Southwest All Stars Has Many Traditions and We Hope to Continue Them in the Future! If
Sportsmanship
Traditions
Southwest All Stars has many traditions and we hope to continue them in the future! If you are new to our program, here is a brief listing:
- Many of our routines contain a traditional cheer. New to the 2011 – 2012 season is a brand new program cheer! “Red, Black, and White. The best of the best. Now and Forever xx SOUTHWEST!” Everyone in the crowd yells over the music when this part of the routine comes on.
- Southwest is identified by the colors red, black, and white. Show your team spirit by wearing these colors at competitions, practices, etc.
- Each year our teams attend a large National Championship competition. It is tradition that our parents help in supporting our teams by creating ‘National’s Bags.’ These are something that show our athletes our support and are always fun for them to receive.
Please help in honoring our traditions, new and old – it makes it more fun for everyone!
Behavior
Sportsmanship and unity are extremely important to the program. Please be courteous, respectful and considerate to all teams and athletes. This includes other Southwest teams and other all-star programs.
Please do not speak negatively or disrespectfully about any person, decision, result, program or team. This includes “cheering” or showing excitement for other teams’ mistakes, posting on Facebook, the internet, message boards, etc. Southwest strives to teach our athletes respect and sportsmanship. Cheerleaders whose parents are excessively negative or disrespectful will be removed from the program. The goal of Southwest is to create a positive learning environment for all athletes.
Profanity, abusive language and disrespectful or inappropriate behavior or photos are not allowed. This includes on the Internet, emails, Facebook, etc.
Representing Southwest All Stars
The name “Southwest” and its logos are property of Southwest All Stars, Inc. Permission is required from Lindsay before anyone may sell, barter or use any product or service that involves, uses, or displays our name and/or logo. All sales involving Southwest merchandise must go through Southwest All Stars, Inc.
Posting of Southwest All Stars music, choreography, routines, stunts, etc., on the Internet must be pre-approved by Lindsay or Kristal for permission. This includes, but is not limited to, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, email, etc. Additionally, out of courtesy to other programs, Southwest asks that you show the same respect and do not share any other programs’ music, choreography, videos, information, etc.
Please do not use the words “Southwest All Stars”, “SW,” “Southwest”, or anything that obviously associates you with the program as a user name on a website or in your email address. (For example: , ). Southwest greatly appreciates your enthusiasm, however, people often represent their opinions in such a way that is has a negative effect on the program.
Parents, relatives, friends, and cheerleaders are never allowed to speak with competition officials for any reason. If you have any issue or concern that you wish to address regarding competition, please contact Lindsay with your concern. Parents are never allowed to represent Southwest All Stars without specific permission from the staff concerning accommodations, competitions, or any other situation. (For example: a parent may not pick up score sheets from a competition as a representative of Southwest without permission from staff)
How Teams are Selected
Age Divisions
The all-star cheerleading industry has grown tremendously in the last decade and this has led to a need to adopt standard divisions and levels. Prior to this, each competition had their own individualized and differentiated regulations for how teams were to be divided and had different rules for stunting and tumbling.
The United States All-Star Federation (USASF) is the governing body regarding all-star cheerleading and has helped create the guidelines regarding division, level, and age. These standards have been adopted by the majority of competitions that we will attend throughout the season.
Teams are typically categorized in 4 different ways: age, level, total number of athletes, and number of male athletes on a team.
All the all-star divisions are now determined purely by age! What grade you are (or even what grade you are going into or even if you are still in school) has absolutely no bearing on eligibility. To avoid an athlete’s eligibility from changing during the year, there is a cutoff date. The age of the athlete on AUGUST 31 will determine your “competition age” for the entire season. For example, if you are 14 on August 31, you compete as a “14 year old” for that entire season, even if you turn 15 on September 1. Due to this, under the example given, that athlete would still be eligible for a Junior team.
- International 14 and up
- Senior 12 – 18 **
- Junior 14 and under
- Youth 11 and under
- Mini 8 and under
- Tiny 5 and under
** There is a unique division (Senior Open 5) that has different tumbling restrictions and no age floor
Levels
There are currently 6 competition levels in the all-star cheerleading industry. The “level” refers to the type and difficulty of stunts, pyramids, tosses, and tumbling that a team is allowed to perform in their competition routine. The levels are numbered from 1 to 6 and increase in difficulty with 6 being the highest for difficulty. (Level 6 is rarely used and is exclusive to college-aged athletes) Level 5 represents the highest difficulty level that most gyms will field teams. The level of team is determined solely by coaching staff.
Over the past few years, the level of competition has increased dramatically. The best teams at every level are MUCH stronger than they used to be in the past. A team that would have easily won Level 3 division a couple of years ago could be below average at that level now. To achieve high scores, the vast majority of athletes on a team must be able to do all the hardest skills allowed at their level with great technique. This essentially means that the standards for determining when an athlete will move “up” a level are much higher than they have been in the past.
Roster Selection
Rosters for our teams are designed, as best we can, to give each team a roughly equal chance for success within their division. A variety of skills and abilities are necessary to give teams the best opportunity to succeed in their division at competitions. Southwest tries to match up the athletes, to the best of our ability, but please remember that maturity, physical stature, stunting, pyramids, jumps, dance, motions, and age are huge factors as well. It is simply not feasible (or desirable) to have an entire team of exactly matched and identical athletes. Some will be stronger tumblers than other. Some will help us out with stunts more than others. Every athlete is on a team for a reason – please trust staff when making these team placements and decisions. This season we are working harder than ever to push every athlete to improve their skills, even if it means working on skills that are above what is allowed in routines at their team’s current level.
Quite often people base placement for levels and teams on tumbling. While tumbling is important to the routine and the skill and difficulty level, it is not the only thing in a cheerleading routine. There are many aspects to a routine and athlete team placement will include all the aspects of cheerleading, not just tumbling. Proper technique is more crucial now than ever to help achieve high scores. Simply being able to complete a skill without falling to the ground is no longer the standard for when athletes are considered to “have” a skill. You must perform the skill with perfect or nearly perfect form and be able to do so consistently on all floors, under pressure, and in nearly any scenario. Many athletes and parents greatly overestimate the ability and form of the athlete against this standard.
Please note that no athlete has an absolute guarantee of a roster spot on a particular team. Athletes may be removed from our program at any time for reasons which may include, but are not limited to: attitude problems, absences and/or tardies, lack of financial responsibility, personal conflicts between athletes, coaches, parents, or anyone else involved in our program. There will be no refunds of tuition given after removal from a team.
Please note that no athlete has a right to any particular role or location in a routine. Coaches change formations and stunt groups for a variety of reasons, many of which have nothing to do with the relative ability of the athletes in question. Many times the flow of choreography or formations dictate changes be made in which athletes are doing certain skills. While you are always free to ask the coaches (at appropriate times and in an appropriate manner) to explain any of their decisions, making demands or threats regarding placement in routines are never successful and may result in the immediate dismissal of the athlete from the program.
Facility / Practices
Gym Rules
Please be respectful to our gym and all those associated with the gym.
Please be careful in the parking lot and drive slowly as there are always children around and lots of activity in and around the area. Avoid stopping in areas for large periods of time (other than parking space) or any area that may be blocking traffic.
Do not bring valuables to the gym! Southwest is not responsible for any theft or damage to personal property or unattended items!
Athletes are not allowed on any equipment before or after his or her class/practice. Please treat all equipment with respect. Athletes use the equipment during their instruction/practice time. Athletes may not use any equipment unless an instructor is present and is actively supervising the athlete. Some of the equipment can be very dangerous, particularly if it is used improperly.
No food or drink may be brought in from the outside. All trash should be placed in receptacles provided. All food and/or drink must remain in the viewing area.
Athletes should not chew gum or wear any jewelry. Please do not bring any valuables into the facility.
Viewing Practice
Parents should remain in the lobby during practice. Please refrain from “coaching” or otherwise distracting athletes or coaches during practice. If parents wish to bring younger siblings to watch, please make sure they are under your constant supervision and are not being excessively noisy or distracting to other spectators or anyone in the main gym.
Except for rare exceptions like parent performances, only athletes and coaches are allowed in the gym during practice. For the safety of everyone, please remain in the lobby and do NOT allow children to play anywhere in the gym without permission from staff and supervision.
Parents who are excessively negative, derogatory, loud, overbearing, or distracting will be barred from the gym during practices and/or have their athlete permanently removed from the program. Southwest hopes that everyone has an enjoyable time in the gym.
If you have a problem or concern, please speak to the coach or Lindsay. Complaining to other parents cannot solve your problem, nor can we solve them if we do not know about them. If you respect us enough to allow us to play a large role in your child’s life, please respect us enough to know that we have your child’s best interests at heart. Decisions that are made in regards to your child’s training, level, and team are made in what we feel will best help your child and their team be successful.
Practices
Every practice is extremely important and will be where athletes learn new skills and their competitive routine. While we try to give you as much notice as possible of any practice schedule changes, practices may be added or cancelled at any time.
It is your responsibility to wear the appropriate practice attire to every practice. Athletes should be dressed and ready to start practice on time. (For example: if practice begins at 7pm, athletes should not be arriving at the gym at 7pm, but should already be in the gym, dressed, and ready to start) This will allow for the team to utilize the entire practice time to help them be successful. Parents, we understand that you are busy as well, but please help us with this. It will greatly contribute to the success of your child’s team!
Food and cell phones must remain outside the gym at all times. Additional clothing (sweat pants, sweat shirts, etc.), school bags, or anything additionally not necessary for practice should be left outside the gym.
Withholding a child from practice (or competition) should never be used as a form of punishment. You are not only punishing your child, but every other team member, coach, and parent on that team.
We will do our best to work with extracurricular activities; however, if the coach of the extracurricular activity refuses to work with us, you may have to make a choice.
Attendance
As a parent/guardian of your child, it is your responsibility to alert coaching staff if you feel your child may not be at full capability to practice. This includes, but is not limited to, sickness and/or injury. If you feel your child cannot continue to participate in practice for any reason, alert a staff member immediately.
Part-time jobs, dances, concerts, banquets, long distance driving, family reunions, wedding, recitals, school/church socials, and other non-related school activities are unexcused. Only school activities which directly result in a grade are excused. If an emergency or special occasion occurs, please contact your head coach as soon as possible to inform them of your situation.
Excessive amounts of absences and tardies will not be tolerated and could lead to the potential dismissal from the team without a refund. An athlete MUST maintain an 80% attendance rate for the season.
All athletes are required to be at all practices 2 weeks before a competition. Any unexcused absence will result in the athlete not competing in the upcoming competition.
Please be on time to pick your athletes up after practice. For safety and liability reasons, Southwest staff cannot be responsible for athletes after (or before in some cases) practice.
Private Lessons
Rates and availability vary based on the package purchased and the availability of the instructor. It is first come, first serve for scheduling. Any communication about changes or cancellations should be done so immediately! Please be respectful of the instructors’ time. Cancellations require a 24 hour notice. If cancelled with less than 24 hours notice, the family/athlete will still be charged for the time!
Southwest strongly recommends that every athlete participate in tumbling class and private lessons. While we spend a portion of our team practices on individual skills, athletes will progress much more quickly if they are also getting instruction outside of their actual practice time.
For the 2012-2013 season, Southwest All Stars has a new private lesson policy. We, as coaches, know that having only 1 private lesson is not effective. Beginning May 6, athletes who wish to partake in private lessons will sign up for the following:
Package 1: 3 Private Lessons for $75
Package 2: 5 Private lessons for $110
Package 3: 7 Private lessons for $160
Package 4: 10 Private lessons for $225
Competitions
Scoring of Teams
The scoring process is often similar at the various events Southwest will be attending through the season, but there is no single standard scoring system. Every event has their option of using a different set of criteria for their scores and rankings. They may also have a different set of deductions and even relative weighting of various elements within the routine. Additionally, they will use different scales so that the same routine could score 8.6 one week, 89.5 the next week and even 372 a week later. This can make it difficult for parents, athletes, and even coaches at times to fully explain or understand the results
In general, team scores are a combination of several factors. Some are obviously, like tumbling and stunting difficulty, timing on jumps, etc., however, some are much more technical and not obvious to the “untrained” eye. These include scores for transitions between elements, tumbling technique, variety and precision of formations, etc. There are also purely subjective categories like “overall impression” and choreography. Very often, a team that is the “crowd favorite” will have a high level of difficulty or entertaining music, but not necessarily score the highest.
There are “panel judges” whose score sheets combine to produce a “raw score.” This score includes subjective factors and evaluation of technique. There is usually a separate set of “deduction” judges who look for obvious mistakes and rule violations. They will then take the deductions from the “raw score” to produce a team’s “final score.” Very often, mistakes will hurt your raw score AND cause deductions to be taken, essentially penalizing the team twice for the same mistake. While this may seem unfair, it is part of the sport and every team at the event will be judged in the same manner.
Competition Day
Please show up looking clean and presentable. Leave all valuables at home or with your own parents.
Athletes should be dressed in their uniform or Southwest apparel, white no show socks and their white shoes. Please do not wear other t-shirts, especially ones that represent other cheerleading programs (this includes other all-star teams, high school teams, etc.). All undergarments (including sports tops for girls), should match the color of their uniform. (For example: if the main color of our top is black, please do not wear a pink sports bra underneath)