All-Star Rays Rumors Questions?

[King]

is it true that you require (or encourage) your athletes to go tanning and whiten their teeth?

Good question. No one is required to go tanning or whiten their teeth (but I would personally recommend it, those white strips are great!). Lots of athletes like spray tanning now (all the color, non of the UV rays exposure risk). There will always be people who want to look tanner on stage, and with spray tanning is a safe alternative that is like makeup.

 

[King]

Can you give a basic overview of your tryout process? Stations? Multi days? Flyer tryouts? etc.?

This year was a bit different. We did two tryout days, one for mini and youth, one for junior and senior.

For tryouts the athletes learn a short motion sequence with jumps and do many different pieces of the standing and running requirements for each level. The skills and motions are judged on how well they are executed. Flyers who we have never seen fly before we offer to do a couple drills and see body positions with them. Then we take the giant stack back to the office and spend all those hours selecting teams. Teams are not just picked because of skill, but also work ethic and attitude. Sometimes former flyers become bases... and sometimes former bases become flyers. All the coaches talk and discuss the athletes and their work in the gym. Literally every single athlete is discussed and thought about where they should be. On placing on teams sometimes kids are placed on lower level teams (or moved up an age group) because they have requested to be on a team with their friends. We had a former gymnast walk in last year who had a double full but only wanted to cheer with her friends on a level 2 team. She went on to be on junior level 2 and loved it (no she was not last pass, haha). It is as important the kids are happy with their team and teammates as it is that the team is competitive.

 

[King]

Can you give a basic overview of your tryout process? Stations? Multi days? Flyer tryouts? etc.?

What makes the decision for a female athlete to be on orange, smoke, rays, rust etc...?

I forgot to add potential and age! When choosing teams we always take age into consideration. In general, the younger an athlete is the faster they will learn and pick up new skills. If a 4th grader has a layout in May that will probably be a full by August. Young kids just learn new skills so easily. A senior in high school that has a layout will most likely just have that layout (or even a little bit less) by the end of the season. There are exceptions to every rule, but youth kids will gain about 2 new skills before the year is over. Junior will gain usually about one. Seniors stay the same or lose one. That is not a hard and fast thing, but more a guideline to keep into consideration.

Also age is a factor. Most 18 year olds don't want to be on a team with 12 year olds (and vice versa). They want to be with their friends and talk about the things that an 18 or 12 year old talk about. As stunting has gotten more and more difficult I think everyone has had to use younger and smaller flyers. I think it is kinda a shame we can't raise the age on senior team so that its high schoolers with high schoolers, but it is what it is.

 

[kaylalalaxo]

What are you putting in the water over there to make your athletes so fierce and amazing!?

 

[King]

What are you putting in the water over there to make your athletes so fierce and amazing!?

Cinnamon. It works!

In reality Rays is the right combination of a few things:

1. Location. We are in a really good area. Easily accessible, near a major metropolis but not so close our rent is astronomical. Plenty of local competition.
2. A set system that every coach buys into and believes in. Every athlete that comes into the gym we strive to help reach their maximum potential. For some its last pass on a Worlds team, for some its a back walkover. No team is looked at as any less than the others (we hang the mini level 1 banner next to the senior 5 banners from NCA). So our Level 1 coaches are jsut as driven to be successful as our level 5s. My wife looks at her Mini 1 team as her Smoke, Amber, or Orange. It is funny because we view this years NCA as less successful than last years, but we have heard most consider it more successful (we won ever level 5 we entered but only won 9 compared to last years 11).
3. A strong set of rules and traditions we have built over the years that we enforce. No shadiness. No funny business. And people (athletes or parents) who bring that to our gym we ask to change or leave a lot of times.
4. We aim to be as affordable as we can be. We go cheaper so we get more kids which ends up making more.

 

[ACEDAD]

We go cheaper so we get more kids which ends up making more.

So, when looking to increase Demand, you decrease Price? Wow someone should write a book about this.



Glad Rays understands because there are several thousand government economists and politicians that don't.

 

[King]

So, when looking to increase Demand, you decrease Price? Wow someone should write a book about this.



Glad Rays understands because there are several thousand government economists and politicians that don't.

Haha, true. Although I am sure our model works more on a local scale than a large one. If we could triple prices, have just as many kids, and no one would complain about it I am not sure why we wouldnt? But really, what are the chances that could happen.

 

[ACEDAD]

Haha, true. Although I am sure our model works more on a local scale than a large one. If we could triple prices, have just as many kids, and no one would complain about it I am not sure why we wouldnt? But really, what are the chances that could happen.

Of course and I wouldn't expect anything less. But cheerleading tends to be a product with high elasticity, so it would be pretty sensitive to price changes.

 

[King]

Of course and I wouldn't expect anything less. But cheerleading tends to be a product with high elasticity, so it would be pretty sensitive to price changes.

Exactly. It is pretty much like gas prices. Whatever the market in your area is willing to stand.

 

[yojaehs]

How do you make your jumps perfect? LOL, sorry I had to :deadhorse:

 

[King]

How do you make your jumps perfect? LOL, sorry I had to :deadhorse:

Haha, good question. There are two main pieces to it.

1. We look at jumps as a great thing for cheerleading. A good jumper can probably tumble, motion, and stunt very well. Good jumps take a lot of coordination, athleticism, and stamina. We teach jumps and emphasize them as much as you would tumbling.

2. We do all our jump conditioning in the summer. Jumps take a lot of conditioning, and that is the best time to do it.

 

[BA Shelbs]

do you know when the pilot for your tv show is gonna air????

 

[j4z0n]

What can we expect from the Stingray teams this season that is 'different' than the past season(s), particularly the level 5's?

 

[eam1892]

when rays first started (2003 i believe?), how did the company take off so fast; majority of small gyms struggle the first years and ya'll seem to just take off like you had been doing it for years. how did the advertisement of the gym go? where did you get most of the athletes? was it a surprise how well ya'll ended up doing in the beginning?

 

[King]

do you know when the pilot for your tv show is gonna air????

I think they are making a pilot from tryouts and then will shop it around. The goal is NBC. I am not 100% sure of the process, but by the time it would make it to NBC I think it would be less a pilot and more a full blown show. I will probably post updates when I can when i know.