High School Different Squads Competition Vs Sideline

[Official OWECheer]

Seems like they're planning on treating it like every other sport with its own season, each independent of the other. Not sure how much they will tweak things as they go along.

I'm very curious to see if schools will still be allowed to charge admission for competitions. We don't get charged to attend a football or basketball game held at a school, so why cheer if its now a sport?

$$$$$$$$

 

[luv2cheer92]

Do the people making these rules even understand that the cheer season is supposed to last for most of the year? I mean, how else can a team improve and maintain that improvement?

It's probably different in every state, but in VA competition season was from August- beginning of November and that's the only time we were allowed to compete. But, varsity sideline=varsity competition at our school, so we continued to practice new stunts/tumbling etc throughout basketball season at sideline practices to get ready for next year. That seemed to work pretty well for us. I think I would actually like this better because you could constantly switch stunt groups, try new things, test out new positions, or do whatever without focusing on a set routine or worrying about comps. I don't think I would have wanted to still be competing in to the spring.

@CheerBank do you know when the fall season technically starts? Ours started the first Monday of August, with school starting after Labor Day, so we had time throughout August to attend camp. Although we were allowed to go out of state for camp, not for competitions though.

 

[CheerBank]

It's probably different in every state, but in VA competition season was from August- beginning of November and that's the only time we were allowed to compete. But, varsity sideline=varsity competition at our school, so we continued to practice new stunts/tumbling etc throughout basketball season at sideline practices to get ready for next year. That seemed to work pretty well for us. I think I would actually like this better because you could constantly switch stunt groups, try new things, test out new positions, or do whatever without focusing on a set routine or worrying about comps. I don't think I would have wanted to still be competing in to the spring.

@CheerBank do you know when the fall season technically starts? Ours started the first Monday of August, with school starting after Labor Day, so we had time throughout August to attend camp. Although we were allowed to go out of state for camp, not for competitions though.

In our region, fall sports are allowed to practice starting the last two weeks in August, not before then. I do know they get around it by having "non-mandatory" workouts and things of that nature, so I'm guessing that will probably be how cheer is handled for those schools who typically go to camp or start practicing earlier in the summer than others. Since however we have heard no out-of-state competitions, which would mean no UCA, I am not sure then what the policy will be on or even the point of attending a UCA camp. I am also not sure if they will still allow tryouts in the late spring any longer.
At our school's basketball games, Varsity and JV do not stunt or tumble with the exception of the last home game of the season. They just sideline cheer. The cheerleaders do not enjoy being there.
Having the varsity/jv/ms comp season changed in NYS could potentially be a huge game changer for all star in NYS as well and I hope they do it.

 

[CheerBank]

$$$$$$$$

Isn't that always the case?
My point is though why as parents should we have to pay to see our kids compete in a school and state sanctioned sport? Curious if other schools charge admission for their fans to their teams compete?

 

[luv2cheer92]

Isn't that always the case?
My point is though why as parents should we have to pay to see our kids compete in a school and state sanctioned sport? Curious if other schools charge admission for their fans to their teams compete?

All sporting events had a $5 admission fee here. You could pay I think it was like $50-60 for a season pass to get you in to all games/comps throughout the school year, except any district/regional/state championships or tournaments. This was like 5-6 years ago though when I was in high school, not sure if it has changed since then.

ETA: I should say that I think most of that money went back to the school's athletic booster club, so most of the money supported the sports teams.

 

[CheerBank]

All sporting events had a $5 admission fee here. You could pay I think it was like $50-60 for a season pass to get you in to all games/comps throughout the school year, except any district/regional/state championships or tournaments. This was like 5-6 years ago though when I was in high school, not sure if it has changed since then.

Interesting. I would much rather have that over an $8-10 admission fee to a school cheer comp while we don't pay to see other sports.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

We don't get charged to attend a football or basketball game held at a school

You don't? [emoji15]

This whole topic is so strange to me. I thought all schools had separate tryouts for fall and winter. I don't follow high school cheerleading though, so I was just sort of assuming I guess, based on my life growing up in the 80's. [emoji3] [emoji3] [emoji3]

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I'm a NYS Varsity coach.

In my program I have Varsity, JV and Modified (middle school). All three teams compete and cheer at games. The JV coach and I have thrown around the idea of having a competition-only team, but it's really based on how much interest you would have for comp and sideline. In our case, we average a squad of 12-15 on each level. If we developed a new team, we would have low numbers for Varsity and JV and there would be maybe 5-8 girls cheering at games. Now that cheerleading is a sport, my athletic director allows me to be more strict about qualifications to make a team, especially varsity.

My district and a good majority of the surrounding districts in our section have always had to hold 2 separate tryouts. One for Fall and one for Winter (even when I cheered.. I graduated in 2008). We have always held tryouts in May for Fall cheer but now since we are a sport, we can't have anything mandatory or organized until the start date of fall sports (end of August). That is going to make fundraising for camp and getting those payments in an absolute nightmare.. But that is an entirely different topic.

Good luck! You will figure it all out.

That IS interesting. Hope you figure it out!

 

[MHSCheercoach]

Isn't that always the case?
My point is though why as parents should we have to pay to see our kids compete in a school and state sanctioned sport? Curious if other schools charge admission for their fans to their teams compete?

I'm shocked by there not being an admission charge for games...it's the standard here. It's usually $3 for a game, $1 for students for a normal basketball game (home, some away games charge more depending on what school we are actually at). Then tournaments vary as well, anywhere from $5 a game (which adds up quickly) to $10 a game (usually more than one game held in a day). Parents and other fans can by a conference pass for $45-50/family and get into any games (home or away) that are teams in our conference, but that excludes tournaments.

Add in cheer competitions and it's usually $6-$10 for regionals or state for spectators (sometimes that much per day). It can add up quick no doubt, but that money is usually filtered back into the athletic fund which helps to buy uniforms and equipment for the teams.

 

[Twinklestars]

All of our games are $5 for admission. Soccer might be a little less--they should be since you have to bring a chair or sit on the grass.

Play-off games for football are $8 per person. I don't think that basketball tournaments cost extra at the local level. I don't know about the state finals.

 

[CheerBank]

You don't? [emoji15]

This whole topic is so strange to me. I thought all schools had separate tryouts for fall and winter. I don't follow high school cheerleading though, so I was just sort of assuming I guess, based on my life growing up in the 80's. [emoji3] [emoji3] [emoji3]

Not at all. Not for any regular season games held at the high schools. Possibly for playoffs but I would have to check on that.
I know when the boys soccer team just won states, there was an admission fee for the county games, regional, and state championship, but none of those were held at the high schools.
I'm just wondering now that cheer is a sport how they can justify charging for admission when they do not charge for the other sports. Or maybe I should be afraid to open that can of worms lol.

 

[ellen495]

Our school has varsity and JV in the fall. Varsity, for the first time ever, was also the competition team. Many kids don't like it. They want to just cheer sideline and not compete. Basketball is separate. I'm glad as my cp did basketball last year. They cheer for girls and boys so it is almost every night. And the girls basketball team made playoffs so my daughter was getting home around 11 or 12 on school nights. Not sure what will happen next year. In PA, cheer is still not considered a sport. Very annoying at pep rally when every sport stands up including golf (not bashing golf - just saying every sport) but not cheer. Then the cheerleaders come out and put on a very athletic show.

 

[BowsnBling]

Our Football Sideline team turns into our comp team after football season and we have a tryout in the fall for basketball sideline. Totally different coach and team. I am the director of both but only coach football and comp. It works great in florida for us cause we finish football in early nov and just maintain the same practice schedule for comp. The football sideline team is with me practicing all summer. Basketball does not start practice til nov.

 

[Aindi]

That

Not at all. Not for any regular season games held at the high schools. Possibly for playoffs but I would have to check on that.
I know when the boys soccer team just won states, there was an admission fee for the county games, regional, and state championship, but none of those were held at the high schools.
I'm just wondering now that cheer is a sport how they can justify charging for admission when they do not charge for the other sports. Or maybe I should be afraid to open that can of worms lol.

s strange to me, In Illinois you pay to get n every sporting even held

 

[CheerDadof2]

I am a high school varsity coach in Illinois, I currently have one squad, they are the same squad for both football and basketball and competition. My athletic director wants me to hold two tryouts for next year one for football and one for basketball. I don't think he understand how important it is that I have my competition girls all summer long. I personally am against two tryouts. Is there anyone who does different squads? How do you run things? What do you suggest?

Not sure if you've gotten many responses but there are a number of schools here in GA that have separate squads. Two that I know of are Lambert H.S. and Mill Creek - I'm sure if reached out to either of them they'd me more then happy to share