2017

Mid-Season

Cheer Tryout

Information Pack

Welcome to the SACA family

Thank you for your interest in the SA Academy competitive program. Here at the Academy we not only hope to progress your child’s athletic ability in cheer and dance, but also encourage important life skills such as COMMITMENT, SPORTSMANSHIP, RESPONSIBILITY, RESPECT FOR SELF and OTHERS. These lessons are taught in a supportive, safe and positive atmosphere. Our philosophy is simple: A strong Program means stronger teams which will create happy and dedicated athletes. Our reach has far extended that of Wolverhampton, as we now have members who travel to us from all across the country. We feel that this, as well as the longevity of our athletes, is testament to the services and training that we provide here at the Academy.

The sport of competitive cheerleading and dance has moved well into the 21st century. The standard of All-star cheer and dance has increased at a rapid pace and has now even been accepted as a provisional Olympic sport. In order to keep up with the ever-increasing standard, every athlete, including returning members, must go through a formal evaluation process for team selections. This is to ensure the safety of all members and the optimal competitiveness of each of our teams. The cheer athletes of today perform a 2 ½ minute routine consisting of acrobatics coupled with dance, tumbling, and show-stopping attitude! All-star cheerleaders and dancers are amazingly strong athletes, who must execute their routine with a smile on their face. Here at the Academy, we not only train our athletes to be Champions ON THE FLOOR, but to carry themselves as Champions OFF THE FLOOR. Our athletes are trained to reach THEIR fullest potential, but more so, they are taught how to work together as a team for a common goal. It is our goal to create an atmosphere for athletes to develop lasting friendships, self-confidence, a strong sense of gym pride and great memories that they will carry forever.

Welcome to the family!

.

Coaching Philosophy

Our coaching philosophy is defined by the following: Cheerleading is a SPORT. Competitive cheerleading is a SPORT and not an ACTIVITY.

• Sport [spawrt, spohrt] - an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature

We train ATHLETES – Our program trains competitive athletes who utilize the elements and skills of traditional tumbling and cheerleading for competition. Please understand that athletes must have proper physical conditioning, mental training and motivation for success in any sport. PERFECTION before progression – Our coaches will not allow athletes to learn advanced skills before perfecting their basics. Proper technique is everything! Only PERFECTED skills will be considered in team placements and choreographed into routines. "Having" a skill does not mean being able to throw it, but it means being able to execute it with a strong level of mastery over and over, at the beginning, middle or end of a routine, and combined with other choreography and other athletes performing similar skills around you. Athlete CONDITIONING – Injuries are always a concern in cheerleading, and the best way to avoid them is through proper technique, flexibility and physical conditioning. It is not possible for an athlete to be in peak physical conditioning if their All-Star practice is the only physical activity in which they partake. Each athlete should be involved in some type of physical conditioning program and stretching outside of their team practice either at the gym, at home or at school. It is important that parents and students understand our coaching philosophy as these are the key fundamentals to our program and will be the basis for how we operate, build our teams, and the expectations that we hold our athletes to.

Coach and Contact Info

Program Director: Sharon Gray Assistant Coaches:

Cheer Program Director: Lauren Gray Amy Webb

Dance Program Director: Rebecca Gray Rebecca Fletcher

Contact Numbers: 07711292718 / 01902 491033

Email: saacademy@hotmail.co.uk

Website: sharonanncheeranddance.co.uk

Please feel free to speak to any of the coaches regarding your child’s progress, performance

or any areas of concern. Please take into account coaches are not always available during

training times.

Please check the newsletter page frequently on the website for updated information and to

keep up to date with all events at the Academy. Hard copies of newsletters will also be

provided in the waiting area of the Academy and are updated at the beginning of every

month.

Please connect with us on social media in order to receive immediate updates.

Like us on Facebook: Sharon Ann Academy of Cheer and Dance

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @saacademy97

Download the Team App on your smart phone. Search ‘Team App’ on your app store,

download and search for SA Academy. Sign up to your teams and receive all the latest

information direct to your phone.

All-Star Team Info

Our competitive program requires a strong commitment from the athlete as well as the athlete's family. It is a great way for athletes to learn new skills, develop a sense of what it means to work together as a team for a common goal and to develop a sense of pride and sportsmanship while making life-long friendships. All-Star Cheer teams are typically comprised of 10 - 36 athletes with similar skill levels and of similar ages. Based upon the skill, age, size and make-up of the team, the teams are categorized into different divisions. Each cheer team is taught a competition routine that has elements of tumbling, stunting, jumping and dance skills to music. The routines are typically 2 1/2 minutes in length. At a competition, the team performs their routine for a panel of judges who score the performance based upon the level of difficulty, precision, creativity and entertainment value. The team's placement within their division is based upon the score they received compared to the scores of the other teams within their division. The following defines the general program aspects of all our competitive teams:

All Cheerleading squad members must train at least once a week and participate in

both the tumbling and team choreography sessions

Fusion members train once a month and must be at ALL practices

All members will be placed into squads based on USASF age brackets (age bounds are

set as of 31st August)

Athletes who display exceptional skill levels may be accepted to double duty and

compete in multiple teams – regardless of age. Please note that you must try out for

the team that you are age eligible/level appropriate for, before you will be

considered for a higher level/age division.

Training is designed to progress the skill level of all athletes. However, athletes who

do not obtain the appropriate skill level of their desired team may be asked to

partake in further training, in order to reach the level required for a specific team.

Here at the Academy we try to move athletes as little as possible but understand there WILL BE movement within our program of athletes. Movement can happen based on the gaining or losing of skills, or the need on a team for certain skills. Movement can happen all season until the best possible combination of athletes are together for the success of that team. Trust in our staff to build teams that will be successful at competitions is essential.

SA Academy members cannot compete with any other squad for the 2016-17 season.

Once your place on the team is accepted, 100% commitment to training and the

squad is expected.

SA Academy teams for 2016-17 season:

Please note athletes will not be assigned to any squad without first acquiring the

appropriate skill level. If you would like to compete with an age appropriate squad that you

are not already a member of, please see one of the coaches to discuss the appropriate

progression necessary for this team. Crossovers between multiple teams will be allowed up

to a maximum of 3 cheer teams and 2 dance teams. All ages are set by USASF age brackets

(age bounds of 31st August).

SA Twinkles Min. age Max. age Tiny Level 1 4 6

SA Snowflakes Mini Level 1 5 8

SA Spirit Youth Level 1 7 11

SA Synergy Youth Level 2 7 11

SA Energy Junior Level 1 7 14

SA Vengeance Senior Level 1 10 N/A

SA Elite Junior Level 2 9 14

SA Extreme Senior Co-ed Level 3 10 N/A

SA Fusion Senior Level 4 10 N/A

SA Cru5h Senior co-ed restricted Level 5 12 N/A

SA Illusion Mini Jazz 6 8

SA Intensity Youth Jazz 9 11

SA Dynasty Junior Jazz 12 14

SA Supreme Senior Jazz 13 N/A

SA Thunder Youth Hip Hop 7 11

SA Cyclones Senior Hip Hop 12 N/A

Please note the lower age brackets given for some teams may be altered at the coach’s

discretion.

Development Prep Team Info

New for 2017, we have introduced prep teams to our competition program. We feel so

passionately about the benefits of participation in cheerleading, that we want to make our

competition experience accessible to more young people. We realise that not every family

can commit to the amount of time and expense that is required to be on one of our All-star

competition teams, so we are offering an alternative that will hopefully open up more

opportunities to more people.

Here’s how we plan to make our development prep teams more accessible:

The prep team will only compete twice a year at local Birmingham

competitions. This will cut down on the cost of competition entry fees, as our

all-star teams compete up to 5 times a year. There will also be no hotel stop

over fees required as the competitions will be local.

Training will take place once a week. Our junior prep team will train for 2 hours

and our mini/youth prep team for 1 ½ hours. This will require a significantly

cheaper monthly payment fee, compared to our all-star teams who train for 3

½ hours a week.

Competition uniforms will be bought second hand from our current all-star

athletes for £50 or hired per competition for a smaller amount.

There will also be a smaller skill requirement to gain a place on the squad. We

will require all members to demonstrate a strong forward roll, backward roll

and cartwheel to be considered for the team, as well as a good mastery of

jumps and ability to pick up choreography.

If prep team members wish to advance to our all-star program there will be provision to do

so, once the necessary skills have been gained.

Prep Teams available and age bounds:

Min. age Max. age

SA Genesis 6 11

Youth Prep Level 1

SA Evolution 12 14

Junior Prep Level 1

*Ages are as of 31st August 2016. Younger/older athletes will be considered based on

ability and demand for a particular age group.

Training Times

All-star Cheer Teams

All competition members must participate in both the two hour tumbling class and 1 ½

hour choreography class each week. Athletes who are injured or not committed to an

upcoming competition must still attend training to maintain conditioning and skill level.

Please note that leading up to any competition, additional mandatory training sessions may

be called at any time, on days outside of usual training days. All athletes chosen for the

position of flyer must also attend a compulsory flyers class on Saturday’s.

The below timetable is a rough guide of training times. Athletes will be placed into the

appropriate group for them based on ability levels.

TUESDAY’S 5.00-7.00pm – GYM GROUP 2

WEDNESDAY’S 5.00 – 7.00pm – GYM GROUP 4

6.30 – 8.30pm – SA CRU5H

THURSDAY’S 5.00-7.00pm – GYM GROUP 3

7.00 – 8.30pm – SA ENERGY

FRIDAY’S 5-6.30PM – SA VENGEANCE

6.00-8.00pm – GYM GROUP 5

SATURDAY’S - (Please note these times are given as a guide only, as training times may be

different depending on the tumbling class athletes are assigned to. A number of tumbling

classes are held throughout the day for different levels).

9.15 – 11am – SA SYNERGY

10.30 – 12.30pm – SA SNOWFLAKES

12.00 – 12.00pm – GYM GROUP 1

1.00 – 2.00pm – FLYER STRETCH CLASS 1

1.30 – 3.30pm – SA SPIRIT

2.00 – 3.30pm – SA TWINKLES

3.30 – 4.30pm – FLYER STRETCH CLASS 2

3.00 – 5.00pm – SA ELITE

4.30 – 6.30pm – SA EXTREME

Development Prep Teams

THURSDAY’S

5 – 6.30pm – SA (Youth Prep Level 1)

6.30 – 8.30pm - SA (Junior Prep Level 1)

Cheer Tryout & Evaluation Process

Try out dates and times: All athletes wishing to be considered for an SA competition team must attend try outs on SUNDAY 26TH FEBRAURY from 2.30-4.00pm. Athletes will be evaluated by a panel of our staff and will be asked to demonstrate their standing & running tumbling, jumps, and basic motion techniques. Athletes will also be evaluated on flexibility and body positions to determine flying potential. Tryout Sign-up Process All athletes who wish to be placed on a team must register for a tryout. The final deadline to register for try outs is SATURDAY 18th FEBRUARY.

Tryout fees: The tryout fee of £10 is due at the time an athlete signs up for a tryout. This fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. The mid-season membership fee is also due of £40 for all-star teams and £20 for the prep teams. This will include your training t-shirt and all-star members will also receive training shorts. Membership fees will only be refunded should you be unsuccessful in making a team. Team Formation: Teams are constructed to score as high as possible in competition. A team's score is based upon a number of factors including: tumbling, stunting, jumping, dancing and overall technique. Therefore, when constructing the team, coaches will look at all facets of an athlete’s ability level, NOT just what tumbling skills the athlete can execute as well as the cheer experience of the athlete. Teams will be constructed based on the spaces available on the existing cheer teams. Some teams may be at capacity, but where possible all athletes with appropriate skills will be placed. Attendance: All athletes are required to be at ALL practices. Due to the team aspect of All Star cheerleading and the fact that each athlete has a special part and position to play on the team, when one athlete is absent it impacts the effectiveness of the practice for the entire team. All athletes are required to submit a team commitment form. This outlines all the training dates that the athletes is required for, in the run up to a competition. Athletes must sign to say that they will attend all training dates, unless they have pre-notified us of a date they have prior commitments for. Further details around our attendance policy can be found in our 2016-17 season pack.

Tumbling Requirements:

Every athlete will be expected to be able to perform at least a forward roll, backward roll,

Cartwheel and Bridge, for both our all-star and prep teams. Please see below for the

additional tumble requirements for each team. Please note that some skills are specified as

‘required’ for the level, whereas others are ‘encouraged’. Dependent on the skill level

shown by the majority of athletes in the try out session, ‘encouraged’ skills will influence

coaches’ final decisions on athlete placements.

Team Tumble requirements Jumps

Development Prep Teams

Skills required: Forward Roll Backward Roll Cartwheel Bridge

Toe touch Pike Hurkie Whip jumps

Twinkles

Skills encouraged: Forward walkover Backward walkover Round off

Toe touch Pike Hurkie Whip jumps

Snowflakes Spirit Energy Vengeance

2 of the following required: Forward walkover Back walkover Round off

Toe touch Pike Hurkie Whip jumps

Elite 2 of the following required: Standing flick Round off flick Back walkover flick Round off series flick

Toe touch Pike Hurkie Whip jumps Stretch jump to flick

Extreme 2 skills are encouraged: Punch front Round off tuck Round off flick tuck Series standing flick (X3)

Toe touch Pike Hurkie Whip jumps to flick

Fusion 2 of the following skills are required: Standing tuck Jump flick tuck Round off layout Round off flick layout Speciality pass – Punch front step out, whip pass.

Toe touch Pike Hurkie Whip jumps

Cru5h 2 of the following skills are required: Jump to tuck 2 standing flicks to layout/full Round off flick layout Round off full/ flick full

Toe touch Pike Hurkie Whip jumps to tuck

Please note you must arrive 20 minutes prior to your time in order to register, warm up and

stretch.

Tryout Tips and Points to Remember

1. TRUST YOUR COACHES: Coaches want the most qualified athletes to make up each of

their teams & this MAY MEAN that your child may not make the team of their choice.

It could be due to limited availability, age restriction or your coach may simply feel

that your athlete needs more experience or another year on another team to focus

on their skills. This is NOT DONE with malicious intent or ulterior motives.

2. As a parent you will always over-estimate the talent, abilities, emotional fortitude &

contribution of your child. THIS IS NOT A BAD THING!!! Every child needs their own

cheerleader to help them believe in themselves, support and encourage their

aspirations & love them. Just be mindful that YOUR assessment of your child's

abilities may not sync up with the coaching staff. Try to be realistic about where your

kids really stand and manage their expectations accordingly.

3. Avoid unrealistic expectations. If your child can throw a skill but it is done so with bad

technique, this may mean that the coach will deem them not ready for that level.

That being said, tumbling is only 20% of the scoresheet and athletes who display a

high level ability in other areas such as jumps, stunting and dance may still be

selected for a team, even if their tumbling is not at level. Discuss with your child what

their strong points are as an athlete and make sure they show us this at tryouts.

There is nothing wrong with being placed on a lower level team to allow your athlete

time to improve technique and develop confidence in a skill.

4. Remember, Gym owners and coaches must balance the interests of ALL athletes not just yours. Sometimes your cheerleader may have the qualifications of being on a certain team but is "better suited elsewhere" you may not understand why... But this goes back to rule #1 --trust your coaches

5. Allow your athlete to progress at their own pace. Cheerleading is not like school. You don't have to change teams or levels every year. It's okay to stay where you are and it doesn't mean you are not improving. There are so many skills within a level and so much room for you to grow. Embrace the opportunity to fully max out at each level and take pride in the quality of your skills.

6. Failure is awesome! If your athlete does not make the team of their choice use it as an opportunity to talk about goals, hard work, skill progression & competition. This is the upside of competitive sports as they help kids gain experience in situations & offer perspectives on lessons that they can use throughout their life! Overcoming adversity builds character & commitment to a goal teaches kids the importance of hard work & doing whatever it takes! Lessons in winning AND losing are important in life.

7. Athletes that compete with or train on teams that are above their level never end the season as happy as they start. While the idea of making a team at a certain level may seem appealing at the beginning of the year. The reality is that no one wants to be the worst athlete on a team & experience the pressures that goes along with that. At

the same time, no one also wants to be on a team that is badly levelled. In Cheerleading today it is impossible to succeed if you are not qualified to compete at a certain level. I've never had an athlete complain about winning at a lower level; they seem to forget pretty quickly the number on their trophy when they are posing for their championship picture. Success comes at ALL LEVELS.

Overall tryouts should be fun, challenging & exciting!!! It is the start of a new season & an opportunity for a fresh start. Encourage your cheerleader, support your coaches, set realistic goals, look at each situation as a learning opportunity & emphasize the importance of proper skill development and training. If you do all of this, I promise you the 2016-2017 season will be a memorable one.

Athlete Attire

Practice Wear:

All athletes are expected to wear the proper practice wear to EVERY practice. Athletes who

choose to come to practice in something other than their practice wear will be required to

pay a fine and will also be required to condition at the end of practice. Items from the new

2016/17 training kit are optional to purchase however, the new season t-shirt and shorts

will be included within the membership fee (t-shirt only for prep team members; please see

below for further info). All athlete’s will be expected to attend competitions in either the

new season t-shirt and shorts or any of the new season kit that has been purchased. This is

to keep a unified look across the academy when attending events.

Competition Uniforms:

The uniform consists of a top and shorts which must be purchased in order to compete with

the squad. Prep team members will purchase their uniform second hand from our current

all-star athletes for £50 or can also opt to hire their uniform at a lower cost for each

competition. Our all-star members will be purchasing our brand new competition kit, which

is being designed for the July 2017 competitions. SA Fusion and SA Cru5h require a different

uniform to the rest of the academy and their uniform consists of a crop top and

shorts/skirt. Where possible we will try to provide second hand uniforms for members

joining Fusion mid-season as they will be purchasing a new uniform after the July

competitions. Please note if you wish to compete on SA Fusion/Cru5h as well as one of our

other competitive teams, you will be required to purchase both uniforms. The uniforms are

of a high quality and are manufactured by a well-established company based in America. All

athletes will be also be required to purchase the 2016-17 bow which is £20. Fundraising

events are held regularly throughout the year in order to help with the financial obligations

required. These funds are only split between those who actively take part in the events.

Uniform costs are laid out below:

SA Fusion – £155 (brand new; second hand possibly available)

SA Cru5h – £215

All other teams - £180

Payments for uniforms are taken in two instalments of 50% deposit which will be required

on accepting a position on the team. The final 50% will be due the middle of May. Prep

team members will also pay 50% deposit for their uniform on the same dates as all-star

teams.

Shoes:

All athletes must purchase all-white cheerleading trainers. These shoes must be worn to all

practices and competitions. Whilst we realise that Cheerleading is a costly sport, we

recommend but do not insist, that you make an investment in a high quality pair of trainers.

Athlete’s trainers are the only piece of equipment that they take with them on to the

competition floor and greatly impact their ability to tumble and execute their routine.

Cheer trainers are not purchased directly through the Academy but we can advise you of

the best shoes to purchase.

Financial Obligations

Membership Fee:

On joining the Academy all members are required to pay a membership fee. The costs will

be as follows:

All-star Cheer mid-season membership - £40 (includes t-shirt, shorts and contribution

towards new music/equipment).

All-star Boys’ cheer mid-season membership - £30 (includes t-shirt and contribution

towards new music/equipment)

Prep team membership fee - £20 (includes t-shirt).

Membership fees will be due at the start of every season.

Training Costs:

Training fees must be paid by standing order on the first of every month.

For all- star teams fees will be as follows:

1 team only payment – £62.40

Multi-team crossover payment – £85.35

Fusion team payment (member of other SA team) – £28.20

Fusion team payment (Fusion member only) - £39.83

Cru5h team payment (Cru5h member only) - £63.60

Junior Prep team payment - £33.60

Youth prep team payment - £27.30

No reductions will be made to any training costs for any type of absence.

Competition Fees:

There is also an entry fee that has to be paid for each competition. These prices can range

from £28 - £42, depending on the event. Once these fees have been paid, no refund of any

kind will be given. We also collect fees for spectator tickets for each event. Again these

prices vary dependent on the event and the type of ticket that is purchased. Please be

aware that children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to

each competition. You will be required to stay overnight at every event apart from those

that take place in Birmingham.

Typically competitions are split into our Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer periods. Full

details of these competitions can be found in the 2016-17 season pack.

Prep Teams:

Prep team members will compete at the Birmingham competition only, taking place on 1st

& 2nd July at the Genting Arena. You will only be required for one day on Saturday 1st July.

Your competition entry fee for this event will cost £42. Pre-order spectator tickets ordered

through the academy will cost £18 for adults and £12 for children (6-11 year olds, under 5’s

free). Please note if you don’t order through the academy, tickets will increase in price for

individual sale. The fee for competition entry will be required immediately on accepting a

place on the team.

All-star Teams:

All-star team members will compete at both events in the spring/summer season. The first

will be in Birmingham on 1st & 2nd July. The second will be in Bournemouth on the 8th & 9th

July. Athletes on one team will only be required to compete on one day at each

competition. Details of this can be found in the 2016-17 season pack. The combined entry

for both of these competitions will cost £81. This fee will be required immediately on

accepting a place on the team. Pre-order spectator tickets can also be purchased through

the academy. Prices for these can also be found on the season pack. We highly recommend

that you book your tickets through the academy, as these events have been known to sell

out in the past.

Mid-Season Tryout Application Form

Name…………………………………………………………………………….

D.O.B. ……………………………………………………………………………

Contact Number…………………………………………………………….

Email Address………………………………………………………………..

I would like to be considered for the development prep team only

I would like to be considered for an all-star team

I have enclosed my tryout fee of £10 with this form

I have enclosed my membership fee

(£20 prep teams; £40 all-star teams)

I understand that my membership fee will only be refunded if I am

unsuccessful.