Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide a program that satisfies and exceeds all of the needs of its members. We strongly encourage participants to form and maintain good relationships with other participants, with the community, and with other All-Star gyms. We urge our members to challenge themselves to reach new abilities, aided by the most dedicated staff possible. Our main objective is to allow the members to experience the feeling of being a part of a team and to ensure that they enjoy themselves in the sport of cheerleading. We guarantee that each child will leave our program with lasting memories and a new knowledge, whether related to cheerleading or to life in general.
Practice
The practice season will begin June 1, 2010. The Extreme team will have one 3 hour practice (most likely on Sunday) and one 3 hour practice on a weekday. All other teams will have one 3 hour practice during the week. Every team member receives 1 tumbling class a week included in the cost of monthly tuition. All additional classes in the same week are $5 for team members. The Mini and Tiny teams will begin formal team practices in September. After registration in May, we will be offering cheerleaders the opportunity to attend Pre-Team Cheer Class in June, July, and August. These classes are for cheerleaders ages 8 & under who are placed on Minis or Tiny Tots team or non-member children 8 & under who want to learn the basics of cheerleading. It is a 1 hour class that will focus on jumps, motions, level 1 tumbling, and level 1 stunting. The Pre-Team Cheer Class is optional and can be attended on a pay as you go basis.
All team practices are mandatory! Since time is of the essence, every child must be stretched and ready to begin practice at the set time. If a child needs to be excused from practice, it is his/her responsibility to inform the coaches at least 2 weeks prior in order to give the coaches enough time to re-adjust the practice schedule. (Keep in mind that not all absences will be excused. It is solely up to the coaches to determine the necessity of the absence.) Please remember that when a child misses practice it sets the entire team back! The practice schedule will be distributed monthly and during competition season the coaches reserve the right to schedule additional practices as they see fit for their team. ALL TEAM MEMBERS ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND ALL PRACTICES, COMPETITIONS, ETC. or risk being replaced for competition or being removed from the team.
Absences
Unexcused absences will not be tolerated and may result in your dismissal from the team. If you miss the practice right before a competition you can expect to not be participating in that particular competition, unless you receive prior approval for your absence. This rule does not apply to summer practices, as families have already planned vacations. But, you must have a valid excuse submitted to the coach in writing two weeks prior to your absence. In the summer, an absence can be made up by attending a scheduled tumbling class. If you are to miss a practice due to serious illness, you are required to call your coach to notify him/her that you will not be able to attend. Not calling will constitute an unexcused absence. If you are capable of coming to practice, it is expected that you attend and watch the practice.
Competition
We participate in local, regional, and national competitions throughout the year. Competition provides our program with the opportunity to showcase our talent and compete with other programs. We encourage family and friends of the participants of our program to attend these competitions to show support for all of our teams. Each member of each team must be present at all of the performances made by our program, unless given prior permission to miss a performance. The competition season begins with the first competition for our regular season teams on November 6, 2010. The subsequent competitions are listed on the 10-11 competition schedule and are only tentative. Though we hope that the schedule is permanent, it may be altered before the end of the summer. You will receive a final competition schedule the first week of September. We have chosen a number of local competitions for convenience, affordability, and to offer support to the various programs in the area. We will be attending one or two national competitions which will require significant travel. Members of the teams attending should know that they will most likely have to miss two days of school for this/these competition(s).
Divisions
Contrary to previous years, divisions are now based on age and not grade. To avoid the problem of eligibility changing during competition season, a date has been selected to serve as a cut-off. The age that you are on August 31st determines your eligibility for each division. This year there is a minimum age requirement for senior teams only. The divisions are broken up like this:
Open - 17 and older Youth - 11 yrs and under
Senior - 11-18 yrs Mini - 8 yrs and under
Junior - 14 yrs and under Tiny - 5 yrs and under
Levels
According to the USASF guidelines, there are 6 levels for regular all star teams this season. The “level” refers to the type of tumbling, stunts, and pyramids that a team is able to safely perform. The levels are numbered 1 to 6 in increasing order of difficulty. The level of a team is determined by the coaching staff. There has been a rapid increase in the difficulty of each of the levels over the past couple of years. Now, a team that could have easily won a competition at level 4 may now be below average at that level today. The best teams are now much stronger at every level than they used to be.
There may be a cheerleader on a team that can tumble at a different level than others. We try to match up the levels of the athletes the best we can. Please remember that stunting, pyramids, jumps, dance, motions, and age are huge factors as well. It is nearly impossible to have a full team of equally matched athletes. Some will be better in tumbling, some better in stunting, etc. Every cheerleader is on the team for a reason. Please trust the staff. This season we will be working hard to push every athlete to improve their skills, even if it means working on skills that are above that team’s level.
Crossovers
Cheerleaders may choose to cheer for more than one team within the season. Preference for crossovers will be given to experienced cheerleaders and tumblers. Teams that will utilize crossovers will be determined by the staff at Cheer Intensity All-Stars. Please indicate on your member profile if you have an interest in being a crossover. The only additional cost is the crossover fee at competition.
Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship and team unity are extremely important parts of our organization. We ask that our members be courteous and friendly to all teams and athletes. Do not speak negatively about any team, program, score, decision, or placement. This includes both verbally and on the internet; both inside and outside of cheerleading. We wish to promote a healthy learning environment and would like for our program to display the values we hold high. We strive to teach our athletes sportsmanship and respect. Anyone who behaves or speaks in an inappropriate matter in regards to these rules, immediately subjects him/herself to the possibility of dismissal from the program.
Fundraising/Parent Participation
We understand that All-Star Cheerleading can be fairly expensive. Thus, we do not want to exclude anyone who might be interested in being a part of our program because of any financial shortcomings. The Booster Club was designed to receive parental input and to support our athletes in every way possible. One of the main foci of the Booster Club is fundraising to cover some of the costs of All-Star Cheerleading. The Booster Club plans to offer an abundance of fundraising opportunities so that all children interested in our program are given the chance to participate. This year there were at least two fundraisers every month.
Rules and Regulations
During any scheduled practice, competition, or event, you must follow a set of rules.
NO JEWELERY! (Includes jewelry that is not exposed)
Hair must be up and out of your face (use hairspray or clips)
Shoes must be worn at all times (bring cheer shoes with you; do not put them on until inside)
Appropriate attire must be worn at all times (colors will be posted monthly)
At competition, skirts and tops stay zipped until you get in your car to go home (Unzipped uniforms look messy and unprofessional)
No Gum
Turn cell phones off
Fingernails must be trimmed and filed
You are only allowed to practice on equipment while a coach is present
No visible tattoos
Use or possession of illegal drugs, alcohol, or tobacco is prohibited (will result in immediate dismissal from the team)
Absolutely no Public Displays of Affection while in uniform
Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated
INTENSITY EXTREME
The Intensity Extreme team is a team comprised of cheerleaders who have chosen cheerleading as “their sport”. They are looking to invest their time and efforts into this one sport. To be considered for this team cheerleaders must be hardworking, dedicated, a self-motivator, and have a positive attitude about themselves and others.
The Intensity Extreme team is our advanced Senior team for the 09-10 season. Cheerleaders chosen for this team must possess all level four tumbling skills (standing tuck, jump to BHS tuck, 2 to layout, and R/O BHS Layout) and be working on level 5 skills as well. They must also be able to either fly, base, or back at the advanced level. There will be no front spots. They will have two 3 hour practices a week and will also be required to attend 1 mandatory tumbling class a week (you will be excused from the mandatory tumbling class if you are a crossover). The team will work all season perfecting their level 4 skills. Once perfected, cheerleaders will then be working on their next level skills. We will continue to increase every individual’s skills to get them to that next level. It is our desire to have the Intensity Extreme team to be competing for a level 5 World's bid for the 11-12 season.
They will attend 3 major Nationals. One will require a flight while the other will most likely be by bus. The Nationals in Atlantic City will only be attended if the team receives a bid to the IASF All Levels Worlds. The team will have 5 bid opportunities. We offer to take any child who cannot be accompanied by a parent, but otherwise parents are responsible for their children. Children are required to attend all practices and team meetings while away. All travel and hotel arrangements should be made independently, although we will offer reccomendations on flights and hotels.
Team members will be wearing the same uniforms as the Extreme team last year. If you were not on the team, you are required to purchase a uniform. We are also using the same warm-ups so if you do not have one, or it doesn't fit, you are required to buy one. All girls will be required to buy practice clothes for the 10-11 season.
“Extreme” team members cannot miss practices for high school cheer, other after school activities, work, or homework. It is the responsibility of the cheerleader to organize his/her time properly.
If you are interested in being on the Intensity Extreme team for the upcoming season, there is a question about it on your member information sheet where you can indicate that you would like to be considered for that team.