2007-2008 cheer parent thread

[tnkrbell]

My DD has been cheering since 2nd grade. (she will be in the 6th grade this year)

[our coaches would never consider making a 5 year old do the same moves over and over for the entire practice. I may be outside the norm, but the coaches really take into account each child's age and abilities. They have fun moments in every practice. These are serious teams, but a child (in my opinion) would burn out if they only received negative comments./QUOTE]

Oh absolutely!! Coaches need to take into consideration the age of the child as well as skill level. Also I agree they would not only burn out but leave crying if all they heard was negative comments!!!!

 

[Mi3stooges]

My DD started at her school in 4th grade. Was also taking gymnastics class
1X a week. Then this competion cheer team started and we love it.

I mentioned earlier how great it was to see my daughters smile after competing, but another important benefit I have found is the friendships we have bonded. In the last two days, we have had sleepovers and swim days with fellow cheerleaders. We've helped each other through surgeries, mamos and oncologist appts.

The monthy gym fees....$165

Competition fees...$120

Uniforms so you shine...$250

The friendships you form....PRICELESS

 

[TINKTWINS]

Too funny I stumbled on this tonight!! DD7 just had her very first Pop Warner practice today!! She did great and really likes it! She has watched HS age cheerleaders for years during her DBs basketball games and has been DYING to start!!

Shes going into her 5th year of traditional dance (which may take a backseat) and her third year of Irish Step. We will see what wins with her. At some point one will have to come out on top busy time of year!!!

 

[tikilyn]

Update: DD had a blast today so we signed her up for All Stars. They wanted her to be a flyer but she's scared so they put someone else. Her first competetition is in October!!


Her fees are 65.00 a month, two days @1.5 hours each week
Uniform is 150.00
Plus travel cost

Is this a good price?

 

[OFFTONEVERLAND1]

Update: DD had a blast today so we signed her up for All Stars. They wanted her to be a flyer but she's scared so they put someone else. Her first competetition is in October!!


Her fees are 65.00 a month, two days @1.5 hours each week
Uniform is 150.00
Plus travel cost

Is this a good price?

I think so. We pay 85.00 per month for 2 hours/2days, our comp fees were about 600, uniform is 250(but my DD can still wear hers from last year), 36 for new shoes, and 50 for bows, hair and makeup.Plus any travel fees. Glad she liked it!

 

[tikilyn]

I think so. We pay 85.00 per month for 2 hours/2days, our comp fees were about 600, uniform is 250(but my DD can still wear hers from last year), 36 for new shoes, and 50 for bows, hair and makeup.Plus any travel fees. Glad she liked it!

Comp fees, what is that? I guess I have a few more questions to ask on monday! LOL

 

[Mi3stooges]

Comp fees, what is that? I guess I have a few more questions to ask on monday! LOL

Competition fees......Glad she likes it!!

We pay here on LI $160 for 3X a week for 2 hrs, uniform was $250 can still wear it, but top a little small so we ordered a new one. Hope to sell old top since it was only worn 3 times!! Bow, make up, misc about $40, sneakers $40, need new ones of these. Competition fees range but avg $120. Coaches said this should go down. New this year...they hired a choreogropher...at our expense Then to travel $$$$ Still love it!!!!!!!! Time to get a job

 

[SuBeat]

Her fees are 65.00 a month, two days @1.5 hours each week
Uniform is 150.00
Plus travel cost

Is this a good price?

I'd say so!

We pay $95/month for cheer. We get a discount for tumbling since she cheers, so that is another $35/month. Our gym started something new this season, a tuition max out at $130/month, so we get the hip hop practice for no extra charge.

Uniform is $350 for everything (uniform, warm-up, shoes, hair accessory). Luckily her uniform still fits, but we did need new shoes this year ($65) and a new warm up ($70). We do have to buy a hip hop outfit for $150.

Choreography fees $75 (+35 for hip hop)

Camp $150 (+35 for hip hop)

Competition fees $400 for cheer, $235 for hip hop.

Then theres the cost of actually going to the comps...admission, food, travel expenses, and the ever popular cheer souvenirs. We added it up and we spend well over $3000/year on cheer. Good thing we ALL enjoy it so much!

 

[slduck]

WOW....our fees seem really high! We have $178 for uniforms, $150 for shoes, make up and practice clothes, $160 for choreography, $75 for a 2 day camp that we haven't had, $275 for competitions, and a $125 gym fee. Drum rolllllll......grand total $963 All this is on top of the $82 we pay per month for cheerleading and tumbling. We may also order a warm up for $55 because I don't want dd to be the only one without one.

 

[Cinderellafifi]

Tnkrbell - you need to start a thread asking everyone to post pictures of their cheerleaders! I want to see these cute kids doing their thing!

 

[slduck]

Ok here's my issue. DD has continues to practice her cartwheel and motions at home everyday. IMHO, she is getting so much better after only 5 practices (2 weeks). Yesterday after tumbling, the coach came out and praised this other child to here parents repeatedly for her progress while my dd just stood there. I finally asked him if he noticed her improvement and he just said that she had made a little progress, but she wouldn't pay attention. He said that he just put her asided and told her to do cartwheels.
Needless to say, I was HOT! I feel like buying the coaches a book or sending them to a workshop about positive reinforcement. Don't get me wrong...I am not a parent that thinks my child can do no wrong. "I now that she is as wound up as one of those bouncy balls
She lost TV at home for getting in trouble at practice. I just think that telling her "you did _____ good, but you really have got to pay attention." Is it common for the coaches to never praise the kids??????? Have we just gotten into a cruddy program? DD hadn't wanted me to stay at practices, but now she has told me never to leave her there . She is really independent, so I am very leary. What did they do when I wasn't there?

Despite my frequently tellling her she doen't have to cheer, she still wants to be on the team, and I won't force her to quit. I think forcing her off the team would send a negative message to her.She if a very happy go lucky child and seems to be taking alot of this in stride, but she is also not the type to speak up when a teacher upsets her. She has already said that she wants to do only dancing and tumbling next year. I just don't want a bad year to crush her spirit and make her never want to cheer again.

I am going to give her one more practice before I have a conference with the director. I just fear that the coaches will take it out of her if I have to go to the director. If we can make it through a year with this gym, we will definitely move to another gym next year. Any advise on how to get a tough skin or what I could do?

 

[Mi3stooges]

Tnkrbell - you need to start a thread asking everyone to post pictures of their cheerleaders! I want to see these cute kids doing their thing!

I never had any luck posting pics. I've even tried to put her video onto my computer so I could put it on you tube so you can see it. My computer says the dvd not compatible with device (I think its telling me my computer is old!!) But my daughters is quite new and maybe I'll try from hers, .....I'd really hate to ask the kids for help!! If you go to this link, there is a pic of her team at Hershey!! http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=skinny_wendy

 

[MelCald]

Lets see...I pay $110 month for gym fees...Choreography $180, uniform would have been $250, but she can still wear hers from last year. Sneakers, socks and hairbows...$65...Competition fees $705!!!! That is for one team..she is on two. Many competition companies charge less for crossover teams, so it could be about $300 more. Ugh! I never actually broke it down before. No wonder I am always broke.

Melissa

 

[ntburns22]

At what age did you all get your DD's into cheering? We have time, our DD is only two years old but I would love for her to get into cheering someday, the comps look like so much fun. I just hope she will want to do it!

We have 2 girls at 2 1/2 years old this year. They do what they can but they are really cute and a huge crowd pleaser.

My DD started at 5 and my DS started at 3.

 

[5Slays]

We pay $75/month (2 practices a week 1 hr. each) this is with the $10 discount because we draft our payments. Then we have uniforms for $188 (hers from last year still fits, so I don't have to buy that), practice uniforms and camp $195, comp fees about $500, shoes $55, this does not include makeup (we buy our own) or hair bows and travel.

Like a PP said, this also does not include the cost of actually going to a competition like food, admission fees (for 4 of us) and cheer souviniers.

 

[tnkrbell]

Her fees are 65.00 a month, two days @1.5 hours each week
Uniform is 150.00
Plus travel cost

/QUOTE]

YES
We pay
Tuition -85.00
comp fee;s- 775.00
practice uniforms-125.00
comp uiform-300ish
shoes 60.00
privates 25.00 per week!!
hotels $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
WOW!!!
But it is worth EVERY penny!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tnkrbell]

Tnkrbell - you need to start a thread asking everyone to post pictures of their cheerleaders! I want to see these cute kids doing their thing!

I will see if I can post one and start this!!!
Oh and I am not done recruiting your little mouseketeer to the Gemz!!!!!

 

[tnkrbell]

[/QUOTE]

Tnkrbell - you need to start a thread asking everyone to post pictures of their cheerleaders! I want to see these cute kids doing their thing!

I will see if I can post one and start this!!!
Oh and I am not done recruiting your little mouseketeer to the Gemz!!!

 

[slduck]

Our gym is looking for warm ups that will fit a child who probably wears a 5. Does anyone know of a brand that makes a youth xsmall?

Thanks

 

[futreWDI]

So let me first start off by saying I am not a cheer mommy. I am a former cheerleader of 13 years. I love reading about everyone's kids as cheerleading WAS MY LIFE! I also wanted to tell some of the parents that think 3 nights a week is a lot, what they may be getting into!

I cheered for my local football program from 5 years old till about 12yo. That is when I started cheering for the Dragons of NJ (no longer a team) and then Cheer Tech Titans (again no longer a team, but now Cheer Tech holds several huge competitions all over the US). When I got to HS I was one of three freshman to make varsity because I had a back handspring (the team was not all that good). I remained on the Titans until my sophomore year when my mom finally talked me into trying out for New Jersey Spirit Explosion because they were better. I made their newly formed Senior Co-ed team (I am 5'7" so I was a spotter for the single base stunts). I practiced with my HS team, 5 days a week, from 3pm (when school ended) till 5pm. I then would go home, grab a quick dinner, and then go to Co-Ed practice Tuesday and Thursday night 7pm-9pm and Sunday from 6-9. It was about a 45 min drive to practice. Halfway through the year a girl on the Senior team injured herself and the coach asked me to double team. This meant adding M-W-F practices to my schedule as well. IT WAS ALL WORTH IT! Probably one of the best years of my life. We competed in Texas at the NCA Nationals (probably the biggest all-star competition of the time; Worlds was not around then) and took 2nd place to the amazing Cheer Athletics (if you are involved in all-star cheerleading, you have probably heard of CA, if not, check out their website and their gym www.cheerathletics.com --- doctor, tanning bed, break rooms, tumble track, etc all in one gym ). We also went to UCA nationals in WDW and took 6th (due to a girl tearing every ligament in her ankle during finals; she's fine now and was cheering within a year). My junior and senior year I took it a little bit easier and only cheered for HS and the Senior Intermediate team at NJSE. I miss the competition life, the weekends away from home, the nights of curling hair, the practices till 11pm the night b4 a comp cause we just haven't got it yet, and everything else that came along with it.

I also want to say, don't be afraid to push your kid a little bit. I argued over switching teams with my mom for so long because I had fun on the team that never won but when I finally switched I realized that you actually have fun when you are winning too and doing the best that you can.

To the poster that is unsure her daughter can get a back handspring at 5'7"... she can, it may just take a little bit of bribing. Once my mom knew I was good enough to do it w/o a spotter but I just wouldn't, she promised me $1 for ever one I threw one night and I came home with $25 and a newly acquired skill

Here is a link to my all-star programs website, although I am no longer cheering there, or cheering at all but they are still awesome!

http://www.njseallstars.com/cd/


WATCH THESE TO BE AMAZED... (Cheer Athletics this year at Worlds)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYLeuMaEjTY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrkViHQbEyw