After tryouts our coaches go through what is known as “team deliberation.” This is an opportunity for us to go through each athlete’s skill assessment page. From there we create teams based on age, skill, and the make-up of the team. We take into consideration all areas of the score sheet. Although tumbling is the most visible skill, we will also consider stunting skills, ability to pick up choreography, and mental fortitude. Our goal is the place athletes on a team where they will be most successful.

All Star cheerleading is a competition sport that involves boys and girls performing a 2 minute and 30 second routine composed of tumbling, stunting, jumping, pyramids, dance, and cheer segments. This routine is performed and scored against other competitive teams at various local, regional, national, and worldwide competitions.

When we refer to tumbling, we mean gymnastic type skills like cartwheels and back handsprings. Stunting refers to a group of two or more individuals that elevate another cheerleader in the air. This also includes co-ed stunting that may only include one base and one flyer. Pyramids are a form of stunting but are done as a large group and are interconnected. Dance is a portion of a routine that consists of choreographed high energy dance moves. Lastly, the cheer portion is a part of the routine that team members perform precise coordinated motions.

The main difference between High School cheer and All Star cheer is that a High School cheerleading team’s primary purpose is to support a local school’s sports team and keep the crowd excited. An All Star team performs purely for the challenge, thrill, and competition of the sport. Other differences include All Star cheerleading seasons can be as much as a year long, All Star cheerleaders are not required to be from the same school or area, and in many cases the skill set required for All Stars is much more diverse.

Once you and your athlete have made the commitment to All Star there are a few extra things that you want to keep in mind. Because of the competitive nature of the sport, cheerleading can often encourage gossip and mean-spirited words. Many times this is coming more from the parents than the cheerleaders. It’s imperative to remember that as a parent it is your responsibility to remain supportive of your cheerleader, your cheerleader’s teammates, and Idaho All-Star Cheer. This means not talking about other children or parents, especially in gym waiting areas, and quickly dealing with your own child if he or she is encouraging gossip. We all would like to say that the world of All-Stars is free of this type thing, but it can quickly get out of hand with a few bad apples in a cheer gym.

Also, there will be times when the coaches make decisions that you are not comfortable or agree with as a parent. If a problem occurs (barring a safety issue) we encourage you to step back and think through your issue for a few days. Ask yourself several questions like…Am I being overly protective? Was my child doing something to deserve reprimand? What could be the reasons for my child’s placement in a routine? Is there another reason this decision was made that I am not aware of as a parent? If you still feel strongly about the issue, your first conversation should always be with your child’s coach. The coach can explain why decisions were made and give you more insight into the process. We would guess that as many as 95% of issues can usually be resolved between coach and parent. For most gyms, the appropriate way to make contact with the coach is by a phone call or email. DO NOT approach a coach on the cheer floor during practice or some other cheer activity. This is one of the cardinal rules of being a good cheer parent! The coaches need to concentrate on our children and their safety and cannot be worried about an angry cheer parent approaching them during this time. 

Lastly, as a cheer parent, you will want to support your child with every up and down they may experience in cheer; and there will be many of them. There may be skills your child masters in days and then there will be that one skill that takes two or more years to perfect. They may have what we call “mental blocks” where they just cannot perform a skill that they may have been doing for some time. Most times mental blocks happen after some type of injury or fall but typically there is not a physical reason preventing it. Also, there are times when your child may not make a team they expected or even worse see their friends go to higher-level teams without them. Along with all these lows, there are many highs though. The thrill of seeing your child perform a skill for the first time is incredible; while the pride of watching your 5-year-old son/daughter perform in front of thousands without any issues will bring tears to your eyes. There are great times and tough times but your support as a parent makes all the difference.

We strongly encourage parents to help manage their athlete’s expectations before tryouts begin. In reviewing the options available for her/his age and skill level, try to avoid placing pressure on your athletes to make a particular team, and instead focus on what they really love about cheerleading, whether it’s the physical challenge, the friendships, the thrill of competition, or all of the above. Try to reassure your athletes that you are not emotionally invested in what team they make, and that they will always have your support.