Cheer perfection

[dakcp2001]

Anyone watching?

 

[Hrhpd]

Anyone watching?

As a competitive cheer mom of a level 5 athlete, I now know what legitimate dance moms feel like.

What a crock. And what a disservice and an insult to allstar cheer. This is a pageant mom who started a so-called gym. The kids on the teams are her pageant kids. She has a pageant company "Perfection Studios."

It is geared towards Toddlers and Tiaras and Honey Boo Boo fans. Definitely not even a glimmer of a reflection of what our sport is about. They are the laughing stock of the cheer world. There was a collective groan on the Fierce Boards (board dedicated to cheer) when it was picked up for another season.

A better show is Cheer on CMT which follows the Central Jersey All-Stars, an excellent gym and they have strived to show what allstar cheer is truly about.

Allstar Cheer is working very, very hard to not look like or be associated in anyway with any type of pageanty look and focus on the extreme athletic prowess it takes to participate (new rules on makeup, uniforms, etc). This show throws that all away.

I know at our gym and most gyms, if our parents acted even a bit like those moms, the kids would be escorted out of the building and banned from the gym forever.

Typical staged reality show that has nothing to do with actual reality.

 

[gator75]

First of all i'm not involved in cheer at all , and have nothing against it but i have to say i do hate this show. In fact my new years resolution is to get through an episode of this show and hone boo boo with out gaging. I do like toddelers and tiarras , but something about cheer perfection rubs me the wrong way. It looks to artifical to me and makes the real cheer teams out there look like they fall into the same class as this show. It should not be on i have seen real cheer teams in action and they are great , but to smeone who hasn't seen them and what they really are about i would think it would cast a false light on the real deal.

 

[Family Fun Mom]

We watched it partly in horror and partly laughing our butts off. My daughter did all star cheer for 4 years and is now on her high school competitive team. Neither team is ANYTHING like that. That gym is insanity. I have never seen anything like it.

And all that fuss over a L2 Youth team? A TERRIBLE L2 youth team at that! Some of those girls have level 4 and 5 skills, they should be a LOT better than what we saw. The local L1 rec team at my daughter's old gym would wipe the floor with them. Mystifying.

 

[dakcp2001]

I grew up in the north where cheer is not a big thing. Glad to her this is to actual cheering! I was starting to be thankful no one takes it seriously where I grew up. But I am enjoying the show! Seems like this family makes a lot of money with their gym! The moms are all like junior high girls.

 

[Hrhpd]

We watched it partly in horror and partly laughing our butts off. My daughter did all star cheer for 4 years and is now on her high school competitive team. Neither team is ANYTHING like that. That gym is insanity. I have never seen anything like it.

And all that fuss over a L2 Youth team? A TERRIBLE L2 youth team at that! Some of those girls have level 4 and 5 skills, they should be a LOT better than what we saw. The local L1 rec team at my daughter's old gym would wipe the floor with them. Mystifying.

I know. It is pretty hysterical.

There is nothing wrong with being on a Y2 team as they are the future of cheer. But really, the Y2 team is their elite team that Moms are fighting over? Especially when some of the kids have better skills than L2. Doesn't say much for knowledge of the owner of the gym.

I really feel sorry for the kids though. They probably work as hard as any team, but the show is making a mockery (at least in the cheer world) of their team, their work and their gym. I would be embarrassed to have my child on that team at a competition, knowing how they were portrayed on the show.

At least on Cheer, the CJA team is a legitimate S5 team and the journey being followed is earning a bid and then an appearance at Worlds. A Worlds Team - now that is a true Elite team.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Cheer moms, let me ask you a question. Do you think that in the future all cheerleaders will need to start at a young age going to these cheer specific gyms?

I'm just wondering because 15 years ago when I started high school, most of the cheerleaders started their freshmen year. Some started in middle school. No one went to cheer-specific gyms or classes. I was a competitive gymnast and a dancer from a young age, so I had an advantage and was able to easily adapt my skills to cheerleading. Now it seems like if you don't know what sport you want to pursue at a young age (cheerleading, gymnastics, soccer) and get in to those classes right away, you are at a disadvantage and can't really catch up in jr high or high school.

I'm not trying to sound critical or anything. I'm honestly concerned about this as we are about to have our first child, and I feel like I need to watch my child and get them in classes when they are 2 for them even to have a chance. There isn't much room for casual participation in activities these days...

 

[EMom]

Cheer moms, let me ask you a question. Do you think that in the future all cheerleaders will need to start at a young age going to these cheer specific gyms?

I'm just wondering because 15 years ago when I started high school, most of the cheerleaders started their freshmen year. Some started in middle school. No one went to cheer-specific gyms or classes. I was a competitive gymnast and a dancer from a young age, so I had an advantage and was able to easily adapt my skills to cheerleading. Now it seems like if you don't know what sport you want to pursue at a young age (cheerleading, gymnastics, soccer) and get in to those classes right away, you are at a disadvantage and can't really catch up in jr high or high school.

I'm not trying to sound critical or anything. I'm honestly concerned about this as we are about to have our first child, and I feel like I need to watch my child and get them in classes when they are 2 for them even to have a chance. There isn't much room for casual participation in activities these days...

This is largely the case where we live. We are in a Texas town that is highly competitive. In everything. At junior high age, when it's time to try out for cheer, volleyball, soccer, football, basketball, etc., the only kids who make the team are the ones who have been in leagues since they were 5 or 6 and not all of them even make it. It's ridiculous. As an example, DD had two friends who had been in cheer since age 5, could do back handsprings/series and had almost mastered her tuck and that kid's skills were not good enough to make the team.

We committed the cardinal sin of letting DD participate in a lot of things. Volleyball, soccer, swimming, you name it. Since we didn't have older kids and hadn't learned the ropes, we didn't realize we had to zero in on one activity by age 5 and dedicate her life to it. Silly us.

But not every town is as bad. DD is on a cheer team now and there are girls who attend neighboring districts that are school cheerleaders, but could NEVER make the team here. So how good you have to be varies. DD's 2 friends who did not make the team here would have been the best of the best at another school.

 

[Hrhpd]

Cheer moms, let me ask you a question. Do you think that in the future all cheerleaders will need to start at a young age going to these cheer specific gyms?

I'm just wondering because 15 years ago when I started high school, most of the cheerleaders started their freshmen year. Some started in middle school. No one went to cheer-specific gyms or classes. I was a competitive gymnast and a dancer from a young age, so I had an advantage and was able to easily adapt my skills to cheerleading. Now it seems like if you don't know what sport you want to pursue at a young age (cheerleading, gymnastics, soccer) and get in to those classes right away, you are at a disadvantage and can't really catch up in jr high or high school.

I'm not trying to sound critical or anything. I'm honestly concerned about this as we are about to have our first child, and I feel like I need to watch my child and get them in classes when they are 2 for them even to have a chance. There isn't much room for casual participation in activities these days...

Not in our gym. We have lower level senior teams for teens who are just starting out. In fact, we have teams for just about any level and any age. Everybody is welcome and nobody is turned away. There is a team for everybody. And they work just as hard and are as competitive at their level as the higher level teams. So, there is no real casual involvement. You are there the same time as the elite teams, you just compete at your level.

However, if you desire to eventually make the elite teams (level 5), you will probably need to start younger to acquire the skills necessary to make the team.

Our school cheer is not as competitive as all star and in many schools, looked upon as far beneath the skills needed for all star. School is for fun, all star is for serious athletes.

However, I know it is far different in the cheer belts, where school cheer is just as if not more serious than all star.

 

[Hrhpd]

This is largely the case where we live. We are in a Texas town that is highly competitive. In everything. At junior high age, when it's time to try out for cheer, volleyball, soccer, football, basketball, etc., the only kids who make the team are the ones who have been in leagues since they were 5 or 6 and not all of them even make it. It's ridiculous. As an example, DD had two friends who had been in cheer since age 5, could do back handsprings/series and had almost mastered her tuck and that kid's skills were not good enough to make the team.

We committed the cardinal sin of letting DD participate in a lot of things. Volleyball, soccer, swimming, you name it. Since we didn't have older kids and hadn't learned the ropes, we didn't realize we had to zero in on one activity by age 5 and dedicate her life to it. Silly us.

But not every town is as bad. DD is on a cheer team now and there are girls who attend neighboring districts that are school cheerleaders, but could NEVER make the team here. So how good you have to be varies. DD's 2 friends who did not make the team here would have been the best of the best at another school.

Don't know where in Texas you are, but don't the big gyms like Cheer Athletics, Texas Cheer, etc have level 1 teams for those late starting?

I know school cheer is crazy competitive down there though!!!!!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

As a competitive cheer mom of a level 5 athlete, I now know what legitimate dance moms feel like.

What a crock. And what a disservice and an insult to allstar cheer. This is a pageant mom who started a so-called gym. The kids on the teams are her pageant kids. She has a pageant company "Perfection Studios."

It is geared towards Toddlers and Tiaras and Honey Boo Boo fans. Definitely not even a glimmer of a reflection of what our sport is about. They are the laughing stock of the cheer world. There was a collective groan on the Fierce Boards (board dedicated to cheer) when it was picked up for another season.

A better show is Cheer on CMT which follows the Central Jersey All-Stars, an excellent gym and they have strived to show what allstar cheer is truly about.

Allstar Cheer is working very, very hard to not look like or be associated in anyway with any type of pageanty look and focus on the extreme athletic prowess it takes to participate (new rules on makeup, uniforms, etc). This show throws that all away.

I know at our gym and most gyms, if our parents acted even a bit like those moms, the kids would be escorted out of the building and banned from the gym forever.

Typical staged reality show that has nothing to do with actual reality.

I agree with all of this too.

Cheer moms, let me ask you a question. Do you think that in the future all cheerleaders will need to start at a young age going to these cheer specific gyms?

..

Yes! The Cheer teams in our schools require tumbling skills to make it. The younger they start the better because the fear is not there as much. My daughter has been tumbling for several years and we still take lessons to keep her where she needs to be, and now we are working on new skills to get her ready for collegiate cheer. She is a freshman in HS. It is a lot of hard work but she and some others love competing and all of that so they work hard for it.

I also have a friend who has a daughter who started out tumbling at a very young age. She was so good at it that she now takes gymnastics five nights a week and not just cheernastics. Years ago she had thought about being a cheerleader but her new passion is in gymnastics and she competes with that. She loves it. She also has her sights set on the Olympics, and I wouldn't be surprised if she made that goal because she is great! She is being trained by coaches who work with a local university team right now, and she is in the 4th grade.

We also have several girls who play soccer along with cheer. Some even play golf, which is something else that my daughter is showing interest in. At our school, they are allowed to do more than one sport, which is great. I say the more they are involved in, the better off they are. Keeping them busy will help to keep them out of trouble.

 

[esk]

Once a Cheerleader, always a Cheerleader.....

when I cheered in the late 80s, it was for fun, there was no competitive cheer and we wore sweaters with our skirts, which had pleats. And I "had" a roundoff, that's it.....nobody on my High School squad had a back handspring. There was one school in the state (bigger district) where handsprings were required to make the squad and we were in awe of them.

So I always watch cheerleading shows, can't help it. My DH rolls his eyes but I roll my eyes when he watches James Bond, so there.

Anyway, I have DD8 in gymnastics just in case she wants to cheer later. She does ballet now and likes gymnastics (Thanks, Summer Olympics!) but we'll pick one if 3-4 years and go with that. It's expensive, and I didn't want her to miss out on the opportunity to cheer because she didn't start gymnastics before age 10.

All that said, Cheer Perfection is horrible. I know cheerleading is big in the South but I just could not get into that whole attitude. I know it's staged, and it's "reality" but do those moms own anything that does NOT say CTR or something on it? Really? Have to wear the gym's shirts all the time?

Ann is apparently one of Alisha's employees in her pageant business and so is one other mom. What do you want to bet Bonnie gets paid extra to "rile up" Ann, and create drama? Not that it would be worth it, they all come off looking terrible. Did anyone catch where the Dr told Brooke's mom she needed to lose weight and she said to the camera "he doesn't actually want her to lose weight, just firm up her core"......no, he said drop pounds. I heard him. Rewind the DVR.

Alisha doesn't bother me, actually, nor does her husband. It's the Moms, and what is awful is, they KNOW they are doing it, they KNOW they are looking that way on national television.

 

[EMom]

Don't know where in Texas you are, but don't the big gyms like Cheer Athletics, Texas Cheer, etc have level 1 teams for those late starting?

I know school cheer is crazy competitive down there though!!!!!

Maybe I was not clear. I was trying to differentiate between competitive cheer and school cheer. (School cheer may or may not be competitive....that depends on the school.)

At our competitive gym, there are teams for all levels, even beginners. However, the school DD attended (we just changed schools) was a competitive team as well. The entire school was competitive in every sport, beyond description. At her school, it took having your series and tucks down to be "guaranteed" a spot on the junior high team. Junior high. A few made it with just series. A back handspring was not enough to make the team. Girls were turned away who could do back handspring and even series. They just had too many girls who could do even more. Beginning training at 5-6 would not guarantee you a spot on the team, but it would be a big help.

Drive 10 miles down the road where the school teams are not competitive and it's a whole different story.

 

[MarineVet]

I saw this show for the first time today as I was home from work sick.

When I grew up in the 70s cheerleaders in Central Illinois tried out starting in Jr. High and went from there. To my knowledge there were no cheer gyms. I was not a cheerleader as I had no gymnastic skills, so I became a statistician for boys basketball, cross country and track instead and I loved doing that. I rode the basketball bus to all the away games and every one of our high school cheerleaders were nothing but sweet to me. I never understood the movie and TV stereotype of the snotty cheerleader. And I knew all of their mothers, who would never dream of sniping at each other like the women on that show.

I was curious about the show's origins, and discovered several of the moms and kids were previously on T and T, so I wondered how much of their interaction is real and how much is just another excuse to be on TV. I won't be setting my DVR to catch any future episodes.

 

[pacrosby]

Cheer moms, let me ask you a question. Do you think that in the future all cheerleaders will need to start at a young age going to these cheer specific gyms?

I'm just wondering because 15 years ago when I started high school, most of the cheerleaders started their freshmen year. Some started in middle school. No one went to cheer-specific gyms or classes. I was a competitive gymnast and a dancer from a young age, so I had an advantage and was able to easily adapt my skills to cheerleading. Now it seems like if you don't know what sport you want to pursue at a young age (cheerleading, gymnastics, soccer) and get in to those classes right away, you are at a disadvantage and can't really catch up in jr high or high school.

I'm not trying to sound critical or anything. I'm honestly concerned about this as we are about to have our first child, and I feel like I need to watch my child and get them in classes when they are 2 for them even to have a chance. There isn't much room for casual participation in activities these days...

I'm not a cheermom but I'm a dance mom...is that close enough???

My answer is - it depends on who you ask.

Many people (most?) will likely say yes, get in early, because that is the trend these days. And when everyone else is doing it, it tends to make us feel like we need to do it too (lest we get left out).

The problem is there is no real evidence that that's true. Those whose kids committed when they were young and achieved success will obviously say.."yes, commit while they are young". Those who didn't commit but whose kids weren't hampered in their quest for success will say "don't bother it's not necessary". And those who didn't commit whose kids ultimately didn't find success? Well, they'll likely say "yes, commit..we didn't and look what happened to us". Of course no one knows if their success was hampered because they didn't start early, or if they just didn't have what it took to succeed period.

I figure it's much like reading. You can try to push the prerequisites in PS or K if you want to but it won't make your kid a better reader in the long run. Those who wait until 1st or even 2nd grade generally catch up in short order simply because as 6/7 yo's they are, developmentally, better prepared to process the information. And those who don't? Well, there is probably something else going on in that case anyway, so trying to start earlier would've proven futile.

My dd didn't get serious about dance until 11. Right now she's on a team and dancing on par with (or better than) many dancers who committed themselves at the age of 6 or 7. The thing that people forget is that what takes a 6 yo a few years to learn, a talented 10 or 11 yo can learn in a matter of months because they are physically and emotionally more mature. And because when they commit at that older age, they commit in a way that a 6 yo never could. While they may not make the A Team the first year, some good old fashioned hard work and perseverence can bring a talented kid to the top of the heap in no time. And just think of all those years they had to just be a kid, to explore different options, and finally make a choice based on what THEY wanted and not what you wanted them to do. And all that money you saved

My advice? Don't make the mistake of forcing your child to make such important decisions about their life before they even know who they are or what's really out there to choose from. Truth is it's more than likely to result in a child who gets a) burned out or b) does a sport simply because it's all they've ever known rather than it is to result in a child who is a superstar.

 

[Becky2005]

Cheer moms, let me ask you a question. Do you think that in the future all cheerleaders will need to start at a young age going to these cheer specific gyms?

Pretty much works that way with stuff around here.

Kind of stinks for the kids that like to do things for fun and/or when medical issues force things (nothing like being told "I have no talent" after gymnastics was taken away from my kid due to medical reasons -- she had been doing it for 11 years -- the funny thing is she had been not wanting to continue anyway but I think it was the forced part & wasn't her choice that made it worse).

I know my DD was a school cheerleader through Freshman year but had to quit because you couldn't do the competitive cheerleading & be on the gymnastics team at the same time.

My one son always enjoyed basketball but he has motor skill delays so was never as good as the other kids but he enjoyed taking the skill classes and was getting better -- unfortunately, starting in 3rd grade -- the only option you have is to become competitive and end up on the feeder team for the elite basketball teams and this is through the park distict!! So, not even the more elite type of gyms/places you could go to. It would have been a disservice to him to put him on a competitive type team in 3rd grade.

Although things can turn around, we had DD in gymnastics, dance & ice skating (my theory was she would really like one and not so much the others...I was somewhat wrong & she kept going neck & neck with improving skills for all of them. We sort of forced the decision when she made the gymnastics team -- ice skating had to go. Again...there really was no option to continue gymnastics in the park district if you weren't on the team). She wasn't having fun at dance so that got pulled prior.

She is now going to be taking some private dance lessons as we found a place that literally teaches all dance styles for all ages and levels...which is really nice since that is SO hard to find around here.

We did watch the first couple episodes of Cheer Perfection (we don't have cable so not sure how many there are) -- and we were actually surprised at what they considered their elite team because around here, wouldn't even be close but that may be DD gymnastics training coming into play -- she was having issues with their tumbling skills.

 

[mfd25wife]

Former cheer mom from Arkansas I remember the team Cheer Time Revolution the last year DD was in All Star Cheer. They were not very good at all. As a matter of fact, another cheer mom was at my house last weekend and I was telling her about the show. She was shocked they used them for the show. No one in competitive cheer in AR would have. I am surprised that of all the squads in AR even, they chose that one. CCU would have been much better to follow. Cheer Elite in Memphis would have also been good. A level 2 squad is nothing to get so excited about and moms to get that insane to be on the squad. Granted, some squads will use some level 4 or 5 in with the level 2 kids just to help them out, but keep the skills used at the correct level. CTR didn't have a squad above level 2 when DD was cheering either. But, the reason why is most of the girls/guys with the level 4-5 skills in Sherwood will drive to Cabot or LR to cheer for CCU.

I also don't get the crazy mom stuff. We never had major drama. Of course there are moms or dads that people like more than others, but the drama would not be tolerated.

Edited: For school cheer, all cheerleaders around here have to have at least a standing backhand spring (prefer tucks), two good jumps, and a little dance. The dance is not complicated. The jumps are to be the best jumps they have. There were a group of parents whose daughters wanted to cheer so we had them start a class in 4th grade to make the 5th grade squad. DD started in gymnastics, but after falling on the balance beam in warmup (straddled it doing something, I forgot what, backwards) decided to finish out her second season and switch to cheer.

 

[NMAmy]

I just watched 2 episodes yesterday. The mothers are ridiculous and act like junior high mean girls.

I do have one question--has it become more common for moms to hang out at practices? DD was involved in basketball, softball, and cheer growing up and I can honestly say I have never once watched her practice. I'd go to games but parents weren't encouraged nor did I want to sit around while she practiced so this seems super odd to me.

 

[njmom47]

Yes, but would much rather watch the show with CJA because when dd#2 used to cheer, they were at many of the same competitions, and I know their show is real!
Yes, moms do hang out at cheer practice (or at least they used to when my dd cheered).

 

[Patience]

When my daughter did all-star cheer, the moms stayed at practice until the girls were old enough to drive themselves. I would sometimes leave and run an errand or two but most of the time, we sat in the observation area and chatted with each other. My daughter still loves cheer and is now a cheerleader at a division 1 college.