6 Comments

  1. Megan Marlow & Casey Marlow
    February 14, 2013 @ 4:33 pm

    Awesome concept. Awesome news!!!! Been in this industry for 15 years. So happy to see something truly moving and changing happening! Thanks a ton!

    The Marlows
    Pacific coast magic
    Corona location Directors & head coach

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  2. Chad Mulkey
    February 14, 2013 @ 4:45 pm

    This is the best news that has been introduced to this industry since its inception. The stronghold has held back a SPORT that has grown tremendously. While Varsity can be thanked for its contributions for the inception, it is clear that this step is crucial as it grows. Excited excited excited!

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  3. Jody Melton
    February 14, 2013 @ 5:10 pm

    This is very interesting proposal that could potentially lead to some needed reforms for our sport. I like the group’s willingness to at least try to work with the USASF/Varsity to iron out some of the issues, rather than starting by creating a competing organization.

    The USASF has given us many positive changes for our industry, and it simply would not exist without the leadership of Varsity and its employees, money, guidance, and support. They should be applauded for their tremendous work over the last decade. However, it is time to take another look at the USASF structure to ensure that the entire industry is fairly represented. It seems obvious that no single individual, gym, program, company, or conglomerate should have significant & permanent influence over our governing body.

    There are obvious details that would need to be filled in and some questions to be answered, but on it’s surface – this looks like a potentially great way to help transition the USASF into an even better & more transparent governing body.

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  4. Pam Swope
    February 14, 2013 @ 6:19 pm

    I totally agree!!! There should be NO company that controls the USASF – no more than the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is! There can’t be a company profiting from the use of a governing body for a sport to grow and thrive. MLB and the NFL are not owned by NIKE – so Varsity should not have control over the governing body of USASF.

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  5. Scott "Crasher" Braasch
    February 15, 2013 @ 4:24 pm

    I am a staunch supporter and critic of the USASF. I believe our industry has been served well by those in leadership and applaud all their efforts. Our governing body for the sport/industry of All Star Cheer is not just important to our continued growth, safety, and structure, it is a must. For this reason, I have always supported the USASF and its mission. I have also been a critic of the USASF, and its origins from the cheerleading industries largest vendor. As a huge supporter of Varsity brands, I respect and appreciate their financial and intellectual contributions to the origins of the USASF, however, I believe we have come to a point where USASF should truly stand and govern our all star industry independently. This letter shows a divide in our industry that has been developing for years. A governing body that is so closely intertwined with the largest vendor in our industry does not insure that all decisions made on behalf of the governing body are in its best interest, but rather implies that they are in the best interest of the vendor. What other format in our world today has a for profit entity that governs or is perceived to govern a nonprofit entity that’s decisions reflect and or could reflect the profitability of the for profit entity? This proposal sounds fair and seems to alleviate reasons why so many question the relationship of Varsity Brands to the USASF. I look forward to the outcome of this proposal, and sense yet another defining moment in our sport/industry ahead.

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  6. jim lundberg
    February 19, 2013 @ 2:10 pm

    the cheerleading industry continues to evolve! yayyyy!!!!!

    the cheerleading industry continues to surprise and thrive. it has been a fun ride being apart of this industry for the past 13 years. it was a shocking day when Varsity bought out NCA from Herkie and their apparel line way back when. there have been shocking announcements and surprises in this industry every 2-3 years. a decade ago when varsity thought they had the uniform business locked up along came spirit innovations and rocked the boat stealing the lion’s share of the all star market. then when SI went stale on their designs along comes GK in 2009 to invigorate the market once again.. so varsity buys up SI, takes over american cheerleader magazine and tries to grab control of USASF and filling its board with varsity people and putting the USASF office in the varsity building..

    it was only a matter of time before members of the cheer community revolted against the varsity domination of the market. the writing has been on the wall for the past year and a half… the arrogance varsity displays in manipulating the rules of the game to benefit their corporate bottom line is too much for regular folks in the industry to put up with. the real power in the cheer industry lays with the gym owners. they have a tendency to vote with their feet and varsity will eventually lose the majority of the market share they have now because they spend more time trying to dominate than they do trying to innovate. expect varsity to go into a long term decline… they have matured as a business and now it is time for a long slow decline until someone else buys out varsity… it might be 10 years off, but it is inevitable… varsity is toast…

    i have always thought that one day, some young, enterprising member of the cheer community with a background in media and connections with the publishing world would write a book about the history of the development of the cheerleading industry. this book would cover all of the dirty deals, backstabbing and money grubbing that has lead the development of an industry based on developing character in america’s youth. hopefully such a book will not be far off as we now have something of a happy ending and reason to be optimistic for the future of cheerleading…

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