All-Star Your Definition Of A World's Caliber Team

[cupieqt]

Short Cuts?? The rules are the rules and if someone gets a bid who are you to say they took a shot cut? Don't hate the player, hate the game

If they called in favors from friends to compete just once to get a bid. And they only practiced for a couple of days strictly to keep a certain gym from getting it, then I feel like it's undeserved. It's the motives I hate really. If a new level 5 team has worked hard all year idc if they stink--they're going to go and get better and work harder and smarter so I'm all for it. I hope to be that new team someday myself. I DO love the game tho!

 

[star1998]

I don't mind it at all for now, but what will they do if the divisions get any larger in the future. The sm, senior and sm. coed's already take almost 8 hours to get through. We all want to compete in the milk house and there is not enough room. The more teams the more chance of your division competing in some other arena. That's what i don't like.

 

[ufomom]

If a team gets a bid to Worlds, they are "Worlds Caliber" because that is how the system is set up to operate. Who am I to denigrate their efforts? A system was set in place that got them there. Now I may not WATCH them, but I will not criticize them. Criticize the event producer or the system that got a team there that maybe is lacking in skills, but I am very confident that the EPs are more than happy to take that team's competition fees and smile all the way to the bank. And all those unpaid bids...HELLO...profit margin!

 

[kristenthegreat]

If they called in favors from friends to compete just once to get a bid. And they only practiced for a couple of days strictly to keep a certain gym from getting it, then I feel like it's undeserved. It's the motives I hate really. If a new level 5 team has worked hard all year idc if they stink--they're going to go and get better and work harder and smarter so I'm all for it. I hope to be that new team someday myself. I DO love the game tho!

Them's fightin' words. Because that type of situation just SOUNDS so ludicrous I could cry. In fact, it's the type of example I could possibly not believe without a blatant example. Please share.

I'd like to reiterate the idea that the word 'DESERVE' can not and WILL NOT be allowed in this argument. Period. Nobody DESERVES anything or has more 'heart' than anybody else, and I will say it until I die. You EARN it. Those junior teams could very well go out and earn a bid in a senior division provided they have 12+ year old athletes. Nobody's stopping them except their coaches (or if they have an athlete under 12).

Getting to Worlds IS the definition of a Worlds-caliber team. There are teams who get at-large bids and don't go or can't afford to go. I understand some people's fears/dislike of the idea that a team can get a bid at a national in nowhere and just because all the other 'better/top dog' teams have bids they get one, while teams in areas deep with competition can't get one. But consider this for a moment. Who's to say that that 'top dog' team, the one who has higher level skills but doesn't hit in competition, should be there anyway? Having those 'better' skills is all well and good, but if they keep falling apart or just plain not hitting during competition, should THEY be at worlds? They're clearly not excelling, no matter what skills they're throwing. Why should they go over someone who might not be hitting all the best, most exciting elements but are hitting what counts to be level 5?

 

[CDRCoach17]

From a coaches standoint, I fully understood what my team was going to be up against. I did not want to take my team because I was aware that a team of 20 could not bang with a team of 36. We had decent level skills, but no where near the difficulty to hang with the likes of Spirit of Texas. I am not a coach that strives for moral victories. I firmly believe in perfection before progression. My kids proved to me that they wanted to go. They only had 2 weeks to raise 10 thousand dollars to go to worlds. They raised exactly $11, 265 dollars in one week! Everything from sponsors to taking extra shifts at their jobs. The desire is why I took those kids to worlds. They wanted it so bad. So to anyone who said my team wasn't world's caliber...my response is....oh well! Go get a hot dog while they performed.
That is the only team I have been fortunate enough to take to worlds, and I am really proud of them. Cheerleading is one of the greatest sports on this earth, but some people have this elitist attitude. Furthermore, the majority of the people who are saying these teams don't belong come from the same gyms that have never sniffed a globe. So what is the difference between a team who finishes in 64th and a team that finishes 30th? The CEA's, Stingrays, Cali's, Rockstar's of the world are focused on what they have to do to win, not focused on how many teams they are against.
So I am with everyone else......if they raised the money, they can go. World's provides you with a detailed schedule. Form you a spreadsheet and watch the teams you want to root for.

 

[redsmom]

As a parent (who's cp never made it to worlds and thats ok ), I think that anyone who gets a bid "deserves" to be there. I think a coach should absolutely be willing to take a team on an At Large even if its a long shot, and if the parents are willing to foot the bill they should go. That said I think there are to many bids for the number of teams competing for them, seems like this year many teams already had bids when they arrived at the biggest bid competitions of the year (Cheersport & NCA). So by default the At Large bids were given to pretty low-scoring teams. (But under the current system, those teams earned those bids and deserve to go to Worlds.) If giving out fewer bids isn't really an option, I like the new preliminary round for the larger divisions and hopefully this will solve the judging issues that large divisions create.

 

[cupieqt]

I don't think my standpoint was understood so I'll try one more time. Any team that wins a bid deserves to go (I don't even want to use the word deserves bc now it's so loaded!). I was simply bothered by a mean attempt to sabatoge another gym and felt that particular team shouldn't be rewarded. They weren't successful so it's all moot to me now anyway. Any team out there that can earn a bid to Worlds, I applaud each and every one of them. Long live all stars!

 

[notimeforthat]

IMO if it bothers you to see a team who "are not worlds calibiar" compete go to the parks day 1 and come back day 2.

 

[jcheermom]

I think that what happens as it gets closer to Worlds, the bids are being handed out wrong. There are teams who go to competitions and compete against teams in their division where the majority or even all of the teams in that division already have bids to Worlds. So what happens is that they get 11th place and they get a bid to Worlds. How can that be a justifiable bid? There has to be a better way of handing out bids, rather than sending teams to Worlds who got last place in their division. What kind of message are we sending? That if you are willing to spend enough money to chase the bid you will get one? Is there some other way to hand out bids- maybe that they have to score a certain percentage of points or something which weeds out the teams that receive these bids by 'default'. **Please note: I did put the world default in quotes to indicate that I'm not implying that I am using the true meaning of default, just trying to get my point across. Now one way thatI feel that USASF is working to weed through these teams is to have them compete twice on Saturday at Worlds, but these teams have to spend all that money to get to Worlds, just to be knocked out on Saturday showing that they really couldn't compete with "THE BIG GUYS". Sorry for running on with this...

 

[cupieqt]

I think that what happens as it gets closer to Worlds, the bids are being handed out wrong. There are teams who go to competitions and compete against teams in their division where the majority or even all of the teams in that division already have bids to Worlds. So what happens is that they get 11th place and they get a bid to Worlds. How can that be a justifiable bid? There has to be a better way of handing out bids, rather than sending teams to Worlds who got last place in their division. What kind of message are we sending? That if you are willing to spend enough money to chase the bid you will get one? Is there some other way to hand out bids- maybe that they have to score a certain percentage of points or something which weeds out the teams that receive these bids by 'default'. **Please note: I did put the world default in quotes to indicate that I'm not implying that I am using the true meaning of default, just trying to get my point across. Now one way thatI feel that USASF is working to weed through these teams is to have them compete twice on Saturday at Worlds, but these teams have to spend all that money to get to Worlds, just to be knocked out on Saturday showing that they really couldn't compete with "THE BIG GUYS". Sorry for running on with this...

See I didn't even realize this type of thing happened. I only had one scary team to base my opinion on and I had no idea there were apparently lots of teams that were getting bids that came in last at comps. I honestly thought that it was really really really hard to get a bid so if you got one you must be THE BOMB.
I probably shouldn't have jumped in on this thread with my very limited understanding of how it all works out.

 

[ztaprincess]

I think the problem that people have with them basically just throwing bids at teams at some competitions is that it tarnishes what people want the others to see Worlds as. Worlds is suppose to be seen as the best of the best, but what if someone from the outside watches worlds and sees on of those teams that barely made it. In their mind it could be that worlds now looks like a big joke. I do see the other side of it as well. If a team works their butt off to get there and they have no problem with taking 25th place out of 60 teams then more power to them.

Now the only problem that I myself have are the teams that place 5th or 6th in their division and because everyone else has a bid they give that bid to that team. In my opinion you should have to place in the top 3 of your division in order to receive a bid unless teams in all the divisions (top 3) already have bids already.


Take the Olympics as an example, those countries (9 times out of 10) are sending their best athletes in order to take a gold medal. You don't see the USA gymnastics team or swim team taking an athlete that doesn't really have the skill but wants the experience. If people want cheer to one day be respected like the Olympics then it needs to really be the best of the best going to worlds.

 

[fabulousity]

@newcheerdad i come from a world where at-large bids are foreign to me, but i will admit that there was a time where receiving ANY type of worlds bid was an honor. however now that companies are predetermining the number of bids at each competition prior to enrollment, it's becoming a bit of a problem because it's as if nearly anyone can grab one. I don't think that the bid process is anything CLOSE to the ncaa tournament for the sake that the teams that receive bids are winning teams: they have winning records, they are conference winners, they come from strong conferences... these are teams with proven success in one season. And there is only a set number of teams allowed in. I feel as if there are so many opportunities to grab paid/partial bids, that the at larges are just being thrown out to anyone willing to attend often going to teams who haven't won anything. there have been competitions this season that offer 12 bids (2 paid, 10 at larges) and literally TWELVE worlds teams have shown up to compete so everyone was given some sort of bid. that makes no sense to me at all. i think if teams are not continuously placing well at nationals (especially those regionally), then perhaps worlds is not the stage for them.

 

[The Sixth]

I think we can all agree, there is no system in place currently to establish any type of standardized bid process. So that part of the discussion is irrelevant. In an ideal situation, in the not too distant future, a standard scoresheet will be used. In this ideal situation, I feel "Worlds Caliber" teams will need to be scored over a certain threshold to receive a bid. I'll even go a step further and say a raw score would be the qualifier. And THAT number will define what a Worlds team is. With the exception of the International divisions, this would also be a high score.

I do not agree with the idea of teams going because they work hard, it's a great experience, or whatever other rainbows and unicorns statements that you can make. Two reasons.

First, scheduling, simple as that. Worlds keeps growing. The International Coed division for example this past year, those teams were required to be up at the crack of dawn, AND expected to perform again at the close of the day. I would imagine Small Sr was the same, but the 2nd largest division was Small Limited Coed, and those teams were having to perform well past 10pm.

Second, as several have mentioned, Worlds is supposed to be the best of the best. If it sounds elitest to say that not everybody should be there, it is. I think the mistake ppl are making is elite automatically means big gyms, which isn't true.

 

[cheererinIL]

I think the mistake ppl are making is elite automatically means big gyms, which isn't true.

I can't bold, underline, enlarge this statement enough.

I feel very strongly about teams competing towards the end of the season and "defaulting" into an at-large bid. I don't care how hard the team has worked the last 3 weeks to get the routine together and they're newly formed, or whatever the circumstance may be- as it has been mentioned before, Worlds is THE BEST OF THE BEST. I firmly think there should be a minimum score needed to be reached, or you must placed top 3 or something. I'm nervous about it turning into just another national competition where anybody can go. It's prestigious for a reason. It's not about "going for experience". You go because you are the best of the best, not to hang out in Disney with other cheerleaders and your friends.

 

[Flyer mom]

I can't bold, underline, enlarge this statement enough.

I feel very strongly about teams competing towards the end of the season and "defaulting" into an at-large bid. I don't care how hard the team has worked the last 3 weeks to get the routine together and they're newly formed, or whatever the circumstance may be- as it has been mentioned before, Worlds is THE BEST OF THE BEST. I firmly think there should be a minimum score needed to be reached, or you must placed top 3 or something. I'm nervous about it turning into just another national competition where anybody can go. It's prestigious for a reason. It's not about "going for experience". You go because you are the best of the best, not to hang out in Disney with other cheerleaders and your friends.

Very well said. Agree 100 percent.