2007 - 2008 Cheerleading Guide
Regular
Season Guide
Tournament Season Guide
Forms
2007
score sheet
2007 degree of
difficulty guidelines
2007 instructions to coaches
and judges for using the score sheet
The primary function of high school cheerleading is to support athletic teams, promote school spirit, encourage and display good sportsmanship.
These VPA guidelines are to be the official guidelines followed. All safety
rules in Vermont follow the National Federation 2007-2008 Spirit Rules Book.
All coaches should obtain a copy of the National Federation 2007-2008 Spirit
Rules Book from their athletic director or the VPA.
All rules apply for the regular season and competition. These rules
apply to cheer programs in grades 5 through 12.
New rules are in bold type and italicized. Important rules are in bold type
and underlined.
Like all other sports, cheerleading coaches must be certified in an
approved coaching education program, which includes either the NFHS Fundamentals
of Coaching course or the ACEP Coaching Principal’s course. In addition
coaches must complete an approved sports safety training program (i.e. - the
NFHS Sports First Aid or American Red Cross Sports Safety or ACEP Sports First
Aid). For more information, contact Amy Molina at amolina@u32.org.
In order for squads to be allowed to perform partner stunts, pyramids and/or
gymnastics, a coach must attend an AACCA safety certification clinic prior to
the season they coach if they are not presently certified or their previous
certification has expired. Certification clinics will be held twice a year.
In addition, all competing coaches, at all levels, must attend a National
Federation Spirit Rules Review on Friday, November 30th.
1. Clinics: During the winter cheerleading season no school shall sponsor a
team to participate in competition or clinics that are not sanctioned by the
VPA.
2. Season length shall be defined in the VPA policies for that particular season.
Practices begin according to the VPA rules for that particular season. Cheerleading
for basketball begins on November 12.
3. Games and Competitions:
A. Teams may cheer up to 20 games during the winter season (middle school squads
should review VPA middle school guidelines). These limits do not include VPA
tournament or championship games. Principals and A.D.’s discretion should
be used.
B. Due to the nature of the sport, cheerleading is exempt from the VPA guideline
that limits participation to two events per week, Monday through Friday. The
combination of boys and girls basketball could lead to more than two home games
in some weeks and other weeks where there are no home games. Coaches are encouraged
to be prudent about how many weeknights athletes are away from home.
C. Teams may compete in up to 3 VPA sanctioned cheerleading competitions per
season. If a team intends to compete in 3 events in the winter season, one of
them must be the VPA State Cheerleading Championships.
4. Separate tryouts must be held for each sport each season. High school cheerleading
teams must be comprised of VPA eligible students in grades 9-12
5. Squad size:
A. The size of the basketball cheerleading squad during the season will not
exceed 20 on the floor. The Athletic Director of the host school will determine
the allowable number of cheerleaders on the sidelines, up to 20 in number, based
on the space around the gym floor.
B. Semifinals and finals will follow VPA guidelines for basketball tournament
play.
6. Coaches' responsibilities:
A. Coaches must supervise their team at both home and away athletic events and
should be in attendance at all practices. If someone else substitutes who is
not certified, no partner stunts, pyramids or gymnastics will be allowed.
B. Cheerleading coaches are expected to inform their squad to act respectfully
during any half time activities being performed by the other squad.
C. Cheerleading coaches should discuss the length of pre-game music being played
to allow ample time for both squads to perform their pre-game cheers.
D. Cheerleading coaches should design cheers that encourage and promote positive
crowd response and participation.
E. Cheerleading coaches must determine if the level of difficulty of partner
stunts/pyramids/gymnastics are within the ability of the present squad to perform.
As each squad changes, so will the material to be performed.
7. Host school responsibilities:
A. An administrator, or designee - not a coach - from each school should be
present during all athletic events and should announce before each game that
fans are expected to display appropriate behavior.
B. Each host school should provide the visiting team and cheerleaders a place
to change that is locked or is off limits to the general public - such as a
separate classroom.
C. Administrators and cheerleading coaches should approve all signs that are
hung or held at athletic contests and should see to it that any objectionable
signs are removed.
8. Guest school responsibilities:
A. Cheerleading coaches should assure that the squads abide by the rules of
the host school while present at that school. Visiting coaches to advise host
school in advance whether they will be participating at the game and whether
they will need changing facilities.
9. Crowd control:
A. Cheerleaders and fans should not compete with the other cheerleaders when
they perform their floor cheers.
10. Participant conduct:
A. Cheerleaders shall not perform taunting cheers.
B. Cheerleaders are not to yell when the opposing team is taking foul shot attempts.
C. If stunts and pyramids are to be used, proper training, spotters, etc. shall
be used. NFHS Spirit Rules are to be followed.
D. Per NFHS rules, no jewelry allowed; this includes all body piercing jewelry.
Religious or medical medallions must be taped to the body. Per VPA rules, nylon
stockings must not be worn. Participants on a squad shall only wear athletic
type shoes that are safe and appropriate for all routines. Please note: Uniform
tops and bottoms must meet; no bare midriff.
11. Procedures:
A. The visiting cheerleaders at basketball games are to perform the cheer between
the 1st and 2nd quarter. Home team has cheer between 3rd and 4th quarter. Home
team has first time out cheer. Teams will rotate time out cheers thereafter.
12. Band directors and/or pep bands should work together with the cheerleading
squads rather than compete with each other when the cheerleaders are doing their
floor cheers.
13. If any squad violates the regulations put forth in these guidelines and
it is documented by a coach, A.D. or Principal and received at the VPA office,
the VPA policies will be in effect.
BASKETBALL (BOYS & GIRLS) TOURNAMENT SEASON CHEERLEADING RULES
At semifinal and final basketball games, 20 cheerleaders, and their coaches,
will be admitted at the team entrance for the session in which the team is scheduled
to play. These seats will be in the special cheerleading section. Not more than
20 cheerleaders, 12 at Barre, will be on the sidelines at any time. Between
quarters and during time outs cheerleaders will be limited to one cheer per
school. In the event that a cheer has not been completed when the buzzer sounds,
the cheerleaders are to leave the floor immediately. In each tournament game,
one school is designated as the visiting team, and the other as the home team.
Cheerleaders will follow the pattern set down in the regular season guidelines
for cheering at a game. Confetti and streamers must not be thrown and the cheerleaders
should discourage their fans from using such things.
Cheerleading activity may take place during half time on the playing court during
semifinal and final games only by pre arrangement with the VPA tournament director.
Half time cheers will be allowed at the play down games and quarterfinals since
these games are usually played at the schools instead of Barre or UVM as is
the case for the semifinals and finals. Keep cheers as brief as possible. In
the event of a school using more time for cheerleading than is practical, the
tournament observers shall instruct the cheerleading squad to shorten its cheers.
The coach must sit with the cheerleading squad at all times.
STATE CHEERLEADING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The divisional format for the cheerleading state championships will match other
“Girls - Three Division” sports. All divisions may have up to 20
cheerleaders on the floor during competition.
1. All high school varsity winter cheerleading squads will be invited to compete.
A. To participate in competition, a school must complete the online competition
application no later than Friday, January 11, 2008.
B. The entry fee for the 2008 state championships is $125 per team. Fee should
be sent to the meet director, Robyn Myers Moore, 60 Dunbar Drive, Essex Junction,
VT 05452 by Friday, January 11, 2008. Checks should be make payable to: VPA.
2. Dates and sites: State Championships – Saturday, February 23,
2008 – Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction
3. The state championships will be determined by open divisional competition.
4. There will be one round of competition.
5. Any ties for the state champion or runner-up will be broken by summing
the technical scores. These categories include: Partner Stunts & Pyramids,
Cheer Technique, Jumps, Gymnastics, and Dance Technique. If a tie still exists,
co-champions and/or co-runners-up will be named.
6. Judges:
A. Judges will be certified judges. The judging coordinator will recommend judges
to the VPA cheerleading committee for final approval.
B. A maximum of four judges will be assigned to each division in the competition.
No high or low score will be thrown out.
C. Judges will be sent a copy of the score sheet and other appropriate material
in advance so they will be prepared to judge.
D. Judges will be required to make comments on their score sheets to aid coaches
in knowing what they need to work on.
7. Competition requirements and procedures:
A. Each squad will perform a routine up to 3 minutes in length which will include
cheer and dance.
B. Pompons, signs and megaphones are allowed to be used in the routine.
C. All teams MUST have their competition routine reviewed by technical
judges prior to the state cheerleading championships as no preliminary rules
review will take place that day. Teams can have their routines reviewed at the
Rutland Competition, the NVAC Competition or by sending a video tape of the
ENTIRE routine (start to finish, unedited) to the meet director by Saturday,
February 16, 2008.
D. A technical judge will review teams for safe execution only, not
rules violations, during their scheduled warm up. Any teams attempting
unsafe routines (i.e. - stunts that are too difficult given a team’s current
ability) will NOT be permitted to compete.
E. The competition will be held on a 54’ by 42’ athletic mat and
coaches should choreograph their routines accordingly. Due to the added safety
of the mat, separate safety spotters will no longer be used at the competition.
F. Teams may leave the gym during the event to prepare and warm up, but they
MUST be accompanied by their coach.
8. Participants:
A. There may be a maximum of 20 cheerleaders on the floor for all divisions.
B. During the competition, substitutes can be made only for injury or emergency.
C. In the event of injury during the competition, a routine may be stopped and
restarted at the beginning.
D. During the competition, no mascots are allowed on the floor.
9. Disqualification:
A. Disqualification will result for squads not following the NFHS Spirit Rules.
B. Disqualification will result for squads using props other than pompons, signs,
megaphones.
C. Disqualification will result for each of the following: Illegal uniforms,
not wearing proper shoes, chewing gum, wearing jewelry, and wearing nylon stockings.
(Jewelry includes all body piercing jewelry.)
10. Penalties:
A. For exceeding time limit allowed, one point per second over the limit will
be deducted.
B. If a hair ribbon or barrette should come out and fall on the mat during competition,
one point per judge will be deducted from that team's score for each item that
comes out.
11. Competition rules committee:
A. The VPA Cheerleading Committee will choose a minimum of one safety certified,
nonaligned person for rules review for each division.
B. This person will resolve any problems that arise. He/she will also watch
that squads follow the pyramid/partner stunt and safety regulations. The rules
person, along with competition judges, will make any disqualifications.
12. Scorekeepers:
A. Two tabulators will tabulate each score sheet after the judges have scored
each squad, and will make the penalty point deductions given to them by the
rules committee.
13.Music:
A. If mechanical difficulties arise with the music during the routine, the person
running the music will stop it and allow the squad to start over without any
points or penalties resulting.
B. The music must be set to start at the correct place and coaches are encouraged
to have a second tape or CD available in case a problem arises with the tape
or CD as it is played.
14. Admission for finals: $6.00 Adults; $3.00 Students. No complimentary tickets
will be issued to participating schools this year. However, per VPA policy,
principals’, athletic directors and bus drivers are admitted to the event
at no charge.
15. A VPA tournament representative will be present.
16. The winner and runner up team in each division at the state meet will receive
a plaque, and each member of these teams will receive a medal from the VPA.
The Myers Family Trophy will be awarded on a rotating basis to the first place
team in each division.
17. The final order of finish and the scores will be posted at the competition
site after each division's competition. All final results, including preliminary
and final scores, will be distributed to the coaches of the participating schools
at the end of the event.
18. No protest of the final order of finish will be permitted. The decision
of the competition judges, through their points awarded, will be final.
CNESSPA NEW ENGLAND CHEERLEADING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The New England Cheerleading Championships are run by the Council of New England
Secondary School Principals’ Associations. Their web site is: http://cnesspa.ezstream.com.
Information about the 2008 championships will be posted in the “Spirit”
section of the web site.
The 2008 championships will be held on Saturday, March 15th. The location is
TBD as of November 12, 2007.
Teams must score 150 or higher out of 200 at the Vermont State Championships
to earn an invitation to the New England Championships. If a team should score
lower than 150 at states, but did score 150 or higher at either the NVAC or
the CVCC, they can appeal to the VPA to be invited to New England’s (as
space allows). Please e-mail meet director Robyn Myers Moore at f15robyn@aol.com
by Friday, Feb 29th to appeal.
Vermont is allowed to send up to 3 teams in the co-ed division. Co-ed is defined
as one or more males on the team. Vermont is also allowed to invite up to 2
teams in each of the 4 all-girl divisions. Please note that for the Vermont
State Championships, teams are sorted into 3 divisions, not 4. Contact Robyn
Myers Moore to find out your division for New England’s.
Teams will be assigned to divisions based on where they place in the Vermont
State Championships. The state champions in each of the three divisions will
be placed first. If space allows, then the runner’s up in each division
would be placed. The remaining teams will be sorted in order according to score
and any other team with a score of 150 or higher will be placed, as space allows.
Please contact Robyn Myers Moore for questions.
IMPORTANT
All competition information will be e-mailed to competing coaches
by Monday, January 28, 2008. There are no pre-competition meetings.
However, due to the elimination of the technical review at the state championships,
coaches are strongly advised to have their teams participate in one of the preparation
competitions. Information will be e-mailed to athletic directors and coaches.
For further information, contact meet director Robyn Myers Moore at 802-878-4798
or F15Robyn@aol.com.
The competition programs are handled by Michelle Brown on behalf of
the Vermont Cheerleading Coaches Association. Please contact Michelle at 802-849-2967
or michelle@sevendaysvt.com for
information about the program and advertising. The deadline for all materials
(photos e-mailed in jpeg format, the photo caption and advertising) is January
28, 2008.
For information on becoming a certified cheerleading judge, please contact the
judging coordinator, Robyn Myers Moore.
NATIONAL FEDERATION 2007-2008 OFFICIAL HIGH SCHOOL SPIRIT RULES PUBLICATION
IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE VPA OFFICE OR THE NFHS OFFICE.
APPLICATION DUE ON LINE AND FEE TO MEET DIRECTOR BY Friday, January
11, 2008.
COMPETITION – Saturday, February 23, 2008 – Champlain Valley Exposition