CHEERLEADING SAFETY MANUAL :

CHEERLEADING SAFETY MANUAL :

An Introductory Guide to Safe Practices

CHEERLEADING SAFETY There is no more important issue in cheerleading today than safety. Following a comprehensive safety manual will minimize the risk of injury to your cheerleaders. All parts of this curriculum are important, and we highly recommend that you implement this program in its entirety. We also recommend you become familiar with the information contained in the AACCA Safety Manual. For most up-to-date AACCA Safety Rules and Guidelines and/or to order an AACCA Safety Manual, visit www.aacca.org. THE ADVISOR S ROLE IN SAFETY The cheerleading advisor/coach has responsibility for the safety of the cheerleaders. Here are some important points to remember when working with your squad. 1. Constant Supervision A survey revealed that eighty percent of all cheerleading injuries occur in practice. The advisor/coach should be present at all cheerleading practices and make sure the cheerleaders are aware of, and abiding by safety rules.

2. Setting parameters and establishing ability levels The safety guidelines enclosed in this manual set broad parameters for cheerleading activity. The advisor/coach must constantly evaluate his/her squad members to make sure they participate in activities within their ability level. An easy way to set specific guidelines for each cheerleader, as well as the squad as a whole, is to establish a qualifying system. In other words, before cheerleaders are allowed to perform stunts or skills without spotters, they must do the stunt five times without difficulty. Qualifying should be done in the presence of spotters. (See sample qualifying sheet that follows). 3. Stay current Advisors/coaches should remain up-to-date on all new techniques and safety regulations. If there are questions, a knowledgeable cheerleading expert or gymnastics coach should be contacted.

CHEERLEADING SAFETY (From a Legal Standpoint) Definitions 1. LEGAL DUTY Obligation for care and safety of another. Example: The duty of a teacher or coach towards his/her cheerleaders. 2. REASONABLE CARE Degree of care a reasonably prudent person should exercise under the same circumstances. 3. STANDARD OF CARE Get testimony of group of reasonable people (the consensus). The standard of care is acknowledged as the AACCA Manual. 4. NEGLIGENCE When a person with legal duty fails to follow the standard of care. 5. LIABILITY For civil liability to be imposed, negligence must lead to, or cause the injury. Why Would Parents Sue? 1. Availability of medical insurance. 2. Notification of parents of injury (the sooner the better). 3. Coach s and school s attitude before and after injury (you don t traditionally sue someone you like). What To Do If A Suit Is Filed

(What the jury looks at to determine liability) 1. Degree of deviation from the standard of care. 2. Attitude and demeanor of defendant. 3. Severity of the injury. 4. Post injury conduct of coach and instructor. As A Coach (What can you do to protect yourself, your school, and Most importantly your cheerleaders?) 1. SUPERVISION Most important factor in determining negligence. a) General at practice. b) Direct active coach role. NO COACH! NO PRACTICE! 2. PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Written and understood. a) Rules b) Objectives of program c) Emergency plan d) Written Manuals (AACCA, UCA, First Aid, etc). e) Safety equipment

3. COACH AND ADVISOR TRAINING 4. PERFORMER READINESS

EMERGENCY PLAN It is essential that this plan be tailored to fit your specific situation. You may want to write variations of your plan for practice, home games, and away games. PRACTICE I. Be Prepared A. Information Cards (for every squad member) Include the following items: 1. Full name 2. Squad member s home and school addresses 3. Telephone numbers for the individual s parents and two emergency numbers 4. Allergies 5. Previous injuries 6. Family doctor s name and telephone number 7. Copy of insurance card and/or school insurance number 8. HMO requirements/restrictions. B. During the practice, you must have access to a telephone.

Post the following information near the phone. 1. 911 for emergencies 2. Your school s complete address and phone number. II. The Plan A. Assignments 1. During the emergency, the coach will stay with the injured person. 2. Have a reliable person call 911 Give your exact location and the basic information of the injury (head injury, broken leg, etc) and tell the ambulance service where to enter (south end of the field by the big gym). 3. Send someone to meet the ambulance and direct it to the correct location. 4. If you go with the injured person, cancel all other activities. (Your squad must be supervised). For away games, meet the other team s cheerleading advisor/coach to confirm the location of the medical staff and telephone. Any away game

emergency plan should also include a passenger list. Make a list of each vehicle s driver and passengers (check your school s travel policy on eligible drivers!). Keep one copy in each vehicle and one copy with someone at the school incase of emergency. As with the home emergency plan, check all procedures with your athletic trainer, coach, principal and campus security. Give copies of all plan(s) to your supervisor, to the campus police, to the athletic trainer, and to all squad members.

In case of emergency call: EMERGENCY PHONE LIST (Laminate and post by phone during all activities) When answered, talk slowly and clearly and say this: We are located at at (name of school) (Address) One of our cheerleaders has fallen and injured her and (describe the injury) Needs an ambulance. Please come to located at (location, i.e. Main Gym). We will have someone there to direct you. * (brief directions corner of Smith & Jones). Stay on the line until the ambulance dispatcher says you can hang up. Training Room Number : Campus Security Number: Other Numbers: (Principal) Note: retype/copy this sheet for each situation (practice, game, away game, etc) and fill in the appropriate emergency numbers and addresses. It may seem like a lot of trouble to

go through, but it will be well worth it in the event of an emergency. Be sure to keep one copy of the emergency phone list in the squad notebook. * An example of the sample dialogue would be: We are located at Jefferson High School at 1800 Thomas Jefferson Boulevard. One of our cheerleaders has fallen and injured her ankle and needs an ambulance. Please come to the main gym on the corner of Jefferson and Lincoln behind the parking lot. We will have someone there to meet you. 1. Do we have an emergency plan? EMERGENCY PLAN 2. What information do we need to include on our emergency cards? 3. Do we have access to a phone during practice? 4. Who will contact 911? 5. Who will meet the ambulance? Sample Information Card (4x6 Index Card) Full Name: Home Phone

Street Address: City: State: Zip: Mother: Father: Day Phone Day Phone: Other Emergency Number: Allergies: Previous Injuries: Family Doctor: Day Phone: Insurance Policy & Number: (for use by coach only) HMO/PPO: (for use by coach only) Copy of Insurance Policy on File: Yes No Copy of Medical Release on File: Yes No ASSESSING YOUR SQUAD S ABILITY LEVEL Teachers know the importance of assessing someone s abilities before, during and after the learning process. In order to find the correct teaching level that challenges a student without discouraging him or her, you must first find out their present state of knowledge or skill. Before moving on to new material, especially material which will build on the knowledge or skills just learned, you must be sure that the student has

assimilated the base knowledge. Assessment at this level lets the teacher know if important topics need to be revisited and emphasized before moving on. Evaluation after new skills have been learned can give a sense of completion and accomplishment to the student; a reward for hard work and effort. The same holds true for all new skills, including cheerleading gymnastics. In the case of partner stunts, pyramids, jumps and tumbling, it is even more important that you check the progress of your squad members before allowing them to attempt any new skill. Using the qualification charts found in this section, set aside time each week to evaluate your squad members. Make as many copies as you need, and keep the originals in this manual free of markings, so that you may make more copies as needed. To evaluate your squad s progress, have them show you the new skill first with a spotter and increasingly, as their ability level warrants, without one. They should be able to perform the skill at least five out of five times successfully before they are allowed to perform the skill in a game situation without a spot. If they are successful, congratulate them and check off the new skill with the initials of the squad member(s) and yourself, as well as the date of qualification. If they are not successful, congratulate them on their effort and point out the areas they need to

work on to master the skill. Inform them that they are not to attempt that skill without a spotter and that they can try to qualify that particular stunt or gymnastics skill on the next scheduled qualification day. This process may be tedious at first, when you must go through each stunt or tumbling skill for each squad member, but it will be well worth it. Soon, you will only need to check new skills and you will have time on the qualification days to work extra on those skills they have not yet mastered. In the meantime, you have created a written safeguard in case of an accident (see Cheerleading Safety From A Legal Standpoint in this manual). You will also get a better feel for your squad s overall ability level, which will be crucial when incorporating gymnastics into your cheers and sideline chants or choreographing routines. We recommend that this position should be appointed with specific duties and responsibilities. He/she should have a clear understanding of the school s goals, priorities, and responsibilities related to cheerleading and the capability to institute them. A staff directed program, when compared to one that is student managed, will provide a greater measure of stability and continuity for your school.

YOUR SPECIFIC INFORMATION SOURCES 1. Your Supervisor School Phone Home Phone ( ) ( ) 2. Athletic Director School Phone Home Phone ( ) ( ) 3. Maintenance Supervisor School Phone Home Phone ( ) ( ) Beeper # ( ) 4. Squad Captain School Phone Home Phone ( ) ( ) 5. Other Coaches ( )

(JV, Dance, Etc) ( ) ( )

CRITERIA TO ASSESS PERFORMER READINESS (Taken from the AACCA Safety Manual) Information is the key to all common sense understanding of a cheerleader s performance capabilities. Each performance decision should pass a gauntlet of questions before being implemented. This gauntlet is composed of the following questions: 1) IS THE ATHLETE STRONG ENOUGH TO PERFORM THE SKILL? Can he/she produce the necessary force? 2) IS THE ATHLETE POWERFUL ENOUGH TO PERFORM THE SKILL? Can he/she produce the necessary explosive force? 3) IS THE ATHLETE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO PERFORM THE SKILL? Can the athlete achieve the necessary body positions to perform the skill? 4) IS THE ATHLETE FRESH ENOUGH TO PERFORM THE SKILL? Is the athlete fatigued to the extent that safety and ease of performance are jeopardized?

5) DOES THE ATHLETE ADEQUATELY UNDERSTAND THE SKILL? Is there adequate matting, lighting, etc? Is a spotter needed? Physical readiness forms the foundation for the other factors of readiness. Without adequate physical readiness, the development of physical skills will be precarious at best. Always consider carefully the physical readiness of the performer from moment to moment in training and performance. This is a fundamental consideration for insuring the safety and well-being of the participant.

PSYCHOLOGICAL READINESS There are a number of obvious aspects of cheerleading safety (e.g. spotting, proper equipment, medical treatment, etc). which all participants should attend to. The psychological readiness variable is not so obvious and is more difficult to attain than these other elements of safety. The following practical guidelines are suggested for supervisors (coaches and sponsors) and participants in order to facilitate psychological readiness with emphasis on safety: COACHES 1. Provide training (year round) in the psychological components of performance. 2. Stress the importance of self-control in practice and competition environments. 3. Keep as much variety in workouts as possible. Change allows attention skills to remain alert thereby decreasing chances for errors. 4. Never over-train your cheerleaders. Boredom and fatigue contribute to injuries. 5. Keep the pressure off. Have fun in both practice and competitive environments.

6. Be positive in all situations. Encouragement breeds satisfaction which promotes safety. 7. Travel arrangements should be made with the participant s psychological well-being in mind. 8. Demonstrate patience, perseverance and understanding. 9. As a coach, be a model of the psychological readiness you desire in your cheerleaders. 10. Provide emotional first aid when appropriate. Cheerleaders should not be left to their own psychological resources following either a successful or unsuccessful performance. Most performers are not required to crawl off and nurse their physical wounds, why then should they be expected to completely manage their psychological needs? A post competitive discussion with cheerleaders is crucial to future safe performances. PARTICIPANTS 1. Be aware of your individual areas of concern (fears). 2. Never attempt a trick with which you feel uncomfortable, because of peer pressure. 3. Be sure to warm-up sufficiently before performing. 4. Follow the progression of easy to difficult in terms of routine.

5. Practice is where most injuries occur, so attentiveness is crucial here. 6. Having fun does not mean messing around. Horseplay is not wise from a safety standpoint. 7. Learn about your own psychological strengths and weaknesses. Remember, you are a performer in a potentially dangerous environment. To be safe you must be in total control of both your body and mind. References 1. Richardson, A. (1980). How to ruin an athlete. In R.M. Suinn (Ed.). Psychology in Sports: Methods and Applications. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Company.