Element All Stars
2015-2016
Handbook
Mailing Address:
285 S Duffy Rd
Butler, PA 16001
Email:
Web Site:
www.theflipfactory.com
Phone:
724-GYM-FLIP
Table of Contents
Mission Statement/Contact Info…………………………………………………3
Safety Rules…………………...... ……………….……………………..4
Team Placement & Tryout Information………….………………………….5
Explanation of Levels…………………………………….……………………………6
Flip Factory Fees………....……………………………….…………………………..9, 10
Element Cheer Program Costs………………………………………………… 11,12
General Rules……………………………………………….……………………………. 13
Attendance Policy/Vacation days………………………………………………15,16
Team Communication/Apparel..……………………………………………….17
Closings/Weather……………………………………………………………………….17
Competition Rules and Regulations….………………………………………18
Parent Involvement……………………………………………...... 20
Photo and Video Release/Intellectual Property……………………….20
Withdrawing from the Program………………………………...... 21
Amendments to the Contract…………………………………………………….22
Cheer Contract Agreements/Med Waivers, Inherent Risk form, Member form…………………………………………..……………………last 6 pages
Welcome to The Flip Factory’s All Star Cheer Program!
Dear Parents,
On behalf of the Element All Star Cheer organization we would like to thank you for your interest in competitive cheerleading! The goal of our program is to help each child reach their highest potential in a positive atmosphere, and to be encouraging and supportive in the growth process.
This is an intense sport that requires dedication from both the children and parents alike. It is imperative that the parents support their kids and coaches in every way. Every spot on our team is important, and together everyone achieves more!
We are happy that you have decided to join us in our quest for greatness. Each athlete’s personal dedication to tumbling, cheer, and flexibility will help Element All Stars rise to the top!
Our mission is to instill values, self-esteem, promote personal achievement, and to teach each athlete to respect the importance of teamwork. We believe in having fun, developing personalities, and forming friendships, in a safe, clean environment.
Contact Information
The Flip Factory
285 S. Duffy Road
Butler, PA 16001
Phone: (724) 496-FLIP (3547)
Website: www.theflipfactory.com
Email:
The Flip Factory is #1 in Safety and Sanitation!
Safety is our number one priority at The Flip Factory. All coaches are certified in First Aid and CPR. A First Aid Center is provided in the gym and will be accessible to anyone entering The Flip Factory.
We take tumbling and stunting very seriously. Cheerleaders will be instructed on safety procedures at the start of the program. We expect all cheerleaders to pay attention at all times. Focus and concentration are expected of athletes to ensure a safer environment in the gym. Goofing off and chit chat will not be tolerated during any cheer or tumble class.
Parents are asked, for the safety of their children, to limit loud conversation in the gym during class time. We also ask that you remember that cheer practices are closed to spectators through the end of practice, so please do not come in early for pick up. Kids become easily distracted, and we need every second of practice! Please stay seated in appropriate areas when/if you are permitted to stay. Small children must be supervised by adults at all times, and not allowed to run and scream throughout the facility or jump on the tumble track.
Sanitation Policy
The sport of cheerleading involves skin-to-skin contact putting athletes at a higher than average risk for community-acquired infections. Cheerleading actually involves more direct skin-to-skin contact than almost any other sport. Due to this, the gym takes available precautions to mitigate the risk of transmission. We require that the girls wash their hands and use hand sanitizer frequently. However, the majority of the time, transmission of microbes occurs with direct skin-to-skin contact. Therefore, for the benefit of all participants, the following procedures are instituted.
· Any and all open cuts on exposed areas of the body must be securely covered with bandage material that will last the duration of the practice. Please come with the open areas ALREADY covered.
· Hand sanitizer is provided at the gym and cheerleaders should apply it at the beginning and end of practice.
· Any participants that gets who is hurt at practice or opens up a wound must immediately stop, wash it out and bandage it up.
· Fingernails need to be kept short (no fake fingernails) and should not be a danger to other athletes. If there is an incident where you are getting scratched by fingernails, you need to let the coach know.
· Individuals are highly encouraged to shower immediately after getting home from practice instead of waiting until the next morning.
Team Placement/Tryout Information
Placements will be fun and stress free and treated like a regular practice! Please wear black shorts, black tank, and cheer shoes (or tennis shoes) plus a bow of your choice!
Team Placement…The long version. Please read thoroughly
At The Flip Factory, cheerleaders are placed on teams according to their age, then skill. Individuals are placed on these all-star teams at the discretion of the coaches and within the guidelines and standards created by the USASF. Cheerleading is comprised of many different skills. Teams are designed with all of these variances kept in mind. There will be athletes on any given team that tumble, stunt, jump, fly, etc. at various levels. We match up athletes based on what is best for them as individuals and the team as a whole. Please remember that decisions are not based entirely on tumbling, but that stunting, pyramids, jumps, dance, motions and age are huge factors as well. It is simply not feasible (or desirable) for every team to have 32 exactly matched athletes. Some will be stronger tumblers than others and some will help us more with stunts than others.
A common confusion or misconception from parents and athletes relates to tumbling ability. Proper technique is now more crucial in our industry than ever before to achieve high scores. Simply being able to complete a skill without falling to the ground is no longer the standard for when athletes are considered to ‘have’ a skill. The athlete must perform the skill with perfect or nearly perfect form and be able to do the skill consistently on a spring floor, under pressure, in nearly any scenario. Many athletes and parents greatly overestimate the ability and form of the athlete against the standard. A parent’s version of a child’s current tumbling ability, from a competitive standpoint, can be dramatically different from the coaching staff’s knowledge of what skills can be competed, and this can lead to confusion about team placement.
The second most common confusion comes from dramatically overestimating the importance of tumbling compared to other factors. Many factors go into determining the best spot for an athlete, not just how well they can tumble. Every athlete is on the team for a reason – please trust the coaches. We work extremely hard and push every athlete to reach their highest individual potential, while also teaching them the importance of teamwork.
If an individual fails to maintain their skills or fulfill their designated roles, they may be moved to another team or removed from the team. Examples include, but not limited to: losing a tumbling skill or refusing to fly. This is not a punishment for the athlete, but will instead allow the athlete to prosper on a team that is more comfortable to them while also allowing the team the best chance for success.
Once team placements are completed, your athlete will be placed on the team(s) that we feel is best for her/him and the team. If you and/or your athlete do not agree with our decision, please give it time. The Flip Factory/Element staff goes through a very intricate process to place each child where they will have the ability to showcase their skills and develop new skills, while also assuring that each team has the best opportunity to be competitive. We will be more than happy to discuss the detailed thought and reasoning that went into your child’s placement in order to assure that you understand why the placement decision was made.
Age is determined as of August 31st 2015
TRYOUT DATES 2015-16 SEASON:
Monday, May 11, Parent Meeting 7pm
Tuesday, May 12, Ages 4 to 8 (5 to 6PM)
Wed., May 13, Ages 9 to 11 (6:30 to 7:30) 12 to 18 (7:30 to 8:30)
Sunday, May 17th Team orientation day everyone to attend 1 to 4PM
Tryout pre-registration cost New members: $30 FROM April 3 to 30
Tryout cost $40 FROM May 1 through May 13
Current all-stars who have signed up for training pass benefits: cost (CURRENT ALL STARS ELIGIBLE): $20 (Half off April 1 to 21)
**To schedule a private tryout or send a video tryout please e mail
This season all tryouts will be aged based and have nothing to do with skill set. All athletes to attend Sunday so we can start putting teams together on the mat!
**IMPORTANT UPDATE WE INTEND TO HAVE athletes CROSS TO NO MORE THAN 1 ADDITIONAL TEAM, ALTHOUGH THIS IS ALLOWED VIA USASF. KEEP IN MIND THAT RULES CHAGE SEASON TO SEASON AND MAY CHANGE AGAIN AFTER THIS IS PUBLISHED. This will safeguard us so that we can use them if necessary as fill-ins with no issues.
If you decide to take a year off, please rethink that. Some girls (or their parents) for whatever reason decide to take a year off and think they will return to the squad they were on or a squad of a higher level. This rarely happens. Taking a year off means you are not stretching, lifting, or tumbling two to three times a week. You lose a lot more than you realize.
Does everyone make a team?
Yes, we will find a place for them on a team (granted there are enough girls in that particular age range to form a squad). Younger girls who may not be mature enough for the attention required in a competition atmosphere may be invited to participate in our preschool tumble. Some children may not be ready for the structure that is mandatory in this particular sport. These younger cheerleaders may need a year or two to mature. Decisions made concerning these cheerleaders will involve the parents and coaches.
There may be cheerleaders on any given team that tumble/fly/base at a different level than the rest of their teammates. We try to match up the athletes by level as best as we can, but please remember that stunting, pyramids, jumps, dance, motions, and age are huge factors as well. It is simply not feasible (or desirable) for every team to have up to 32 exactly matched athletes. Some will be stronger tumblers than others. Some will help us out with stunts more than others. Every cheerleader is on a particular team for a reason…please trust the coaches.
The Flip Factory/Element reserves the right to move a child to a different team if the
Individual fails to maintain skills, or designated roles. If you do not agree with your child’s placement please give it time, you will understand why eventually.
Physical Fitness/Health Concerns and All Star Cheerleading/INJURED ATHLETES
Please be advised that all Star cheerleading is a very cardio intensive as well as strength intensive sport. It requires that your child maintains a healthy state in order to safely perform a routine. It is extremely important to notify the coaches verbally, of any medical concerns. Element All Stars reserves the right at any time to remove a child from the program if we feel the child’s health may be in jeopardy. Please make sure that your child is eating a balanced diet. If there are concerns please see us so that we may refer you to a nutritionist. If your child has been identified by their school as having nutritional and /or other health issues, a doctor should be consulted before the child begins to participate.
If your child is diagnosed with any physical problem weather acute or chronic, we need to know about it. If your child acquires a condition within the season he or she will need to sit out until a clearance is obtained by a MEDICAL DOCTOR. Please realize that anytime a child is removed from a team, their position will, more than likely change. This is beyond our control, as we cannot “hold” spots for kids that are out for an undisclosed amount of time. If the child is cleared by their doctor, do not expect us to put that child back doing exactly what they were previously. For their safety, and so we can see if they are physically able, they may have an amended position for an undisclosed amount of time. Element also reserves the right to keep the child out of the routine altogether if the team does not have time to properly prepare for the upcoming competitions. This would be especially true toward the end of the season.
Please note: All Star is a physically demanding sport, however we expect your kids to be able to work through minor discomforts such as bruises and strains. If your child is chronically complaining we will ask that you see a medical doctor promptly, and we may have to remove them from the team if they find that they cannot work through minor issues. Please talk to them about the strains associated with athletics before you commit. We do not accept releases and diagnosis from chiropractors, only medical doctors.
INJURED ATHLETES: Please note that this update to the handbook is to clarify the policy that we already had in place for the last season (see above in blue).
If your child is injured during the all-star season we will need a medical excuse within 2 days of the injury stating what the prognosis is. This should include expected amount of time out and if the child is able to do anything while injured. Please realize that while the goal is to be able to transition alternates into that spot to fill in, that’s not always possible. Sometimes because of the injury the entire routine must change and the spot couldn’t just simply be filled in. So, please do not request that your child have their old spot back once they return. While that would have ultimately been our goal, more than likely over that period the routine has changes slightly, been upgraded, or made harder.
We request that you do not allow your child on the mat to cheer with their team unless they are back to 100%. This is for the good of the team and the individual, as we do not want to reinjure kids that are weak because of the recent injury. For example if you broke your arm and you were a main base, expect that you will be put back on day 1 to be a main base and we would expect you to be able to lift without discomfort. So, if you have discomfort and you are released consider therapy until you are back to full range of motion, full strength, etc.