Failing Upwards: Why Leveling Up Without Fundamentals Hurts Your Athlete

Today, I want to address an issue in cheerleading which I call "failing upwards." This term refers to the practice of moving an athlete, particularly a flyer, up to higher levels regardless of whether they have the tumbling skills for that level or not.

At first, this may seem like an exciting opportunity for your athlete. They get to learn new skills, be "challenged" and ultimately get the bragging rights of being able to say they "leveled up."

As a coach, I understand the challenges involved in picking teams and how there are times when moving an athlete up is necessary to fill a roster. I'll even admit that sometimes as coaches we want our teams to have an easier time with stunting therefore we may level up the younger flyer (without tumbling) simply to enhance the team's ability to stunt.

However, it's so important for both parents AND coaches to realize that there potential long-term issues with failing a flyer upwards.

For starters, let's think about their skill development. We all know that tumbling skills are foundational in cheerleading. When a flyer is leveled up without mastering level appropriate skills, it is going to create gaps in their development. These gaps can become significant obstacles and create future challenges especially if they want to pursue college cheerleading.

Here's a secret that most people may not to tell you 🤫 Flyers, just like everyone else are going to go through puberty! And as they grow and develop into their adult bodies, it's possible they might outgrow their position as flyers. The fact is, that there is NOTHING anyone can do to escape genetics, so the best thing you can do as a parent or a coach, is to make sure to develop a well rounded athlete who understands the importance of being versatile in the sport. It may not be today, but what happens to the 8 year old who was leveled up to level 2 without a back handspring just because she had a needle and was "small" who then keeps going up a level (or two) each year and all of a sudden she is 5 ft 7 inches tall, 13 years old at her first worlds tryout with zero basing experience, below level jumps, and because she had so little exposure to tumbling, with only a running tuck? I'll tell you what happens, she gets put on a L3 instead of the worlds team she thought she was going to be on and more often than none, she is done with the sport.

Truth is that leveling up based on need is going to happen. I'd be a hypocrite if told you that I haven't done this my self, but the important thing is to have a plan in place for sustainable progress. Without it, flyers will potentially hinder their overall progress and enjoyment of the sport, resulting in burnout.

We got to keep in mind that true advancement in cheerleading like any sport, should be based on skill mastery and readiness, not just the desire to move up. I'm not saying don't level up, or that you have to have every skill in the preceding level in order to tryout for the next... all I'm saying is that I see this issue way too often (specifically with flyers) so if you're a parent of one, focus on building a strong foundation of skills, and not just tumbling, make sure to keep in mind the importance of jumps across all levels and most importantly, MINDSET. Because versatility and adaptability are attractive qualities in athletes trying out for higher level of cheerleading and the more that an athlete can bring to the table, the more likely they will earn the placement they're after.