due to the kids we had, but they still placed high. Lots of great comments from judges about how clean they were.

Larger teams look amazing, to me, when they're clean, but I think it's harder to get them there as a coach.

 

[california cheer mom]

The Y2 team that won Summit had 9 athletes (I think).

 

[acecheermom]

Ok well I guess you guys have changed my perspective on this issue. Like I always say "what do I know" cause I'm constantly amazed at how much I don't know or understand about this sport my kid has chosen. LOL

 

[CheerBank]

Years ago former cp was on a Junior Prep 2 that had 11 kids and basically won every competition they went to, and came in second at Final Destination. It was all about execution and skill. With 11 kids you cannot hide anything.

 

[seajack]

The Y2 team that won Summit had 9 athletes (I think).

I was just about to mention them. My daughter told me they were really good!

 

[Beans100]

Just saw a gym owner post an article about how tumbling is only 20% of the scoresheet, and that people are concentrating too much on tumbling. But I disagree. My kids competed on very small teams last year, and did way better than in the past where the teams were filled to 20. ( and all the lower division teams I saw win last year had full team tumbling) It takes a knowledgeable choreographer to compile a small routine though. My understanding is that for pyramids, stunt difficulty etc., the judges can't deduct you for skills you can't do safely with your numbers, like braced inversions etc. But things like timing, execution, and transitions were so much easier to hit with small numbers.,

I agree that numbers are a challenge for pyramids and other transitional elements. I think it would be very difficult to create an interesting, visually pleasing and difficult level 5 pyramid with just 12 members. Sure, it's possible, but I think large teams have an edge for presenting visual elements. Small teams have an edge for executing clean elements.

 

[california cheer mom]

I was just about to mention them. My daughter told me they were really good!

They were crazy good. We saw them at the comp where they got their paid bid, was not surprised at all to see they won Summit.