All-Star Seating Vent

[Keep_Believing]

I am starting to wish the events were ticket with assigned seats. At our last comp. I got there very early with a group of friends. My 12 year old daughter had been siting in the same seat for over an hour. One of our mini teams finished performing and a Mom asked her to go pick up her child. The second she stood up to go pick up this little girl a Mom yelled at her son to get the seat. I politely told her my daughter was coming right back. She did not care. She was very rude and made her son stay in that seat even though it was not by her. When my daughter came back she there were no open seats near our group. This young boy was sitting smack in the middle of a gym he did not know. I felt bad for him. I talked to security and they said since it was not a ticketed event they were allowed to do that. they also said the second the boy got up I could take the seat back. I asked, so if I leave my bag on the seat to go use the restroom my seat is fair game. They said yes. This just seems so ugly to me. We are a family sport and need to be examples for our kids. Thanks for letting me vent. And it was not the actual seat that upset me. It was the principal of the situation. I don't get parents being rude and ugly at a family sport event.

 

[CheerBank]

I have always found the seating at comps to be extremely frustrating. It's too bad other people do not feel the same way you do, that as adults we should be setting good examples for the kids. What drives me nuts are the team bags left on empty chairs for hours on end, with 3-4 parents screeching "you can't sit there" at anyone who attempts to find a seat they'd like to actually SIT in.


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[amy1k]

Yes. I think there would be far fewer seating issues if people REALLY only secured the amount of seats they need. I've been at comps where only 1/4 of seats were actually used and I couldn't sit anywhere because every empty seat was being held for a person who "just ran to the bathroom." It blows my mind how rude people can be.


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[quitthedrama]

It amazes me how rude people can be about this!! I normally just sit and when they yell at me I smile and tell them that I am happy to move when their "friend/CP/imaginary uncle" comes back to their seat. The response is normally the same.... lots of huffing and puffing and stuttering and then witching to the person next to them.... and normally the person the seat was saved for never comes back before I leave. The most pathetic was at a competition where in the back left they had tables and chairs which were meant for people to eat at. There was an entire team that took 2 tables with all of their stuff and there was only one person sitting at the 2 tables. My DH and I went over to sit and eat, and the lady SCREAMED at me that they were taken but the kids were at awards. I told her that was fine, awards take forever and we would be done eating by then. She still told us we couldn't sit there and I just ignored her while DH wanted to crawl into a hole (sorry honey!). The worst part was there was an elderly couple sitting on the cement floor eating their lunch while 19 seats were vacant because this one woman wouldn't let anyone sit there. I asked her how she felt about that and she couldn't have cared less. Sad...

 

[catlady]

I can understand holding a seat or two for 15 minutes while someone uses the restroom, but there are venues where some gyms are out of hand with the seat saving. I have seen entire rows of backpacks with a handful of people stating, "they just went to see our level 4's in another arena, they'll be back soon." Front and center seats with 100's of backpacks in them while parents just want to see their kid perform for 2 1/2 minutes. I have gotten to the point where I politely tell them I am going to move the backpack into the next seat and if they come back before our gym has performed I will move.

ETA: You beat me @quitthedrama

 

[amy1k]

Oh. We must visit the same competitions. Lol!


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[ErinS]

It's sad that mom is teaching her son to be rude, ignorant and petty.

Not the point of your concern but still.


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[tdittmar]

I have even seen gyms bring fabric chair covers. They are all blinged out.... And usually empty.


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[Cheermom1969]

I have even seen gyms bring fabric chair covers. They are all blinged out.... And usually empty.


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[LabbyGirlMOM]

I will tell you right now I was an obnoxious seat saver some of our kids wanted to go down and congratulate a special needs team at the comp over the weekend and I saved their seats for them and and would not let anyone have our kiddos seats while they were down taking pictures and congratulating another team. I actually had a mom go get security at the event we were at because I was saving seats the kids were gone for maybe 10 minutes if that. I am not sorry I saved the seats for the kiddos

 

[stateallstar_jesse]

I will say that there is a HUGE difference between actually saving a seat for 10-15 minutes, and saving empty seats for the entire competition and no one every showing up....my grandpa uses a wheelchair at events now, but before he did (he used a cane) it was rare for people to move for him or let him sit at a "saved" seat for a few minutes to watch me perform. The whole issue is something that really makes my blood boil!

 

[cupieqt]

At our showcase every year I go over competition "rules" in between teams. One of my rules is for parents to be aware that they will run into less than courteous people. We try to sit together but we don't save seats. It's just rude to try and hijack a whole section of seating unless everyone is there with their butt in a seat. The parents and kids all sit together and the parents save their kids seats while they go compete but they will give them up if it's a packed house. Luckily for us, most of the venues we compete in are big enough to seat everyone comfortably.

And priority seating is super cool for getting up front to watch your teams. The events we attend always have ushers for getting people in and out of priority seating. I have yet to see a throwdown over seating but then again, I'm backstage most of the time. If it happens no one has told me about it and I usually get an earful if something crazy happens.


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[CheerBank]

At our showcase every year I go over competition "rules" in between teams. One of my rules is for parents to be aware that they will run into less than courteous people. We try to sit together but we don't save seats. It's just rude to try and hijack a whole section of seating unless everyone is there with their butt in a seat. The parents and kids all sit together and the parents save their kids seats while they go compete but they will give them up if it's a packed house. Luckily for us, most of the venues we compete in are big enough to seat everyone comfortably.

And priority seating is super cool for getting up front to watch your teams. The events we attend always have ushers for getting people in and out of priority seating. I have yet to see a throwdown over seating but then again, I'm backstage most of the time. If it happens no one has told me about it and I usually get an earful if something crazy happens.


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Ah the priority seating section....and those parents who move into there 2-3 teams ahead of their own so that they make sure they are in the front!

 

[Mom2Cheergirls]

I had a HORRIBLE experience with this at NCA Dallas over this.

In the area VERY Center a well known team and obnoxious mom saving a bunch of seats - we didn't even care f we were center but NCA arena pretty packed no matter what unless you sit behind the stage. My 8 yo and I wanted to sit and just watch 1 or 2 teams - didn't care who they- were not talking a busy time. NO things on the seats but in an "area" of a team. A mother yelled that no it was her husband's seats (yes plural) and he had gone to the bathroom. I explained very nicely that as soon as he got back we would happily give her the seats even to see one routine in the arena would make my child's day she just wanted to see the big teams perform. She continued to talk nasty and huff and puff to the point her friend was embarrassed. Lady gets on the phone and 2 minutes later a woman and little girl (not a CP) come and lady says ok these people are taking the seats. I looked at her and said "thought it was your husband if this is who you were saving seats for that is fine we are happy to get up but you really didn't need to throw a hyper fit or lie and be so nasty to a child (which she was)- we said we'd get up as soon as you needed them. We are all cheer families trying to enjoy the sport". She just turned her head. Other parents from her team were clearly embarrassed (not embarrassed enough to offer us any of the empty seats they had - which were quite a few). My daughter's response mom I would never want to be at that gym they have mean families.

FLIP side we went back later trying again just to catch a couple of numbers between being where we needed to be and another well known team was very welcoming chatted with my daughter let us sit in the seats and talked with us - person came back and we got up and thanked them for being so kind. It was nice and easy thing like it should and could be.

We then had another positive experience day 2 same way up in the high seats - we didn't care where we sat it was just trying to find a seat. Especially the younger CPs who aren't performing in the arena but want to see the big teams that they want to be like some day. Many people were trying to do the same to me and to see all those saved seats and all these parents with one or 2 little cheerleaders just trying to find a spot - well it was disheartening.

I think it would befit all gyms to go over a code of conduct and expectations for parents as well and include seat saving in it. Especially for major competitions. And in each situation we approach people the same way. Promised to give the seat back immediately- we were not asking them to move bags coats anything. The one gym that was very kind I wrote an email to the owner and gave them all the details and told them what great families they had.

 

[DropAndRun]

Generally speaking, we do not go to huge comps. This past weekend our gym saved about 3 rows near the front but off to the side . I thought it was hilarious when some random woman came and parked her butt on "our" chairs in the middle of our section. Apparently she wanted a seat. It made me laugh and I didn't care, even if my purse was under her seat. She sat there for hours and did not move once. I for one sat on the floor at her feet when I wanted to sit down. Honestly that's fine with me. I'm too active to stay put for too long and when any of our teams go to the mat I'm always in the standing priority section anyway.