Twist & Shout All-Stars Team Information Packet (Midwest City - Norman) 2014-2015 Twist & Shout is excited about all of our locations: Edmond, Midwest City, Norman, OKC, and Tulsa! Oklahoma is known for their amazing athletes, and we are honored that you are interested in our program. We look forward to getting to know each and every one of you as we continue to grow our programs in the 405 and 918. COMMITMENT Twist & Shout is the top cheer gym in Oklahoma (according to American Cheerleader Magazine) and one of the top all-star programs in the nation. Our gym and training program has proven itself at many regional, national and world competitions. Each year since 1996, we have increased in enrollment and achievements. This is due to the unbelievable commitment from previous and current team members, their families and the T&S staff. In order to continue the success of this program, T&S expects the same level of commitment from its future team members, families and coaches. GENERAL. All team practices are closed to parents and spectators except for the first practice of every month. This rule applies to any regular practice or any extra practice.. Summer practices are very important to the improvement of skills and to be better prepared for the competition season. Please make every effort to be at all practices.. NEW THIS YEAR The Skills & Choreography Camp is required to participate on any team at T&S. Please keep this in mind when scheduling other summer camps and vacations. There will be no exceptions.. Only students with a release form on file at the front desk are allowed in the practice areas. No family or friends.. No food, drinks or gum are permitted in the practice areas.. Cell phones must be put on silent or left in the lobby.. Twist & Shout is not responsible for any personal items lost or stolen on the gym property.. Please check the T&S website and your e-mail daily for gym updates in order to stay informed. If your e-mail changes, please contact the front desk/all-star Director immediately.. The Twist & Shout logo is a nationally trademarked logo. Therefore, any use of the name Twist & Shout and/or the interlocking T&S must be approved in writing by the CEO, Orson Sykes, or the CFO, Marketia Sykes. It is our desire to protect the reputation of the gym and the integrity of our logo.. All choreography (including cheers, dances, stunts, transitions, tumbling, music, etc.) should not be shared or discussed with others. No videos of routines/choreography should be uploaded to any online site such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Fierceboard, etc.. If a T&S athlete has a Facebook, Twitter, and/or any other social media account, it must be maintained with proper integrity at all times. If any athlete s social media accounts are not maintained with proper integrity on photos, status updates and general comments it will be grounds for termination from the program. This rule also applies to parents. If anyone makes negative or hateful comments on social media about the gym, coaching staff, or athletes it will be grounds for dismissal.. Please do not drop off your athlete more than 5 minutes early or pick them up no later than 5 minutes after the end of class.. Every athlete levels 1-6 must be a USASF member. The charge for this is included in your monthly dues. Please get a copy of your athlete s birth certificate ready to turn into the front desk immediately following team placement.
TEAMS The T&S team members are chosen carefully, and the staff desires for each team to excel in every aspect of cheerleading. Do not get discouraged if your child does not make the team that he/she desires. Keep encouraging him/her to work hard and to be an asset to the team he/she represents! If you are positive, your child will be positive! Twist & Shout reserves the right to:. Place its athletes on the team or teams it feels will best suit them and the program.. Move, replace, add, suspend or dismiss an athlete for a period of time, or indefinitely, from their team or the entire program based on the criteria including, but not limited to: attendance, conduct, skills, finances, parent conflicts.. Decide if an athlete may participate on more than one team.. Decide the roles and/or positions an athlete will have on their team/teams. (e.g., flyer, base, back spot, tumbler, alternate). Request that an athlete (or team) take additional classes/camps/privates to improve their skills.. Request that an athlete or team practice longer than their regularly scheduled time or add additional practices, camps or competitions if deemed necessary.. Require team members to maintain the skill level that they performed at tryouts. If they lose a skill, they are subject to be placed on probation for two weeks and then, if necessary, moved to a more appropriate team for their skill level. Athletes that elect to participate on more than one Twist & Shout team must:. Be in good financial standing.. Be willing and able to fulfill all the responsibilities required by each team.. Be responsible for any additional entry fees they incur beyond their first team. ATTENDANCE. Please make Twist & Shout your priority over any other extracurricular activities. You have other team members and your coaches depending on you!. Attend & be prepared to participate in all Twist & Shout activities including those unexpectedly added throughout the season.. Make every effort to schedule all vacations as to not conflict with any T&S activities.. NEW THIS YEAR The Skills & Choreography Camp is required for participating on any team at T&S. Please keep this in mind when scheduling other summer camps and vacations. There will no exceptions.. Notify your coaches immediately in writing and by phone of any expected and/or unexpected absences or tardiness.. Absolutely NO ABSENCES are allowed TWO WEEKS prior to a competition, nationals or other big event. Do not plan a vacation during competition season!. Extra practices will be scheduled once the competition season begins. The coaches will make every effort to get the extra practice schedules out in a timely fashion; however, there may be instances when an extra practice will be scheduled at the last minute. Please stay flexible!. PLEASE refrain from punishing your child by taking away Twist & Shout activities! Once your child is on a team, this punishes everyone when your child is not allowed to attend practice or participate in a competition. If your child is taken off his/her team, there is no guarantee their spot will be available once the punishment is over. ABSENCES A total of three (3) unexcused absences will be permitted during the competition season. The three absences are being tracked from Choreography Camp to our last event of the season.. Excused absences include: illness, death in the family or school function for a grade (with a note).. If you are sick (and not contagious) or have an injury, you will still need to attend team practice. It is important that you watch from the sidelines for any changes in the routine that may affect you.. If your physician recommends you refrain from practice due to an illness or injury, please bring a written note from your doctor to practice. PLEASE NOTIFY TWIST & SHOUT AND YOUR COACHES IMMEDIATELY IF AN INJURY OCCURS!
SPORTSMANSHIP. Be a positive example to others by being respectful and courteous to everyone.. Refrain from gossiping or using any form of verbal confrontation. This includes Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, the Fierceboard, message boards, etc.. Refrain from celebrating the misfortune or defeat of another person, team or program. In the same way, accept your team s placement and awards with dignity and class.. Teammates are expected to treat one another with mutual respect. They should talk to one another in the same manner in which they would like to be spoken to. T&S coaches will not tolerate pettiness, gossiping, or cliques which attempt to exclude, alienate or hurt other team members. DRESS CODE. Maintain a well-groomed appearance and good personal hygiene at all times.. No jewelry is to be worn at any Twist & Shout class, practice, camp or competition.. In practice Shirts must be worn at all times. No practicing in sports bras only. Spankies are allowed.. At competition For Junior/Senior teams with half tops: Competition t-shirt must be worn over half top AT ALL TIMES with the exception to warmup room & competition floor.. Please be sensitive to your appearance when wearing the T&S logo and representing the gym. *PAYMENT POLICY* *You will be paying monthly dues of $200 that will be deducted by your credit/debit card at the beginning of each month, May 2014 - April 2015. These payments will include tuition plus ALL other fees: camp, competition, nationals, choreography, music, practice clothes, etc. There is a one time Team Start Fee of $100 that will be due immediately following team placement. This fee has been subtracted from the total of team charges and is non-refundable. A payment of $100, along with a signed agreement form, credit card authorization form & copy of cheerleader s birth certificate will be due at the first practice in April, no exceptions! FINANCIAL INFORMATION Accounts will be set up with a processing company that will store your choice of credit/debit card information that you are required to submit with a credit card authorization form.. The card numbers will be kept by the processing center and stored for the recurring charges. Team members accounts will be drafted on the 5 th of each month.. The T&S season begins April/May 2014, and concludes at the end of April 2015.. Tuition charges do not fluctuate based on the number or duration of practices in any session.. Tuition pays for training only, not for the right to perform.. Any payment resulting in a NSF, declined credit card or expired credit card will incur a $30 service charge. It is your responsibility to update your information with us if your information changes.. An athlete s account must be current and in good standing to participate in practices, private lessons, competitions, and special events.. Twist & Shout reserves the right to remove any athlete from their his/her at any time for failure to keep up with financial obligations.. All accounts must be current before an athlete may collect any clothing/uniforms or other retail items.. If an athlete chooses to leave, or is asked to leave, T&S for any reason before the season is over, any and all funds are non-refundable!. Twist & Shout reserves the right to turn over all delinquent accounts to a collection agency, and the parent/athlete will be responsible for all additional costs incurred
DESCRIPTION OF CHARGES INCLUDED IN MONTHLY DUES TUITION: Tuition includes 2 weekly team practices, one team tumbling class, one team flyer/stunt class, and all extra practices. Any additional tumbling class can be added for an additional charge per month. TUITION IS NOT PRORATED FOR HOLIDAYS OR ABSENCES. There is a $25 discount on tuition for any additional children from the same family. If an athlete is asked to double team, the fee will be determined by the number of competitions they will be attending. YEARLY REGISTRATION FEE: This fee will be used to register each athlete as a USASF member. BIG CAMP: June 9-12 MANDATORY CAMP All Youth, Junior & Senior aged teams will attend Big Camp. This is an all-day camp that will be held at Twist & Shout Edmond. Camp will be overnight for all gym locations not in the OKC area. SKILLS/CHOREOGRAPHY CAMP: July 28 August 3. MANDATORY CAMP No exceptions! All teams will participate in a skills camp where the focus will be on stunts and tumbling to incorporate in their routine. This will be immediately followed by choreography camp where the routine is learned. HOT SHOTS CAMP: June 28 July 2. All level 5 teams might attend this stunt specific camp in Miami, Florida. Only a portion of your monthly dues will go towards paying for this camp. Airfare and lodging are not included. CHOREOGRAPHY FEE: This fee is for professionally produced choreography used in our routines during competition season. We have a choreography camp in the summer for the teams at no charge to the athletes. All team members are required to attend choreography camp! MUSIC FEE: This pays for professional studio time throughout the year. REGIONAL COMPETITIONS: Each team will participate in 3-4 regional competitions (may include, but not limited to: OKC, Tulsa, Texas, Kansas City, etc.) NATIONALS: All teams will attend at least one national competition, but some will attend 3-5. This charge includes the athlete s registration fee and the coaches fees. Families are responsible for hotel and transportation. We will inform you of the hotel blocks as soon as the arrangements have been made. PRACTICE CLOTHES: Practice clothes will be given out to all team members in the summer. You will receive 3 additional t-shirts & will supply your own shorts/spankies to complete the practice outfit. There will be a scheduled rotation of the practice clothes that will go out in a calendar each month. You are expected to be in the right outfit for every practice. NATIONALS T-SHIRT: All team members will receive a nationals t-shirt during nationals season. This t-shirt will become a part of the uniform worn at some national competitions for practice or warm-up.
ADDITIONAL CHARGES NOT INCLUDED IN MONTHLY DUES TEAM START FEE: There is a one time Team Start Fee of $100 that will be due immediately following team placement in April. This fee has been subtracted from the total of team charges and is non-refundable. UNIFORMS/WARM-UPS: PAYMENT DUE BY JUNE 5th Uniforms: If you need to order a new uniform (uni-shell & skirt), please notify the All-Star Director ASAP. The uniform cost will be between $250-$325 (depending on design) for a full uniform set Measuring day TBA. Warm-Ups: The warm-ups (pants and jacket) cost is $175. Purchase of warm-ups is mandatory. We will measure for warm-ups at the same time we measure for uniforms. ADDITIONAL COMPETITION ATTIRE: Shoes: Varsity Last Pass can be ordered on our website, www.shouterspirit.com for $79.95 + shipping. Competition Hair Bow: The hair bows that are worn at the competitions with the uniform are sold at the gym and the cost is $15 for all level 1-5 non-worlds teams; $20 for Mini s; $25 for Worlds teams. Practice Hair Bow: There are white practice bows available for purchase at the front desk for $5. This is required to complete the practice outfit and should be worn to all practices. At all practices hair should be worn all up in a high slicked back ponytail to keep hair out of face while practicing. Socks: Please wear the white no-show style. Team Bags: The team bags are $25 and available to purchase at the gym. Make-Up: Make-up bags are $30 and include eye make-up and lipstick. BOOSTER CLUB The Booster Club is a very important part of Twist & Shout, and is required for all families. They meet often during the season and it is a great way to meet other parents. Each T&S location s Booster Clubs are independent, so fees may differ. The Booster Club provides fundraisers throughout the year, helps with the end of the year banquet, provides camp & nationals gifts and does many wonderful things for the T&S staff and cheerleaders throughout the year. QUITTER S FEE Our team program requires a huge commitment from each and every team member, their parents, and our coaches. To help ensure this level of dedication, we have implemented a fee charged to any athlete who quits his/her team after June 5, 2014. The amount of this fee is $500, and will be immediately applied to one s account (given credit/debit card information) if they are to quit for any reason during the season. This does not apply to anyone who moves out of state or has a season-ending injury. If you are no longer going to be a member of Twist & Shout you must submit a 30 day notice in writing in order for your account to stop being charged. ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS *If you or your child have any concerns or problems, please discuss them with owner, Orson Sykes, or the All-Star Director by setting up an appointment to discuss the problem OUTSIDE of class or squad practice. It is never beneficial to complain or to disagree among the team members and/or parents. T&S understands that team members and/or parents do not always agree with decisions made by the staff, but please respect the fact that each decision is made with careful consideration and made to benefit the entire T&S program. *The Twist & Shout commitment to you is to work to be as organized as possible and to be committed to your child. We strive for each child to excel and have the best possible experience and memories out of his/her years at Twist & Shout. The coaches and staff members at T&S strive to be good examples to each child, and we hope they are someone that your child could turn to for encouragement, compassion and correction.
COMPETITION SEASON INFORMATION TRAVEL: Travel arrangements are the parent s responsibility. The only travel that is subject to being booked by T&S is accommodations and/or airfare for Worlds teams. Airfare for worlds will only be booked by T&S if a full paid bid is received. Travel attire should always be T&S apparel. HOTEL BLOCK: Prior to the start of competition season we will email out our hotel block information. You will also be able to access our hotel block information from our website at www.shouterspirit.com. It is required that you book your reservations within our hotel block (unless staying with family). Most event producers now have a stay to play policy they have started enforcing which requires us to stay at their provided hotels. For some blocks there will be multiple hotel options pick whichever you prefer. Hotel blocks are only provided for out of town/state 2 day competitions. Staying within the block is not required for 2 day in-state competitions but is set up as a courtesy for those who don t want to travel back and forth. Reservations should be made ASAP once the hotel information is made available to ensure enough rooms are in the block for all our families. There are booking deadlines to every block and reservations are first come, first serve. If there is a question between 2 or more competitions on your schedule (e.g. NCA decision) make reservations for BOTH events. We will provide you with all competition schedule changes in enough time to cancel a reservation with no cancellation charge. OUT OF STATE COMPETITIONS: For all out of state competitions you are required to travel the day before the competition starts (typically Friday). We want to avoid our athletes sitting in a car for a long period, or traveling of any kind, the same day they compete. Some competitions and awards ceremonies last until later in the evening, especially for 2 day nationals. There might be some competitions that you want to plan on staying an extra night instead of driving/flying home late. This is not a complete or accurate competition schedule for this season, but if you see any of these events on your competition schedule - please keep the information in mind when planning your weekend and for school absences: NCA All-Star Nationals (Dallas) Mandatory Friday practices will start around 2:00pm & we will rotate all of our teams practicing throughout the evening Be in town by 1:00pm. CHEERSPORT Nationals (Atlanta) Mandatory Friday practice Be in town by 3:00pm. Champions League (Atlanta) Required Events Friday Be in town by 3:00pm. American Cheer Power Nationals (San Antonio) No Friday practice Be in town anytime Friday. Cheer America (Houston) Friday practices Be in town by 3:00pm. America s Best (Kansas City) No Friday practice Be in town anytime on Friday. The Cheerleading Worlds (Orlando) Travel days will be either Thursday or Friday; returning home on Tuesday. The Summit (Orlando) Travel days will be Thursday; returning home on Monday. AWARDS: Everyone is required to stay for their team s awards ceremony - keep this in mind when making travel plans. All cheerleaders will meet with either their team mom or coaches before awards. Once they are dismissed by coaches they will be taken by team moms to a meeting spot for parent pick up. Please do not try to take your cheerleader before they are dismissed. Also, no parents are allowed on the main floor for the awards ceremonies. THE CHEERLEADING WORLDS: Teams that receive paid bids to The Cheerleading Worlds will attend! Any team that receives an at-large bid should plan to attend, but final decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. THE SUMMIT: The decision to attend The Summit will be done on a case-by-case basis for all teams that receive any form of bid to this event. COMPETITION NOTES: You will receive a competition note the week of each competition with full details for that weekend s event (including meet & compete times). Expect this to come by Wednesday evening even though some events make their schedule available earlier than that, final schedules aren t typically updated or available until later in the week. Please be patient in waiting for this schedule.
COMPETITION ATTIRE: We require that all of our cheerleaders show up to competitions in FULL COMPETITION ATTIRE. This includes: FULL UNIFORM with SHOES, WHITE NO-SHOW SOCKS, FULL COMPETITION HAIR & MAKEUP. COMPETITION T-SHIRT OVER UNIFORM TOP As determined by the Competition Note. WARMUP Complete with jacket & pants. TEAM BAG Not required to be carried by cheerleader, but is the only bag/purse they are allowed to carry. If a cheerleader does carry their team bag into warmup, please keep in mind that it is the responsibility of the cheerleader, not team moms or coaches. NO UGGS, BOOTS, SLIPPERS, SHOES OTHER THAN WHITE COMPETITION SHOES Please help us keep a clean image with our competition attire. NO FINGERNAIL POLISH, SAFETY PINS, OR JEWELRY Jewelry or safety pins will result in a deduction being taken off of a team score. Fingernail polish just looks bad. AWARDS ATTIRE: For most competitions the cheerleaders will put on their warmups for the awards ceremony as determined by the Competition Note. Jacket should be worn OVER uniform top with NO T-SHIRT and pants should be worn OVER skirt skirt should not be seen. COMPETITION MAKEUP & HAIR: Prior to competition season, makeup application videos will be available on our website, www.shouterspirit.com along with pictures and descriptions of hairstyles. MAKEUP KITS, BOWS & TEAM BAGS: All of these items are ordered for you and will be available to purchase at the front desk prior to the start of competition season. You will receive an email when these items are available. TEAM MOMS: Each team will have 1-2 team moms that will be a huge help to their team! They will be communicating with you throughout the year on team events, and most importantly, cheerleader meet/pickup locations & times at competitions. We will provide them with your contact information that we have from the Team Agreement Form please update us if any of your contact information changes. PARENT REMINDERS: Be respectful to parents from other gyms! Be respectful to other parents from Twist & Shout! We have several locations now and it s important to remember that we are ONE BIG GYM/FAMILY supporting each other. There will be times where it is unavoidable to keep our T&S teams from competing against each other in some divisions. When this happens PLEASE show support for ALL T&S teams and let s all be good examples of SPORTMANSHIP to the cheerleaders! Make noise for ALL Twist & Shout teams not just your own child s team. Crowd support goes a long way!! Arrive early to competitions in order to get a good seat! Remember to sit together with other T&S families it s much louder this way!! Wear T&S colors/gear to all competitions! Pack a good attitude! Usually competitions will be very crowded and can create stressful situations, and they can often run later than the schedule predicts. Let s help be a calming force for all our cheerleaders & families while keeping a good attitude! GENERAL INFORMATION: All competitions are required! Absolutely NO ABSENCES 2 weeks prior to any competition. Team members must always stay for awards! At all competitions/nationals (with the exception of NCA All-Star Nationals) the trophy will go home to the top performer of the day on each team. This is voted on by the coaches. Hotel Behavior Please keep an eye on your cheerleader and don t let them run around the hotel unsupervised - Please be respectful to others staying at our hotel! No swimming before any competition & make sure your cheerleader goes to bed at a reasonable hour. Remember that we are there to compete! Extra practices could be called during a 2 day national event so please be flexible with your schedule. Be on time to all competitions!