It's coming. Before you know it, spring is hear and the end of the 2010-2011 college cheerleading season will be here. Some students with graduate, some will retire and some will just take a few weeks before they gear up for teaching summer camps or even practicing for summer camp. It's the same story year after year. What will be different in 2011-2012 is that all the club teams and competitive sideline teams participating in STUNT will most likely have to choose and the choice is not turning out to be a great choice.
Are you a STUNT team or are you a Cheer team?
Since USA Cheer and Varsity Brands say they are trying to make STUNT an NCAA emerging sport, then one of the important things they should probably start conforming to are NCAA rules and regulations. Even though STUNT is not an NCAA sport (probably won't succeed against Acro and Tumbling), STUNT should begin to walk and talk like a real NCAA sport. In other words, teams should begin to follow a standardized set of rules for eligibility and competition. If STUNT seeks NCAA status, then it should be operating as other NCAA sports. My point is that the Quinnipiac case shows us that teams need to abide by several concepts to be considered an NCAA/Title IX compliant teams.
First, teams should compete against same type teams. Baseball teams don't compete against softball teams. So why are club teams competing agaist sideline teams? NCAA sport teams are bound to compete under the same set of rules all season. Yet teams competing in STUNT attend CheerSport, NCA, UCA, JamFest and other competitions that all have varying rules. In addition, a real sport should be competing under the same scoring system all season. In the cheelreading world, that's definately no a current possibility because everyone does scoring their own way. The NCAA places restrictions on eligibility, practice times and even limits on gifts, benefits and financial assistance or jobs for its athletes. That is non existent with teams competing in STUNT. It already seem pretty clear that STUNT isn't doing much with its standards to mirror what the NCAA expects of a sport.
It might lead one to believe that STUNT's purpose is not truly to acheive emerging sport status with the NCAA. But here's where that choice comes in. Are you a cheer team or are you a STUNT team. Perhaps USA Cheer and Varsity Brands intended this season to be a trial and next season is when the more rigid structure of the sport is put in place. If that is the case, then next season, cheer teams can't compete in STUNT because of the "similar type" rules. That only leaves club teams to compete in STUNT against other club teams. But as a club team, USA Cheer is going to ban you from competing in other traditional 2.5 minute routine competitions because you can't compete under varying rules and scoring systems. You have to be STUNT 100% of the time. This all play into Jeff Webb's hands very nicely as he has stated that club teams confuse and complicate traditional cheerleading. It is not coincidence that UCA doesn't allow club teams to compete at nationals given this thought process. STUNT fits everyone nicely into an order and place that can be easily controlled. Club teams compete in STUNT separate from cheerleading teams. Sideline cheerleading teams compete in traditional 2.5 minute competitions and are considered an activity, not a sport.
The upcoming "off seson" will be very interesting and tell tale. Either STUNT will force choices upon teams and limit them from doing whatever activities and competitions they want or STUNT will continue as is. If it remains the status quo, then a conclusion might be drawn that there is NO true intent to reach emerging sport status. If choices are forced....why would a team let USA Cheer limit their activities or dictate what they can or can't do with their own season.
Things are getting complicated fast because USA Cheer slopped together STUNT after the NCATA took the first original steps to make competitive cheer a sport. Now USA Cheer's model is using the monopolistic control of Varsity Brands over many college teams to force or buy teams' participation in STUNT and forbid their choice to participate in certain other events. The last time I checked, my boss's name is not spelled, V A R S I T Y.
One more thing to keep in mind. Most of the teams competing in STUNT are just sideline teams, competitive cheer teams or club teams that have been at their universities for a number of years. Many of these teams have talked with thier athletic administrators about becoming a varsity sport, but to no avail. Maryland made competitive cheer a sport in 2003. If these universities were remotely interested in making their teams varsity sports teams, why haven't they done it by now?
Whether you are forced to choose to play cheerleading or forced to choose to play STUNT next season, the bottom line is that teams will still just be playing. But not playing an NCAA sport.
Are you a STUNT team or are you a Cheer team?
Since USA Cheer and Varsity Brands say they are trying to make STUNT an NCAA emerging sport, then one of the important things they should probably start conforming to are NCAA rules and regulations. Even though STUNT is not an NCAA sport (probably won't succeed against Acro and Tumbling), STUNT should begin to walk and talk like a real NCAA sport. In other words, teams should begin to follow a standardized set of rules for eligibility and competition. If STUNT seeks NCAA status, then it should be operating as other NCAA sports. My point is that the Quinnipiac case shows us that teams need to abide by several concepts to be considered an NCAA/Title IX compliant teams.
First, teams should compete against same type teams. Baseball teams don't compete against softball teams. So why are club teams competing agaist sideline teams? NCAA sport teams are bound to compete under the same set of rules all season. Yet teams competing in STUNT attend CheerSport, NCA, UCA, JamFest and other competitions that all have varying rules. In addition, a real sport should be competing under the same scoring system all season. In the cheelreading world, that's definately no a current possibility because everyone does scoring their own way. The NCAA places restrictions on eligibility, practice times and even limits on gifts, benefits and financial assistance or jobs for its athletes. That is non existent with teams competing in STUNT. It already seem pretty clear that STUNT isn't doing much with its standards to mirror what the NCAA expects of a sport.
It might lead one to believe that STUNT's purpose is not truly to acheive emerging sport status with the NCAA. But here's where that choice comes in. Are you a cheer team or are you a STUNT team. Perhaps USA Cheer and Varsity Brands intended this season to be a trial and next season is when the more rigid structure of the sport is put in place. If that is the case, then next season, cheer teams can't compete in STUNT because of the "similar type" rules. That only leaves club teams to compete in STUNT against other club teams. But as a club team, USA Cheer is going to ban you from competing in other traditional 2.5 minute routine competitions because you can't compete under varying rules and scoring systems. You have to be STUNT 100% of the time. This all play into Jeff Webb's hands very nicely as he has stated that club teams confuse and complicate traditional cheerleading. It is not coincidence that UCA doesn't allow club teams to compete at nationals given this thought process. STUNT fits everyone nicely into an order and place that can be easily controlled. Club teams compete in STUNT separate from cheerleading teams. Sideline cheerleading teams compete in traditional 2.5 minute competitions and are considered an activity, not a sport.
The upcoming "off seson" will be very interesting and tell tale. Either STUNT will force choices upon teams and limit them from doing whatever activities and competitions they want or STUNT will continue as is. If it remains the status quo, then a conclusion might be drawn that there is NO true intent to reach emerging sport status. If choices are forced....why would a team let USA Cheer limit their activities or dictate what they can or can't do with their own season.
Things are getting complicated fast because USA Cheer slopped together STUNT after the NCATA took the first original steps to make competitive cheer a sport. Now USA Cheer's model is using the monopolistic control of Varsity Brands over many college teams to force or buy teams' participation in STUNT and forbid their choice to participate in certain other events. The last time I checked, my boss's name is not spelled, V A R S I T Y.
One more thing to keep in mind. Most of the teams competing in STUNT are just sideline teams, competitive cheer teams or club teams that have been at their universities for a number of years. Many of these teams have talked with thier athletic administrators about becoming a varsity sport, but to no avail. Maryland made competitive cheer a sport in 2003. If these universities were remotely interested in making their teams varsity sports teams, why haven't they done it by now?
Whether you are forced to choose to play cheerleading or forced to choose to play STUNT next season, the bottom line is that teams will still just be playing. But not playing an NCAA sport.
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