F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N FHSAA Competitive Cheerleading Sport Administrator: Jamie Rohrer ext. 440

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N Kathy Brannon – Orange Park High School (Orange Park) Gina Davis – Bay High School (Panama City) Cheryl Shimmel – Olympic Heights High School (Boca Raton) Lanness Robinson – Hillsborough County (Tampa) Mary Ann Nollinger – Port St. Lucie HS (Port St. Lucie) Dianne Sanzari – Coral Springs High School (Coral Springs) Carolyn Shoemaker – Sebring High School (Sebring) Mary Singletary – Dillard High School (Fort Lauderdale) TiAnn Stark – Newberry High School (Newberry) Next Meeting Scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, Advisory Panel

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N Competitive Cheerleading Sport Season September 3, 2012 – February 9, 2013 Note: If your team wishes to compete at High School Nationals on February 9 th & 10 th or any other competition that weekend, your AD may submit a request in writing to Dr. Dearing and he can approve “Sunday Participation” for you. However, that would be the ONLY weekend an exception could be provided.

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N FHSAA Competitions Region Events Region 1 – Saturday, January 5 - Ridgeview High School Region 2 – Saturday, December 8 - Flagler Palm Coast High School Region 3 – Saturday, January 26 – TBD Region 4 – Saturday, January 19 - TBD Region 3 and Region 4 host venues are open for bid now. See “Headlines” on the Competitive Cheer page for the RFP and Host Contract information. All bids are due by August 6th. State Championships January 31 - February 2, 2013 Site: Silver Spurs Arena (Kissimmee) Hosted by: Kissimmee Convention and Visitors Bureau

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N Region Divisions Small Varsity – Up to 12 Female Participants Medium Varsity – Female Participants Large Varsity – Female Participants Extra Large Varsity – Female Participants Small Co-Ed – 1-4 Male Squad Members/Max 26 Participants Large Co-Ed – 5 + Male Squad Members/Max 26 Participants Small Non-Tumbling – Up to 16 Female Participants Large Non-Tumbling – Female Participants

1A and 2A Small Varsity – Up to 12 Female Participants 1A and 2A Medium Varsity – Female Participants 1A and 2A Large Varsity – Female Participants 1A and 2A Extra Large Varsity – Female Participants 1A and 2A Small Co-Ed – 1-4 Male Squad Members/Max 26 Participants Large Co-Ed – 5 + Male Squad Members/Max 26 Participants 1A and 2A Small Non-Tumbling – Up to 16 Female Participants 1A and 2A Large Non-Tumbling – Female Participants State Championship Divisions

Region and State Divisions Each team may choose one (1) division to compete in with their Varsity Competitive Squad. Each school will indicate their chosen division on the State Entry List that is due to be submitted online via C2C Schools no later than Monday, November 26 th. The division (i.e. Small Varsity, Medium Varsity, Small Co-Ed) chosen at the Region level will be the same division each team will compete in on the State level. Each division at State (with the exception of Large Co-Ed) will be divided into two (2) classes based on school enrollment (i.e. 1A and 2A) for a total of 15 State Championship Divisions At both the Region and State levels, the FHSAA reserves the right to combine divisions and/or classifications as deemed necessary due to the number of competing teams in two or more divisions/classifications.

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N Rules & Regulations All NFHS Spirit Rules as found in the NFHS Spirit Rules Book are applicable. Each school receives a complimentary copy of the NFHS Spirit Rules Book at the beginning of the season. A complete list of FHSAA Rules & Regulations are available at and found within the FHSAA Handbook.

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N Competition Routine Music & Sideline Cheer/Chant The musical portion must not exceed one minute and thirty seconds, total time is two minutes and thirty seconds.

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N FHSAA Competitions Score Sheet Information can be found at:

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N FHSAA Competitions Coaches Requirement - In order to participate in FHSAA Competitive Cheerleading, all Head Varsity Coaches must be: AACCA Safety Certified A copy of each Head Coach’s AACCA Safety Certificate is due to be submitted no later than Monday, November 26th. All Head Varsity Coaches’ must submit a certificate to the FHSAA Office on an annual basis!

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N AACCA Courses Available For a list of Available AACCA Safety Courses in 2012 visit the AACCA website listed below: Or Contact: Kristen Carter or Kat Frisk (UCA State Directors) or

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N You must be “Committed To Participate” in FHSAA Competitive Cheer, in order to compete at the State Championships. Please have your Athletic Director complete and submit the AT12 form, to add the sport if he/she has not done so already! The deadline to enter (submit the AT12 form) is November 26 th, when the State Entry Lists and AACCA Certificates are also due. All competing schools are listed on the FHSAA website under Competitive Cheerleading, then State Series Assignments. Please check the website to be sure that you’re entered! If your school is not on this list, you are not entered and will not be able to participate in FHSAA Competitive Cheerleading. Commitment to Participate

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N State Entry List The State Entry List must be generated via C2C Schools. This list is more specifically, a “squad roster” of all eligible participants, to be completed by your school’s FHSAA Representative/Athletic Director. Please be sure your AD selects the appropriate division for your team. The division submitted on your Entry List is the division you will compete in! In order to submit the State Entry List via C2C Schools a login id and password is required, so please see your Athletic Director. State Entry List Due Date: Monday, November 26, 2012

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N State Entry List Cont. If changes are made to the State Entry List after the due date, there will be a $50 fee for each change that is made. All changes must be made on the State Entry List via C2C and resubmitted to the FHSAA. Changes should not be necessary as the form is unlimited as to the number of eligible student-athletes that may be listed! Therefore, you should list all eligible participants just to be on the safe side!

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N 4-Contest Policy Any student-athlete who wishes to compete, must have been on your roster and participated in at least 4 contests during regular season. If a student-athlete and/or your team has not participated in 4-contests, you are not eligible to participate at the Region and State Championship Contests. All competition schedules and student-athletes must be entered in C2C Schools.

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N FHSAA Competitions Format of Events: Region competitions will be “finals only”. At State, there will be a semi-final and final round for each division in which more than 10 teams participate. Both rounds for a given division will be held on the same day and all events will take place at the same location. A generic schedule for the competitions will be created once all entry lists are received! This schedule will define the start time and end time for each division. However, the teams will not be added until approximately 1-week prior to the competition date. Do not be late submitting entry lists!!! Remember, State Entry Lists are UNLIMITED so there is no reason that you shouldn’t be able to meet the deadline!

FHSAA Competitions Participant and Coaches Passes Each team will be provided: 2 Coaches Passes Enough participant passes for each competing member of your team. Example: Large Non-Tumbling Division = Max 26 participant passes Total passes for a Non-Tumbling team packet = Max 28 Alternates and additional coaches will be treated as spectators and must purchase a ticket!

FHSAA Competitions Rules and Regulations It is the coach’s responsibility to ensure that all routines comply with the written rules and regulations of the FHSAA and NFHS. Teams who perform an illegal skill during the competitions will be penalized according to the Rules and Regulations. These penalties have been updated. Please see the FHSAA Handbook or “Manual” online to review updates. Any squad in violation of the General Rules or Specific Safety Regulations will be assessed a deduction for each violation unless otherwise noted. A copy of the score sheets can be found on the Competitive Cheer webpage under “Forms”.

FHSAA Competitions Process for Determining Finalists In order to ensure fairness, the number of teams advancing to finals will be one (1) team per every four (4) entered in a given division. For example, if there are 22 teams in 1A small non-tumbling, 5 teams will advance to finals (22 ÷ 4 = 5.5). Since we do not round up, we’d only take 5 in this instance. If fewer than 10 teams compete in a given division, there will be “finals only” (no semifinals). All teams in a given division will be judged by the same panel of judges. There will be 4 or 5 judges on each panel. Finals are “Clean Slate”. Therefore, your scores from the previous round do not count and you are judged only on your finals performance during the finals!

FHSAA Competitions Awards Region Champion and Runner-Up teams in each division may purchase a Region Champion or Region Runner-Up trophy from The Trophy Shop. The Trophy Shop order forms can be found at State Champion and Runner-Up teams in each class and division will receive trophies and medals during the awards ceremonies at State.

“Projected” Plan for STUNT STUNT (Spring Sport) First Practice Date: (Week 28) January 7 Pre-Season Classics: (Week 30) Jan. 21 – 26 1 st Contest: (Week 31) January 28 Region Play-In Game(s): TBD Region Finals: (Week 40) Saturday, April 6 State Championships: (Week 41) Saturday, April 13 This plan has to be approved by the Executive Director and FHSAA Board of Directors. As more information becomes available, it will be conveyed to all AD’s and posted on the FHSAA website.

“Projected” Plan for STUNT STUNT will have play-offs similar to all other team sports. 4 Regions - Only 8 teams will make it to the Region Finals. Region Finals will be an 8-team single elimination tournament held at one location (per region) and completed in one day. USA Cheer will provide personnel to run each region final. Only the Region Champion will advance to State. FHSAA STUNT State Championships to be held in conjunction with College National STUNT Championships. This plan has to be approved by the Executive Director and FHSAA Board of Directors. As more information becomes available, it will be conveyed to all AD’s and posted on the FHSAA website.

Spring Practice – Policy 18 Spring Competitive Cheerleading practice is a continuation of the regular fall competitive cheerleading season. Spring practice is confined to a maximum of 20 sessions exclusively during the month of May. Students who are seniors may not participate in spring practice. Students who are not enrolled and in attendance in a school cannot participate in spring practice at that school. Incoming 9th grade students cannot participate in spring practice.

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N Frequently Asked Questions Coaches – It is important that you discuss this information with your Administration. Your own school policies may differ from some of the answers given below. Do all member schools have to participate? No. Each member school has the option to participate if they so choose, as is with any other sport. However, teams who do not compete with FHSAA may not compete in any other outside competition either. How much will the sport cost? Entry is FREE!!!! Can participating schools still compete in outside competitions, such as UCA Nationals, Jamfest, State Fair, etc? Yes, as long as the event is held within the said sport season. If an exception is needed for the last weekend of the season, your AD may submit a request in writing to Dr. Roger Dearing. How do I know if my team is entered? Go to and click on Competitive Cheerleading. From there, click on State Series Assignments. If your team is listed, you are entered. If your team is not listed, you are not entered. What do I do if my team is not entered/on the list? See your Athletic Director. He/She will need to submit the AT12 form no later than November 26th (State Entry List/AACCA Certificate due date) for your team to compete. Once entered, you will still be required to meet all deadlines regardless of the delayed entry.

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N Frequently Asked Questions If my school dropped the sport last year, can we add it back this year? Yes. See your Athletic Director. He/She will need to submit the AT12 form no later than November 26 th (State Entry List/AACCA Certificate due date) for your team to compete. Once entered, you will still be required to meet all deadlines regardless of the delayed entry. How many squads can participate in Regions or State from a given school? One (1) Varsity Squad. Can a J.V. Squad participate in FHSAA Competitive Cheerleading? No. FHSAA state series contests are open to varsity competition only. If tryouts are usually held in the spring, can a school still hold their tryouts in the spring? Tryouts & tryout procedures will all be on a school-by-school basis. However, the FHSAA has approved spring practice (tryouts) as long as they are completed within a maximum of twenty (20) consecutive sessions (excluding Sundays) during the month of May. Can incoming freshman or transfer students practice and/or tryout in the spring for Competitive Cheerleading? No. Once practice and/or tryouts are over in the spring, can we begin practice? No. The first date for practice is September 4th. Are we still going to be able to attend summer camps? Yes. (FHSAA Policy 20)

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N Frequently Asked Questions If I coached last year and submitted my AACCA Certificate to the FHSAA, do I need to submit it again this year? Yes. The FHSAA requires AACCA Certificates to be submitted on an annual basis. Deadline date is November 26 th. How do I submit my State Entry List? See your Athletic Director. He/She will need to submit the list no later than Monday, November 26 th via C2C Schools or give you privileges to do so. Be sure he/she enters your team in the correct division! If our school competes, can we compete in Spring Floor Competitions? No. Regardless of whether a team participates with the FHSAA or not, NFHS Spirit Rules prohibit competition on spring floors. By state statute, all FHSAA member schools, whether competing in Competitive Cheerleading or not are bound by NFHS Spirit Rules. If my team enters Medium Varsity (for example) and we lose girls before we compete or between Regions and State which causes our number of participants to drop down into the Small Varsity Division, can we change divisions? No. The division you enter will be the division your team remains in regardless of the circumstance. Please remember that if this happens, you’re also subject to deductions due to non-compliance with squad numbers. Be sure you have alternates!!!

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N Frequently Asked Questions Why was I not called for an illegal stunt at Regionals and now I’m penalized for that same stunt at State? You as a coach are responsible for knowing the rules. Just because an illegal stunt is not caught by a rules judge at a given competition, does not make it legal. Just like any other sport official and/or judge, there are times where calls are going to be missed. However, that does not render the routine “legal”. Why was one team warned for an illegal stunt and my team penalized? If a team is given a warning, the rules judge didn’t have absolute evidence that the stunt was illegal. Therefore, the team is warned. However, if your team was penalized, the rules judge actually witnessed the violation. How could our scores be so high at Regional's and at State they’re much lower. One panel of judges can score a little higher or lower than the next. Therefore, it’s all relative. For example, an 80 pt. score at Regional's could potentially put you in the top three, just as a 60 pt. score could at State or vice versa. Although we make our best attempt at keeping things consistent, it’s difficult when considering the judges panels are never the same from competition to competition and neither are the routines. How do I know if my routine is legal? Refer to the NFHS Spirit Rules Book. Each school receives a complimentary rule book in August and you are responsible for knowing the rules, just like any other coach in any other sport.

F L O R I D A H I G H S C H O O L A T H L E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N QUESTIONS? Contact: Jamie Rohrer (352) ext. 440