All-Star Releasing Athletes

[Fierceee99]

My friend was being treated really badly on her sr 3 team. and she went to a competition with friends 2 who was competing and friend 2's gym offered friend1 a spot of a IO5 team. and Friend1's current gym was being very spiteful and not releasing her and i felt it was rude to keep her from her dream. but in the end they released her and all was good in the cheer worldd:cloud9:

 

[yojaehs]

I think the key to the "releasing" all together is that athletes & parents need to educate themselves. I don't see it as spiteful of a program to not release an athlete. I see it as the family didn't do their research about a program. The family has up until November to decide if the program is right for them. If it takes them longer than that (I'll say in MOST cases) I don't feel bad if they aren't released.


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[Klynn641]

My friend was being treated really badly on her sr 3 team. and she went to a competition with friends 2 who was competing and friend 2's gym offered friend1 a spot of a IO5 team. and Friend1's current gym was being very spiteful and not releasing her and i felt it was rude to keep her from her dream. but in the end they released her and all was good in the cheer worldd:cloud9:

I can kinda understand an issue with an athlete jumping from one Worlds team to another. But I don't understand a release being required to move from a Level 3 team to Worlds team. Supposedly the release is in place to prevent gym hopping from one Worlds team to another during the competition season. Well, that's not an issue if the athlete is moving from a lower level team to a Worlds team so why require a release. I have no doubt that many gyms out there can and will be spiteful and unjustifiably withold an athletes release. So the release ends up being a tool in the gym's arsenal that can be use to get even with an athlete for wanting to leave their gym. It seems like strong arm tactics to me.


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[cheerKT]

My friend was being treated really badly on her sr 3 team. and she went to a competition with friends 2 who was competing and friend 2's gym offered friend1 a spot of a IO5 team. and Friend1's current gym was being very spiteful and not releasing her and i felt it was rude to keep her from her dream. but in the end they released her and all was good in the cheer worldd:cloud9:

Unless something has changed, I don't believe you need a release from a level 3 team to go to another gym.

 

[Cheer Dad]

Unless something has changed, I don't believe you need a release from a level 3 team to go to another gym.

I thought you did if moving to a Worlds team.


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[luv2cheer92]

Unless something has changed, I don't believe you need a release from a level 3 team to go to another gym.

You do if you are competing at Worlds though, it doesn't matter what level you started the season at.

 

[cheerKT]

You do if you are competing at Worlds though, it doesn't matter what level you started the season at.

Interesting. I thought it was just to prevent hoping L5 to L5. Thanks for clarifying!

 

[tumbleyoda]

Without that current rule (even though there are some flaws) you would have gyms poaching/recruiting/going after a local rival's gym lower level teams as well to put them to a Worlds team. Why stay on gym A Level 3/4 team when you can go to gym B and be on their Level 5 Worlds team?

 

[quitthedrama]

I think the key to the "releasing" all together is that athletes & parents need to educate themselves. I don't see it as spiteful of a program to not release an athlete. I see it as the family didn't do their research about a program. The family has up until November to decide if the program is right for them. If it takes them longer than that (I'll say in MOST cases) I don't feel bad if they aren't released.


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Some areas of the country do not even have the option to compete until mid December unless they want to travel by air. I have seen multiple examples of a gym with a "level 5" team that practices all year as a level 5 team and gives every indication they will compete as a level 5 team, and come January decide to drop to a level 4. How is this fair to the athlete that has been strung along for 6+ months by the gym owner who has been promising a Worlds team?

 

[kristenthegreat]

Some areas of the country do not even have the option to compete until mid December unless they want to travel by air. I have seen multiple examples of a gym with a "level 5" team that practices all year as a level 5 team and gives every indication they will compete as a level 5 team, and come January decide to drop to a level 4. How is this fair to the athlete that has been strung along for 6+ months by the gym owner who has been promising a Worlds team?

This presumes that all the athletes on the team were capable of handling level 5. What if they aren't?

 

[quitthedrama]

This presumes that all the athletes on the team were capable of handling level 5. What if they aren't?

I either don't understand the question or I'm not sure why it should matter. If an athlete with level 5 skills joins a level 5 team and the gym owner/coach insists the team will be level 5 and compete at Worlds there should be no other presumption. Particularly since nearly any team has been able to obtain a bid to Worlds whether they have level 5 skills or not.
Hate is a strong word, but it is applicable to my feelings on the release rule. USASF has bigger things to worry about and shouldn't be holding customers hostage to a shady gym. Yes, sometimes good gyms will get screwed, but I think in the majority of cases it is the athlete that gets the raw end of the deal in release situations. And as someone posted, this release rule is not publicized. The average athlete or parent would have no idea this rule even exists. I think that is a problem as well.

 

[Deleted member 15]

Some areas of the country do not even have the option to compete until mid December unless they want to travel by air. I have seen multiple examples of a gym with a "level 5" team that practices all year as a level 5 team and gives every indication they will compete as a level 5 team, and come January decide to drop to a level 4. How is this fair to the athlete that has been strung along for 6+ months by the gym owner who has been promising a Worlds team?

The athlete has until the compete with a gym in November or later. So unless the athlete didn't realize they went L4 until they stepped off the floor the athlete has a chance to reconsider being locked into that gym.

 

[quitthedrama]

The athlete has until the compete with a gym in November or later. So unless the athlete didn't realize they went L4 until they stepped off the floor the athlete has a chance to reconsider being locked into that gym.

Is that still the rule? I thought that was the rule the first year and then November 1 was the cutoff date for future years whether the athlete had competed or not. If so, that makes it slightly better, however I still feel the rule is grossly one sided in favor of gym owners.

 

[NJ Coach]

Is that still the rule? I thought that was the rule the first year and then November 1 was the cutoff date for future years whether the athlete had competed or not. If so, that makes it slightly better, however I still feel the rule is grossly one sided in favor of gym owners.

if they take the floor with the team in Nov. or later, they need a release. If they don't take the floor, they don't need a release.



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[Deleted member 15]

Is that still the rule? I thought that was the rule the first year and then November 1 was the cutoff date for future years whether the athlete had competed or not. If so, that makes it slightly better, however I still feel the rule is grossly one sided in favor of gym owners.

That was the rule last season, which wasn't the first year, and I haven't heard anything about it changing.

If you go car shopping, buy something, and a couple months later regret the purchase do you have any responsibility for regretting it?