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ESDAA
Division I Cheerleading
A. General Tournament Rules
1. Eligibility: There shall be no maximum age
for Cheerleaders but squad members must be at least 12 years of age.
2. Player Limit: 10 Cheerleaders, 1 drummer, 1
mascot and 2 spotters. All must be bona fide students of the school who meet
eligibility requirements stated above.
3. Those
cheerleaders who come to the tournament must participate in all judged events
unless injured. At the same time, cheerleaders who may be unable to
participate in regular tournament games or activities may still compete in
judged events.
4. Use of a drummer
or mascot is optional; however, the same drummer or mascot must be used for all
judged routines. The drummer and mascot are encouraged to participate fully in
regular tournament
games and activities
even if it goes beyond their responsibilities in judged events.
5. During the actual
playing time of a game, those squads that use a drum will refrain from doing so
except for when a field goal or free throw is made.
6. Squads are
expected to show good sportsmanship while the opposing team is at the foul
line, remain quiet and no negative cheering.
7. During the actual playing time of a game,
squads will refrain from stunting except between quarters and during a full,
one-minute, time out.
8. No live animal
mascots are permitted.
9. Props are
permitted and creativity is encouraged.
B. Competition
Rules
1. All definition and safety rules stipulated in the current
Spirit Rules published by the National Federation of State High School
Associations are in effect. Each violation of the Spirit Rules will
result in a 1 point per judge deduction.
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2. All State
and Local Regulations must be followed. The Host school is responsible for
informing the participating schools of these particular rules at least two
months prior to the competition.
3. Team
Competition:
a. Each team will
perform five routines. The first routine, a warm - up, will not be judged and
may be one of the competition cheers. The rotation will continue with Cheer #1,
Cheer #2, Sideline and
Creative
Movement. If a routine is performed out
of rotation it will be judged in its category but 5 points will be deducted
from the category's total point score.
b. The sideline is a
repetitious singsong chant of short duration, which is used while a game is
being played. It should not include a pyramid or any type of stunt or cover a
large amount of floor space.
If a performance is
determined not to be a sideline, '/ of the total point score for that routine
will be deducted.
c. Since the
sideline is a game time chant, no drum is permitted. If a squad uses a drum for the sideline, each judge's score for
precision will be eliminated.
d. During the
creative movement routine, the coach or another appointed person, but not a
judge, can count, keep time or direct the squad from behind the judges' table.
Directions should be kept within the area from shoulder to shoulder and waist
to arm's length above the head. The beat or rhythm can be kept by
"bopping". An impartial observer designated by the tournament
director and the chair will determine if the direction becomes excessive. The
penalty for excessive direction will be the deduction of one point from each judge's
score for precision in the Creative movement routine.
e. Squads will remain in the same clothing for
the length of the entire competition. There will be no changing of clothing for
the Creative Movement, or any other part of the competition. Whatever is worn
for the beginning of the competition will be worn for the entire competition.
f. Cheer #1 must
contain a unison jump. A unison jump means that the entire squad
performs the same jump at the same time. In addition to a mark for performance,
the jump will receive a score for degree of difficulty. See appendix for
examples.
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4.
Individual Competitions
a. There will be no warm-up for the individual routines.
Each group - cheer and jump - will come to the front of the audience and
introduce themselves before the competition begins.
b. A drum, but no
music, may be used during the Individual Cheer. A drum may be used during the
entrances and exits of any individual competition.
c. Three (3)
individual jumps, chosen by the cheerleader, will be performed from a
standing position. Please refrain from doing spirit chants between
jumps.
C. General Competition Procedures
1. The coaches
will randomly draw the order of appearance in the team competition. The order
will be reversed for the individual competitions. The squads/individuals will
perform each routine in rotation.
2. The same
judges who do the team competition will judge the individual cheer and
individual jump competitions. The cheers will be first and then the jumps.
3. For both individual competitions, the coach
will choose the squad member (s) who will perform. The choice can be two
different cheerleaders or the same cheerleader.
4. All three (3)
individual jumps will be performed in a single appearance but do not have to be
performed in any particular order. No points will be deducted if the incorrect
name is given for a jump.
5. As a guide,
the Warm-up, Cheer #1, Cheer #2 and the Individual Cheer should run between 30
and 90 seconds while the Creative Movement routine can be between 2 and 5
minutes. The Sideline is usually repeated 3 times.
6.
Squads/Individuals should wait for a signal from the Chair before entering the
floor. A coach or another individual can wait on deck with the squad/individual
until the signal is given. The squad/individual should begin the routine when
in position and ready then exit when finished. There are no penalties for any
uncertainties with the entrances or exits. The Chair will readily provide
assistance.
7. The judges
may find it necessary to ask a squad/individual to repeat a performance.
8. Ballots for the
team and individual competitions will be collected by the chair and tabulated
by the judges, the chair and the tournament
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director or designee. The squad/individual with the highest
total point score will be the winner.
9. If there is a tie in the team competition,
the judges will confer and decide on a winner. If
there is a tie in the individual competitions, 2 trophies will be given. A
second trophy will be ordered for the school closest to the host school.
10. Spirit Award
a. Each squad will judge each of the other
squads for spirit and a positive attitude at all times, both on and off the
court.
b. Ballots should be submitted to the chair by
the deadline determined by the tournament schedule and announced by the chair
or they will not be included in the tallying.
c. Ballots will be tabulated by the chair and
verified by the tournament director or designee
d. The squad with the highest total point score will be the winner. If there is a tie, the remaining teams will be
polled to decide the winner.
11. All-Stars
a. Coaches can nominate any number of cheerleaders from
their own squad, however, only 2 players can be selected from each team. b. The
names of the All-Star nominees should be submitted to the chair as soon as
possible after registration so that they can be quickly distributed to the
coaches.
c. Coaches cannot vote for a cheerleader from their own squad.
d. On the ballot: first, each coach will choose
one cheerleader from each squad except their own and rank them with their first
choice as number 1. Next, each coach will choose two cheerleaders from the
remaining nominees (except those from their own squad) and rank them with their
first choice next in line. These two choices cannot be from the same squad.
Finally, each coach will check the ballot to make sure that she/he does not
have someone from their own
squad and not more than two cheerleaders
from any one other squad.
e. Ballots should be submitted to the chair by
a deadline determined by the tournament schedule and announced by the chair or
they will not be included in the tallying.
f. Ballots will be tabulated by the chair and
verified by the tournament director or designee.
g. All-Star will be determined by the total
number of points. The cheerleader with the highest total from each squad will
be named as well as the two remaining cheerleaders with the highest total point
score. If there are any ties, additional
trophies will be given.
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h. Cheerleaders from any Division II or III
squad that attends the tournament are eligible for All-Star status even if
their squad does not participate in the competition.
12. Coaches will
receive their team's original score sheets.
* If it is
determined that a flagrant or willful violation of any of the competition
procedures has occurred, it will be brought to the attention of the judges and
coaches and a decision will be made that may or
may
not effect the outcome of the competition in question. Judges determination is
final and the judges must address all questions/concerns.
D. Tournament Guidelines for the Host
School
1. All
squads from active member schools will be invited to participate.
2. The host
school is required to house and feed the cheerleading squads during the
tournament. An attempt should be made to house male cheerleaders as close to
their own squads as possible.
3. The host will schedule and provide areas for:
a.
Meetings
1) If at all possible, a general meeting of all squads
should be held the day before the competitions.
2) Coaches' meetings can be held during game times if the
squads have an assistant coach or another adult who can stay with the team.
3) Chairperson(s) will conduct the meetings. b. Practices
1) A minimum of 15 minutes of practice time should be
scheduled on the competition floor. This is to be a private,
closed practice. Additional practice times in alternate areas should be
allotted.
2) The person running the music during the competition
should attend the practice on the competition floor to familiarize her/himself
with the music for each squad.
c.
Competitions
1) The cheerleading competitions should be held at a time
that will enable the squad slindividual to be showcased.
2)
Approximately three hours should be allotted for the individual and team
competitions.
4. The host will
provide
a. Designated areas
in the bleachers for each squad during game time if necessary.
b.
Access to a copy machine
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c. Colored paper for
the judging sheets. One color for each team participating in the competition.
Suggested colors include orange, light blue, light green, yellow, purple, pink,
and tan.
d. Judges:
1) Choice of judges should be appropriate to the nature of
the competitions. In addition, judges should not be affiliated with any of the
teams.
2) Attempts should be made to secure judges that are not
involved with any workshops or clinics that may be scheduled prior to
the competitions.
3) Judges should not be present at any of the games prior to
the competitions but they should receive a copy of the rules and guidelines
before the tournament and should make themselves familiar with them.
4) Judges should also be familiar with the National Federation
Spirit regulations.
5) While maintaining an odd number, there will be at least 3
judges who will score both the team and individual competitions.
6) Judges should be informed of our use of spotters and be
prepared to differentiate them from the other members of the squad.
7) Judges
should be reminded that the teams are very sensitive to any conversation or
activity that takes place at the front table.
e. Awards
1) Spirit Award. This should be presented before the
Competition trophies
2) 1s', 2"a, and 3rd place
trophies for the team competition. Only the first three places will be
announced.
3)
Individual trophies for the first place squad members. 4) Special event -
individual cheer
5)
Special event - individual jump
6) Special event - creative movement. The judges on the
basis of discussion and observation - not points, will determine this award.
The purpose is to recognize the creative movement of a squad for its original
theme, unique ideas and enthusiastic performance.
7) All-Star. Amount equal to the number of participating
squads, plus two.
8) Engraved plate for the traveling trophy - will be
purchased and engraved by the championship team.