Cheer2013-
I understand where your coming from, I do. But I believe that if we are going to call ourselves a sport then we can't leave the door open for manipulation. Things happen, trust me I know. But those same teams have to figure out how to get the job done. It's the nature of the beast...competition. When teams lose somebody, you put your next person in all the way down to your freshmen that might not be ready. You work hard to make it work. While your argument might be valid, it's only valid for that one situation.
Just by simply allowing less than 16, you will have those that choose to take the mat with 15 because it has, statistically speaking, a better chance to hit. Nobody can argue that. If it allows a "better chance" then it has to be considered an advantage. And if it's considered an advantage, then it's unfair no matter how you look at it. As a sport, we can't leave that door open.
The other thing that people can't argue is that it's happening, the manipulation of the scoresheet by putting 15 rather than 16 because it completely eliminates an entire stunt group which is a major deal. I have seen plenty of teams take the mat with 15 girls and 4 alternates walking behind that are fully capable of creating a 16 person team. It may not be the "best" 16 person team but it can fulfill that requirement.
You Keep it consistent by mandating a specific number of athletes or award higher difficulty by putting more people on the mat. Then you are forced to find a way to compete at a high level. It's kind of one of those tough luck kind of situations IMO. Dealing with injuries and people quitting is just part of the game that every team deals with.
I hate to hear your team had those issues and I do wish you all good luck!
