Air Academy Cheerleading 2014-2015 Contract Thank you for your interest in the AAHS Cheer Program. Cheerleading at AAHS is a serious commitment and is not to be taken lightly. Please make sure that you review all the rules and expectations. If you have any questions, please feel free to e mail me. I wish you the best and thank you for choosing to be part of a wonderful program. You can contact me at kmkat0104@gmail.com
Air Academy High School Cheer Program Rules and Expectations ATTENDANCE Attendance at ALL games and practices is mandatory. Practice and game schedules are preset and announced in advance and therefore are MANDATORY. Mandatory practices begin Aug 1 st thru Mar 31 st. Each team member s unexcused absences will applicable during that time period minus the blackout dates during November! Schedule changes not in control of the cheerleading staff will be made known to squad members as soon as possible. Every attempt to give a one-week notice for changes in schedule will be made, however this cannot be done in all situations. These situations will be addressed on an individual basis. Each athlete will be allowed 3 unexcused absences per season (Football/basketball). If a practice/event/game is missed without a medical/teacher note, this will be considered unexcused. Please use these 3 absences wisely. Understand that if an unexcused absence affects preparation for a half-time/game/competition the athlete may be replaced in the routine. All competition team members must be at ALL practices in Nov due to the state competition preparation and cannot use their 3 absences during this time period. We will be having practice the Mon-Wed on Thanksgiving break. Please plan accordingly! Again, please use your 3 absences wisely!! It is our job to make sure that your athlete is safe and accounted for. An email must be sent to the coach for unexcused or excused absences. A Coach will respond to the email, at this time the email will count as acknowledgement of the absence and will be classified as unexcused or excused absence. All medical/teacher notes will be due at the next game/practice/encounter following the absence. Only a sickness WITH a doctor s note or a death in the family will be considered an excused absence. If any member of either team has more than 3 unexcused absences in a season they will be removed from the cheer team. Missing excessive practice affects the entire team and will not be tolerated. All preplanned vacations that are already scheduled need to be addressed to the coaches by May 31 so we can plan practice accordingly. Those vacations will be excused if addressed prior to that cutoff, however, it is up to your cheerleader to learn the material missed and return to practice ready to go! **Please make every effort to schedule appointments, and work schedules around cheer. Work obligations will NOT be considered excused!!!** FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS Members of the AAHS Cheer Program will be responsible for (but not limited too) the purchase of all cheerleading camp equipment, shoes, and camps. This is outlined in the cheer packet. Additionally, all squad members will be required to participate in fundraising activities (e.g., car washes, cookie dough sales, camps and clinics, and/or any other events deemed necessary to support the program). If you opt for a payment plan, all payments will be due in equal increments on the 15 th of every month. Those cheerleaders with an outstanding balance at the end of the season will not receive a letter and will not be eligible to cheer in the following season until their balance is paid in full.
AAHS Athletic Fee: $120.00 (Due before tryouts) Camp Cost: $330.00 (deposit due in May / PIF end of June) Approx. Uniform Cost: $210.00 Shoes: $120.00 Poms: $40.00 Briefs: $20.00 Bag: $30.00 Camp Wear: $150.00 Choreography and Competition Fee: $50.00-$150.00 Estimated Total Cost: $1,000.00 - $1,250.00 (Varsity) Estimated Total Cost: $1000.00 (Junior Varsity) ACADEMICS The AAHS Cheer Program expects academics to be each athlete s first priority. Academic requirements are simple: 1 st time on F List for grade check (per season) = removed from all cheerleading activities (e.g., practices are expected to be mandatory study hall. Each cheerleader on either team will be expected to come to practice and do their homework, games, and pep rallies) for (2) weeks 2 nd time on F List for grade check = will be removed from cheer team and will not letter during that season. All cheerleaders are expected to maintain their grades. Part of being a student-athlete is time management. It affects the entire team when we have a member that has to sit out for 2 weeks due to grades. This policy will be STRICTLY enforced during this school year due to excessive grade issues on previous teams! Each athlete must have a passing grade point average at semester. AAHS Cheer will follow AAHS Athletics academic requirements, except for above listed F List requirement. PRACTICES Proper attire will be required at every practice NO EXCEPTIONS. This includes having the appropriate footwear, clothing, hair out-of-the-face, and no jewelry. If an athlete is unable to practice due to lack of proper attire it will count as an unexcused absence and will count towards the 3 unexcused absences allowed per season. Athletes should provide their own water bottle. Cell phones are not to be used during practice! We will not allow the use of cell phones during practice breaks! We will provide a basket for cell phones to be placed in. In the event of an emergency please contact the coaches! All athletes are expected to be in practice attire and ready to begin at the designated practice time. If an athlete is late to a practice for academic reasons, they must bring a pass/note from their teacher.
GAME RULES Proper uniform is expected at all games/competitions at all times. Uniform must be buttoned/zipped at all times. Arrive to games ready to go: hair back with bow, no color nail polish, white no show socks, shoes. Remove ALL jewelry prior to practice/games. No gum is allowed. Cell phones are not to be used during games. Uniform rules apply during school hours. All athletes should wear their AAHS Cheerleading uniform with pride on game days (unless otherwise specified by the coach). If you are sitting out due to injury/illness/grades, you will be required to wear the appropriate uniform. GRIEVANCES All problems and concerns should be addressed in a private setting at an appropriate time with a coach. If the grievance cannot be resolved, a meeting with coach and appropriate parties will be called to resolve the matter. There will ALWAYS be at least 2 coaches present for all grievances. If the grievance still exists and a suitable resolution has not been reached, then the Athletic Director/Head Coach may be called in. However, ALL issues are to be addressed with the coaches FIRST! We cannot fix issues that we are unaware of! ATTITUDE/CONDUCT In order to achieve maximum success as a squad, each individual must demonstrate a strong work ethic and be willing to work for the good of the squad. This includes showing up to practice on time and being prepared to work. Respect for other squad members and the coaching staff is imperative. You cannot disrespect each other or the coaches off the mat and expect to respect each other on the mat. This expectation will be enforced on or off the mat! Negative behavior may result in suspension from participation in practice or games or removable from the team at the coaches discretion! Parent/guardian participation is appreciated; HOWEVER, decisions about coaching and program management are solely the responsibility of the coaches. There is a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for any negative representation and/or talk on social media related to the AAHS Cheer Program. This applies to both the athlete and parent/guardian of the athlete. Violations of this policy will be addressed on an individual basis, however infractions can result in dismissal from the program. Smoking, tobacco use of any kind, alcohol and/or drug usage is not allowed at anytime! Per the AAHS Athletic Handbook and the cheer constitution, either on or off campus, and is not limited to AAHS school grounds, summer camps, and competition forums. Involvement with people who are in possession of alcohol of other drugs could result in disciplinary action. Disciplinary action will be deemed appropriate by the school administration. Public displays of affection are never considered appropriate, especially in uniform, at game or in school. All Cheerleaders are expected to refrain from any public displays of affection while in uniform or at any function that they are representing the AAHS cheer program.
IMPORTANT DATES Athletes must have a current physical on record with the Athletic Office before tryouts! Cheer Camp: July 23 rd -26th (not mandatory, but highly recommended) @ UCCS (both JV and Varsity) TRANSPORTATION Athletes must ride the athletic bus to and from events and will be in full uniform and/or warm ups at all times. Athletes will arrive to the bus in full attire. There will be NO changing on the bus, come ready to go! If an athlete does not have on the proper attire and is unable to acquire the items prior to athletic bus departure, they will be required to sit out the event. If an athlete will be riding home from an event with a parent/guardian, they must do a face-to-face check out with the coach or appointed school representative. Athletes will not be allowed to leave any event that required athletic bus/school transportation with a peer...only a designated parent/guardian. FUNDRAISERS & VOLUNTEER WORK All athletes must participate in fundraising and volunteer work. This is a vital and necessary component of the program, not only to support our activities but also to support the community. Minimum participation levels for fundraising will be determined each year accordingly based on number of overall opportunities. Each athlete will be required to participate in at least (1) volunteer opportunity per semester and provide appropriate documentation. LETTERING IN CHEERLEADING Cheerleading will have the following requirements for lettering. All AAHS cheerleaders will be required to attend all mandatory cheer functions, complete the volunteer requirements, adhere to the drug and alcohol policy, adhere to the social media and behavior policy, and have great attendance and grade standing. For cheerleading we will address each case on an individual basis, as we will be transitioning to a Varsity and Junior Varsity for the first time in 2014-2015. In the majority of cases it will be the Varsity cheerleaders only who will letter. Key to lettering is participation, and finishing the year in good standing with a great attendance and academic standing!!! Coaches may change rules, or add rules throughout the season based on the needs of the team. Any change to the contract will be discussed with athletes, and sent in the form of email notification.