Livingston county Area Cheer/Pom Commissioners By-Laws

Livingston county Area Cheer/Pom Commissioners By-Laws Program Purpose: The purpose of the Livingston County Area Cheer/Pom commissioners (LCACC) Board is to govern the rules of Cheer/Pom throughout the season and its events. LCACC CHEER/POM BOARD Each of the participating communities will appoint a Cheer/Pom commissioner to represent them at the monthly meeting. Each Cheer Commissioner is a member of the LCACC Board. Each community is awarded one vote on the Board. Each Commissioner is responsible for ensuring every coach receives, understands, and follows the League rules. Ignorance of the rules is inexcusable. LCACC CHEER/POM BOARD OFFICERS The Board shall have the following officers: President The role of the President of the LCACC Board is: Conduct monthly Board meetings Ensure that the LCACC organization runs professionally and within the intent of the bylaws Direct the LCACC Board on programs and policies Settle any disputes concerning issues that are governed under current rules and/or Bylaws. To facilitate the turn over of responsibilities to the incoming President/Vice President. Vice President The role of the Vice President of the LCACC Board is: Aid the President in the performance of his/her duties. Chair meetings in the Presidents absence To facilitate the turn over responsibilities to the incoming President/Vice President Secretary The role of the Secretary of the LCACC Board is Take and keep records of the Cheer Board meetings Maintain and update the LCACC Bylaws To facilitate the turn over of responsibilities to the incoming Secretary

ELECTIONS All Cheer/Pom commissioners or board members in a community are eligible to run for an LCACC Board position. Elections for officers shall take place during the January meeting. The term of the office shall run for one calendar year. REMOVAL To remove a LCACC Board member you must do the following: 1. Bring the complaint to the next monthly meeting in writing and share with every community. 2. Discussion will be made in a professional manner and the person may state their side of the story at this time. 3. A vote of all present members will be made remove this Board member, must have a quorum. BOARD MEETINGS The LCACC Board meetings shall be held on one pre-appointed day, time and location every month. Place: Hartland Community Ed. Building Time: 7pm-8:30pm Date: Last Wednesday of each month* *This date may be changed due to building conflicts, holidays or by a Cheer/Pom commissioner request. Each Community s appointed Cheer/Pom commissioners are expected to attend ALL monthly LCACC meetings. If they are unable to attend, a s substitute from that community should be appointed and present. The following actions will be taken if there are 3 consecutive absences from a Community 1. 1 st absence-warrants the LCACC Secretary to place a courtesy phone call to the Community s Cheer/Pom commissioners. 2. 2 nd absence-warrants the LCACC President to notify, via mail, the Community s Board with the concern of missed meetings. 3. The Community will be moved to the bottom of the Cheerfest Hosting Rotation.

All business will be transacted at the regularly scheduled monthly LCACC meeting unless it is deemed necessary by the Officers that a special meeting be called. It will be necessary for a quorum of the assembled LCACC Board members be present for voting purposes. The LCACC Board shall have the authority to direct activities, and to adopt and modify general LCACC bylaws. A motion for a vote can be presented at any time during a regularly scheduled LCACC meeting. An LCACC board member can request tabling any motion for the period of (1) month. This enables Cheer/Pom commissioners the opportunity to take any issue back to their community BOD for guidance on how to vote. The position of LCACC Board members is to be a voice for the community and that might not reflect a member s personal opinion. After a motion is presented and seconded, a member vote shall be taken. A Quorum of the assembled LCACC Board members shall decide the outcome of a motion to be voted upon. An absentee vote is not valid. The President s vote shall be used only in a tie breaking situation Any NEW community joining the LCACC BOD will have probationary status regarding voting for three monthly meetings. These Bylaws may be amended by the affirmative vote of the majority of the members present at any regular or special meeting of the membership, no later than (March) of the year the changes are to take place. Said changes will take effect immediately and will remain in place for not less than the duration of the season occurring in that same calendar year. Notice of proposed amendments shall be forwarded to membership along with notification of the meeting in which the vote will take place. Article I-Games Section 1: Pre-Game A. The LCACC Commissioner of the home community, or individual appointed on his/her behalf, will be available for questions and should make the visiting team aware of whom he/she is and how he/she can be found if needed. The home community commissioner should be aware when the visiting commissioner arrives. B. At some point early in the game, preferably in the first quarter, the home team coaches will greet the visitor coaches on the visitor side of the field. At this point, coaches will decide how to proceed with the halftime performances, if a deviation from the standard protocol is needed or requested. Section 2: Game Rules

A. Sportsmanship is a huge part of Cheerleading& Pom as in any sport. ALL Commissioners and Coaches should be courteous as well as an excellent role model for all cheerleaders and pom girls, especially on game day. Meeting and greeting teams are a great way to begin a game! B. Halftime is in between the second and third period of a football game and will last (15) minutes. C. ALL MUSIC MUST BE BROUGHT TO PRESS BOX BEFORE GAME STARTS, WITH YOUR TEAM ROSTER. Ideally this takes place 30 minutes before the game begins. D. It is important that Coaches are aware of the running clock. Pom groups should be lined up and prepared to take the field two (2) minutes prior to the end of the second period. (ALL TEAMS) Please have a Coach or chosen individual up in the press box ready to begin your music when signaled by the Coach on the Field. ALWAYS bring something to play your music-just in case! Pom routines are to be performed towards their own stands/fans. As soon as the Pom squads have finished there performance the Cheerleaders should immediately take the field and begin to the Opposing stand/fans. Section 3: In-Season Practice and Off-Season Practice A. If a community is holding a cheer/pom camp, the camp must be the same for all ages and offered to all other communities. A camp is where the children learn the same thing, but age appropriate. B. Camps and Clinics need to be brought to the LCACC for approval (must quorum). C. Times and location of camps must be known to the League Commissioners and the home Commissioner or designee must be in attendance. D. Cheerleaders may participate in camps/clinics held in their community provided it does not exceed 20 total hours during the off-season. E. The camp may not be restricted to players already signed up and may include additional athletes within the school system. F. Formal practice is not permitted before the date established by the Livingston County Area Youth Football League Board of Commissioners. G. Total practice time in one calendar week is not to exceed 15 hours prior to the first day of school for Freshmen, JV, and Varsity. Instructional is limited to no more than 6 hours of practice. H. After the first day of school, no team is allowed to practice more than six hours per week total practice time. I. Practice will be allowed on Sundays as long as it is agreeable to the community and does not exceed the number of hours allowed for that week.

Article 2: Player Particulars Section 1: Divisions A. Divisions will function on the basis of grade levels. Divisions will be formed as follows: a. Instructional-Grades 1 and 2 b. Freshmen-Grades 3 and 4 c. JV- Grades 5 and 6 d. Varsity- Grades 7 and 8 B. Grades will be determined as current (upcoming) school year a. No student may play down a level. b. A student may request to be moved up in Division, but the cheerleader must have her parent s written approval, the Head Coach s consent, her color Commissioner s consent (if applicable), and the head Commissioner of the Community s consent. All must be in agreement. c. A student may only move up one grade level. Section 2: Team Formation A. Team formation will be held on a different day then the registration process (rookie or veteran) and those in attendance are only board members. This process is to be completed by July. B. All rookie cheerleaders are placed on teams by a blind draw system, with the rotation continuing until all teams are filled. C. Veteran participants will stay in the division in which they were placed and will remain in the same division until such time as they graduate into the high school program unless expansion or contraction of a program is required. D. Expansion: If a community finds it necessary to add a color division for cheer, all rookie cheerleaders at that level will be placed on the expansion team by way of a blind draw, until the expansion team has met a number required to make it equitable with other color divisions at that level. All subsequent draws of rookie members will be placed according to the established blind draw system. E. Contraction: If a community finds it necessary to dissolve a color division for cheer, all cheerleaders in that color and at that level will be placed by way of a blind draw. Those will be placed prior to rookie cheerleaders at that same level. F. In all circumstances, participants with siblings in a program must be placed on a team in that same division (color) Section 3: Eligibility of Certification A. Residence: A cheerleader is to participate in the community in which she attends public school. If there is no Junior Football (Cheer/Pom) program in

her school district, a cheerleader may participate in a program of her choice. Any special conditions must be brought before the LCACC Board. B. A cheerleader may not practice for a school Cheer or Pom team and a Livingston Junior Cheer/Pom team at the same time. C. Parental Consent: A cheerleader shall furnish written permission to cheer from her legal parent or guardian. Article 3: Cheerfest Invitational Rules & Guidelines LCACC shall hold an annual Cheer/Pom Invitational (CheerFest) for the participating communities to perform and exhibit the skills that each squad has developed over the course of the season. CheerFest will be scheduled for the second Sunday in October. The alternative weekend will be the third Sunday in October in the event of a facility booking conflict. Any changes from the second Sunday in October will need to be brought to the LCACC Board for approval. FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE ROTATION & HOSTING GUIDELINES 1. Participation Guidelines: All communities shall have the opportunity to host the Cheer/Pom. Invitational. a. Hosting Rotation & Guidelines (est. 1994, updated 2017) 1.Milford 2.Hartland 3.Hamburg 4.South Lyon 5.Howell 6.Whitmore Lake 7.Byron 8.Brighton 9.Webberville 10.Fowlerville b. Rotation will be followed as stated above. This rotation was established in 1994 hence, the first Cheer/Pom Invitational origination. Each community in the LCACC has the right to host this event based on the aforementioned rotation. c. A community that has not been in attendance for half of the LCACC monthly meetings and/or has missed three consecutive LCACC meetings; including and not limited to failing to have a representative on behalf of the commissioner for that community, will accept forfeiture of their hosting right. In addition, the hosting

community must also have participated in two previous Cheer/Pom Invitational with the exception of no less than 80 % participation or an agreement (in writing) to assist the hosting team. These conditions and arrangement will be upon LCACC Board approval. The LCACC President will assume the responsibility to properly notify the Board President of the community if a dismissal has been voted in favor of by the LCACC Board members. d. Communities that have split will host as a combined community if its current Board administers both teams. Each Community has the right to pass-off their hosting turn to the community that is next in the rotation line-up as stated above. e. New communities will be added to the end of the lineup. If the rotation is at the end of the line up the new community must wait three years before being eligible to host the Cheer/Pom Invitational event in their community. This would mean that a Community could not hold a festival within their first three years of joining LCACC. B. Hosting Guidelines: a. The hosting community for the upcoming season Cheer/Pom Invitational will be set at the LCACC Board meeting held in January of the current season upon approval of the LCACC Board. b. The hosting community will be required to provide adequate space and equipment for CheerFest. If the hosting community is not able to provide their own facility with adequate seating, spacing, and safety mats, another suitable venue must be provided. Otherwise the hosting community will forfeit their rotation of CheerFest and it will be defaulted to the next eligible community in order. Layout of the gym performances will be the long length of the gymnasium facing the long lengths of the bleacher seating with no spectator seating on the floor. Proof of adequate facility will be provided to all communities by the hosting community at the January meeting. c. The hosting community will present a budget and summary of CheerFest at the November meeting. I. ADMISSION FEES Admission fees are limited to a maximum of $5 per person II. PROFESSIONAL VIDEO TAPING The hosting community will be responsible to obtain a professional video company to handle all taping, sales and distribution of all/any video tapes that are bought or sold pertaining to the Cheer/Pom Invitational. The hosting community will provide the name of the video company at the August meeting and a sample of the quality of their company, by flyers or video. Spectators interested in videotaping performances shall be permitted to do so during the event. III. SOUND SYSTEM

The hosting Community will provide a professional company to handle the sound system for the entire event and its performances. A. The DJ must keep an additional copy of all cheer music on file in case of musical malfunction. B. The Hosting community will request the DJ and judges to attend one of our LCACC meetings or the walkthrough to answer questions and address concerns. IV. PARTICIPATION FEES All fees are due to the hosting community at the September LCACC Board meeting. The fee shall be $20.00 per participant. To change participant fees the hosting community must present to the board at the May LCACC Board meeting the new price, and why the cost increase. The new cost will be voted on at that time, and a majority vote wins. A penalty of $250.00 will be charged to any community, not bringing the hosting community the money due for festival at the September meeting. V. INDIVIDUAL SQUAD PARTICIPATION The hosting community will perform first in each division. The remaining order of performance shall be determined by a lottery draw. The Lottery draw shall be drawn by the September LCACC Board meeting. Teams within a community may choose to combine for CheerFest. Teams must combine as a whole and not split the girls on that team into more than one team. There is no maximum number of girls on a team. Team rosters are to be handed in to the hosting community by they draw at the September meeting. VI. PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS CheerFest will consist of two rounds: Cheer and Pom. All teams that are registered will participate in both the Pom and Cheer Round. Teams cannot combine or separate for Rounds. All teams will have an option of one of the following rounds under Cheer: Flat Cheer Round or the Stunt Round. The following requirements and limitations shall be applied: A. Safety Guidelines for all Rounds: NO props of any kind shall be used during either rotation/performance. NO knee drops are permitted. NO glitter at all shall be permitted (this includes hair, shin and/or uniforms). NO bobby pins, barrettes, or ANY metal hair devices, or gymnastic clips are permitted.

NO jewelry is permitted of any sort. (With the exception of medial alert) Hair ribbons, scrunches, and soft ponytail holders will be allowed. If mounting/stunting is permitted, ALL MHSAA Junior High/Middle School guidelines are to be observed and adhered to. Verbiage for Taking the Floor- Every time a team begins the following verbiage will be stated by the DJ/MC of the event Cheer Round 1) (Name of Team) You may approach the floor 2) You may Take the Floor and begin when ready (Coach may que the squad to begin Chant) 3) You may Take your next formation and begin when ready (Coach may que the squad to begin Cheer) Pom Round 1) (Name of Team) You may approach the floor 2) You may Take the Floor (coach then ques DJ) 3) Your music is about to begin B. Flat Cheer Round a. Chant: Prior to performing the Flat Cheer, each squad must perform a Chant. The Chant has a limitation of (1) one minute maximum beginning with the first word or motion. b. Flat Cheer: The Flat Cheer has a minimum of 45 seconds; maximum of 1:30 (one minute and thirty seconds). The first ten counts of the routine will be the Ten-Count as noted in the MHSAA handbook. The ten count is not released until the tryout season begins for Middle School, we will use the MHSAA ten count from the previous season. Flat cheer required skills must include (2) two unison jumps for all teams. Jumps do not need to be consecutive. Unison jumps must be performed in staggered lines. The Instructional and Freshman squads must have a minimum of (3) formation changes, and the JV and Varsity squads must have a

minimum of (4) formation changes. The start of the cheer is the original formation. Formation changes begin when moving into the next formation, and each subsequent formation change. C. Stunt/Tumbling Round a. Chant: Prior to performing the Stunt/Tumbling Round, each squad must perform a Chant. The Chant has a limitation of (1) one minute maximum beginning with the first word or motion. b. Stunt/Tumbling Round: The Stunt/Tumbling Round has a minimum of 1 minute; maximum of 2:30 (two minutes and thirty seconds) beginning with the first word, motion, to last word, motion The first ten counts of the routine will be the Ten-Count as noted in the MHSAA handbook. The ten count is not released until the tryout season begins for Middle School so we will use the MHSAA ten count from the previous season. Stunt/Tumbling Round must include (2) two unison jumps for all teams Jumps do not need to be consecutive. Unison jumps must be performed in staggered lines. The Instructional and Freshman squads must have a minimum of (3) formation changes, and the JV and Varsity squads must have a minimum of (4) formation changes. The start of the cheer is the original formation. Formation changes begin when moving into the next formation, and each subsequent formation change. Music may not be incorporated into the routine instead follow a MHSAA approach to competitive cheer. All levels must incorporate skills which consist of flexibility moves or tumbling. Standing and/or running tumbling is allowed by at least one of the team participants (no minimum or maximum required). Standing tumbling and running tumbling may be performed in any direction.

The Instructional squads may add a thigh level stunt to the routine. The Freshman squads may not lift/mount above shoulder level and may NOT add a skill to the stunt The Junior Varsity squads may not lift/mount above shoulder level and may add a skill to the stunt The Varsity Squads may perform any stunts according to the MHSAA Middle School rules. All stunts must follow the MHSAA Middle School rules. Penalties will be given to any squads not performing stunts according to these rules. See page 73-77 (2017-2018, Part XI of the Junior High/Middle School Competitive Cheer MHSAA Manual. Disregard Difficulty Multiplier and point s distribution. : Here are some suggestions for adding variety into your Cheer Routines: Below waist diagonal arm motions Formation levels Ripples Waist level or higher kicks Arm Whips Arm motions during transitions Blades Diagonal spins Dips **Extra jumps-each variety is counted as one Hopping Intricate transitions Knee level movements Moving backwards Formation Spinning D. Pom/Dance Round The Pom/Dance routine shall have a (1) one minute minimum and a (3) three minute maximum from the beginning of the music. All Freshman Squads shall have at least (2) two formation changes during the course of their performance. Junior Varsity and Varsity squads shall have at least (4) four formation changes during the course of the performance.

ALL squads must have a minimum of 1 kick line. It must be a minimum of 16 UNISON counts. It may be performed in multiple lines. ALL squads must have their poms in their hands a minimum of 50% of the time and constantly moving 50% of the time. NO knee drops are permitted. Two (2) copies of pom music MUST be given to the hosting community no later than the September LCACC Board meeting. The music must be clearly labeled with each squad s community name, the division and Head Coaches name on them. IF MUSIC IS NOT CUT CORRECTLY, YOU MAY LOSE POINTS. YOU MUST CUT YOUR OWN MUSIC. VII. DISPUTES The LCACC Board and its members as a whole shall be the final authority in any concerns or disputes that may arise. A coach bringing a squad to participate in the Cheer/Pom Invitational is accepting the decisions of the LCACC Board regarding any disputes, as a final. All Coaches shall respect all decisions and requests of the Cheer Commissioners pertaining to the event. On the day of the event should a Coach desire to register a formal complaint, they must let their community representative or the LCACC President know about the complaint. At that time the community representative and the President will look into it. At the end of the day the President will let all commissioners know of the complaint. Should an issue be of such importance, it is the LCACC Presidents final judgment in which to hold a separate meeting to discuss the written complaint amongst the LCACC Board and its members, at which time a majority vote will be taken to decide the resolutions to the written dispute. Once the decision has been made by the majority, other issues shall not be re-visited or opened for further discussion. **THERE WILL BE NO DISPUTES ON JUDGES ITEMS** IX-JUDGING AND AWARDS- A. Judges- Hosting community must arrange for 6 Judges for Cheerfest. 3 Cheerleading Judges and 3 Pom Judges. Judges must be provided with our LCACC Scoresheets prior to day of Cheerfest. B. ScoreSheets- See attached for our LCACC Scoresheets for breakdown of judging. C. Awards- Medal Breakdown in ALL 3 CATEGORIES will consist of Top 1/3 receiving Gold Medals

Middle 1/3 receiving Silver Medals Bottom 1/3 receiving Bronze Medals Overall Awards for Fresh, JV & Varsity. We will add both Cheer & Pom Score together and highest overall total score will Win OVERALL 1 st,2 nd, & 3 rd Place of each age division. X.SPECTATORS CODE OF CONDUCT The children that participate in Cheer/Pom Festival are there to enjoy themselves and most of all have fun!! Spectators should be on their best behavior. Never use profane language, harass or taunt other participants, spectators, coaches or judges. Any infractions may result in you being ejected from the premises. With repercussions as necessary, per the LCAJF: Rule Book, Section 123. Applaud ALL performances. Show respect and sportsmanship towards all participants. Without them there would not be a Cheer/Pom Invitational!! NEVER ridicule or scold a child for making a mistake during the event. ANY form of violence will not be tolerated. Respect the Judges and Officials decisions. Encourage participants to always follow the rules. Absolutely NO BLOW HORNS. All SCHOOL POLICIES are applicable. VIII. CONCLUSION It is the intent of the LCACC Board and its members that the above established guidelines will add consistency to the Cheer/Pom Invitational each year. The recognition of each participant will encourage harmony amongst the communities and their respective squads. The sport of cheer and pom is a privilege to participate in, and its representatives of this sport should maintain the highest standards possible. It is the understanding that these guidelines have been discussed, prepared and presented before the LCACC Board and its members for approval and acknowledgment and agreed to be used as the Cheer/Pom Festival Bylaws by all participating communities. ALL COMMISSIONERS MUST REVIEW THE BY-LAWS WITH ALL COACHES AND BOARD MEMBERS PRIOR TO THE CHEER/POM INVITATIONAL. COMMUNITIES WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MISINTERPRETATION THAT THEIR COACHES MAY HAVE. Amended APRIL 2017

Article 4: Routines Section 1: Compensation for Routines A. Cheer/Pom routines may not be choreographed by a paid professional choreographer who produces choreography for a living. B. Compensation in the form of a thank you is acceptable for individuals who help with routines, not to exceed $200 per routine. Section 2: Routine Specifics A. All particulars in relation to CheerFest will be referred to in the LCACC Cheer/Pom Invitational Common Bylaws. B. The LCACC Cheer/Pom Invitational Common Bylaws are the details of our CheerFest and it is the responsibility of each Community Commissioner to ensure that each coach knows the details of this document. Article 4: Punitive Section 1: Bylaws A. In the event that a community violates the Bylaws of the League, and after investigation by the League that such a violation has been confirmed, the following consequences will be administered: a. 1 st offense: Verbal Warning with resolution documentation received by the League Commissioner from the offending community within 7 days. b. 2 nd offense: 1 game suspension c. 3 rd offense: Move to the bottom of the Cheerfest Hosting rotation B. The offenses are cumulative per community as a whole. It is not per color or squad. BE HONEST WITH YOUR SCHOOL, TEAM, AND YOURSELF!!

Amended May 2017 Each Cheer/Pom Commissioner shall take these by-laws back to their communities and have their President of the league sign along with the Cheer/Pom Commissioner. This will acknowledge that the league knows what is in the LCACC by-laws. All forms will be due at the next monthly meeting. Milford Hartland Hamburg South Lyon Howell Whitmore Lake Lakeland Byron Fowlerville Webberville Brighton