High School Pushy Flag Team Coach

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Apr 14, 2017
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Does your school have a flag team and what do they do? Are they a part of the cheer program? In my day they were separate, but that was awhile ago and I’m wondering if maybe things have evolved.

I’m asking because this teacher at work (who used to be the cheer coach but was fired before I was given her job, just FYI) recently started to make noise about a flag team. A cynical part of me interpreted this as a way for her to get back into a cheer-adjacent activity, but I also assumed that the flag and cheer teams don’t really interact, so I didn’t think much of it.

Nonetheless, as soon as she got the go-ahead she asked me about “splitting” gym time, money for uniforms, and when her team can “learn sidelines.” Apropos of nothing. Like she thinks cheer and flag are the same? And I’m confused because 1) this is not my understanding of what a flag team does, and 2) she never discussed incorporating a new team into the program with me. And even if she had, it would’ve been a hard no. We have 80 girls across 4 teams. So a HARD no.

After some back and forth, I explained to her that the flag team is really more connected to the band and that the cheer program isn’t really in a position to accommodate any more girls, but that she was more than welcome to book her own practice time and start fundraising on her own. She’s not having it. She keeps whining that I’m sucking up all (our) gym time, resources, and funds, and why can’t we just share? It’s bizarre and like I’m dealing with an entitled child.

So we’re probably headed for a meeting with the AD to solve this “issue” and if/when that happens, I want facts on my side and my info to be current. So do flag teams nowadays share some cheer responsibilities? I mean, it doesn’t excuse her trying to shove her way into my program, but at least that would explain her attitude. Either way it doesn’t really matter since I’m not entertaining this issue with her further, but it would really be great to say, “This isn’t happening because this isn’t what flag teams do,” instead of just coming across as, “This isn’t happening because I don’t feel like it.” Which I don’t feel like it. But that’s my right.
 
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I assume you mean what we call color guard over here in the northeast?

If so, every school I’ve been at (4 high schools in 4 districts in 2 states) the color guard has been under the band. They perform and march with the band, sit with the band at games, and other than shouting the words with us from the band section, don’t really work with us at all. At my current school, there is a color guard instructor but she works with the band director. And I assume they are under the bands funding.
 
In my high school the flag team was a part of the band program and funded through the arts budget. This was the way most if not all of the high schools in my area did it as far as I know. They performed in the marching bands halftime performance and in the stands along with the pep band. They practiced on the field all summer along with the marching band. When I cheered in HS we didn’t work with them at all besides when we coordinated with the band for pep rally’s and even then we still didn’t perform together. We definitely never shared practice space. I’d also like to add I was heavily involved with choir in hs and was friends with most of the flag girls through that, they considered themselves members of the band. So with all that being said I find it kinda bizarre that this woman would feel her flag club is entitled to any money from you or the athletic program, or why she would be practicing and coordinating with you instead of your marching band.

Do you know why your AD is entertaining this? Is it considered an athletic club?


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And, in fact, marching bands have to have a set % of Auxillaries (flag, rifle, baton, Pom, dance, etc) in competition. I have occasionally seen Pom/dance teams that perform with the band do sidelines along with cheer (there is a game day division at UDA ) but never flag/rifle/baton.
 
I assume you mean what we call color guard over here in the northeast?

If so, every school I’ve been at (4 high schools in 4 districts in 2 states) the color guard has been under the band. They perform and march with the band, sit with the band at games, and other than shouting the words with us from the band section, don’t really work with us at all. At my current school, there is a color guard instructor but she works with the band director. And I assume they are under the bands funding.

THAT’S WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS CALLED but then I thought maybe that term is outdated? She keeps calling it a flag team, so that’s what I called it. This just goes to show you how ill-conceived this is. We don’t even know the words.
 
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At my district of employment, this is called flagline and it is part of music/band. All things flag come out of music budget/band booster fundraising.

Girls interested in flag are actually enrolled in and take the band class every day. Their coach is actually one of the 3 band program directors/teachers.

They are not tied to spirit programs.
 
In my high school the flag team was a part of the band program and funded through the arts budget. This was the way most if not all of the high schools in my area did it as far as I know. They performed in the marching bands halftime performance and in the stands along with the pep band. They practiced on the field all summer along with the marching band. When I cheered in HS we didn’t work with them at all besides when we coordinated with the band for pep rally’s and even then we still didn’t perform together. We definitely never shared practice space. I’d also like to add I was heavily involved with choir in hs and was friends with most of the flag girls through that, they considered themselves members of the band. So with all that being said I find it kinda bizarre that this woman would feel her flag club is entitled to any money from you or the athletic program, or why she would be practicing and coordinating with you instead of your marching band.

Do you know why your AD is entertaining this? Is it considered an athletic club?

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IT IS BIZARRE. Although she has a history of being difficult — she’s young, she’s relatively new to teaching, and she’s got a dad on the board — this is outlandish even for her. It’s like she’s literally just making things up as she goes along.

I think she thinks she’s going to create a little boutique cheer team in her own image — one that does sidelines, halftimes and rallies — and that she’ll give them some flags and call it a flag team because they won’t let her anywhere near cheer anymore. That’s the impression I’m getting based on her demand that she be allowed to work parallel with us instead of the band.

This hasn’t reached the AD yet, but I wanted to have my facts straight in the event that it does (because she’s a fan of the “I’m telling!” brand of workplace threat) which is why I came here. But you raise a good point: he wouldn’t even entertain this because her team would be a club, not a sport. So maybe — hopefully — this issue is moot.

But now that I’m reading these responses, I don’t think this’ll even get to the tryout phase. There’s so much that she clearly doesn’t know about creating any sort of club or team. Plus I don’t even know who a flag team would be for? Between our V/JV cheer and dance teams, the hip hop club, the multicultural dance club, the band, and drama, there’s pretty much something for any kid who likes performing. So hopefully this stalls out before it even begins.
 
Agree with everything everyone else said. Here in Oklahoma it is called color guard and they are only a part of the band. There was no "spirit" other than dancing in the stands, not on the sidelines, during football games. All students, at least where I went, were required to be enrolled in band in the fall semester even if they didn't play an instrument in the winter/spring.

In the winter they are a separate sport called winter guard but still considered fine arts not athletics. They have competitions but that is it.

As far as practice time goes, we always practiced on the football field with the marching band or inside the band room. Fundraising was covered through band boosters.

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At our HS here in the mid-atlantic, flag/color guard was part of the band and had no involvement with the spirit programs. That's pretty much how I've seen it done across the board.

If you need more concrete evidence, I did a little research on how UGA (go Dawgs) designates their flagline and majorettes programs, and both fall under the band.
 
IT IS BIZARRE. Although she has a history of being difficult — she’s young, she’s relatively new to teaching, and she’s got a dad on the board — this is outlandish even for her. It’s like she’s literally just making things up as she goes along.

I think she thinks she’s going to create a little boutique cheer team in her own image — one that does sidelines, halftimes and rallies — and that she’ll give them some flags and call it a flag team because they won’t let her anywhere near cheer anymore. That’s the impression I’m getting based on her demand that she be allowed to work parallel with us instead of the band.

This hasn’t reached the AD yet, but I wanted to have my facts straight in the event that it does (because she’s a fan of the “I’m telling!” brand of workplace threat) which is why I came here. But you raise a good point: he wouldn’t even entertain this because her team would be a club, not a sport. So maybe — hopefully — this issue is moot.

But now that I’m reading these responses, I don’t think this’ll even get to the tryout phase. There’s so much that she clearly doesn’t know about creating any sort of club or team. Plus I don’t even know who a flag team would be for? Between our V/JV cheer and dance teams, the hip hop club, the multicultural dance club, the band, and drama, there’s pretty much something for any kid who likes performing. So hopefully this stalls out before it even begins.

This is one of the big things that ADs look at with new teams/programs.

1. Is this going to cost the athletic budget more money?
2. If yes, what need is a new program going to fill that is not ALREADY being met by existing programs?

The school has ample opportunities for spirit/cheer/sideline involvement.

If you have a JV/Varsity cheer, a dance team that is on the sideline as well, 2 dance clubs, and band, "cheerflag" has no purpose.
 
Also gave this a read through again and saw that she WANTS it to be part of cheer for the fundraising, gym time, resources.

This sounds more like someone who wants to coach a "cheer adjacent" program just to say she coaches, but does not want to do the work.
 
Be prepared that she might be thinking of something called “pep flags.” The ones I’ve seen wear cheer uniforms.

Otherwise I’d just keep telling her and the AD that color guards are part of the band and that she should be having all her conversations with the band director. And that it’s incredibly disrespectful for her to be going around the band director like this.
 
Be prepared that she might be thinking of something called “pep flags.” The ones I’ve seen wear cheer uniforms.

Otherwise I’d just keep telling her and the AD that color guards are part of the band and that she should be having all her conversations with the band director. And that it’s incredibly disrespectful for her to be going around the band director like this.


So I've never heard of pep flags and I googled it.



1. Wow. This is a lot of things?
2. This looks to take place on DANCE floor so I would think that this type of flag falls under dance and still not cheer?
3. Another thing to look at: What function does this sort of team serve during say, football season? Sideline like cheer/dance? With the band?
 
So I've never heard of pep flags and I googled it.



1. Wow. This is a lot of things?
2. This looks to take place on DANCE floor so I would think that this type of flag falls under dance and still not cheer?
3. Another thing to look at: What function does this sort of team serve during say, football season? Sideline like cheer/dance? With the band?

I found myself mesmerized by the flying flags! That is pretty cool, and something I have literally never seen before.
 
Be prepared that she might be thinking of something called “pep flags.” The ones I’ve seen wear cheer uniforms.

Otherwise I’d just keep telling her and the AD that color guards are part of the band and that she should be having all her conversations with the band director. And that it’s incredibly disrespectful for her to be going around the band director like this.

I really doubt she’s thinking of pep flag. It’s not common in our area.
 
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