All-Star Why Do Gyms Need To Hide Things??

[coach12]

This came up in another topic i started (it's not comp. season yet, i'm bored..lol)
But i dont understand why gyms feel the need to hide what their competition is or what teams they have for the year.
We have our competition schedule finalized before tryouts - then after tryouts we post our teams and the schedule on our website - no secrets. It is what it is. we are not going to change because Gym ABC is going a certain national, or we are not going to change the level of a team because of another gym.

 

[yojaehs]

This came up in another topic i started (it's not comp. season yet, i'm bored..lol)
But i dont understand why gyms feel the need to hide what their competition is or what teams they have for the year.
We have our competition schedule finalized before tryouts - then after tryouts we post our teams and the schedule on our website - no secrets. It is what it is. we are not going to change because Gym ABC is going a certain national, or we are not going to change the level of a team because of another gym.

At my gym we will let any and everyone know what major competitions we are attending, this year we will be going to NCA, Indy, CheerSport and UCA. However, early in the season we have experienced some teams NOT attending events bc we were on the schedule. As a matter of fact an entire competition has been canceled. So do we still attend, yes, do we advertise our "local" schedule, no, does it change since before tryouts, no.

 

[cheeeeer93]

I can understand not posting teams because they do change from the start of the season. I mean my team has changed levels already this season and we are still kind of undecided on small or large.

 

[MissBee]

I know when selecting a travel team for my child (a different sport) looking at the tournament schedule is #1.....we look to see if the dates work for us, and what the costs are going to be (hotels etc). The team we went with does a tournament in a place where we typically go on a vacation for a few days every summer. It made sense to book our vacation overlapping with the tournament to save money (not paying to stay there twice). These program all post their schedules on their websites. It's nice for the kids to go on and see if they'll be playing any friends from school that weekend as well.

 

[MissCongeniality]

As a busy parent with kids in multiple sports I really appreciate having the schedule in advance. It makes my life so much easier. I will say one year our gym published the schedule and then made changes later on in the season for various reasons and those from another gym told everyone it was because we knew we'd lose to them.

 

[yojaehs]

As a busy parent with kids in multiple sports I really appreciate having the schedule in advance. It makes my life so much easier. I will say one year our gym published the schedule and then made changes later on in the season for various reasons and those from another gym told everyone it was because we knew we'd lose to them.

For the record, we release our schedule to our gym members, we just ask them to keep the locals hush hush

 

[canttouchthis]

At my gym we will let any and everyone know what major competitions we are attending, this year we will be going to NCA, Indy, CheerSport and UCA. However, early in the season we have experienced some teams NOT attending events bc we were on the schedule. As a matter of fact an entire competition has been canceled. So do we still attend, yes, do we advertise our "local" schedule, no, does it change since before tryouts, no.

what gym do you go too?

 

[ACEDAD]

ACE has had the same thing happen as @yojaehs mentioned. Our schedule is our schedule, but we've had some event producers ask us to stay quiet because they are afraid other gyms won't attend a local event.

Quite a shame.

 

[coach12]

ACE has had the same thing happen as @yojaehs mentioned. Our schedule is our schedule, but we've had some event producers ask us to stay quiet because they are afraid other gyms won't attend a local event.

Quite a shame.

That is a shame...
I would think from a business stand point it makes sense to post your teams and schedules. Prospective parents know ahead of time what to expect and what you offer.

 

[ACEDAD]

That is a shame...
I would think from a business stand point it makes sense to post your teams and schedules. Prospective parents know ahead of time what to expect and what you offer.

Remember that all the ACE parents know and if a prospective parent wants to know, then Courtney, etc. will happily share the schedule. It just isn't generally available until a bit later in the season.

 

[tumbleyoda]

The only one I can see knowing what the schedule is ahead of time are the coaches, parents and athletes at that gym. Prospective parents should be informed as well. Other than that IMO it really don't matter. (Minority viewpoint I know) Comp schedules usually change frequently. A Saturday comp may be moved to Sunday. Now that may work for some gyms but not for others. Last minute injuries may have you pull a team out. Advertising that you are going then having to change due to circumstances beyond your control is often portrayed as avoiding competition when that may not be the case. Additionally sometimes teams will pull out of competitions if there is no competition just as they will sometimes do in situations as Acedad described. Keeping it quiet as long as possible helps keep that event going.

No one in Maine or Mississippi really cares what teams Gym Z in Montana has unless they are going to be competing directly against them. They don't care if Gym Z has 1 team or 10, whether they are small or large except if they are in their same division and scheduled to be competing against them. So again unless it is inside the gym it really shouldn't matter what teams a gym has. Because even that can change to attrition, injuries, projected skills not being met, teams moving up or down a level, etc. And while many just say they love cheerleading and want to support other teams, for many it is scouting the opposition. So if gyms choose to make it a tiny bit harder to scout them by not posting teams or schedules, what is the problem with that? It isn't illegal and at some point during the year you will know.

 

[quitthedrama]

The only one I can see knowing what the schedule is ahead of time are the coaches, parents and athletes at that gym. Prospective parents should be informed as well. Other than that IMO it really don't matter. (Minority viewpoint I know) Comp schedules usually change frequently. A Saturday comp may be moved to Sunday. Now that may work for some gyms but not for others. Last minute injuries may have you pull a team out. Advertising that you are going then having to change due to circumstances beyond your control is often portrayed as avoiding competition when that may not be the case. Additionally sometimes teams will pull out of competitions if there is no competition just as they will sometimes do in situations as Acedad described. Keeping it quiet as long as possible helps keep that event going.

No one in Maine or Mississippi really cares what teams Gym Z in Montana has unless they are going to be competing directly against them. They don't care if Gym Z has 1 team or 10, whether they are small or large except if they are in their same division and scheduled to be competing against them. So again unless it is inside the gym it really shouldn't matter what teams a gym has. Because even that can change to attrition, injuries, projected skills not being met, teams moving up or down a level, etc. And while many just say they love cheerleading and want to support other teams, for many it is scouting the opposition. So if gyms choose to make it a tiny bit harder to scout them by not posting teams or schedules, what is the problem with that? It isn't illegal and at some point during the year you will know.

Very well said! And let me add - there is a difference between hiding and broadcasting. I don't think it's fair to accuse a gym of hiding things just because they don't post it on fierceboard or their website.

 

[coach12]

The only one I can see knowing what the schedule is ahead of time are the coaches, parents and athletes at that gym. Prospective parents should be informed as well. Other than that IMO it really don't matter. (Minority viewpoint I know) Comp schedules usually change frequently. A Saturday comp may be moved to Sunday. Now that may work for some gyms but not for others. Last minute injuries may have you pull a team out. Advertising that you are going then having to change due to circumstances beyond your control is often portrayed as avoiding competition when that may not be the case. Additionally sometimes teams will pull out of competitions if there is no competition just as they will sometimes do in situations as Acedad described. Keeping it quiet as long as possible helps keep that event going.

No one in Maine or Mississippi really cares what teams Gym Z in Montana has unless they are going to be competing directly against them. They don't care if Gym Z has 1 team or 10, whether they are small or large except if they are in their same division and scheduled to be competing against them. So again unless it is inside the gym it really shouldn't matter what teams a gym has. Because even that can change to attrition, injuries, projected skills not being met, teams moving up or down a level, etc. And while many just say they love cheerleading and want to support other teams, for many it is scouting the opposition. So if gyms choose to make it a tiny bit harder to scout them by not posting teams or schedules, what is the problem with that? It isn't illegal and at some point during the year you will know.

Its not illegal of course. It just makes sense to me to put everything out there. Prospective new Parents looking at our gym know up front exactly what comps we are going to. I would think that if someone is looking around for a new gym, they would probably first go to websites to gather all their information. I guess i just dont understand why a gym would make that info private (just my personal opinion).

 

[coach12]

And i'm not accusing anyone of anything.
Just dont understand it thats all..

 

[tumbleyoda]

Its not illegal of course. It just makes sense to me to put everything out there. Prospective new Parents looking at our gym know up front exactly what comps we are going to. I would think that if someone is looking around for a new gym, they would probably first go to websites to gather all their information. I guess i just dont understand why a gym would make that info private (just my personal opinion).

Honestly I think every gym looks at prospective parents, what information they give them and when differently. That to me is not hiding anything. Some just choose not to put that info on the website preferring the prospective parent at least come into the facility personally instead of making a choice based solely on information on a website. That does not mean they are hiding it. Every cheer gym I have worked for has always had there calendar done no later than mid summer. But they did not post it for anyone except their own parents, coaches and kids.

I understand you are not accusing anyone. However that accusation is often leveled - esp in the past here on the boards - for those who do not post their teams or schedules.