 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Sports and activity information for the ALL STAR in your house |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Cheerleading
|
||||||||
|
What is cheerleading? Cheerleading is
group of individuals performing tumbling, jumping and cheers to
encourage and energize spectators at sporting events; It is a team
sport in which squads perform routines to music and are judged at
competitions.
How can cheerleading help my child?
Is cheerleading a sport or an activity? The question is still out as to whether cheer is a sport or an activity. Over the years Cheerleading has evolved from being an activity where members were selected based on beauty and popularity to one that requires athletic abilities. Often when joining a cheer squad, you have the option to join the spirit team and/or the competitive team. However, the majority of cheerleading squads do not participate in any competitions. Although cheerleading, especially at the high school and college level, is physically demanding and cheerleaders are trained athletes, their main function still remains supporting school athletic teams in competition. Until the majority of the cheerleading squads consider competition to be their primary function and cheering at games to be a secondary, cheerleading is not going to officially be considered a sport. What are the types of cheerleading? The traditional form of cheerleading is where participants wave pom-poms and lead cheers on the sports sideline (spirit) and the competitive form is where cheerleading squads compete against other squads in competitions (competitive cheer). There are several different types of cheerleading squads available for children: recreational, school, and All Star. Recreation cheer usually focuses on elementary and middle school age children and are usually associated with a local organizations. Recreation teams can be spirit or competitive. School cheer is most prominent in high schools but there are many middle schools that are beginning to promote the program as well. This is where they wave pom-poms and lead cheers on the sports sideline to support the school's teams. There are many high school teams that have both spirit and competitive teams. All Star Cheer is strictly a competitive squad that does not cheer for any sporting events. The purpose of this squad is to put on a extraordinary performance to win their competitions. All Star Cheerleading combines gymnastics, acrobatics, partner stunting, pyramid building, and dancing into a synchronized, routine.
Age Requirements Children can begin recreational cheerleading as young as 5 years old and go to around the age of 14. These teams are non-school affiliated teams offered by local recreation leagues and it is a great way for your child to start their cheerleading career. These teams teach the fundamentals of cheerleading and focus on learning basics that will help cheerleaders succeed in the future, whether on a All-Star team or high school squad.
Commitment
Practices usually begin around the first week in August and are held approximately three nights per week pre-season and then one night per week during the season. Practice sessions will last 1 1/2 - 2 hours. The football cheerleading season mirrors the football season. Games begin Labor Day weekend and run until late October but the season may be extended into November if the team makes the playoffs. Games that require cheerleaders are usually on Friday night or Saturday.
Often
a competitive squad will be created to compete after football season.
The season for the Competition Squads extends in
Squad assignments Squad assignments are usually made first based on grade and secondly based on age. Squad assignments for competition squads are made based on league age requirements, skill and experience. Evaluations are normally held in mid-June for competition squads. These evaluations are used for placement on a competition squad. No evaluations are necessary for football cheer squads. Those with some cheerleading or gymnastics experience will have an easier time at evaluations for a competition squad. Costs For recreational squads you can expect to pay about $350 - $400 per cheerleader. This would include registration fees and a uniform costs. Additional costs will be incurred for a competition team: travel, accommodations, food and competition fees.
High School Cheerleading Cheering at games is different at every high school, but most squads will definitely cheer for football and basketball. Recently they are beginning to make appearances at baseball games, soccer games, volleyball games, and wrestling matches. There will also be pep rallies, homecoming, and spirit days that the squad will organize and the student body will participate in. Commitment Many high schools require two-a-day practices starting two weeks before school starts and three to five practices a week during the school year. Cheer practice can be right after school or in the evening, depending on the coach, and it will last a few hours. You also find that your school requires a summer camp. Camp is a great way to get the new squad to bond as well as spend quality time learning cheers, dances, and stunts. Camp usually lasts about three to five days and is from morning til evening. Camp can either be held at your own school for just your squad with their coaches or the team may travel to a local college or university where you sleep in a dorm and interact with other teams. Tryouts Tryouts are required for high school teams. They are normally scheduled anytime from late winter to early spring. All tryouts vary slightly at each school but normally it will last an entire week. It usually starts off with a clinic to learn specific skills like a cheer, dance, sideline, or stunt. Each day until the day of tryouts, you will practice the moves. The day of tryouts you should dress neatly with your hair pulled up, no jewelry and enter with confidence. You will be asked to perform in a group of three or four in front of the panel of judges. Areas that you will normally be judged on include:
Results will be announced or posted once tryouts are complete.
Cost Basic
registration fees run around $75 - $175 per cheerleader. In addition,
you will have uniform costs. This will run between $300- $400. Some
schools have swap shops where the cheerleaders All Star Cheerleading
All Star cheerleading is all about the challenge and competition of the
sport. It is different from high school or college cheerleading
because there are no sports teams to support. The cheerleaders on each
squad are made up of members from various schools in different areas.
Most All Star cheerleading teams are affiliated with a local gym. All
Star cheerleading is for someone who is looking just for competition and
has the skill set to meet the requirements, dedication and commitment
necessary. The season is 12 months long, starting in May. Practice is extremely important for all star cheerleading. For younger teams you can expect about 5 hours per week training. For more advanced teams you can expect practice everyday for two hours with an additional weekend practice.
Once competition season emerges coaches will call mandatory extra
practices. The night before a competition, gyms will
All star teams generally attend a choreography camp that is held at their home gym rather than go to a summer camp. At choreography camp, which lasts 3-4 days in the middle of the summer, the gym will hire a choreographer to help the team focus on their routines for the coming year. Training may include dancing, tumbling, and stunting.
Tryouts
Costs are very high and vary widely
from gym to gym. There are
Gyms normally bill in one of two ways: Equal monthly payments based on all costs associated with the season or monthly billing of tuition and then bill other expenses as they occur. The later allows for more flexibility for the gym but it is more difficult for parents to budget A typical cost range for All Star cheerleading would be from $1500 - $5000 a year depending on the age and level of the team.
Other
Great Activities for Kids....
ART A wonderful way for children to express their creativity, while at the same time learning fundamental skills that will improve their artistic endeavors.
|
to January for younger
squads and March for older squads.
Competition squads will usually
compete at 2 - 6 competitions during the season depending on age
and
skill level. The commitment level for one of the competing squads
is very high. The routines designed for these squads are difficult and a
child will fall behind if he/she misses practices. Therefore
cheerleading must be made a priority. Most children on these squads find
it hard to participate in another sport during the season.
