A week ago the sport of competitive cheer was introduced to a new concept, The Majors. As I spent the week recovering from a packed weekend and helping my daughter’s team prepare for their next big event, I’ve had time to reflect on all the reaction from this new addition to competitive cheer. I will try my best to describe the entire scope of the event and what I feel it means to all of us.
My small disclaimer: Nfinity is a sponsor of the event, but it’s my blog and I have no obligation to promote the event or critique it in any way. Everyone who knows me will expect that I be respectful of the event and companies that produced it and just give you an idea of what it was like to be there without any bashing. That’s just how I roll. . .
The Majors occurred the same weekend as one of the largest cheer competitions in the country – Jamfest Supernationals in Indianapolis, IN. You might think these events would conflict with each other or provide logistical problems over 550 teams there for the Jamfest event, but in fact they had a way of complimenting each other.
Held from January 13-15, Jamfest Supernationals is a major cheer event in the season for many programs. With it’s size and history of being run well, teams travel from across the country and Canada to compete in the some of the largest division sizes around. Many divisions had at least 10 teams in them and my daughter’s division, Small Senior level 5 had 25 teams in competition. That makes the competition experience and prize of walking away with a champion jacket very special for (missing word or unnecessary word) no matter what division you compete in.
So how did The Majors fit in?
The event was by invitation only extended to the top performing teams in the Large Coed Level and Large All-Girl Level 5 divisions. The sponsors chose 4 coed and 5 all-girl teams by taking their competition results from the last 3 years. The teams chosen were ACE Warriors (current Cheerleading World Champions), Cheer Athletics Cheetahs, Top Gun Jags, and Cheer Extreme Coed Elite for coed; Maryland Twisters F5 (current Cheerleading Worlds Champions), Maryland Marlins Tsunami, Fame Super Seniors, Cheer Athletics Panthers, and Cheer Extreme Senior Elite for all-girl.
In order to be selected each team had a proven record and also their own stalwart fan base so there really would almost be no need to promote the teams or their participation in the event. In spite of this the Majors producers took some unique steps to highight the teams starting from when they were selected and announced. They visited each program and spent time video taping each team. The focus of each video was the personalities of the programs, coaches and more importantly the athletes on these teams to capture what made each special.There was an online poll on the website for which teams people hoped to win. You could see how much the fans were into it by the 20,000 votes logged among the teams.
Friday night, The Majors sponsors took another unique step by holding a banquet for all of the participating teams, their coaches, and their parents. It was red carpet all the way and they really went all out to highlight the athletes and coaches who put hard work into making these teams who they are. There was a nice dinner with the sponsors speaking to the athletes to let them know how special they all were to attend this inaugural event.
Then each team had their moment. The coaches were introduced first and got to come up and speak and they introduced and spoke about each of their athletes. Each member of each team got their own moment to be recognized as an integral part of a top team in their sport. Parents of athletes that attended said that this banquet was special and made them feel as good about the sport as when they first started All Star cheer. You could see the kids enjoyed getting dressed up and made to feel special as well.
Saturday started out with meet and greets by each team in the hallway outside the Jamfest competition. Fans were lined up outside the competition hall to meet their favorite team and even got autographs. This may sound a little elitest in a youth sport, but from what I saw it was a true appreciation for kids who had worked hard to make it to the top of their game. There were lines of kids who work hard day-in and day-out to get their back handspring that were excited for the chance to meet the team they spend hours watching on Youtube for motivation. Autographs on backpacks, flyers, t-shirts, and many hugs were exchanged. The only complaint I heard was that some kids wished their favorite team was there longer or not available during the time they were competing.
The Majors competition itself occurred separate from the Jamfest competition, but both events complimented each other. Friday night after the banquet the Majors teams got a chance to have a practice session at the tail end of the Jamfest practice session for all competing teams. The Jamfest arenas were set up in one of the major hallways at the Indiana Convention Center, with the meet-and-greets occuring outside the halls of the competition so that spectators could easily attend both. The Majors competition was in a side hall away from the main JAMfest competition halls, but right around the corner and still nearby.
Saturday afternoon attention started to shift in the convention center toward the hall that the Majors were to be held. People started lining up like they were going to a rock concert. As spectators supported their favorite team, you could see them join the rank of the army of people waiting to be the first inside The Majors. All in all the logistics of having both events the same weekend seemed to work together well.
Entry into The Majors had the same red carpet feel as the other parts of the event. There were security guards taking tickets and controlling access at the doors similar to that of a club entry. Once inside, the club atmosphere continued with lights and music and the excitement of knowing nine of your favorite cover bands were playing that night.
Once again, the competition wasn’t just about teams getting on stage for two and a half minutes. The coaches of each team were introduced. The Majors video that each team filmed while they were training for the event was shown for the crowd. Then each member of the team was introduced as they walked on stage.
Finally the teams competed.
After they finished I could sense how proud they were of their performance. In addition to the usual team hugs, each team was interviewed as they left the stage to bring closure to their experience. I felt like this was another special added touch.
Even with mistakes made during some performance you could appreciate that every team that was on stage that night was an exclusive level of talent and I sensed excitement from the crowd with each performance. Some people weren’t used to the time in between each team, but I really enjoyed how it built up the anticipation leading up to the next team and really had you on the edge of your seat for what was coming up next.
The best way I can compare the experience is, it was as close as I have felt to being at NCA All Star Nationals in Dallas without actually being in the dome. Many of the athletes I spoke to felt the same way and described the whole experience as making them feel as special as competing at either NCA or Worlds. Some coaches who competed felt the same way and were happy that their teams participated.
I’m not sure where The Majors will go next but I can say it leaves me with a feeling that the walls of the competitive cheer world have expanded a bit. No doubt this experience will generate ideas and conversations throughout the sport. It may give some event producers ideas to improve their current competitions and others to dream of entirely new directions to take. As for me, it was a fun experience and as long as the athletes get to benefit from any new changes, I’m all for it.
