All-Star Skipping Levels

[JuniorFusionFire]

Lately, we've all talked about the importance of "progression", in both mind and body before moving on To a higher level. However, as I went searching my local gym's website, I saw that they started their senior teams on a Senior 2 or Senior 3. Do any of you know why gyms would do this? If you've witnessed gyms that did this, did you still find that they were competitive within their level?

On another note, has anybody witnessed an athlete who went straight to Level 5 on their first year?

Just to be clear, I'm not planning in fast-trackinh in any way. I'm simply curious.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Generally speaking, kids coming INTO cheer as NEW athletes at L5, were in competitive tumbling or gymnastics.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Double posting, but as to starting Senior teams at Senior 2, many times there are not enough L1 kids in that age range to field a Senior 1.

Many times, kids come in on Y1 or J1 and make the jump to Senior 2.

 

[Helen uk uni cheer]

In the uk it is very common to see many senior 2 teams and not many senior 1 and lot of people start from senior age here me being one of them. I have stunted level 1 and 2 and personally prefer level 2 as it less restricive and I found it easier and some coaches may feel its easier to be creative level 2. If they are a new programm most start level 2 in senior and most do ok in small senior

 

[cheerisloving]

Double posting, but as to starting Senior teams at Senior 2, many times there are not enough L1 kids in that age range to field a Senior 1.

Many times, kids come in on Y1 or J1 and make the jump to Senior 2.

And Senior aged kids could be middle/high school kids who did rec or school cheer so they can stunt they just can't tumble.

My gym always put new senior kids on level 2 because they physically could handle doing l2 stunts.

 

[TheVipersMom]

We don't use crossovers and didn't have enough to make a s2 this year that would be strong. Most of our sr kids have level 3/4/5 skills. So we made a s3, s4, s5. We have j2 y2 and y1 but it just wasn't in the cards for three level 2s this season. If you do not have level 3 skills and you're senior aged you did not make a full year team but offered spots on prep teams/ or an alternate if you got the skills.


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[sarahh_cheers]

We don't use crossovers and didn't have enough to make a s2 this year that would be strong. Most of our sr kids have level 3/4/5 skills. So we made a s3, s4, s5. We have j2 y2 and y1 but it just wasn't in the cards for three level 2s this season. If you do not have level 3 skills and you're senior aged you did not make a full year team but offered spots on prep teams/ or an alternate if you got the skills.


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that seems pretty unfair..

 

[TheVipersMom]

that seems pretty unfair..

If we had as many senior level 2 kids as years past they would have done that. However, for 3 or 4 kids you can't make a team. Where do you think we should place them? On senior 3 because that's not fair. They can do the prep teams that we have and all were fine with that but we just don't have a team for this season.


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[imjessie]

I know someone that tumbled for a few months before he started cheer and he is on a level 5 team. I'm pretty sure he was in the gym 24/7 though. He did private lessons with one certain coach all the time and in just one year he got a double. He never did gymnastics or anything like that but he was reaaally muscly so maybe that's why? He can one-man with his sister. I'm forever jealous of him.

 

[CheerExtra]

I know someone that tumbled for a few months before he started cheer and he is on a level 5 team. I'm pretty sure he was in the gym 24/7 though. He did private lessons with one certain coach all the time and in just one year he got a double. He never did gymnastics or anything like that but he was reaaally muscly so maybe that's why? He can one-man with his sister. I'm forever jealous of him.

I saw a similar situation this year at my gym. There was a girl who had only taken 1 year of high-school cheer, so she had some basic stunting skills but no tumbling. She started off on a Prep team and after only a few weeks she was already throwing some really solid level 2 skills and decided to quit the team and focus on her tumbling because it was obvious she had a natural talent for it. Anytime you where in the gym she was there, taking privates, tumbling classes, all the open gyms! By the time tryouts came around she had everything from level 1 to level 4 tumbling and was defiantly close on some level 5 skills. And flying wise she could easily do level 5. It always blows my mind when I see athletes come in who just have such a natural talent for cheer and then put in the work to make it that much more amazing. Also jealous over here!

 

[WinstonsGirl]

Not a lot of kids want to do Sr1. Also, by that age, many kids have the strength and body awareness to do level 2 stunts. I find a lot of smaller gyms offer Sr 2 to keep the new kids interested in the stunting and forego levelled tumbling. Being 17 and doing thigh stands can be a little boring, I would think. Level 2 gives them a bit more of a challenge stunt wise but isn't crazy advanced for tumbling (ie. competing against other teams with lays/fulls). The athletes can still work WO's and BHS here. (Not saying I believe in teams that aren't levelled, but I can see why clubs do this)

We've also had some kids/athletes join our level 5 or 6, but all have been former gymnasts with fulls, and just picked up stunting as they went. It also happened only when we were short people for their position.

 

[SL&AM]

I know someone that tumbled for a few months before he started cheer and he is on a level 5 team. I'm pretty sure he was in the gym 24/7 though. He did private lessons with one certain coach all the time and in just one year he got a double. He never did gymnastics or anything like that but he was reaaally muscly so maybe that's why? He can one-man with his sister. I'm forever jealous of him.

Guys tend to pick it up so much faster.

 

[stuntjumptumble]

2 years in a row there were girls that went from my level 3 team to R5. I think it depends in the athlete and how fast they learn as well as the keel of coaching


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[cheergoogle]

My CP went from level 2 (mini) to level 5 (youth/junior). She never learned to single down. (The only singles she needs to do are the kick singles for youth). It's actually kinda funny when she attempts it. Even when she warms up stunting now on her level 5 teams she usually just skips from straight rides to double downs.

Do I think she could have benefited from learning to stunt levels 3 and 4 before doing 5?-- yes.


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[tumbleyoda]

Lately, we've all talked about the importance of "progression", in both mind and body before moving on To a higher level. However, as I went searching my local gym's website, I saw that they started their senior teams on a Senior 2 or Senior 3. Do any of you know why gyms would do this? If you've witnessed gyms that did this, did you still find that they were competitive within their level?

On another note, has anybody witnessed an athlete who went straight to Level 5 on their first year?

Just to be clear, I'm not planning in fast-trackinh in any way. I'm simply curious.

One of my old gyms started everyone at L2. Their rational was that parents would not pay the rates that are charged for all stars for their daughters travel to out of state competitions to do thigh stands. By observation this seems especially true in the Senior Level. They may was well do school cheer which many will do rather than be put on a Senior 1 team.

The only athletes I have seen start straight at Level 5 were competitive gymnasts, power tumblers or guys that taught themselves how to tumble in the streets and could do the tumbling skills easily. We had a guy that came to college here that tumbled with Jesse White Tumblers in Chicago. Never did cheer a day in his life. Came to the gym looking for a job. Hired him to help out with a couple of classes and open gyms. We had a backspot on L5 that was out with an injury. He was eventually convinced by the girls to try it. Ended up going to Worlds with us that year. Still works for us.