Full Season All Star Cheerleading Handbook 2017-2018 Location: 758 34 th St N Suite K. Fargo ND 58102 www.ndelite.com ndelitecheer@outlook.com
P a g e 2 Welcome to North Dakota Elite OUR MISSION ND Elite recognizes cheer and dance as sports that demand athleticism and dedication. Physical strength and endurance are key components that attribute to each athlete s skill and ability in progression. All Star cheer and dance enhances confidence, character, independence, and social interaction in addition to maximizing cheer and dance potential. It is the mission of ND Elite to develop each athlete physically and socially in the spirit of cheer and dance. ND Elite will maintain a qualified coaching staff with high level of integrity, experience, and professionalism. We will model good sportsmanship and values as we commit to be the best in the cheer and dance industry.
P a g e 3 Team Placement Information Tryouts/Evaluations Everyone that attends a tryout for ND Elite will make a team that coordinates with their age and ability level. Athletes will be placed on each team at the discretion of the coaches and within the guidelines and standards created by the United All Star Federation (USASF). If an athlete does not have level specific skills, they will have to score very high in the stunting/dance/jump section to be considered for one of our higher level teams. We will place each athlete based on what is best for them and individuals and the teams as a whole. Please trust our coaches and remember that each athlete is on a team for a reason. If an athlete does not fulfill their role/s or maintain the skills for the level they are on, they may be moved to another team. This will include, but is not limited to: refusing to fly or base or losing a tumbling skill. Do not look at this as a punishment for your athlete, as this will allow them to excel on a team that is more comfortable for them while giving teams the best chances for success. Team Placements will be held on May 22 nd, 23 rd, and 25 th Choreography Week June 14th 17th USASF 2017-2018 Age Grid Division Age Practices Tiny 5-6 years old 3 hours per week Mini 5-8 years old 3 hours per week Youth 6-11 years old 6 hours per week Junior 8-14 years old 6 hours per week Senior 11-18 years old 6 hours per week A Permanent Team Practice Schedule Will Be Announced Following Team Placements Please note that we may not have ALL of these teams. We will make teams accordingly by tryout numbers, ability, and age. We also will also be looking into having more crossovers this season! If you cannot make team placements, please email us about a private evaluation.
P a g e 4 Team/Athlete Policies Practices Full Season teams will practice June 2017-May 2018. ALL practices, camps, and competitions are mandatory. Competitive cheerleading is a TEAM sport, and one person not at practice can cause multiple groups being unable to participate. Extra practices may be added during competition season to ensure the team is ready to perform/compete. If we choose to call extra practice, we will notify you and your athletes as soon as possible. Please note that any extra practice would typically be called close to a competition or if there is need for emergency changes in the routine. We would only be doing this for the good of the team and we will NOT be charging you for the time. Athletes will receive practice wear and a practice wear schedule. It is the responsibility of the athlete and parents to ensure they wear the correct items on the corresponding day, as we want our athletes to look and feel like a team. In the event that an athlete misplaces a piece of their practice wear, you will be required to replace them. Tardiness If you are not on the mat and completely ready (meaning: hair up and CHEER shoes on) when your team is scheduled to begin, you are considered tardy! This will result in extra conditioning/jumps after practice. If you are tardy due to another sport/activity, please clear it with your coach right away. Your 4 th unexcused tardy, will count as an unexcused absences. Excessive tardiness may result in dismissal from the team. Absences The only excused absences are: illness WITH a doctor s note, family emergencies, family vacations (told to coach well in advance and DOES NOT break competition rules), school sports game/practice (IF EXCUSED BY YOUR COACH AND YOUR OTHER SPORT/ACTIVITY IS WILLING TO WORK WITH OUR PROGRAM AS WELL) and school functions that result in a letter grade. ALL OTHER ABSENCES ARE UNEXCUSED. We thank you in advance for teach your athlete the importance of commitment! Summer Months: 4 unexcused absences August-December: 3 absences Rest of season: 2 absences Missing more than the allotted number of absences will result in your athlete being asked to sit an event, performance, or competition. All absences must be cleared by a coach with an absent request form! (family vacations, school events, etc.. exception: unexpected illness) Any school concerts/events etc. must be submitted to the coach at the start of each semester. Failure to do so will result in an unexcused absence for the athlete. Any absences may result in the athlete being moved to an alternate position or pulled from an upcoming performance at the discretion of the coaches. Any athlete missing practice the week before a competition will be removed from the competition Any athlete missing practice two weeks before a National Competition will be removed from the competition Any athlete absent from practice is expected to learn any new information or material taught before the following practice. This is to be done outside of regular practice time. Failure to take responsibility for this will result in consequences up to the discretion of the coach. We want all our athletes to feel confident and prepared for performances and competitions! Following these rules will allow them the opportunity to do this!
P a g e 5 Injuries In the event of an injury, the athlete must attend all practice and continue to pay tuition. If your athlete becomes injured outside of practice, please notify your coach as soon as possible. This will help us prepare and make changes to the routine prior to practice. IF the athlete has restrictions, we will need a doctor s not with specific restrictions and alternate conditioning/rehab instructions. Once the athlete has FULLY recovered and is cleared by a doctor, he or she may or may not be choreographed back into the routine. Cell Phones Cell phones are NOT allowed at practice. Please keep them in your bag and on silent or do not bring them at all! Social Media Any and all social media postings must be favorable and done in good sportsmanship. Abuse of this is grounds for suspension/dismissal. In addition, you cannot use the North Dakota Elite name or any variation of our name on your social media accounts or email. If you currently have our name in any portion of your social media accounts or email, it must be changed right away. Code of Conduct We will NOT tolerate bullying, gossip, cliques, or drama amongst our athletes or athletes of a different program. You must respect your teammates, coaches, and competitors. Back talk, rolling of eyes, or any other form of disrespect for coaches or teammates, is unacceptable. All consequences for inappropriate actions and all disciplinary measures will be left up to the discretion of the coaches. There is also a chance of not being placed on a team the following year. Physicals New sports physicals will be required for our records each year. Please have them turned into your coaches by the first practice in August. Closures (No Team Practice) May 14 th : Mother s Day May 26 th June 3 rd : Memorial Break June 18 th : Father s Day July 1 st 8 th : Summer Break (this is a great time to plan vacations) September 1 st -4 th : Labor Day Weekend November 22 nd November 26 th : Thanksgiving Break December 22 nd - January 1 st : Winter Break (this is a great time to plan vacations) March 13 th 18 th : Spring Break
P a g e 6 Competitions Travel Parents will be responsible for getting their cheerleader to any and all competitions. If for any reason you are unable to attend, please arrange for your cheerleading to attend with another family. Competition Conduct We hold our athletes with high expectations while attending any and all competitions. We ask that all teams stay to support and cheer on the other teams in our program, even if they are done with their performance. There will be no swimming aloud the night before a competition. There will be NO CELL phones aloud during awards. Cheerleaders MUST be in uniform for awards and will not be allowed to leave before awards unless cleared by a coach. Coaches will NOT be responsible for holding any personal items, so any and all items should be left with a parent or guardian. COMPETITION SCHEDULE COMING SOON!!!!
P a g e 7 Membership/Tuition/Payment Information Monthly Tuition Tuition Early Bird Tuition Youth, Junior & Senior: $125 Youth, Junior & Senior: $105 Tiny & Mini: $95 Tiny & Mini: $75 Crossover: $55 Crossover: $55 Everyone will have an account on iclasspro with a valid Credit Card or Debit Card on file. We will accept, cash, checks, and all major credit/debit cards. Cash and check payments need to be paid prior to the 1 st or tuition will be automatically charged to your card on file at full price tuition, no exceptions. There is also an additional convenience fee for online payments. EARLY BIRD TUITION is due on the 25 th of each month, prior to the new month. After the 1 st of the following month, tuition will be full price. SIBLING DISCOUTNS: Tuition is full price for the 1 st team and $15 cheaper for every sibling after. Excessive tardiness in payments will be grounds for the athlete to not compete, possible dismissal, and you being sent to a professional collections agency Any remaining account balances need to be paid before the next season, or the athlete may not be able to tryout Fundraising We have a non-profit parent fundraising group, North Dakota Elite Cheer Parents or NDECP. We highly recommend taking advantage of this group and fundraising/sponsorships to help out of pocket costs! We ve had athletes pay off all additional fees by fundraising and receiving sponsors. Additional Fees Annual Gym and Insurance Fee: $100 Uniform & Competition Bow (Can purchase a used one if available): $350 Youth, Junior, & Senior - $150 Tiny & Mini Mandatory Practice Wear: $150 Choreography & Music Fees: $250 USASF Athlete Registration: $35 Cheer Shoes: We will give you options for different cheer shoe companies. We recommend NFINITY, but it is not mandatory. Competition Fees: $700 MAX for Youth, Junior, and Senior Teams and $450 MAX for Tiny and Mini. We will not go over this budget, but we will not have an exact total until our competition schedule is set. Crossover If your athlete is a crossover, there will be additional fees for competition registration and uniforms.
P a g e 8 Parent Code of Conduct Please do not hesitate to contact the gym, your head coach, or owners if you ever had an issue with anything. We are here for you and your athlete(s), but if we are unaware of a problem we cannot fix the issue. Only cheerleaders and coaches will be allowed in the practice gym as it is distracting to both the athletes and coaches when parent s/family members hang around. An athlete should never be withheld from a practice or competition due to punishment. The result of this will be punishing the team as a whole. Anyone threatening to quit or pull his/her athlete from the program, will be asked to leave immediately as we do not take this lightly. There will be no arguing or questioning the coach(es) during a practice or competition. Any issues that need to be addressed will be done in private and outside of an event or practice where athletes are not present. Parents, relatives, friends, and athletes, for any reason, are never allowed to speak with competition officials! The dismissal/addition of a team member is at the discretion of the coaches/owners. As a parent it is your responsibility to know what is going on with your team. Please be sure to check your emails on a regular basis. We will not tolerate any negative discussions about coaches, staff, athletes, and parents of North Dakota Elite or other programs. Coaches and gym owners are not to be contacted within 48 hours of team placements. Anytime you feel the need to complain, please wait 24 hours before any harsh decisions and try to turn your complaint into a way of helping. I understand that failure to adhere to these rules by myself, my spouse, or guests may result in revocation of my membership to North Dakota Elite at any time. Printed Name Date Parent or Guardian Signature Date
P a g e 9 Phone Directory Name of Athlete: D.O.B. Address: City State & Zip Code: Name of Parent(s) or Legal Guardian(s): Parent/Guardian Home Phone: Mom s Cell Phone: Mom s Work Phone: Dad s Cell Phone: Dad s Work Phone: Athlete Cell Phone: Athlete Email: Mom s Email Dad s Email Emergency Contact other than Parent: PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY
P a g e 10 North Dakota Elite Acknowledgement of Handbook I, the parent and/or guardian of, acknowledge I received a copy of the 2017-2018 North Dakota Elite Handbook. I understand and agree to abide by the rules, regulations, and policies set forth in the Handbook. (initials) I further acknowledge, understand, and agree, that if at any time during the season, my child decides to quit, is injured, or it removed from the tea, there will be NO REFUNDS for any amount paid. This includes, but is not limited to: Tuition, Uniform, Coach s Fees, Competition Fees, or Registration Fees. (initials) I acknowledge, understand, and agree that the payment of tuition, expenses and other fees does not guarantee the right for my child to perform and that my child must meet the skill requirements. (initials) Parent/Guardian Signature: Date:
P a g e 11 Tryout Application & Check List Name: Age: D.O.B. Grade Entering 2017-2018: List ANY and ALL Pre-existing Injuries or Medical Problems: List Strengths: Are you in any other activities? If yes, what are they and what times do they meet? If your activity conflicted with cheer would you choose cheer over the other activity? Are you trying out for any North Dakota Elite Team regardless of the level? Are you willing to crossover to another team if we need you to? Checklist: Copy of Birth Certificate (NEW ATHLETES) Tryout Fee: $25 This Application Form Signed Acknowledgement of handbook form Signed Parent Code of Conduct Signed Waiver of Liability Form Signed Anti-bulling Policy Phone Directory Form
P a g e 12 North Dakota Elite, LLC RELEASE AND WAIVER OF LIABILITY, ASSUMPTION OF RISK AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT THIS IS AN IMPORTANT LEGAL DOCUMENT. READ CAREFULLY BEFORE SIGNING. I,, acknowledge that an individual who participates in the North Dakota Elite, LLC (ND Elite) program accepts and assumes the inherent risks of participation in the program. I attest and verify that I am physically fit and I have sufficiently trained for ND Elite, and that a medical doctor has verified my physical condition. In consideration of my being permitted to participate in the program, I agree to ASSUME ANY AND ALL RISKS OF INJURY OR DEATH, which may be associated with or result from my participation in these events. In consideration of acceptance of my entry into ND Elite, I, for myself, my heirs, my executors, my administrators, my trustees, and any and all successors in interest, do hereby voluntarily and knowingly agree to forever waive and release any and all rights and claims for any injuries and damages, including but not limited to demands or actions for negligence, premises liability, emotional injury, intentional conduct, resulting in unintended injury or damage tort claims, any other actions or demands of whatsoever nature, to the fullest extent permitted by law, I may have against (1) North Dakota Elite, LLC; (2) Chelsea Hermanson; (3) Brad Hartsoch; and (4) all employees, principals, directors, shareholders, agents, members, managers, affiliates, volunteers, officials, and representatives acting for or on behalf of any of these entities( Releasees ) in connection with my participation in the ND Elite program. I further agree that if, despite this release, waiver of liability, and assumption of risk I, or anyone on my behalf, makes a claim against any of the Releasees, I will indemnify, save, and hold harmless each of Releasees from any loss, liability, damage, or cost which may incur as a result of such claim. As a condition of my participation in this Event, I hereby grant ND Elite a limited license to use my name, likeness, image, voice, video, athletic performance, biographical and other information (collectively, Likeness ), in any format whatsoever, and to distribute, broadcast and exhibit these without charge, restriction or liability, but only for the purposes of advertising or promoting the gym, ND Elite, or the sport of Athletics. The foregoing grant, however, does not constitute consent to use my Likeness in an endorsement of any product or service without my specific written consent. I have read this RELEASE AND WAIVER OR LIABILITY, ASSUMPTION OF RISK, AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT, understand that I have given up substantial legal rights by signing it and have signed it freely and without any inducement and assurance of any nature and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect. I hereby further agree that this Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of North Dakota. Signature: Date Print Name Date of Birth
P a g e 13 Address City State Zip Phone Email EMERGENCY CONTACT: (name and telephone number) PARENTAL CONSENT (required only if under age 18) I, the minor's parent and /or legal guardian, understand the nature of the above referenced Activity and the minor's experience and capabilities and believe the minor to be qualified to participate in such activity. I hereby release, discharge, covenant not to sue and AGREE TO INDEMNIFY AND SAVE AND HOLD HARMLESS each of the Releasees from all liability, claims, demands, losses, or damages on the minor's account caused or alleged to have been caused in whole or in part by the negligence of the Releasees or otherwise, and further agree that if, despite this release, I, the minor, or anyone on the minor's behalf makes a claim against any of the above Releasees, I WILL INDEMNIFY, SAVE AND HOLD HARMLESS each of the Releasees from any litigation expenses, attorney fees, loss, liability, damage, or cost any Releasee may incur as the result of any such claim. Signature: Date Print Name Phone Email address
ANTI-BULLYING CONTRACT NORTH DAKOTA ELITE, LLC P a g e 14 I, an athlete of North Dakota Elite, LLC (ND ELITE), agree to join together with my teammates to condemn and stop bullying. ND Elite believes that every athlete has the right to feel safe, secure, and accepted regardless of sexual orientation, color, race, gender, popularity, athletic ability, intelligence, religion, or nationality. Bullying means any intentional written, electronic, verbal, or physical act against another athlete. ND Elite does not tolerate bullying of any kind. To help prevent these actions, ND Elite will not tolerate: Groups for texting or communication Inappropriate posts or comments on any form of social media Team members not being invited to any team get-togethers/hangouts/birthday parties/etc. If someone is not there or cannot be present, there will be no harassing for any reason. Bullying causes pain and stress to victims and is never justified or excusable as just teasing. The victim is never responsible for being a target of bullying. If you get caught bullying, ND Elite has the right to remove you from the team. ND Elite staff will evaluate every incident and make a decision as to what the consequences will be. All decisions are final. By signing this contract, I, the athlete, agree to and understand: 1. Value athlete differences and treat others with respect 2. Not become involved in bullying incidents or be a bully, but rather support athletes who have been, or are subjected to bullying. 3. Be aware of ND Elite s policies with regard to bullying and immediately report incidents. 4. Talk to staff and parents about concerns regarding bullying and work with other athletes and faculty to help the gym stop bullying. 5. Be a good role model for younger athletes. I acknowledge that whether I am being a bully or see someone being bullied, if I don t stop or report bullying, I am just as guilty. Printed Athlete Name: Athlete Signature: Date: Printed Parent/Guardian Name: Parent/Guardian Signature: Date: