All-Star Where Do Our Priorities Lie?

[Emily]

Can a mod edit this? Its not really how I want to put my opinion out there

I reported your post. That gives all mods an instant notification. They should fix it soon.

 

[AndyT_T]

I reported your post. That gives all mods an instant notification. They should fix it soon.

Thanks, I didnt know what to do once the edit button disappeared. I just want it worded a little differently (less horribly)

 

[kickdblcj]

Coming from an athlete who has been hurt in competition and has pushed through till the end I have to say that a lot has to do with the athlete themselves. We work all year to get our skills/hit a routine so a lot of kids will push through things till the end. Im not saying its right but you dont want all that work to go to waste. We as an industry are taught not to stop until the music is over. So i think that coaches need to go over competition procedures... i.e what to do if you get hurt, when to keep going, or when to stop.

We have sooo many rules and restrictions that are in place to "keep us safe" but there isnt really any set rule on what to do if you get hurt.

Sorry if this doesnt make sense Im a little delusional right now

 

[gymrat12]

We have sooo many rules and restrictions that are in place to "keep us safe" but there isnt really any set rule on what to do if you get hurt.

exxxxxxxactly.

 

[FierceandFearless]

Coming from an athlete who has been hurt in competition and has pushed through till the end I have to say that a lot has to do with the athlete themselves. We work all year to get our skills/hit a routine so a lot of kids will push through things till the end. Im not saying its right but you dont want all that work to go to waste. We as an industry are taught not to stop until the music is over. So i think that coaches need to go over competition procedures... i.e what to do if you get hurt, when to keep going, or when to stop.

We have sooo many rules and restrictions that are in place to "keep us safe" but there isnt really any set rule on what to do if you get hurt.

Sorry if this doesnt make sense Im a little delusional right now

I agree with everything, but I agree with this especially!!!

 

[justpeachy]

I often wonder if our desire to be seen as a 'real sport' causes us to push through injuries we shouldn't as a way to seem 'tough' and 'legit.'

We are probably getting the exact opposite result of what we want by doing so.

 

[INeverStopCheering]

One thing I see a lot is coaches allowing kids to come back in after a serious injury without checking with a parent or seeing a doctor's note to see if they're cleared. The kids really want to come back so they lie to the coaches and say they are good to go. Then they aren't fully healed and re-injure themselves.

I do think it is really hard for kids to decide in the moment "Is this bad enough that I need to stop?" Honestly, I wouldn't even know how to stop a routine from the mat if I was injured in a way that someone couldn't recognize. I.e. in our school's theatre we have a code word (potato) that is the cue for "I'm actually hurt, get me off stage." If someone calls potato, the show halts and the actor is gotten offstage. But other than passing out on the ground, how would I let my coach or team mates know over the music I was hurt? How could an 8 year old child tell me from the stage they had been injured?

 

[Rhiley]

....
I do think it is really hard for kids to decide in the moment "Is this bad enough that I need to stop?" Honestly, I wouldn't even know how to stop a routine from the mat if I was injured in a way that someone couldn't recognize. I.e. in our school's theatre we have a code word (potato) that is the cue for "I'm actually hurt, get me off stage." If someone calls potato, the show halts and the actor is gotten offstage. But other than passing out on the ground, how would I let my coach or team mates know over the music I was hurt? How could an 8 year old child tell me from the stage they had been injured?

I couldn't agree with this more... There are several things that haven't even been mentioned already... Half the time us athletes can't even hear each other over the music so how in the world would one know that somebody is hurt? Let a lone a coach or official that is completely off the stage...

And we haven't even taken into consideration the little children that also cheer, it's not all level 5 (granted that level 5 is prone to more injuries)... They would be so scared, and wouldn't know what to do... This just needs some closure for me... USASF needs to stop worrying about our clothes and appearance and take more consideration into topics like this to be quite honest.

 

[luxerae]

To my understanding, when those two girls collided on Cali Aces, the routine continued... Well that ended with two bleeding skulls among other injuries. That routine definitely should have been stopped.

 

[notreallyhere]

To my understanding, when those two girls collided on Cali Aces, the routine continued... Well that ended with two bleeding skulls among other injuries. That routine definitely should have been stopped.

I agree with the fact that the routine should have ended after the collision, but since they both got up I'm assuming the coaches thought they were well enough to go on (not mentioning the fact the girl went off the floor in the back). I was in a routine when 3 people collided into each other yet everyone kept going. I dont think there was any blood involved, but from different view points its hard to see if there is any blood, especially because the coaches were sitting on the ground and the gash(es) was on the top of the head. Though I don't know exactly what the coaches saw from their perspective, so it just depends

 

[luxerae]

I agree with the fact that the routine should have ended after the collision, but since they both got up I'm assuming the coaches thought they were well enough to go on (not mentioning the fact the girl went off the floor in the back). I was in a routine when 3 people collided into each other yet everyone kept going. I dont think there was any blood involved, but from different view points its hard to see if there is any blood, especially because the coaches were sitting on the ground and the gash(es) was on the top of the head. Though I don't know exactly what the coaches saw from their perspective, so it just depends

Yeah after I posted, I heard some more details. But in my opinion, if it looks really bad, it probably actually is really bad.

 

[KDCheerMom]

We are probably getting the exact opposite result of what we want by doing so.

I don't think this is unique to cheer. I think this comes up in a number of sports especially at the youth level.

 

[justpeachy]

Agreed. However when we have kids getting seriously injured and it appears to outsiders that we as a group think continuing through the routine is something to be proud of, we are bound to be judged negatively for that. If we have no clear plan how to deal with injuries, then we are not being very responsible... and why on earth should anyone consider cheerleading a legitimate sport?

We need clear cut industry wide standards so kids know what to do if they're hurt, and EP's and coaches have a clear way to see when a routine needs to be stopped.

 

[justpeachy]

And while I'm feeling chatty- I'd like to say I thought the idea of having injured athletes move to the side of the mat was a good one. Good visual indicator for everyone to see that something has happened.

May or may not have helped in this specific situation since at least one girl didn't appear to know the extent of her injury, but I think it's a step in the right direction.

 

[AndyT_T]

It happens all the time too!
Remember that pro spirit crash back in '06?

People in cheer are hardwired to finish the routine at all costs and I think it really is something we should be thinking about as we move forward as a sport.

I could, easily, post 10 videos of people getting BAD injuries and finishing the routine. It happens all the time.
Its just that this time it was extreme enough for people to take notice.