I honestly think a lv5 competing lv1 would be tragic for that very reason. You can ask Arabian through to whip doubles to tumble that pass all day, but ask for a back walkover and you've totally asked the impossible with most of the kids I know...ESP boys with no shoulder and back flexibility.
- publicly stripped and forced to publicly give up those jackets and all trinkets gained by their cheating, better yet, I also take a 3 page essay from each athletes and the organization on the topic - 'What lesson I learned by cheating' and placed these letters as testimonials on the team's website... (We need to be harsher on these cheaters, so they will learn their lesson and stop, NOW!) Just Saying!
I know a level 3 athlete whose mom got a call saying the level 2 team needed her. Mom had the impression there was an injury and the level 3 athlete was needed as a fill in. Once the level 3 was practicing it slowly became clear to the mom that there was no injury. A level 2 athlete had been moved out of the spot she had all season bc she hadn't mastered it well enough for the last chance at Summit $.
I totally agree with your post,,, I might be called a softy because I have not experience firsthand athletes being moved down a level, but I heard of athletes, who were moved down a level in order to be competitive on the floor... Believe me, those athletes did not seemed to be very happy about it and were not screaming about jackets, they were upset, disappointed and most of those kids felt embarrassed... So sometimes, like what someone mentioned in a prior post... we have athletes, who worked hard before tryouts to make a team and take all kind of privates, open gym and tumbling classes -- but once they make the sought after dream team stopped working or do not consistently work the skills that got them placed on the team... The coaches, who put these teams together are going by the athletes they selected after tryouts and overshoot their expectations and hope that this team can get even better during the summer months and sadly it does not happened...Btw, If only 25% of team can consistently perform the skills requirements for that level, should they remained in that level because the coaches over estimated during the summer months their team potential, I think not!
Beware- However, coaches and gym owners, who allow such a travesty by putting level 5 athletes on level 2 teams should be shamed out of business, when this knowledge had been revealed and be banned from competing at Worlds. NCAs, UCAs, Cheersport and any reputable competitions for 2 seasons and given the Milli-Vanilli style treatment
