MIDLAND HIGH POM PON Varsity Tryout Packet - Fall 2018/2019 Season Thank you for your interest in the Midland Pom Pon Squads! We are excited that you are considering our team. This packet contains information about our teams and our tryout process. The Midland High Pom Pon Teams are high school programs that have continued to generate a great deal of statewide recognition. We are proud to represent Midland High School at home football and basketball games, as well as Mid-American Pom Pon Highkick, Regional and State competitions. Our teams are full of pride and passion for our school and for the sport of pom. If you love to perform, are dedicated and motivated and want to be a part of a TEAM in every sense of the word, the MHS Pom teams are a tremendous opportunity available to you during your high school years. Please read through this packet, contact us with questions and be sure to complete and return the enclosed Team Application on day one of tryouts. We look forward to meeting you. Due on DAY ONE of tryouts (no exceptions will be made): o Team Application (attached) o Current school year physical on file in the athletic office Due August 13 th for those who make the team: o Gold Card- The Gold Card includes: Activity Fee- $75/season- paid online at chemics.net (DO NOT PAY UNTIL AFTER AUGUST 1st, 2018) Updated physical on file in the athletic office (do not get one updated until after May) Online Registration via chemics.net (on chemics.net go to Forms in the main navigation, then select Athlete Online Registration ) Thanks again and good luck! Midland Varsity Pom Pon chemicvarsitypom@gmail.com Coach Katy Stearns Coach Crystal Forsberg stearnskm@midlandps.com forsbergcj_2007@hotmail.com (989) 600-4076 (989) 513-3265 1
Varsity Pom Pon Tryouts Schedule Tryout Practices: During the first day of tryouts you will learn all the tryout material, including skills. The second day of tryouts will be review. These practices are closed to the public. Bring: Water bottle, Midland Pom Pon Team Application (DUE ON DAY ONE) Wear: Practice attire (t-shirt, tank top, shorts, sweat pants, yoga pants) and athletic or dance shoes, with your hair pulled back Final Tryout: Date/Time: Monday, 3/5 and Tuesday 3/6 from 4:15-6:00 pm Please arrive and be ready to begin tryouts Location: your assigned MHS New tryout Gym time (this means stretched and ready to perform at least 30 minutes before Who can your attend: schedule Current tryout time). MHS students Individuals will tryout in groups of two or three depending on numbers. Each participant will be called at the end of the night and informed of their team status. Tryouts are closed to the public. Wear: Plain white t-shirt, black or navy blue bottoms, and athletic or dance shoes. Make sure that hair is neat and completely pulled back out of your face. Please insure that stomachs are covered and no undergarments are showing. Mandatory Parent Meeting Date/Time: Thursday, 3/8- You will be assigned a tryout time (tr begin at 5:30) This meeting is for those who have been placed Location: on the MHS JV and Band Varsity Room Pom teams. Practices for both teams will begin on Monday, June 18th st. Varsity will practice from 4:00-6:00, JV practices are TBD. 2
Fall Program Overview Both JV and Varsity Pom teams may have cuts for the Fall teams depending on how many participants tryout. Skill Expectations Movements--Specific movements that are taught include: o Kicks: Proper execution and form in low, waist & high kick positions o Arms: Accurate placement in basic positions (blade, diagonal, V, airplane, shelf, shoot, etc.) o Body: Control and proper position in all movements (especially flat back & core control) o Feet: Proper placement of feet in all movements, especially when transitioning and in kickine Jumps Some specific jumps that are taught include: o Toe-touch o Rock Star o C Jump/ Arc Jump o Popcorn jump o Straddle (Star) jump o Tuck jump Flexibility Specific movements that are taught include: o Right splits o Left splits o Body stretches Agility/Stunts -- Specific movements that are taught include: o combination moves o partner moves o coordinated footwork Pom Technique (sharpness and accuracy of movements) Speed Learning (ability to learn new material in a short amount of time) Academic good standing a student athlete s first responsibility is to his or her studies. 3
Tryout Evaluation Appearance (10 pts) o White top, Black bottoms, hair pulled completely back o Points will be taken off if your stomach or undergarments are showing during your performance Smiles and Showmanship (10 pts) o Performer is poised and professional (covers mistakes, good posture, well groomed, etc.). Performer has audience appeal (smiles with eyes, moves with energy/enthusiasm, etc.) and confidently executes routine (no speaking aloud, mouthing words or counting routine). Skill Level of Ability and Talent (10) Form, Precision, and Execution (10 pts) o Moves are held in position (hit and hold), rather than freely flowing through positions. o Moves are executed with good posture, straight arms, snappy heads, and proper positions. Movements begin and end in proper positions. Transitions between movements follow proper paths. Rhythm and Timing (10 pts) o Moves are performed precisely to the beat of the music. Knowledge and Speed Learning (10 pts) o Moves are performed as instructed. Knowledge of movement and the routine's sequence is evident. Kicks: Routine (10 pts) and Tapping Kickline (10 pts) o Legs extend from the hip and are raised from the upper thigh, not the knee. o From the time the leg is lifted, knees are kept straight and never bent. o HIGH kicks reach a height that is at least at eye level. o The extended foot of a WAIST kick reaches a point equal to but not exceeding height of the hip. o LOW kicks point! A low kick is only raised off the ground by the elevation of the supporting leg (as it rises on to the ball of the foot). o Foot is extended from the ankle and toes are pointed. o Eyes remain forward or look slightly above standard height, but NEVER look down. o Proper posture: strong center, shoulders back and body does not move from the shoulder to the hip. o Proper preparation: knee bends slightly, and foot of supporting leg rises onto "ball" of the foot. o When switching legs, the preparing foot returns to meet the other foot and is NOT placed behind the other foot (no "Back Prepping") Jumps (10 pts) o Jumps are executed with good technique and form (good posture, pointed toes, snap, proper height/precision, etc.). Overall Impression (10 pts) o The evaluator will assess the overall feel of the performance. Team Contribution (10 pts) (for those who have previously been on an MHS pom team) 4
o The following will be considered: attendance, participation at practice, involvement with team/school activities, attitude, professionalism and support of fellow pommers. Expectations, Key Dates, and Cost Conditioning Conditioning will begin May 10th. During the spring season, we will typically condition 2 times per week (possibly Tuesdays 4:15-5:30 and Thursdays 4:15-5:30). Both JV and Varsity will practice together. These conditioning sessions are mandatory for every pommer who is not participating in a Spring Sport. Practices Practices for Summer Camp will begin in June. During summer we will typically practice 3 times a week. Times and days have yet to be decided. Mandatory summer practice will run July 9 th -18 th for camp and in mid-aug for fall season. During the academic year, we typically practice 4-5 days per week (Mon-Friday) lasting two to three hours in duration. Varsity practices 4:00-6:00pm. We also have mandatory Saturday morning practices throughout the season during competition time. Additional activities (i.e. dance class, church group, and volunteer work) must be outside of practice times. Missing practice, leaving early or arriving late to scheduled team practices due to outside activities will be handled on an individual basis. Summer Camp Summer Camp this year will be a Davenport University in Grand Rapids. We are scheduled to attend Camp Three July 18-22. To attend Mid-American Summer Camp it cost roughly $435. A $100 deposit will be due at our parent meeting on May 8th. The rest of the camp payment will be due by $. We will be doing several fundraisers throughout spring and summer to help cover a portion of camp. Fundraisers We will start our fundraisers in May and continue throughout summer. Our first fundraiser will be a Mixedbag fundraiser. ALL the money raised will go into each girls individual pom account to help pay for Camp, camp attire, etc. We will also be scheduling two car washes and a pop can drive this summer. Money raised from these fundraisers will go directly into the general Pom fund, which helps to purchase new uniforms. Competitions During the Fall season our Varsity team participates in the Mid-American High Kick Competition. High Kick is normally the first Sunday in November. Please make sure to schedule any vacations around this competition. The girls are not to miss any practices two weeks prior to competitions. Contract There will be a list of rules and regulations in our team contract that pom members and parents must sign. If team members do not follow the rules listed, it is at the coach s discretion to pull any girl(s) from the specified routine and/or competition(s). Special Performances 5
In order to gain important performance experiences and exposure as a team, we will be performing at functions on and off campus. Past performances have included: Pep rallies, Relay for Life, and Midland county parades. Attendance Planned family vacations (NOT during mandatory summer or competition practice times), a contagious illness, injuries requiring medical assistance, a doctor s note or a death in the family are considered excused absences. Other extra-curricular activities, group meetings, or doctor s appointments WILL NOT be excused. Please make sure to schedule any of the above items around practice times. Attendance is mandatory for all team functions and to remain on the pom pon teams. Academic Expectations Academics should always come first. All team members must maintain a cumulative GPA that meets the requirements set by MHS at all times to remain a part of the team. Grades will be checked periodically by coaches. If at any time grades fall below the requirements, team members will be placed on academic suspension. Team Captain Varsity team captain(s) are chosen by the coaches with discretion from the team. There is no set number of captains per season. Tryouts and interviews for the leadership team will begin in April. Approximate Monetary Costs JV/Varsity team members are required to pay the following fees: $75-Activity Fee per season for participation in athletics at Midland High (to be paid in August-not before). $50-Team Fee to be paid at the Parent Meeting in May (checks can be made out to Midland High Pom). Camp Costs- approximately $450 based on previous years (camp, attire, travel, etc) JV/Varsity team members will need to purchase following items: $50-$75-Uniform (which includes: lollies, body suit, performance poms, earrings, Varsity Jacket, etc.) $50-$75-Black performance shoes $60-$75-Rhapsody/Highkick costume and Highkick competition fee What are we looking for? We look for talent, potential, dedication, enthusiasm, positive attitude and HEART! 6
Frequently Asked Questions How many spots are there on the JV and Varsity Pom teams? There are no set numbers. We take our teams based on audition scores and where breaks are in the tryout scores. The number of new members each season depends on talent level. Team sizes range from 12-26. Teams are decided and based entirely on scores from the final day s tryouts. Past experience and grade level play no factor in team selection. Who judges tryouts? The judges for tryouts consist of the JV and Varsity coaches along with other experienced individuals. Guest judges are not associated with the Midland Pom teams and must not have participated in MHS Pom within the last four years. Is the Pom team considered a sport? Yes-the pom team is grouped under the athletic umbrella at Midland High. Teams practice, train and compete in a similar manner to many other Chemic sports. However, we do not receive funds from the athletic department. We do get support from the Booster Club; they put on the Booster Bash in the spring with Dow High to raise funds for athletics (each girl will be responsible for selling Raffle tickets to help contribute). New Varsity team members will receive a Varsity Letter at the end of the season. Pommers cannot be on any other MHS sports teams while on the Midland High Pom team. Can I tryout next season if I do not make the team this year? Yes, please do! There is no limit to the number of times that you can tryout for either team. We encourage everyone who does not make the Varsity team to attend JV evaluations on Saturday, May 5 th from 9:00-12:00. 7
Midland Pom Pon Team Application This form MUST be entirely filled out (NO BLANKS) and turned in on Monday, March 5th Please make sure to include a VAILD email address as this is how the coaches will communicate with the parents. We have set up a Facebook group to communicate with the Varsity team, please make sure you have a Facebook account for team communication purposes. Student s Name: Birthday: Student s Phone Number: Student s Email: GPA: Current Grade: Parent s Names: Parent s Emails: Parent s Phone Numbers: I can attend practices (Monday-Friday) during the school year: Yes No I can attend practices throughout the Summer: Yes No (MANATORY PRACTICES FOR CAMP BEGIN JULY 9 TH -18 TH ) I can attend Mid-American Summer Camp (7/18-22): Yes No Please hold off any vacations during Highkick competition and Rhapsody time. We will try to accommodate vacations that are already in place, but any practices missed from October through November will not be excused and participation in Highkick AND Rhapsody will be forfeited. Answer the above questions honestly. If you reveal after tryouts that you are unable to attend or participate in the listed practices and competitions, you may be removed from the team. List any conflicts on the back of this form. We will take these conflicts into consideration; however we cannot accommodate all requests. PLEASE CHECK ONE: I wish to be on the Varsity Team ONLY, there is no need to invite me to JV Evaluations in May I wish to be on either JV or Varsity, whichever team I make 8
I have read the tryout packet and I give my permission to tryout for the JV and/or Varsity Pom Team. I understand the time commitment as well as the monetary expense. Parent/Guardian Signature Participate Signature 9