Should World's Just Become A National Competition?

[Jtsmith1]

Hello everyone! I'm new here! Okay so last night me and my best friend watched the 2013 Cheerleading worlds on ESPN. My friend enjoys cheerleading and really respects it as a sport, however this was her first time watching worlds and there were things she couldn't get her head around. She didn't quite understand how it could be considered a world championship if there were only a small selction of international teams and the cheerleaders weren't representing countries but gyms? She also didn't understand why have a separate division for the international teams if its a world championship and then have usa teams compete in that divison? After watching it she said it was good but it more like a national championship then anything and why not make it that? She has seen videos of the ICU worlds and she says that should be considered the true worlds because for one the cheerleaders are actually representing countries and there is no seperate divison for international teams. She said she could finally understand why people didn't take this sport seriously. I thought that was really interesting and I just wanted your thoughts.

 

[Bystander]

YES!!!!!!!!! thats all it is! and its a ONE DAY nationals at that! way to much emphasis is put on this event.

 

[nataliamxc]

I would say that the difference between age ranges and levels in between countries makes it hard for international teams to compete against us teams. For example, in my old team here in Mexico, age ranges, divisions and levels were really different from the US. In an open team there could be a 12 yo with 24 yo and the skills we would perform were very variate too, like level 6 stunting and level 4 tumbling, so I think that's a factor that affects international competitions.
Then I do believe the real "worlds" is ICU, and Worlds is just an invitation only, very prestigious national competition and they just add the international divisions so they can call it worlds. Worlds it's more like the FIFA Club World Cup, an international competition where international clubs compete against each other but representing themselves and their country somehow. And that's just my opinion.


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[Jtsmith1]

This is another thing that I personally don't understand, why even have a maxium age limit. I want cheerleading to be in the Olympics as much as the next fan, but I don't quite get why all star cheerleading as an maxium limit of 18? Also another thing why even have all different divisons? Why not just have 2 divisons. Coed and All Girl. Then follow gymnastics were you can only have a set number. Like for the team event at the 2012 olympics each team could only have 5 members. Why can't cheerleading do something similar like each team can only have 20 members. Or something to that effect.

 

[luv2cheer92]

This is another thing that I personally don't understand, why even have a maxium age limit. I want cheerleading to be in the Olympics as much as the next fan, but I don't quite get why all star cheerleading as an maxium limit of 18? Also another thing why even have all different divisons? Why not just have 2 divisons. Coed and All Girl. Then follow gymnastics were you can only have a set number. Like for the team event at the 2012 olympics each team could only have 5 members. Why can't cheerleading do something similar like each team can only have 20 members. Or something to that effect.

The open divisions do not have a maximum age limit. Also, any team, US or international, can enter any division they want, international teams just have a tendency to be in the open divisions because those are more in line with the divisions that are offered in their countries. However, several international teams have been in the senior divisions


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[Jtsmith1]

@luv2cheer92 you make a good point, I'm just not understanding the point of having open divisons at all. How hard is it just to have 2 divisons all girl and coed and just a minium age requirement and why even have a seperate divison for the international teams if "worlds" or suppose to be just that, a worlds competition?

 

[Dj_Drew]

@luv2cheer92 you make a good point, I'm just not understanding the point of having open divisons at all. How hard is it just to have 2 divisons all girl and coed and just a minium age requirement and why even have a seperate divison for the international teams if "worlds" or suppose to be just that, a worlds competition?

All international teams have a 14+ or 17+ age limit.

There are only very few teams in the large coed and large all girl divisions because it is super difficult to find enough kids to fill the team up. If it were only lrg coed and lrg all girl, there would only be like 10 teams at worlds.

 

[Dj_Drew]

@luv2cheer92 you make a good point, I'm just not understanding the point of having open divisons at all. How hard is it just to have 2 divisons all girl and coed and just a minium age requirement and why even have a seperate divison for the international teams if "worlds" or suppose to be just that, a worlds competition?

Also, the age limit makes complete sense because how many parents want their 12 year old daughters hanging around people in their 20s?

 

[Jtsmith1]

Then why just have a minimum age limit of 15 or 16?

 

[Kimpii]

IMO They should make it a combination event. ICU worlds, just like They have it now, allstars worlds and call it "IASF world championships" or whatever, and "IASF allstar nationals" for all the Non-international divisions.

Or, MAYBE(just a thought), we could all agree on international age grids and divisions and just keep it like it is but with international teams in EVERY division.

Don't get me wrong, i loooove worlds just as much as the next fierceboarder, but this format is geting outdated as the rest of us are catching up to the US. I think it is time for a change and i think we are ready for an international rule-book.


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