All-Star Very Important!! New Tumbling Rules Questions. We Need Your Help.

Welcome to our Cheerleading Community

Members see FEWER ads... join today!

Oops so sorry I am confusing you....but your daughter Em is absolutely no slouch in the tumble department either. LOL

Well thank you very much!! :) We can only pray she gets back to the same level she was prior to her injury. But the rules will have to be overturned before she even gets the chance to try... :-/
 
Well thank you very much!! :) We can only pray she gets back to the same level she was prior to her injury. But the rules will have to be overturned before she even gets the chance to try... :-/

She'll get it back. Slow and steady :) I'm sure she has pt which will help her build her muscle back up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
She'll get it back. Slow and steady :) I'm sure she has pt which will help her build her muscle back up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, she does PT. It's keeping her from progressing too quickly that I'm struggling with. Freshman cheer tryouts are this week and she's been pushing way too hard...ugh.
 
The USASF posed the new tumbling rules because they are concerned about the rising number of injuries in tumbling. Besides decreasing injury (meaning do not mention that reason) are there other reasons the tumbling rules should be stricter?

On the reverse everyone keeps arguing that taking away these skills is a blow to the kids who have worked so hard. Out side of that (aka don't mention that) are there other reasons the tumbling skills should not be removed?

To answer the questions:
1. IMO no valid reasons have been presented for why tumbling rules should be stricter.
2. The tumbling skills should not be removed because the NAB does bnot have the authority to do so.

DISCUSSION:
There is no published ByLaws for the USASF that I have found. If anyone has them, please share. According to their governance overview on the website, neither the Board of Directors nor the NAB exist or have the authority to make rules changes: USASF.NET

According to the last version of the USASF and NACCC rules process (posted here: http://usasfrules.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/USASF-NACCC-Rules-Process-July-2011-Update-v6.0.pdf) there is a provision for an Emergency Rules Change Process on page 3 if "an emergency rules issue exists." Further "An emergency rules issue is defined as a rule, that if allowed to continue to exist, presents an imminent and serious danger to participants at USASF sanctioned competitions"

Neither of these standards have been met, so the rules that have been proposed are not valid unless properly presented by a full rules cycle to the FULL MEMBERSHIP OF THE USASF.

kingston and Ceacoach I hope this information can help you in your discussions and I'd be happy to continue to help find solutions to the organizational problems that led to this issue in the first place.
 
The main reason I believe the tumbling restrictions should me removed is because it levels the playing field of our sport. Our sport is competitive for a reason. Coming from a smaller gym, these restrictions may even benefit us. We dont have kids in our gym throwing full doubles or double doubles. However, the benefit to us would be short lived. We LOVE going to competitions and competing against bigger name gyms with tumbling skills that are better than ours. It motivates our athletes and pushes them to get in the gym and work harder. I understand that competition companies want to attract more teams to their events where "powerhouse" gyms dominate. But, this is not fair. I feel its the equivalent of saying that in baseball teams are only allowed to pitch up to 70 mph so all teams have a shot at making home runs or getting into the world series. Competitive sports just don't work that way. Take a look at gymnastics right now. If they had put tumbling restrictions on that sport, it would get boring to watch. The evolution of this sport and the skills they athletes are doing is what is going to get it recognized in the nation. We just have to make sure ALL the athletes at competitions and off the mat are representing the sport in a positive way.
 
Just to add my 2 cents in. In our gym our two best tumblers who both have double fulls and are not only cheerleaders but also competitive gymnast, both suffered from a fractured elbow doing a simple front tuck step out. A front tuck is a level 3 skill, and such a scary injury came out of that simple skill. The point is the even the most trained athlete (competitive gymnast, competitive cheerleader) can be hurt wether doing a double, triple full or a simple handspring. Do not punish the hard working athletes. I dont see the nba eliminating dunking just because a few athletes may have got hurt doing dunks. If you have the ability, power, and training to do a skill then you deserve to do it. Case closed.
 
I have read many good comments on this and to echo a few I would say that you should not limit tumbling because the levels already restrict them. I agree that there should be some sort of across the board certification for coaches that actually means something and not just a piece of paper that says you attended or passed a course where the answers were openly discussed and handed to you. That said, I believe that regulating coaches is a large project but one that is well worth taking on.
As for improper technique resulting in injuries. I am quite sure that improper technique can contribute to injuries I don't know if there is a single study out there that would reflect that. As someone in here stated, I am sure that injuries happen quite often with those who have great form as well. Let's face it, injuries are a part of every sport, high paid, world class athletes get injured too and the best you can do is try to educate athletes and coaches so you can try and prevent or limit these injuries.
The larger problem in my opinion is that I feel as though gyms are pushing the athletes to get their fulls and or doubles and some are not ready. Many of the athletes know that without those skills, they cannot be on a level 5 team and therefore they push themselves and sometimes too hard. Please don't get me wrong, I know that motivation is a wonderful thing but there are some who are just not ready for those skills. Add to it that coaches know they need athletes who possess those skills and may push too hard and you have a recipe for disaster. I am not saying that this is always the case but I believe that it is a contributing factor. Education for coaches and gym owners is something that needs to be looked at. As stated before, start hitting teams with large deductions for poor tumbling skills and you may send a clear message that they need to clean it up. This past weekend I saw a few teams that were "classified" as level 5 but the tumbling skills clearly told a different story.
One last thing I would like to add on the injury note. I believe that not only should coaches/gym owners be certified to teach tumbling skills, I also believe that coaches and gym owners should be certified in CPR and First Aid. Preventing injuries is one thing but how you react to them once they occur is another. If an injury occurs in your gym and not at a competition (where there is hopefully a qualified EMT or paramedic), preventing further injury or proper care for a potential life threatening condition is VERY important. How many of you can honestly say that you know that someone in your gym has a CPR or First Aid certification and that they are there for every practice? If the USASF wants to look at requirements they can start there. That's my .02.
 
I have been asked by a few people who will be in the meetings in the next couple days to discuss the new tumbling rules to pose questions to the general public. This is very important though you follow the two guidelines I set.

The USASF posed the new tumbling rules because they are concerned about the rising number of injuries in tumbling. Besides decreasing injury (meaning do not mention that reason) are there other reasons the tumbling rules should be stricter?

On the reverse everyone keeps arguing that taking away these skills is a blow to the kids who have worked so hard. Out side of that (aka don't mention that) are there other reasons the tumbling skills should not be removed?

It is very important you do not rehash those two or reasons OR just say 'because'. You want your voice heard answer these questions well. I shall ban anyone for a day who says the two reasons to not be mentioned. Thanks for your help.

Maybe they should address the way an athlete and a gym progresses in levels. I think you should move up the ladder persay v/s going from level 3 to level 5 just because you threw a double a few times . I think all athletes should spend a season on level 4 and x5 before being allowed to jump onto a team with dbls and standing passes with dbls. I have seen so many janky twist on teams that just throw a kids on a team for the sake of having a level 5. Also maybe having certain safey certified judge tryouts for level 5 teams. Its really not the skills that are dangerous its the progression that needs to be addressed
 
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #86
Rules updated so thread closed.
 
Back