Frequently Asked Questions

I want to know more about Skybound - where can I find out more?
Head to our "Contact" page and fill in the online form to receive our latest Information Pack - or feel free to get in touch with us by phone, email, or our social media anytime!

I'm not flexible and I can't tumble. Can I still do cheer?
YES! You don't need any experience whatsoever to get involved at Skybound - we will teach you everything you need to know. Also, it is important to remember that tumbling is just one component of a very diverse sport. There are so many other skills and strengths an athlete can offer to their team outside of tumbling - so please don't think that you must be able to tumble in order to do cheer!

I've never done cheer before and not sure if I'd like it. What should I do?
All new Recreational athletes are able to book in a FREE Come 'N Try class at any time, to see what they think of our sport and our gym before committing to joining. We try to hold Open Gyms, holiday workshops, and "Bring A Friend" weeks at various times throughout the year to allow potential Semi-Competitive and Competitive athletes an opportunity to get a feel for what we're all about, before attending a Team Placement Day.

How do you decide on which team(s) to place your athletes in the Semi-Competitive and Competitive programs?
A number of different factors goes into Team Placements. The age of the athlete, her maturity and attitude, her previous experience, her usual stunting role and her height (for example, is this team needing one more backspot? Is she tall enough to be a good fit for the job?), her current skills (how can she tumble, jump, stunt, and dance on the day of her Team Placement?), her potential for new skills (what is she working on in class currently? Is she coachable and does she have a good work ethic, which would bode well for her getting new skills during the course of this season?), and her previous commitment and attendance history, if it is known. These factors are all considered in relation to the other athletes who attend a Team Placement Day, and help our staff to create cohesive and competitive teams.

Why do I have to tumble twice per week in a Competitive team?
Tumbling goes against everything that is physically natural to human beings. It demands that we spend LOTS of time upside down, to bear our body weight in our hands more often than our feet, and to launch ourselves from the floor with enough force to rotate completely air-born and land on our feet again at the other side. The execution of technical and SAFE tumbling is reliant on the repetition of unique body shapes, continual conditioning and strength-building, and using specialised equipment to break skills down into drills. Many programs will require their athletes only tumble once (if at all!) each week, and this might be enough to sustain some skill development for a time; but we are asking a lot of a young person's body to try and achieve such unnatural feats with so little opportunity for repetition and practice, and their progress will soon plateau as a result. We pride ourselves on the development of safe, technical, and confident tumblers, and know that this is best achieved when athletes tumble at least twice per week. The phenomenal tumble progress of our Competitive athletes in 2020 and 2021 is testament to this!

Do I have to tumble if I am in an Open Non-Tumble Competitive team?
No - athletes who are in Competitive Non-Tumble teams are not required to attend tumbling classes; though certainly can if they would like to!

Which teams are you offering next season?
We get asked this question regularly, and the simplest answer is: we don't know for sure! We form our teams for the following season based upon the ages and skills of the athletes who attend our Team Placement Day; bearing in mind that team formation for us is all about creating teams that are going to be competitive, cohesive, and an appropriate challenge to the athletes within them. This means that we won't know for sure the teams/ages/levels we are offering until after our first TPD in December - although we usually can make some reasonable estimates of the teams we are expecting to field (see our 2022 Information Pack for more!). If you are hoping to be at Skybound in an age group or level that we haven't run in the previous season, the best thing you can do is attend our TPD!

I started at another club this year but I don't like it anymore. Can I come to Skybound now?
We have a strong stance on this particular topic: if you have been registered with another competitive program, unfortunately we are unable to take you into our competitive program in the same season. It is so important that athletes (in our gym and in all other gyms) honour the commitment they make to their competitive teams, as it is so damaging to lose a team-member once the season has started. For this reason, we will ask that you see out your commitment to your team for that season and look to try out with us for the following season. In exceptional circumstances, a change of competitive programs after the season has started may be appropriate, but only in consultation and mutual agreement with both involved gym owners. If you are moving from one recreational program to another, this can generally be accommodated.

I missed your Team Placement Day, am eager to join your Semi-Competitive or Competitive program, and am not registered with another gym this season. What can I do?
We hold our first Team Placement Day for the following season in December, by which time our teams and timetable are generally worked out; and often a second round if needed in January, for athletes who could not attend the TPD in December. There is flexibility to add late-comers to Semi-Competitive or Competitive teams where the athlete is considered a suitable addition to a given team if it occurs prior to the end of Term 1. After this time, choreography and music production starts, and it becomes very difficult to add new members - so for this reason, we do not take additions to our Semi-Competitive or Competitive teams after this cut-off date unless in exceptional circumstances.