Balancing Act: Athletes That Do Double-Duty
Whether an athlete wants a leg up on the competition or extra tumbling training to perfect that standing back tuck, many do double-duty on both high school cheer squads and as all-star gym athletes. Having kids involved in both is a balancing act—one that gym owners deal with all season long. It’s a process that involves patience, communication and one heckuva big calendar.
In many cases, the key is careful cooperation with high school cheer coaches. Kate Brahney learned that the hard way after she opened Ireland’s Xtreme Gymnastics and Cheer in Auburn, New York, last February. Of her 19 seniors, six also cheered for the local high school team. Brahney attempted to find a happy medium by creating a flexible tumbling class schedule and reducing practices to once a week; however, that practice still overlapped by a half-hour with the school squad—and the coach wasn’t willing to budge.
After several unsuccessful attempts to appease the high school coach, Brahney ultimately decided the best solution was having her athletes choose between the two teams. “The problem was that these girls were my bases, so I ended up with no full stunt groups during high school practice, and by the time they got to us, our practice was half over,” she explains. “The girls and their families pay a lot of money for this training, and it wasn’t fair to those who were there.”
Ultimately, only one of her students chose the high school team, so Brahney retained 18 of her 19 athletes. However, she’d have preferred a different outcome. “If all-star coaches and high school coaches could collaborate, wow, what an experience these athletes could have,” she says. “If [schools] are the cheer experts and we’re the tumbling and stunting experts, the cheerleaders get a complete package and it benefits everyone.”
Making It Work
Though Brahney wasn’t able to make it work for her gym this season, there are many gyms bringing her vision to life. At Cheergyms.com in Concord, California, kids can do both, and many do. Owner Morton Bergue believes forging alliances with school coaches has been critical to his own program’s longevity: “We embrace the schools. We want their business.”
His facility serves roughly 20 high school squads in the area on a regular basis, primarily in the areas of choreography and tumbling practice. For athletes that do double-duty, Bergue puts a heavy emphasis on scheduling, carving out a hefty chunk of time at the beginning of every year to go over upcoming competitions, training camps, etc. Athletes can then review their options and make sure it will be feasible to participate in both activities.
“We sit down with high school coaches and advisors with a big old calendar and work it out. It’s about plugging in dates and times,” shares Bergue. “You get them on your side, they like you, and you’re gaining their trust.”
When it comes to getting athletes to make all-star cheer a priority, Bergue says requiring kids to sign on the dotted line is key to reinforcing their commitment. “We make them fill out a contract, and we have lots of parent meetings. We have the upper hand and we don’t fool around,” he says.
Other factors also play a role—all-star cheerleading costs upwards of $4,000 a year, he says, so many parents make their kids make it a priority. Hiring a stellar cadre of instructors also makes a huge difference: “The coaching staff has to be good for the kids to want to come to practice; we make it so you don’t want to miss out.”
Cutting Through Red Tape
Of course, coach relations and scheduling aren’t the only obstacles. In some cases, state law can make the balancing act difficult. In Oregon, where Thunder Elite is based, the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) decrees that a child can’t compete twice in the same venue on the same day—making it difficult to attend any local or state competition that caters to both all-star and school cheer squads.
“The OSAA ruling hurts everyone involved and makes it more difficult for kids to do both,” says co-owner David Skaw. “Not impossible, but certainly challenging.”
Eric Contreras of Scottsdale, AZ-based Desert Storm Elite has dealt with similar setbacks. In 2009, the Arizona Intercollegiate Association (AIA) disallowed high school squads from competing or practicing with all-star teams. (AIA classifies cheerleading as a sport, whereas in most states, it’s considered an activity.) Contreras considers it a shame, as prior to the AIA ruling, he enjoyed a great, stress-free relationship with the school coaches. “We helped each other coordinate schedules so that wherever they were going [to compete], we didn’t interfere with that,” he remembers.
The Problem with Poaching
One of the most important ways to get school coaches on your side is to squash any fears of poaching athletes. At Thunder Elite, Skaw says “it’s a non-issue because it’s something with deal with upfront.” He enforces a strict-no poaching rule with his staff when it comes to high school athletes.
“I’m a firm believe that if a kid wanted to do all-stars, they’d be in the gym already. Coaches are trusting us to train their kids, not to pilfer their squad while they’re under our roof,” he says. “I feel it’s not only immoral, but also just dumb business.”
Bergue agrees. He says his program has been accused in the past of poaching high school kids, but he attributes his overall solid relationship with local schools to his focus on creating a peaceful co-existence. “It’s hard, but in the long run, it’s best to keep the high schools happy,” says Bergue. “We want them to like us enough for them to use us for many different things.”
Keeping the athletes in check is also important. Contreras says he was always quick to tell athletes that if they wanted to ditch their school squad for all-star, that wouldn’t fly with his gym: “We’re big on commitment and follow-through. I would tell them, ‘You tried it, so stay with it. Whatever it is in your life that you’re doing, stick with it.’”
–Lindsay Martell