All-Star Usasf Changes Program Definitions/classifications

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Ashley

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Jan 20, 2010
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USASF Changes Program Definitions and Classifications - Cheer Theory

Thoughts? Programs with multiple locations will be considered one program, even if they don't share athletes and/or are just a franchise.

I can see why some small franchise locations will be hurt from this, but I think that any program that operates under a big gym name has advantages that true small programs do not.
 
This doesn't surprise me at all now that XS is a division with the restrictions it has. It was going to be far too difficult to enforce with the old rule about taxes.
Though I 100% support this, I wonder why they waited until this season to make the change with D2 summit being a thing.

Regardless of large or small, I honestly think the name you get by being a part of a franchise does give you a definite advantage.
 
Wow to the multi locations, franchise, brands being 1 gym.

I think its great small gyms get an opportunity to field a Worlds team and not feel like they are a complete disadvantage before they even walk on the floor, trying to compete with big name gyms.
 
I think many consumers (including myself) consider that's exactly what they are.

If that is true, should the guidelines and rules that USASF has about event producers use the same it-all-counts-as-the-same-exact-business standard? (1 representative on the Board of Directors, only 1 event gives Worlds bids, etc.). I don't see the same philosophy applied to Varsity that is applied to the FAR less powerful and influential "mega-gyms"
 
If that is true, should the guidelines and rules that USASF has about event producers use the same it-all-counts-as-the-same-exact-business standard? (1 representative on the Board of Directors, only 1 event gives Worlds bids, etc.). I don't see the same philosophy applied to Varsity that is applied to the FAR less powerful and influential "mega-gyms"
Those two philosophies are not the same though.

Gyms with multiple locations are franchised or branded under the same name. Each of the EP's are a separate business and company, under Varsity's umbrella company.

If Varsity called NCA and Cheersport and Jamfest championships as Varsity All Star Championships under the Varsity umbrella, that would be different. But they don't, they keep the businesses separate (for the most part) probably for a multitude of financial and business reasons.

You could have bought a gym in Austin and kept the name and teams all the original, paid their coaches as they normally would, and compete as a separate gym, right? But you didn't. You chose to take your brand name (which is world reknowned and very powerful) and put it on that gym you bought, effectively making that gym part of your company because your brand will make that gym more successful.
 
Those two philosophies are not the same though.

Gyms with multiple locations are franchised or branded under the same name. Each of the EP's are a separate business and company, under Varsity's umbrella company.

If Varsity called NCA and Cheersport and Jamfest championships as Varsity All Star Championships under the Varsity umbrella, that would be different. But they don't, they keep the businesses separate (for the most part) probably for a multitude of financial and business reasons.

You could have bought a gym in Austin and kept the name and teams all the original, paid their coaches as they normally would, and compete as a separate gym, right? But you didn't. You chose to take your brand name (which is world reknowned and very powerful) and put it on that gym you bought, effectively making that gym part of your company because your brand will make that gym more successful.

We keep our various gyms separate for a mulitude of financial and business reasons. They each have their own directors, themes, business name, legal entities, tax returns, personnel, etc.

If you go to the Varsity page, their all star competitions DO look to be set up under the Varsity All Star umbrella exactly as you described. https://www.varsityallstar.com. Are you suggesting that CheerSport being a Varsity brand and being able to give Summit bids, having access to Varsity resources, etc. aren't competitive advantages that help them draw customers away from IEPs? (I assure you that unique access to Summit alone is killing many small-business IEPs.)

We asked if the legal business names were different by at least a word (Cheer Athletics Austin, Cheer Athletics Charlotte, etc) and they had separate legal entities if they would be considered separate programs. We were told because they shared some admin functions, resources, and corporate personnel, it would be considered a single entity under the rules. How does that same standard not apply to Universal Cheerleaders Association, National Cheerleaders Association, and American Cheerleaders Association? Would California All Stars, Nevada All Stars, and Arizona All Stars be OK?

I'm not suggesting we break up Varsity or cut back on their ability to give bids through their various brands. My main concern also isn't that CA should be allowed to compete separately. My concern is that multi-gym brands are being targeted for specific restrictions and regulations in a blatant attempt to limit their growth. I get that we are the villain-du-jour, but how long until your business starts to have success and USASF starts trying to limit what you can do in the interest of "fairness".
 
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Those two philosophies are not the same though.

Gyms with multiple locations are franchised or branded under the same name. Each of the EP's are a separate business and company, under Varsity's umbrella company.

If Varsity called NCA and Cheersport and Jamfest championships as Varsity All Star Championships under the Varsity umbrella, that would be different. But they don't, they keep the businesses separate (for the most part) probably for a multitude of financial and business reasons.

You could have bought a gym in Austin and kept the name and teams all the original, paid their coaches as they normally would, and compete as a separate gym, right? But you didn't. You chose to take your brand name (which is world reknowned and very powerful) and put it on that gym you bought, effectively making that gym part of your company because your brand will make that gym more successful.

Ehhhhh, to the bolded. Varsity bought Spirit Festival Nationals, an IEP in Hartford, CT about 5 years ago. They only have one event, their worlds bid event. There is no Spirit Festival staff left. It's run every year by Varsity, not Spirit Festival.

I agree with @BlueCat that there are a lot of issues with saying an EP is only allowed one Worlds Bid event - it's way too easy to create a new EP (or buy an existing one) under the same mega-brand to skirt around the issue. But I agree with you that that's not the same as mega-gyms spinning off satellite locations and calling them D2 gyms though.
 
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