Colorado Extreme Cheerleading, LLC Sportsmanship Contract for Parents

 

          In an effort to provide a safe, fun and nurturing environment, the following guidelines will be in place for members of the CEC All-Stars Competitive Cheerleading Squad.  It is not for me to tell you how to parent your child, but I want to make sure that the guidelines set in place are fair for all involved.

 

  1. No coaching from the sidelines. I know that we are all wonderfully talented individuals, but it can be hard for a child to accept criticism from their own parents. To make sure that the cheerleader does not become confused it is best to let me coach the children. Cheering, words of encouragement and support are always welcome, but do not try to coach them or teach them during practice.
  2. Make criticism CONSTRUCTIVE.  If you feel that your child could use a little extra help, please remember that comparisons are not allowed.  It is never fair to compare one cheerleader to another. Each child learns at their own pace and skills are gained at different speeds. Fear can also play a large part in their confidence at gaining a skill. If you want to help them, use examples such as the following:

“I know you are having problems with your back handspring, but don’t worry, you’ll get it if you keep working at it.”

         

This works much better than:

“So and so has their back handspring, why aren’t you doing yours?

 

          I keep practice as positive as possible to build confidence and self-esteem. If there are too many rude comments from you, as a parent, you will be asked to leave practice for the afternoon. The code words used will be “Could you please go to Starbucks for me?”

 

  1. Good sportsmanship is necessary.  Our children learn how to be competitive without being mean from the examples we give them.  When you are at a competition, you represent the company as well yourself. Try to remember that tensions will be high and everyone will be prone to tears and fits of anger. Do not, under any circumstances, ever try to argue with any event staff. The competitions have guidelines set up so that if a parent or staff member associated with a team has poor sportsmanship, they can AND WILL disqualify the squad from competition. If there is a problem, please come to me first and let me handle it. I would hate for us to be disqualified from a competition because of a disagreement.

 

 

  1. Do not discuss WEIGHT with your cheerleader.  I cannot express this enough. The squad, as a whole, already has a concept of what cheerleaders should look like and they are very serious about it. Many of these notions involve negative body images. This is disturbing due to the ages of the children.  If you feel your child is not healthy, try to find ways to introduce them to better food. Comments about weight or appearance that may seem casual to you actually devastate these young children and could cause serious problems down the road. I do not care what my squad weighs or how their body is shaped. I only care that they are healthy and strong enough to do the things I need them to do. Therefore, if you make negative comments about your child, or any other child’s body size or composition, you will be asked to leave practice.

 

 

 

  1. Fundraising is mandatory.  I know we all lead busy lives and I am willing to bend over backwards to help accommodate everyone’s schedule.  There will be times when some of you will not be able to make a fundraiser. Please try to attend in some capacity, either set-up or take down, or even the pre-event stages. If your child consistently does not participate in the fundraising, then you cannot expect financial help from the fundraisers.  I am willing to help carpool children to and from fundraisers to assist with work schedules, etc. I also understand that things can come up; I just ask that you make an effort to participate as much as possible.

 

  1. Practice is mandatory.  I know that with summer almost here, our schedules are more chaotic than ever. I am willing to arrange practice times to the most convenient for everyone.  I will also schedule my practices around vacations. Our competitive season starts in September. This means that our entire routine must be learned by July. This may seem like a lot of time, but it isn’t. We have a massive amount of things to learn and we will be hard pressed to make sure it is all done by the first competition. It would be unfair to your child if they miss most of the practices and don’t learn the routine. Practices the week before a competition CANNOT be missed as they are mandatory.

 

  1. Communication: I keep an open door policy on communication. I need to know what is going on with your children so that I may be sensitive to their needs.  It is also important for me to know about any major life changes so that I can anticipate behavioral shifts with your children.  If you ever need to talk to me about anything, do not hesitate to call me or email me. I am a night owl, so if there is an emergency, don’t worry about calling me late at night.  No problem is too big or too small if we work together.

 

 

 

 


I have received the Guidelines for Parents for the CEC All-Stars Competitive Cheerleading Squad. I agree to abide by the guidelines while my child is a member of the squad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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