? about competitve cheering or any competitive sport

[Abbie]

I go with the Olympic motto 'Citius, Altius, Fortius' - Faster, Higher, Stronger.

Hmmm....just to play devil's advocate here how do you classify Olympic events such as ice skating and gymnastics? These follow the Olympic motto, yet are subjective in the judging. Are they sports?

My son swam competitively for years and sometimes just to annoy him I would argue that swimming didn't qualify as a sport. After all, it's strictly speed and endurance (and form)....whoever touches that wall first wins. There is no "skill" involved in that form of athleticism as there is in gymnastics. My point being there are all sorts of athletics that qualify as sports in different ways.

Oops, sorry OP, didn't mean to join in the hijack! Carry on....

 

[pozey]

If I understand what you are saying correctly, I am sort of in the same boat……just a different sport.

Both of my boys are on a competitive swim team. They are both very good – both are the best in their age group. They swim for a newly developed team put together by a swim school.

The coach is a VERY NICE guy. The kids love him. He is great. But he is not a competitive swim coach. He’s a very good lifeguard teacher.

Our team competes against other “recreational” swim teams. Both of my boys have never finished lower than 3rd place in any race. They rarely lose a race. But again, they are swimming against others in a “recreational league”.

Now……there is another swim team locally that is involved in “USA Swimming”. This is a step up in competition and training. We are discussing whether the boys want to put in the time and effort to take this step up. We would be leaving a place we have been going to for YEARS. And leaving people that we now consider friends.

It’s a tough decision.

 

[pozey]

No it's my definition and I'll judge it.

The Umpires etc make calls on rules not scoring the teams. A spectator can tell who is winning.

I hate to hijack the OP's thread, but again by your definition boxing is not a sport, but auto racing would be.

That being said......I consider pretty much all athletic events "sports". My father was a professional rodeo cowboy. I consider cowboys athletes as well. But that's just my opinion.

 

[goofy!]

If I understand what you are saying correctly, I am sort of in the same boat……just a different sport.

Both of my boys are on a competitive swim team. They are both very good – both are the best in their age group. They swim for a newly developed team put together by a swim school.

The coach is a VERY NICE guy. The kids love him. He is great. But he is not a competitive swim coach. He’s a very good lifeguard teacher.

Our team competes against other “recreational” swim teams. Both of my boys have never finished lower than 3rd place in any race. They rarely lose a race. But again, they are swimming against others in a “recreational league”.

Now……there is another swim team locally that is involved in “USA Swimming”. This is a step up in competition and training. We are discussing whether the boys want to put in the time and effort to take this step up. We would be leaving a place we have been going to for YEARS. And leaving people that we now consider friends.

It’s a tough decision.

First of all HI and welcome Sunscheermom. Small world, as my daughter is on the SUNS (special needs team of cheer central). Which team is your daughter on? Anaheim was a blast, wasn't it!

I can't comment too much on what the OP should do with her gym. As I mentioned, our daughter is on a cheer team, but we have a different experience than most, as she is on the special needs team. Consequently, my perspective is a bit skewed. However, I agree with the others that the tumbling is a concern. Our gym puts huge emphasis on safety, constantly monitoring the girls and guys form, conditioning and everything else needed for safe tumbling.

Pozey - I can speak better to the competitive swim world. All three of my kids have been swimming competitively on a semi-competitive rec league. We have the advantage of being coached by a world class, world record holder swim coach.

Jumping from rec teams to USA swimming is not just another level, but a whole other world. It really depends on what your boys want out of swimming. If they are even contemplating any kind of swim scholarship, you have to compete at the USA level. If they just love the sport of swimming and are not looking to use it as a means for scholarships, swimming with friends and being on top of the rec league may be what they prefer.

My son is talented at swimming, although far from the best on his HS swim team. He does qualify for state, but you can see the difference in the guys that swim year-round vs. the guys that swim rec leagues. He would be able to better develop his talent if he chose to swim USA along with high school. However, for my son, he decided swimming was not his ultimate passion, so he choses to remain a big fish in the smaller waters (rec league), than be a very, very little fish in the big waters of USA swimming.

I can't tell you how many swimmers we have had try USA, only to be shocked by the talent there and come back to rec swimming.

But the best barometer of if they want to do it - is to have them try it for a few months. You can always go back -but they will never know if it is something for them unless they try it.

 

[disney or bust]

My daughters joined an all-star competitive cheer team this year. You could relate it too any competitive travel team for sports. This is the first year this team has been in existence. My question is, would you feel comfortable paying a lot of money, and doing pretty good, but seeing other teams are much more advanced. Our girls are doing their best, but I question if a more established program would allow them to progress faster.

pros:
-kids love it
-coaches are very nice
-feel safe with stunts and tricks/gymnastics
-appropriate facility with spring floor to practice
-coaches are proven-they have teams at another gym that do very well
-my girls have gained great self confidence

cons:
-coaches have teams at a different gym-split loyalties
-practice times have changed a lot
-some members of the team do not take it seriously enough (ie missed practices/fooling around)-and I don't think the coaches do enough about it
-money is a significant issue for many of the families on this team (all star cheer is expensive and some decisions have been decided by money) by the way money is an issue for us also, but if they are supposed to have something to be competitive, I think they should have it.
-very difficult parents of a couple of girls that make life difficult for us all
-tumbling coaches were not spending enough time doing conditioning so the girls are all a little weak

so, would you give the program time to grow? They say they will address some of the problems after our big competition at six flags in two weeks. Have you ever begun a sport with a new program and grown with it? Any advice would be great.

Hi there! My dd is in competitive cheerleading also just not at the all star level. She is in rec cheerleading that only does competitions. Our group is a fairly new group around here compared to others (as well as smaller). I understand your point of paying lots of money and having concerns about their skill level. In my daughters case she started out on the Futures team (6 and under) and has cheered on that level for two years now. This Fall she will be moving up to the 8 and under category. I have been to many competitions and seen far superior teams to ours. I mean it's kind of hard not to be impressed when you see a bunch of five and six year olds doing back handsprings when you are just thrilled that two of your girls can do a cartwheel! My daughter absolutely loves cheerleading even though she is not one of the ones who can do a cartwheel. As I said earlier our group is smaller than most other groups but I prefer it that way. I see it as being more personal and one on one than smaller and less skilled. I say to wait it out--finish the season and then when the time comes voice your opinion. We just had our end of season awards this past Friday and trust me there was alot of opinions from the parents. Don't be afraid to let the coaches know how you feel.
By the way our Futures squad for the past two years has received 1st place at Reach the Beach Nationals in Ocean City!!!!

 

[pozey]

Pozey - I can speak better to the competitive swim world. All three of my kids have been swimming competitively on a semi-competitive rec league. We have the advantage of being coached by a world class, world record holder swim coach.

Jumping from rec teams to USA swimming is not just another level, but a whole other world. It really depends on what your boys want out of swimming. If they are even contemplating any kind of swim scholarship, you have to compete at the USA level.

My son is talented at swimming, although far from the best on his HS swim team. He does qualify for state, but you can see the difference in the guys that swim year-round vs. the guys that swim rec leagues. He would be able to better develop his talent if he chose to swim USA along with high school. However, for my son, he decided swimming was not his ultimate passion, so he chose to remain a big fish in the smaller waters (rec league), than be a very, very little fish in the big waters of USA swimming.

I can't tell you how many swimmers we have had try USA, only to be shocked by the talent there and come back to rec swimming.

But the best barometer of if they want to do it - is to have them try it for a few months. You can always go back -but they will never know if it is something for them unless they try it.

Once again, I hate to hijack the OP's thread, but thank you for this information. My oldest son - he just turned 11 - LOVES competitive swimming. He is good. Very good. He would love to swim in HS and possibly even college. And I have been told he has the talent to do so. He probably should have gone to USA Swimming a year or two ago. But he has held back that decision because of his current coach and the friends he has made on his team. His coach has even told him that he should go to USA Swimming.

Now, my younger son - he's 8 - has so much raw talent for swimming, but he does not have as good of technique. But he just blows away the competition in his age group. He hasn't lost a race since his first meet. But he does not have quite the desire for swimming as my older son. His passion is baseball.

So, that is my quandry.

 

[ntburns22]

If your daughter loves it give the gym time to grow. Last year was our first year that the studio offered cheer. We only had 5 tinys that is it. This year we are at 7 tinys, 10 minis level 2 and 12 youth level 3. Coming from a cheer mom that is spending $110 (DS is filling in) on a competition this upcoming weekend. If your DD loves it, give it another year to grow. If you still aren't happy find a new gym. Don't get me wrong in our second year we are still coming in last or close to it, but DD loves it so that is all that matters.

 

[goofy!]

Once again, I hate to hijack the OP's thread, but thank you for this information. My oldest son - he just turned 11 - LOVES competitive swimming. He is good. Very good. He would love to swim in HS and possibly even college. And I have been told he has the talent to do so. He probably should have gone to USA Swimming a year or two ago. But he has held back that decision because of his current coach and the friends he has made on his team. His coach has even told him that he should go to USA Swimming.

Now, my younger son - he's 8 - has so much raw talent for swimming, but he does not have as good of technique. But he just blows away the competition in his age group. He hasn't lost a race since his first meet. But he does not have quite the desire for swimming as my older son. His passion is baseball.

So, that is my quandry.

My apologies for also hijacking the thread.

My 10 year old is much like your 8 year old. Has a ton of raw talent, but not as much love for the sport. I also sometimes wonder about putting him in USA swimming. But according to a couple of coaches I have talked to, swimming is unique in that guys don't reach their full swim potential until their late teens, early 20's. Girls are different. You don't see very many male 15 year old Olympic swimmers. Yet you do see them with the girls. Michael Phelps is only getting better and better as he matures into his 20's.

I have been told by many of the coaches that rec swimming till about 13-14 and then moving to USA swimming is the best approach for the boys. Otherwise the swimmers can get seriously burned out. One guy on our HS team, who went left our rec team and went year round at 14 is now going to a highly sought after engineering school on a full board swim scholarship. His parents are so happy that they didn't push him sooner into year round swimming.

The only caveat to that is to make sure the rec swimming is a good program that teaches the proper strokes. Many of the USA teams here will hold stroke clinics for the rec swimmers. That is another way for rec swimmers to experience both worlds. You can enjoy the rec league, but get some of the upper level coaching of the USA coaches.

Edited to add: Although I am on the executive committee of the board of our rec team, my experiences are only what apply to what coaches have told me about my kids. It is best to consult the coaches of your kids to see what direction is the best for them

 

[Andy B]

Must be why Iceskating and Synchro are recognized Olympic sports.

This isn't really a thread about whether cheerleading is a sport or not. The OP had some concerns about her gym, not whether it is a sport. Unless you can add to the discussion and help the OP with her questions then perhaps it would be better if you start your own thread debating what is or what is not a sport instead of trying to hijack this one.

Firstly if you did not want my slant to continue you should not have responded.

Secondly Please retract that I am trying to hyjac this thread, unless you are a mindreader you do not know what I was trying if anything. I was trying to just put a little aside in. I will now depart.

 

[kidzmom3]

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. We have our end of year competition in two weeks and then our banquet. Of course, cheering doesn't really end. It goes year round. I will have a heart to heart with the coaches and see what they think. I could actually move them to their other teams. I am glad that many understood that I was not trying to push my girls, just see that they get the most out of it that they can, and that they want. They love it and want to get better. One is a flyer and one a base, so we see it from both angles. To anyone who doesn't think cheering is a sport. I can understand why you think that. However, if you have ever witnessed the sheer athletic ability of these girls, you would be amazed. The days of putting on a skirt and saying RAH RAH!! are long over.

Athletes lift weights, Cheerleaders lift athletes!!!!

 

[disney or bust]

To anyone who doesn't think cheering is a sport. I can understand why you think that. However, if you have ever witnessed the sheer athletic ability of these girls, you would be amazed. The days of putting on a skirt and saying RAH RAH!! are long over.

Athletes lift weights, Cheerleaders lift athletes!!!!

I totally agree with you! The first year my daughter cheered I was astounded at all the girls abilities. They work so hard and practice so hard that it kills me to hear others say it isn't a sport. But, hey, to each their own. You know what they say about opinions.......

I cheered when I was younger and it was completely different compared to today's cheering.