Dear Parents and cheerleaders,

2013 CHEER MANUAL

Dear Parents and cheerleaders, Welcome to Grossmont La Mesa Football and Cheer Association. I would like to thank you for allowing your child to participate in our program. This packet will be your guide to our league, and how we plan to operate through-out the season. We are here for the benefit of the children, and as such, our decisions are based on what is best and safest for the kids. In the packet you will find information about: 1. Coaching Staff 2. Volunteers 3. Coaching Philosophy 4. RULES 5. Practices 6. Fundraising 7. Practice attire / Uniform 8. Competition 9. Schedules 10. Game Day 11. Extras 12. Optional items We would like to stress that we are all volunteers. If you wish to provide input to the children please fill out a volunteer sheet and we will accommodate you as a coach, otherwise we feel that it is very important that the cheerleaders are 100% involved with the squad and listening to the coaches. If you have questions about the material in this packet or anything we may have overlooked, please feel free to contact me. Respectfully, Elsa Jones Ejones@swiftcom.tv GLM-Warriors Cheer Director

Coaching Staff Cheer Director Elsa Jones ejones@swiftcom.tv 619 572-8081 Cell & Text Assistant Cheer Director Sharyce Bailey sharyce.bailey@gmail.com 619 886-5949 cell & Text Taking applications for coaching positions

Volunteers Our league is run and coached by 100% volunteers. These people are out here year after year providing YOUR children with the opportunity to play sports. We always have room for more volunteers, from full time to part time, to one time. If you have any desire to help on any level, please don t hesitate to step forward. Currently, we are in need of a few parents to fill some of our positions on our teams. We need YOU for the following positions: Head Coaches (21 years +) Position requires a big commitment in time, as we practice 3-5 times a week plus Saturdays for the games. Must get CPR/First aid certified and attend coaches clinics. Assistant Coaches (18 years +) Position requires a big commitment in time, as we practice 3-5 times a week plus Saturdays for the games. Attend coaches clinics. Trainers (Older sister with cheer experience 16 years +) Trainers help coaches during practice. Provide instruction to cheerleaders under the supervision of the staff. Will help demonstrate techniques, and be a role model. Team Parent This position entails the day to day detail operations of our team. The TP will be the direct liaison between the parents and the coaching staff. They will setup fundraisers, schedule snacks for our cheerleaders, and help with the logistics of our squad. Misc. Other positions may arise during the year; we will let you know as needed.

Coaching Philosophy PERFECTION BEFORE PROGRESSION When we practice it will look like we are making slow progress but we want it done right, so we will take our time with drills, cheers, chants, jumps motions, stunting and tumbling. The GROSSMONT LA MESA WARRIORS cheerleading coaching staff is here to provide a safe, healthy, exciting cheerleading experience to all of our cheerleaders. Most of all our philosophy is FUN, FUN, and FUN! The squad is usually made up of girls who have been here for years and girls that have never been involved with CHEER or any other organized activity. We will be teaching your daughters many new things, but most important, we will show them how to be good team mates. We have a very casual atmosphere at practice and games; our squad learns that the more they are willing to give the more they will get, and the more fun they will have.

Squad RULES Our squad has several rules that our girls are expected to follow. If they follow the rules they will not have any issues during the year. We have attached a rules contract that must be signed by both the parent and cheerleader stating that they understand the rules and agree to abide by them. We shouldn t have any issues with these but it allows everyone to know what the rules are and the disciplinary action that will be taken to insure that your daughters are provided with the best and safest experience possible. The coaching staff wants to insure a quality experience for all cheerleaders on our team. This may require us to discipline your child, and in extreme cases may necessitate your involvement to solve an issue. Our squad will operate with a few hard and fast rules: 1. Coaches are in charge of the cheerleaders from the moment they enter the field until they leave the field. 2. Coaches will decide on disciplinary actions based on the severity of the transgression. 3. The following are deemed serious issues that will result in disciplinary action: a. Fighting b. Foul Language or Gestures c. Lack of respect for others property d. Disrespect of coaching staff, other players, or adults. 4. Be on time to practice 5. SHOW UP TO PRACTICE IF YOU MISS AN ENTIRE WEEK (2-3 PRACTICES) YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CHEER FOR THE ENTIRE UPCOMING GAME DEPENDING ON CIRCUMSTANCES. 6. Practice attire must be worn to each practice. 7. BE ON TIME AND PREPARED FOR GAMES AND PRACTICES (15 minutes before scheduled time dressed and ready to begin) 8. CALL YOUR COACH IF YOU ARE GOING TO MISS A GAME OR PRACTICE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. 9. PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE LEARNING - EARS OPEN MOUTHS CLOSED 10. WE ARE A TEAM! ACT LIKE ONE, WE DO ALL THINGS TOGETHER, ALWAYS HELP EACH OTHER. 11. ALWAYS BE RESPECTFUL OF OTHERS (INCLUDING OUR OPPONENTS) 12. KEEP OUR HANDS TO OURSELVES UNLESS INSTRUCTED TO DO OTHERWISE 13. LEAVE CELL PHONES IN BAGS, BACKPACKS OR AT HOME (THEY BECOME A DISTRACTION) 14. MOST IMPORTANT SMILE and HAVE FUN

Practices YOU MUST ARRIVE ON TIME FOR PRACTICES (PREFERABLY 15 minutes before scheduled time) AND BE PICKED UP ON TIME (Plan to arrive 15 minute before schedule practice end time to pick up your child in case you there are any new announcements) Our cheer squads will begin our season with 2 weeks of conditioning, each girl is required to have a minimum of 10 hours. Please be assured that during the first 2 weeks, your cheerleaders will complain about being tired, bruised and sore. Make sure that they arrive at practice with plenty of water to keep them hydrated. Our coaching staff feels very strongly about practices. Please make every effort to have your child attend as many practices as possible. It is inevitable that conflicts will arise; please notify the coaching staff as soon as possible. Once the season begins, we will have practice no more than 3 times a week. If a cheerleader misses more than 50% of our practice time during any one week they may not be able to cheer at Saturday s game. We as a staff want to reward the cheerleaders who are there daily making every effort to learn. NOTE: GLM shares the use of the Seau Complex with POP Warner football. For this reason, we will hold practices Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Sometimes there will be a need to hold practice at an alternative field but we will let you know in advance.

Fundraising Youth Sports are operated by donations, and the fees charged to participate. Grossmont/La Mesa is actively trying to reduce the cost to participate so we do not leave any kids behind. The cost to run our league is ever increasing; we are seeking corporate sponsorships, partnerships and general donations in an effort to provide the best experience for our kids at an affordable cost. As such, the league has required each team to procure a sponsor. Simply put each team must fundraise so we can provide the league with $500.00. Any additional funds raised shall be utilized by our cheer squads to provide body liners for competition, cheer camp, additional competitions, end of the year gifts etc. Our team parent will be in charge of these projects. We will be having an opening day (scrimmage) where we will be able to setup a booth to sell any items we wish (as long as the snack bar doesn t sell it) to raise money, they do have to be approved by the board ahead of time. This is a great opportunity to get the 500 dollars out of the way quickly. It is a long day but if we split it into shifts it will go quickly. Any parents with possible sponsorship connections please let me know so we can get you in touch with the right people as soon as possible. We will also try to do a fundraiser at Applebee s more information to come as soon as details are confirmed. I know that fundraising is a burden on all of us, and it is no one s favorite thing, but if we work together we can knock it out quickly. If you have any other money making ideas speak up.

Proper Practice Attire: Practice Attire / Uniforms Please send your cheerleader with a large beach towel or yoga mat, a LARGE bottle of water with her name clearly written on the bottle, tennis shoes, socks, shorts, t-shirts, a light wind jacket or sweat shirt, and her hair always pulled back in a pony tail. WEAR PROPER ATTIRE SUPPORTIVE ATHLETIC SHOES NO KEDS, NO SANDALS, NO SKATER SHOES; NO BARE FEET or your cheerleader will have to sit out and yes they must come and sit on the sidelines. Please SAVE your UNIFORM SHOES for game day so we can have them looking nice and new. SOCKS SHORTS - NO TOO - SHORT SHORTS, NO SKIRTS, NO SKORTS, NO JEANS. HAIR PULLED BACK OUT OF FACE - PONYTAIL OR IN A BRAID. NO HAIR BANDS WITH HARD ACCESSORIES RAISED BARRETTES OR BEADS. NAILS MUST BE CLIPPED TO FINGERTIP, ABSOLUTELY NO NAIL POLISH (THAT INCLUDES CLEAR) NO FAKE NAILS. NO JEWELRY NO NECKLACES, EARRINGS, TOE RINGS, BELLY BUTTON RINGS, BRACELETS ETC. NO HATS NO GLITTER Uniforms - The moment the uniforms arrive I will be handing them out, we ALWAYS hope to have them for the first game. The uniform consists of shell, skirt, greenies, socks, tennis shoes and bow. Pompons must be brought to every game. HAIR PULLED BACK OUT OF FACE - PONYTAIL OR IN A BRAID. NO HAIR BANDS WITH

HARD ACCESSORIES RAISED BARRETTES OR BEADS. NAILS MUST BE CLIPPED TO FINGERTIP, ABSOLUTELY NO NAIL POLISH (THAT INCLUDES CLEAR) NO FAKE NAILS. NO JEWELRY NO NECKLACES, EARRINGS, TOE RINGS, BELLY BUTTON RINGS, BRACELETS ETC. NO HATS NO GLITTER NO BODY SHIMMER LOTION

COMPETITION Competition will be Sunday October 27th and it will be an all day event. When we put together a routine with flyers, tumblers and dancers we need to know if we can count on all cheerleaders to make-up a routine using the entire squad. If for some reason your daughter will not be able to perform please let us know immediately so when we put together a routine that does not count on her participation. If you decide to be involved your cheerleader has to attend all 3 day per week practices (sometimes more) and be on time. It is a big commitment but it is a lot fun. If for some reason your daughter can t attend a practice please call the coaches as soon as possible. For safety reasons if your daughter misses 3 practices we will ask her to step out and she will not be able to participate in competition. If she is late more than 3 times we will ask her to step out of the routine because we do not feel she can learn the routine in time. We will talk more about this as the event date gets closer. If the squad places first, second or third in our local competition they will have the opportunity to move on to regionals in early November, if they again place first, second or third at regionals they will have another opportunity to move on to Nationals in Florida which takes place early December. These decisions are made as a squad and never assume we will be going to Florida because we have formed a squad, there are a lot of decisions to be made including the biggest of all which is raising money. Each squad will also have the opportunity to attend the outside competitions these events also require additional fundraising and the final decision to attend will be made by the coaches after discussing it with the girls and the parents. There are many other events the girls can participate in it is just a matter of getting the time commitment from everyone to raise money and bring your cheerleaders to practice.

Schedule We will do our best to provide you with the most accurate information regarding practices, games, and other events as soon as we are provided with the information. We will be providing you with a detailed calendar of events detailing the WHENs, WHEREs, and Whats. Important days to remember July 22nd Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday conditioning week at Junior Seau July 29nd Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday conditioning week at Junior Seau August 3rd Saturday FullOut Cheer Camp 9am to 3pm ESTIMATED TIMES WILL CONFIRM LATER (FLAG BABIES 9AM TO NOON) GAME SCHEDULE WILL BE HANDED OUT AS SOON AS San Diego Conference FINALIZES ALL GAMES (final schedule usually comes out in September and even then there are still small changes being made thru-out the season), please be patient know that when we get the information we will forward it to every parent. All games take place on Saturdays.

Game Day On game day cheerleaders are expected to wear full CLEAN uniform try to have it ready the night before and make sure you have both socks and the briefs, just a skirt and shell do not count as a full uniform. The girls are required to bring their pom poms to every game and wear the uniform shoes provided. After years of experience, we feel the best way to provide healthy snacks for the girls, is to have one parent/volunteer in charge of this. We will request $20.00 per player and each cheerleader will be provided a snack and beverages at half time during all the regular season games. Don t forget the water for them to drink during the game. Girls are required to arrive 1 hour and 30 minutes before every game because everyone gets checked in 1 hour before game begins if your cheerleader is not at check-in she will not be allowed to cheer until she gets checked in at half-time. If for some reason you can t attend the game and you are just dropping off your cheerleader, because we do not release your cheerleader to just anyone please try to let your coach know what arrangements you have made for your cheerleader to be picked up at the end of the game. (Although we discourage it, it does happen because life always gets in the way of cheerleading) During the game we strongly discourage you from calling out to your cheerleader, unless you are cheering her on or asking her to smile. If your cheerleader gets distracted she will not be ready for the next cheer and you are not the only person sitting in the stands watching her. In the months of August and September it gets really hot standing on the sidelines with no shade and the East County sun beating down, we are very careful that the girls don t over heat so we make sure they hydrate and not run and jump too much but they do have to stand out there during the

entire game. If they get too hot and they can t handle it they can sit out next to the coach for a few minutes if that doesn t resolve it they may be asked to sit out the rest of the game but keep in mind the boys are out there in the same heat wearing 10 lbs of gear and running a lot more. Under NO circumstances can the cheerleaders kneel, crouch or sit down on the sideline during a game, unless advised by coaching staff (If a player gets hurt on the field the cheerleaders take a knee and wait for the player to either walk off of the field or get carried off the field). I can t stress this enough please, please have the girls eat a good breakfast (it truly is the most important meal of the day when they are still growing) or lunch. A lot of times I have parents that send their daughters without any food in their stomach and the girls get tired and cranky and the last thing they want to do is listen to the coach and stand in the hot sun cheering for the boys. The girls get a 10 minute break during half time to eat a QUICK snack and go to the restroom; that does not leave time for the girls to stand in line at the snack bar that is why we provide the snacks. If you do get them a snack please limits it to something small and non-messy so they don t come back with cheese or ketchup all over their uniform. When half time is over the girls need to be back on the sideline and be ready to cheer, they can NOT leave nachos, slushies, hot-dogs, hamburgers or fries next to the coach and hope to get back to them in between cheers or to go back to the bleachers to continue to eat. Leave your snack bar time for after the game. Please remember the coach is in charge during game time so having your daughter go against the rules because you say it is OK is not fair for everyone else.

Extras It s cheer there are always extras. If you would like to purchase an EXTRA bow for the season the cost is $14.50, your uniform package comes with 1 bow but lots of times the girls loose them or some like to wear 2 bows in their hair but the bows may be too big to wear 2. Tennis shoes, your cheer package includes 1 set of Nike cheer shoes and the girls are only allowed to wear them for the games and the competition and NOT during practice. If you would like to be given the opportunity to purchase an extra set of the same shoes you will receive with the uniform I can take your order. The cost is $35.00 for youth sizes and $42.00 for adult sizes 5 and up. Briefs, the number one piece of the uniform that is almost always lost are the briefs if you need to purchase an extra set of briefs the cost is $8.50 please do not wait until the last minute to let me know you need another pair because I must place the order and go pick it up, it is not something I carry with me.

Optional items Optional: $146 TOTAL for all items below Jacket $70 with embroidery Matching pants $41.00 Bag $35.00 with name embroidered