High School Tryout Season

[LaurenYHScoach]

We opted out of being "a sport"... the other schools in our district got all excited about what they "thought" being a sport would get them: "free mats", "free uniforms", "new coaching budget"... but we all sat down and I explained to them that that was NOT the case... (as you are probably experiencing now)... once they figured out what it REALlY was- they were like -NOPE. So we ALL stayed "Traditional" - THANK GOD!

I am also opting out! I told my AD that if he wanted to run a CIF sport than it was 100% separate and he could hire a different coach. I am not doing both. He said he wants to leave it alone. We are moving on as normal next year. Now getting parents to understand that this is a good thing....oh help me God!

 

[EWalsh1029]

Our school lays it all out there online in a nicely detailed spreadsheet. Now I find myself wishing I had knowledge of basketball or ice hockey, lol.

http://www.masconomet.org/cms/lib011/MA01907648/Centricity/Domain/25/Fees Only FY17 Budget Book.pdf

 

[luv2cheer92]

Our school lays it all out there online in a nicely detailed spreadsheet. Now I find myself wishing I had knowledge of basketball or ice hockey, lol.

http://www.masconomet.org/cms/lib011/MA01907648/Centricity/Domain/25/Fees Only FY17 Budget Book.pdf

Dang it cost that much to do sports? I can't imagine having to pay to actually play the sport. Clothes, camps, etc are one thing, but is that just to participate?

 

[Official OWECheer]

I'm going to be honest.

As I read all of the different ways these things are being rolled out throughout this thread, I am curious how much of this is overreaction to misinterpretations of state "rules."

What I mean is: it seems multiple people have said they can't "talk" to kids until such and such month. What if you have them in class? Or what if they go to your church?

Some thoughts for you on the topic, because dealing with the state athletic association is new to some of you:

1. Athletic directors come in all different shapes and sizes. Some of them WANT to be an athletic director and they're great. Some of them WANT to be a principal, and AD is a good stepping stone for them. Some of them WERE a coach, and still want to be involved in athletics, but see being AD as a way to stay involved without having to be hands on with athletes. Never, ever just accept an answer from your athletic director as "the law." If you ask the AD, and they give you an answer that doesn't make good sense to you, or just seems to far fetched as to be unreal, or they stutter and cough when they give the answer, seek out an answer on your own. Don't just open rules and read them, seek out an interpretation from someone who really knows. There is someone at your athletic association headquarters who has the responsibility of overseeing cheerleading. Email them directly.

2. Realize that not all state rules may apply to cheer even if they apply to other sports. In Kentucky we have rules that apply differently to different sports within the same season. For example, football starts a week earlier in the summer than all other fall sports for no reason other than to allow the players a week to acclimate to the heat prior to the date when they can go full pads. I approached my AD, a good one, today with a question about transfers, and we found out the most abused bylaw in our state doesn't even apply to cheer.

3. There may be an advisory committee for cheerleading. If it's really a mess. Volunteer to be on the committee and attempt to illicit change. It may be slow-going, but it can be done. You can sometimes accomplish the same thing with a well-written email. After two consecutive years of receiving emails from me with evidence that the system of judging in our state needed to change, it changed. Offer an actual solution as opposed to just a complaint. When our system of judging changed, it didn't just randomly change, it changed to almost exactly what I had recommended.

It can be done.

I've never heard this before, interesting.

 

[Official OWECheer]

No, a mat is not deemed a "necessary" surface for skills- therefore the athletic department is not obligated to provide it. Because rubberized track and grass are deemed suitable to practice/perform on. Uniforms are provided however only at a limited budget through athletics, so if they deem 2,000 is all you can spend for 35 kids for 2 years- that's it.

SMH. This was supposed to make things easier.

Do STUNT teams get those things paid for? Or do they also have to fundraise?

 

[coacha]

SMH. This was supposed to make things easier.

Do STUNT teams get those things paid for? Or do they also have to fundraise?

I don't know any sport that gets everything paid for. Even football teams have booster clubs that fundraise for things. Schools have limited funds, and if your budget doesn't include enough to cover what you want, you fundraise or do without. Being labeled a sport isn't instant access to some unlimited fund.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

I've never heard this before, interesting.

What's that?

 

[cheerisloving]

Dang it cost that much to do sports? I can't imagine having to pay to actually play the sport. Clothes, camps, etc are one thing, but is that just to participate?

Paying to play at this fee would make sports almost obsolete at my school and if not that, the teams would look very different, and competitiveness might change too. People who can't afford it, or parents that won't pay for it.

I'm not sure about all the teams, but I know we only pay for extras. We get new unis ever 3 years, but we can pay for new ones. Our mats have been brought through the AD and on our own, with fundraiser $. As an athlete I paid for choreo, camp and camp clothes and that's about it.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Paying to play at this fee would make sports almost obsolete at my school and if not that, the teams would look very different, and competitiveness might change too. People who can't afford it, or parents that won't pay for it.

I'm not sure about all the teams, but I know we only pay for extras. We get new unis ever 3 years, but we can pay for new ones. Our mats have been brought through the AD and on our own, with fundraiser $. As an athlete I paid for choreo, camp and camp clothes and that's about it.

Yea ours was pretty similar. The AD/Boosters paid for mats, we got uniforms/warm-ups paid for every other year. My high school was on the more affluent side, so I don't think our sports teams would have suffered significantly with those prices, a lot wouldn't have been able to participate though. But many other schools in our county definitely would suffer. I think I paid about $600/year for cheer and half of that was for camp. The rest was for music, choreo, practice wear, shoes, poms, megaphone, etc. I never paid a penny for soccer.

 

[cheerisloving]

Yea ours was pretty similar. The AD/Boosters paid for mats, we got uniforms/warm-ups paid for every other year. My high school was on the more affluent side, so I don't think our sports teams would have suffered significantly with those prices, a lot wouldn't have been able to participate though. But many other schools in our county definitely would suffer. I think I paid about $600/year for cheer and half of that was for camp. The rest was for music, choreo, practice wear, shoes, poms, megaphone, etc. I never paid a penny for soccer.

I mean my town itself is pretty affluent, but my school definitely has the bigger lower income pop. Luckily the booster involvement and heavy student led fundraising is what makes the fun events affordable for all. I think cheer is the only sport that pays anything but of course we have the most 'extras'. I know my friends on Field Hockey used fundraiser money for team sports bras and senior day gifts. No one else has 'camps' that are mandatory.

 

[Official OWECheer]

What's that?

That these avenues existed for getting answers and creating change.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

That these avenues existed for getting answers and creating change.

I can only speak to what we have the ability to do in KY, but I highly doubt we are the only state with these options.

 

[CheerItFullOut]

The whole "Sport" thing- huge poop-de-hoop. Accomplished nothing.
At least, not in California

 

[coacha]

I can only speak to what we have the ability to do in KY, but I highly doubt we are the only state with these options.

You're not. Once you're a sport, someone has to oversee it. So somewhere there is a person, or hopefully a committee, with whom you can bring questions and suggestions.

I know that a lot of people on these boards begrudge the power of Varsity, but I for one am glad they exist and are so powerful because in my state, they influence the decisions of our governing sports body. So at least someone who knows something about cheerleading helps make decisions.

 

[EWalsh1029]

Dang it cost that much to do sports? I can't imagine having to pay to actually play the sport. Clothes, camps, etc are one thing, but is that just to participate?

Yup! Every athlete has to pay an "athletic fee" to play a sport. The school does offer scholarships that can cover this fee, but you have to apply and be accepted.

When I was in HS (06-10) I had to pay an athletic fee also for cheer (two seasons), but my fee was only $150 ... so $300 all together (different HS), so I've always been used to having to "pay to play." Although, I can see how it can be odd for people who have never encountered that.

Granted, the fee helps pay for: bus fees (games & competitions), competition fees (x2), choreography (x2), music (x2), any unexpected costs, and a portion gets put into our uniform fund (we get new uniforms on 4 year rotations).