2018-2019 Mentor Handbook Making an impact on our Exceptional Athlete team! 105 North Cool Springs Road, O Fallon MO, 63366 Info@CheerStLouis.com 636-980-5678
Thank you for your interest in Cheer St. Louis s Mentor program. Cheer St. Louis will be forming an Exceptional Athletes team for children ages 6 years and older. This Exceptional Athletes division was created so athletes with special needs have the opportunity to participate in competitive cheerleading alongside their teammates and friends. Athletes will work hand in hand with mentors to help them be most successful in their practices and competitions. Mentor Team Highlights Assist athletes at practices and 4 local competitions. Build friendships that last a lifetime. Earn community service hours. Mentor Application Instructions: Obtain a letter of recommendation* Complete Mentor Application (found in this handbook) Submit all forms to the front desk by 8/6 *Letters of recommendation need to be written by a trusted adult whom is not immediately related to the applicant. What s next? Following sign ups for the Exceptional Athlete team, Mentors will be called in for an interview. After all interviews have been completed, possible mentors will receive notification of their status as a mentor. While we would like all applicants to be mentors, we will only be accepting the same number of mentors as there are athletes on the team. This number may be a wide range. Additional mentors may be added to the Mentor wait list. Mentors on the waitlist may be called in should additional athletes join the team after tryouts, if an original mentor needs a substitute, or for any reason additional mentors may be needed. This packet is designed to help you learn more about Cheer St. Louis. The guidelines, ethics and policies that are standard at Cheer St. Louis are included.
Mentor Requirements Mentors are required to be within 10 and 18 years of age. Mentors must be enrolled in a current CSTL team for the entirety of their mentor program. Parent and Mentor Meeting Mentor Team parent meeting is for any parent of a Mentor whom has been invited to interview for either the Mentor position or the Mentor Waitlist. The Mentor parent meeting will be as follows: Sunday, August 26 th at 12pm. The meeting is expected to last about 60 minutes. It is required a parent attend this meeting if you plan to pursue the Mentor Program. Immediately following the Parent meeting will be Mentor Training for the Mentors only. Sunday, August 26 th at 1pm. Mentor training is expected to last about 60 minutes and is required for all Mentors and those on the Mentor Waiting list. Closing Dates and Dates to Remember September 9 th First Exceptional Athlete team practice November 21 st -22 nd Gym Closed Thanksgiving December 9 th No Exceptional Athlete team practice December 19 th -26 th Gym Closed December 27 th -30 th No team practice December 31 st -January 1 st Gym Closed February 17 th -- No Exceptional Athlete team practice March 3 rd -- No Exceptional Athlete team practice March 31 st -- No Exceptional Athlete team practice April 6 th Final day of Exceptional Athlete Team practice Team Practices The Special Athlete Team will practice 1 time per week. The practice will be 90 minutes on Sundays from 6:15pm to 7:45pm. Mentors are expected to arrive for practices 10 minutes before the start to assist their athlete from the moment they walk through the door at the gym. This will include greeting the athlete when they arrive, assisting them with putting their bags on the shelves in the gym should they need assistance with that task, and waiting with them on the blue mat until practice time starts. Excessive tardiness and/or early departure from practices, may result in consequences for the mentor including but not limited to being
removed from the program, practice or competition. At Cheer St. Louis we will make every attempt to start and end practice on time. On occasion, Exceptional Athlete Team practices will be canceled due to staff and mentors traveling with other teams. The practices missed will be made up on the following dates. Saturday, January 5 th 2018 9 to 10:30am Saturday, January 26 th 2018 9 to 10:30am Saturday, March 23 rd 2019 9 to 10:30am Friday April 5 th 2019 5 to 6:30pm Saturday April 6 th 2019 9 to 10:30am Expectations, Guidelines and Rules Mentors are expected to set the standard of what is acceptable both within the gym and the community. Mentors will be held to a higher standard than the typical athlete, therefore they may be removed from their mentor position at any given time should they no longer be portraying a positive image. Attendance Policy Cheer St. Louis takes pride in being very organized with practices, events and schedules. All practices, events and schedules will be communicated well ahead of time. If a mentor misses more than two practices, they will no longer be allowed to participate in the mentor program. Mentors form relationships and bonds with the athletes they work with and a mentor missing practices can be detrimental to the success of their athlete. Anytime a mentor misses a practice, or is unable to participate regardless of reason, it is counted as an absence. Please plan accordingly, including family vacations, school concerts, family functions, weddings, long distance driving, recitals, birthdays, dances, etc. In the event a mentor can attend practice, but not participate, please send them. This will allow them to keep up on the material taught and changes made but please communicate this to the teams head coach prior to the practice. If the mentor cannot adequately do their job a substitute mentor may be required. If your mentor is contagious, please keep them home. In the event a mentor misses a practice without communicating with the head coach prior to the incident, they will be immediately removed from the mentor program. Communication is key. You are allotted two absences but a no call no show is not acceptable for mentors. As with any absence, a substitute is needed to fill the position in your absence. Attendance and participation at practice does not give mentors the right to attend performances with the team. Mentors will be required to maintain a positive attitude and behavior as well as be present and fully participating at practice. At coaches discretion, a mentor could be taken out of a competition(s) if deemed best for the athlete and/or the team. Required practices are those 1-week prior to a performance/event. Coaches may adjust required practices as needed for team success. 100% attendance by all mentors is required for performance week. Athletes not in attendance at required practice will not be allowed to participate in the performance regardless of reason. In the event that a mentor is injured outside of Cheer St. Louis and can no longer do their job as a mentor, please communicate with the coach ASAP. Please understand that coaches need notice to adjust mentors in
the case one cannot participate. A substitute mentor will fill the position until the original mentor can return, in which case the position of both mentors will be determined based on what is the best option for the Exceptional Athlete the mentors were both working with. Performance attendance is mandatory by all mentors. At Cheer St. Louis we understand unexpected things happen and some conflicts with schedules are unavoidable. Please understand communication is key! If you have a conflict with any practice date, required practice, performance or event, please communicate with the coaching staff early! We will do our best to work with you on schedules for unforeseen and rare circumstances. With that, no mentor will be allowed to participate in performance if they missed that weeks required practice. Inclement Weather In the event the gym is closed due to inclement weather this information will be communicated via social media and www.cheerstlouis.com. Practice Athletes are expected to have appropriate practice attire for every practice. Appropriate practice attire for mentors includes cheer shoes, black or grey shorts or pants, and their blue CSTL program t-shirt. Program shirts are required at each practice. In order to protect each athlete, and ensure his or her safety, no jewelry is allowed. No jewelry or piercings may be covered with tape, bandages or any other covering. No excessively long fingernails. Mentors are expected to wear their hair all up in a ponytail with bow. Parents are welcome to view practices from the parent viewing areas. No one other than athletes and staff members are allowed inside the gym workout area, for everyone s safety, unless invited into the gym. Parents are expected to keep a positive atmosphere in the parent viewing areas. No parent coaching is allowed. Cell phones must be turned off or silent during practice to minimize distractions. Any inappropriate tattoos, stickers from tanning sessions, etc. must be covered at all times Code of Conduct All mentors, parents and affiliates must be a strong representative of Cheer St. Louis and a positive reflection of the program. Abusive behavior, lying, illegal or any other form of negative behavior, will not be tolerated by parents, mentors or affiliates. Violation of the code of conduct may result in athletes being removed from a team or the program. Negative comments about any other team or program will not be tolerated. Please remember you are a direct reflection of the Cheer St. Louis program. Those not choosing to stay positive are subject to removal. Mentors are expected to treat teammates, coaches and other athletes with mutual respect. Pettiness, gossip or any other harmful behavior will not be tolerated. Disrespectful behavior such as eye rolling, attitude, talking back, etc. will not tolerated. Coaches will address situations individually and in a professional manor. Given the athlete
doesn t change their behavior they are subject to reduction in participation and ultimately removal from the program or competition. When being a representative or supporter of Cheer St. Louis, including attending events or competitions as a spectator, you must be a positive role model and represent Cheer St. Louis is a positive, healthy manner. This includes, but is not limited to visual public intoxication, illegal activities, crude or disruptive behavior, poor sportsmanship, vulgar or inappropriate language, etc. Social Media The Cheer St. Louis names, including team names, mascot, abbreviations and slogans are property of Cheer St. Louis. They may not be used in anyway including, but not limited to, screen names, email addresses, etc. Comments made on message boards, social media, etc. need to remain positive and of the nature Cheer St. Louis would be proud of. Social media is not the outlet to discuss issues or feelings you might have regarding Cheer St. Louis, your child, anyone else s child, your child s team or any other team within or not within Cheer St. Louis. Complaining, insinuating, gossiping or similar behavior is not tolerated and is subject to removal. Inappropriate social media posts from athletes must be removed. These include but are not limited to swearing, gossip, illegal or provocative behavior and inappropriate photos of any kind. Coaches Coaches decisions in regard to teams, placements, positions, skills and participation are final and are not subject to debate. Parent opinions will not be taken into consideration when making decisions. Instead the coaching staff at Cheer St. Louis will make the best possible decision for all parties involved, keeping the safety and progression of our athletes as the first priority.
Mentor Application Mentor First Name: Mentor Last Name: Mentor Email: Mentor Cell Number: ( ) - Date of Birth: / / Age as of August 31, 2018: Grade for 18 19: Parent First Name: Parent Last Name: Parent email: Parent Cell Number: ( ) - Why do you want to be a Mentor? What qualities do you have that will make you a strong mentor? Give an example of how you have handled a stressful situation: What do you love most about cheerleading? What are your top achievements to date?
What is a goal you hope to accomplish during the mentor program? What is your dream job? Any other information you would like to share about your Mentor Application: Signature of Applicant: As the parent of the applying mentor, I understand that my athlete will be held to a higher standard than the typical athlete. I accept the responsibility to help my athlete uphold their commitment to the team by helping them arrive to practices and competitions on time and to encourage a positive image both within the gym and in the community. Print Name: Date: Signature of Primary Contact Parent/Guardian: Print Name: Date:
Letter of Recommendation Applicant Name: Date: Thank you for taking the time to write a letter of Recommendation for an athlete interested the Cheer St. Louis Mentor program. This mentor program allows athletes to assist and build positive relationships with athletes who have special needs on our Exceptional Athletes team. Please let us know why you think this athlete would be a good applicant for this program. Printed Name: Title: Signature: