All-Star Rumor Control-senior Age Change

[cheer8]

This is actually one of the reasons, why I believe cheer isn't taken seriously. My daughter used to be a gymnast, & I compare gymnastic & cheer a lot, so bear with me.....In gymnastic, you have to be 16 to compete in senior elite level events. Now my daughter & a few others, at 8-10,were amazing gymnasts & could properly do the elite level skills, but they had to stay with their age group, because rules don't change for a few amazing athletes. And in every sport out there, it's pretty much the same standard. Now why in cheer, do we feel the need to have 8 year olds on senior 4 teams, just because they can do the skills? If we want to be taken seriously we need to have age caps & level caps, for the top & bottom and we need to explain to Susie and her mom, "yes, you are an amazing cheerleader, but you can't compete on sr. 4 until you reach this age"
Just think about it: if little Susie can throw a beautiful double & can stunt like Maddie G at 9, think of what she'll be like at 14!?

Care to explain why it will never work?

B/C the owners and coaches won't let it...

 

[armycheermom]

B/C the owners and coaches won't let it...

Not an excuse. If the USASF/IASF makes it a rule, they'll have to let it happen or close down their gyms...

 

[cheer8]

This is actually one of the reasons, why I believe cheer isn't taken seriously. My daughter used to be a gymnast, & I compare gymnastic & cheer a lot, so bear with me.....In gymnastic, you have to be 16 to compete in senior elite level events. Now my daughter & a few others, at 8-10,were amazing gymnasts & could properly do the elite level skills, but they had to stay with their age group, because rules don't change for a few amazing athletes. And in every sport out there, it's pretty much the same standard. Now why in cheer, do we feel the need to have 8 year olds on senior 4 teams, just because they can do the skills? If we want to be taken seriously we need to have age caps & level caps, for the top & bottom and we need to explain to Susie and her mom, "yes, you are an amazing cheerleader, but you can't compete on sr. 4 until you reach this age"
Just think about it: if little Susie can throw a beautiful double & can stunt like Maddie G at 9, think of what she'll be like at 14!?

Care to explain why it will never work?

B/c the majority of Coaches and owners will not vote in favor of this rule... Some may that have it like that! But majority don't have it like that so if voted on it will not fair well for those favoring this

 

[armycheermom]

B/c the majority of Coaches and owners will not vote in favor of this rule... Some may that have it like that! But majority don't have it like that so if voted on it will not fair well for those favoring this

Well, I believe my way is the best way & you believe your way is the best way and it's obvious on this subject, will we not agree. Since the rule isn't going to change over night, let's just drop it and call it a truce.

 

[cheer8]

Well, I believe my way is the best way & you believe your way is the best way and it's obvious on this subject, will we not agree. Since the rule isn't going to change over night, let's just drop it and call it a truce.

TRUCE but can I keep talking about it! LOL

 

[cheer8]

Excellent point!

I think it has a Major impact yes, but reality no 1 kid or 2/3 makes the entire team win nor loose. Its the team as a whole, and no one is irreplaceable in this sport.[/quote]
True that no one is irreplaceable BUT... We all know they were on those teams for a reason b/c they were better than another person and the were younger than 14... and that one person can make or break a team at worlds caliber- It's called chemistry and those with 12-18 or 14-18 if they didn't have chemistry then they didn't get top 3 and a globe

 

[armycheermom]

TRUCE but can I keep talking about it! LOL

Lol,talk away! Or should it be type away???

 

[CGAcheer]

I understand where you're coming from and not that you are one of the people saying/demanding that cheer become a sport, but if we leave the system the way it is now we will never be recognized as a sport. It's hard for the outside world to take us serious,if we have 8 year olds on the same team as 15 year olds & the only excuse is, "she has the talent to be on the team" or "we can't have a full team without her."

I'm not overly concerned with allstar cheer being considered a sport by the outside world. STUNT or NCATA is the route to go towards being legally considered a sport for title ix and funding purposes.

if you put bottom age caps on all the age divisions, smaller gyms won't be able to make decent teams and will lose all the time and go out of business, if the smaller gyms and the new and trying to grow gyms go out of business then the larger gyms have no one to compete against, then they start to lose business because its not a sport if you aren't competing against anyone. Bottom line is allstar cheer is a business and bottom age caps are bad for business

There's always going to be people who say that we're just rah rah sis boom bah shaking it in short skirts, I don't see where the age range has anything to with our legitimacy as a sport.

do you think a phenomenal 9 year old playing in a teenage basketball league would make basketball any less of a sport?
I remember a few people in my little league baseball days playing up an age group, so is baseball a sport?

btw, yes I think it looks out of place if there is one 8 year old on a team full of teenagers, and I'm not advocating doing that but having the option to do it if that is the best option for your gym.

Our Sr 3 (our oldest and highest level team) team for this upcoming year will most likely have an age range of 10 to 16 with two 10 year olds and 2 16 year olds with an average age of 13.3 They happen to be the 20 kids in our gym who have ro bhs tucks or better, standing bhs series or better, level toe touches or better and good motions. Plus one of our 16 yr olds will probably still be flying. There are 4 kids who make them a sr team, would you suggest that I just kick those 4 out of the gym so that I could go jr?

 

[The bow lady]

I feel that alot of programs bring up smaller flyers due to the intense stunting. Most teams feel they can throw a smaller girl of lets say 75-90lbs around alot easier then a110lb flyer. I personally enjoy watching a girl/boy who looks as if they belong, not stand out due to size difference. I also feel if a team can do those intricate stunts with a larger flyer, they deserve the credit it in overall.

 

[JoshySOT]

He tried out with the 11-12 group so he could be 12 at this point...I don't know his exact age, just that he was disappointed over a rumor. Just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed something that changed during all the Worlds craziness. Actually @JoshySOT would probably know what age he is for sure!

I think your talking about harrison? He's 11, i think he heard someone talking about spirits international team and he heard the age was 14+, but he thought it was 14+ for ALL worlds team lol. But I cleared that up and some other people also did.

 

[annie.GAallday]

I'm turning 14 this November, but I'll be a freshman so if they do move it to 14, that'll SUCK. But I do agree, 6th graders and seniors just don't mix.

 

[yojaehs]

Not really - most of the "whining" is coming from adults. My daughter (16) isn't going to be on a Senior 5 team if they change the age range to 16-16. So it has nothing to do with her getting "beat out" - she isn't going on the team either way. I'm reading the thread about the block party, then I'm reading this thread. Can you really not see where as parents we might think Worlds is not the place for a 12 year old? YOU might not like it but oh well.

What doesn't make sense to me about this whole thing is that the only REAL argument about NOT having a 12 yr old on a team is, the "block party" (which honestly I really don't care about, if its a hassle I really just wish they would take it away and save the $), or the "conversations" that 14+ kids have. As much as I see what parents, kids, coaches are saying and I do agree that I think these things need to be addressed, I DON'T see these things being big enough reasons to change the age grid. There are so many positives that for me distinctly outweigh the negatives. I also would like to add, AGAIN, that if you as a coach, parent, or child would NOT like to be 12 and on a Worlds team then just don't allow it, but I don't get why you want to limit those that seem to handle it and handle it well. Well anyway age grid is out so for this year it looks like you gotta deal with it, once again.

Isn't it funny how when I used the word "cry" you wrote me an essay on how offensive it was and where I could "stick" my post. But when someone shares your point of view and uses the word "whining" (awfully similar to "crying", no?) you want to shimmy all you possibly can. Double standard much?

 

[yojaehs]

Also I'd like to add that as a parent, I wouldn't let my 12,13,14,15,16,17,18 year old go to the block party, drinking and acting a fool doesn't have an age minimum/max.

 

[we_stand_alone]

all i have to say is i give mad props to the gym coaches, owners, that still have 13 year olds on their junior teams, no matter what level they may be. I really hope one day that all senior age teams will have an age cap, reither it be 12 or 14. This is an issue, argue about it all you want to but it is an issue. Just because its not an issue on your senior 5 worlds team doesnt mean its not an issue on all of those senior 1,2,3, and 4 teams. I dont care if susie is 8 or 9 and has a layout, she can shine on that junior or YOUTH level 3 or 4 team until she is 12 or 14. And do not tell me thats holding her back, this is why we have tumbling classes, it also means that susie gets to be in the front a lot, and should be happy about that. Instead of lacking on that senior 4 team because she has a layout, but susie can barely hit an extention in stunts...just sayin.

 

[yojaehs]

all i have to say is i give mad props to the gym coaches, owners, that still have 13 year olds on their junior teams, no matter what level they may be. I really hope one day that all senior age teams will have an age cap, reither it be 12 or 14. This is an issue, argue about it all you want to but it is an issue. Just because its not an issue on your senior 5 worlds team doesnt mean its not an issue on all of those senior 1,2,3, and 4 teams. I dont care if susie is 8 or 9 and has a layout, she can shine on that junior or YOUTH level 3 or 4 team until she is 12 or 14. And do not tell me thats holding her back, this is why we have tumbling classes, it also means that susie gets to be in the front a lot, and should be happy about that. Instead of lacking on that senior 4 team because she has a layout, but susie can barely hit an extention in stunts...just sayin.

I hear you, but honestly this falls back on the parents choices. If you CHOOSE to take your child to "X" gym and they don't have a youth/jr 4 and your 10,11 yr old has a standing tuck/layout what do you expect from your gym that YOU have chosen? Different gyms make different decisions in this situation but MOST gyms are fairly consistent when this happens, so if this gym has in the past made the choice to place younger kids on older teams then you knew what you were getting into before you joined. If it's a first then you should address your gym owner.