Is this Professional and ethical behavior?

Date: Tue Nov 27 5:09 PM, 2007

RE: Is this Professional and ethical behavior?

Date: Tue Nov 27 6:37 PM, 2007

to the FJW coach: Tell me something. How much exactly does youth cheer cost you, if you compete through just the football season and then through a competition season? Uniform, competition fees, camp fees, gym rental fees, extra tumbling classes, everything else that you need to pay for.

In addition, how many hours a week do you practice? Then the required time you need to be a games? the check in times, performance times, and then the volunteered hours parents need to sign up for.

Date: Tue Nov 27 10:05 PM, 2007

since were in the same league i can answer on behalf of Oak RIdge and what we do(maybe different for FJW). For uniform, registration costs, 3 stunt camps and 1 general camp it is 750. THis includes JAMZ Comp fee and league comp fee. IT also includes all uniform pieces with shoes and sweats. THis also includes facility rental. For those girls that go onto our competitive season, it was projectd this year to be $700. THis included facility, coaches fee (our travel costs only, for 2) 6 regional competitions, air fare 1 way to LA, nationals fee at disneyland with a 3 day pass, hotel for 2 nights (quad). It also included a $35 banquet fee. I can't comment on tumbling becuase we have girls going several different places.

We are allowed up to 10 hours of practice until labor day, then we are allowed only 6 until 1 month prior to competition, we can then go back to 8. We are not allowed to stunt until all girls have completed 10 hours of conditioning. So we spend really the first month teaching cheers, jumps and motions and half-time routines and basic stunting skills. we have a progression chart from thigh stands to elite lib stunts with double fulls. this usually takes us through the month of august. We have about 1 month to learn and perfect comp routine and have first competition. THen approx 1-2 weeks later we have leauge competition and then regular season is done. While it seems like a lot of practice time. my teams only get 45 minutes a night on mats and they only get 1/2 as they share with another team.

we only have girls show up 1 hour prior to game time, basically to make sure they all get there on time....lol
they cheer there game and leave.

Parents are required in our organization to do 10 hours per child of volunteer time, 20 hours max. THis year we implemented the rule if a parent missed there assigned shift they signed up for, there child was benched the following week. IF hours were not competed by end of season, they could not be on competitive team and they lost there deposit.

hope that may answer some questions.... smile

FJWCheer · Member

Anonymous wrote:

to the FJW coach: Tell me something. How much exactly does youth cheer cost you, if you compete through just the football season and then through a competition season? Uniform, competition fees, camp fees, gym rental fees, extra tumbling classes, everything else that you need to pay for.

In addition, how many hours a week do you practice? Then the required time you need to be a games? the check in times, performance times, and then the volunteered hours parents need to sign up for.

I'll try to break this down for you as much as possible. There are many different options.

We have try-outs in April for 5 teams. Our maximum roster is 20 per team. Meaning we are not allowed to make cuts unless we have more than 20.

Our Registration fee is $155.00 (covers admin fees for the organization and the costs of try-outs). Each family is required to volunteer 8 hours per cheerleader (max 16 hours per family).

Uniforms: We do not change the style of our uniforms very often allowing girls to re-use it multiple years. We also offer a uniform swap every year. Everyone new and old to the program have an opportunity to buy used pieces. When we do change a piece it's never all at the same time.

Price for a full uniform (w/ a used shell, bodyliner and skirt): approx. $270.00
Price for a full new uniform: $405.00
(full uniform: skirt, liner, shell, spankies, bow, shoes, bag, 2 sets of camp clothes, practice sweatshirt)
Warm-ups: $150.00 (optional- we do not require girls to purchase warm-ups)

We attend a 2 day JAMZ camp each season as a team bonding experience for our girls. It is optional. The cost is $65.00 per girl.

Our league only allows 6 hours of stunt camps per season. The number of hours used per team is at the discretion of each head coach. Some of our coaches are more proficient in stunting and do not need as much time in a gym or facility. (Our coaches are also trained in stunt technique and safety each season at the cost of the league.) Maximum cost per girl for stunt camps: $60.00.

All FJW cheerleaders start practice the last week of July. Practice is 5 days per week for the first 2 weeks. Monday thru Friday 6-8 pm. The first 10 hours are mandatory conditioning time required by the league before any stunting or cheers or routines are allowed to be taught. We then practice Monday thru Thursday 6-8 pm for the whole month of August. We practice Tues, Wed and Thurs 6-8 pm for all of September and October.

Games start mid August and end in early November on saturdays. Cheerleaders are at their game for approx. 3 hours.

We do not require our cheerleaders to attend tumbling. The majority of girls who cheer with us do not attend tumbling classes. The fee for tumbling classes will vary depneding on the facility a parent chooses.

Our regular season girls attend 2 competitions (this year both in October.) One is JAMZ Discovery Kingdom and one is our League Competition, hosted this year by POWER. Fees for both competitions are included in the registration fee.

Participation in the Competitive season is optional. We hold try-outs. This year we have one open team of 30 girls. We use the same uniform as our regular season. The costs is approx. $375.00 per girl. This covers a bow, make-up, a nationals t-shirt, competition fees and facilty rental fees. This price is still an estimate because we only charge the parents actual costs. We will attend 4 regional and 2 national events this season (FJW is covering the admision to one of the nationals). Open team usually practices 2 days per week through the end of February. Some weeks are 3 days and some are 1 or none. We hold most of our practices at elementary school multi- purpose rooms.

Our coaching staff is not paid and we are 100% non-profit.

I hope that I have answered all of your questions. Registrations for the 2008 season will begin in early February. More information can be obtained by visiting our website at www.franklinjrwildcats.org or by calling our hotline at 714-CATS!

The Franklin Jr. Wildcats would like to wish good luck to all teams competing this season.

GO WILDCATS!!!

(edited because I can't spell)

-- Edited by FJWCheer at 23:05, 2007-11-27

FJWCheer · Member

Anonymous wrote:

I've seen some of these youth teams perform, and I get scared to death watching them try to do stuff that they are not properly trained to do. I really hope none of them gets hurt and give ALL cheerleading a bad rap!!! The media does not know the difference between youth (pop warner) and ALL STAR Cheer.

Not all youth teams are pop warner. i know it's hard not too generalize but you should try not too. I do understand that there are youth teams out there that have coaches who don't have a clue and do not practice safe stunting practices but there are just as many that do.

We train our coaches on safety and stunt technique. We only let our girls practice stunts on cheer mats or grass (never on a hard surface). We require coaches to heavily spot all stunts until they are proficent. Our teams use a stunt progression chart and must start from the basics at the beginning of each season. They cannot progress in stunts until they are proficent with the lower level stuff. They are not allowed to perform stunts or tumbling skills that they are not prficent at during game or competition performances.

I know for some youth teams the pressure and desire of their team to try advanced and tricky stunts is great but all should be thinking of the safety of the girls first. Safety comes first with FJW.

Date: Wed Nov 28 3:33 AM, 2007

This may be an "all star" message board, but anyone who loves cheerleading can come on it and post because it is public. Not saying they can't be deleted biggrin

, but why can't they post?? I thought it was an excellent and informational post (and boy do they practice a lot!)

I don't feel any pressure to be 'recruited"...people take their kids to the type of cheerleading 'experience' that is right for their family.

monitor7 · Member

I agree - she was answering a question. The "inflammatory" posts in this thread and their responses have been removed. The on-topic discussion should be allowed to continue; I think it is a great and worthwhile topic.

Date: Wed Nov 28 1:13 PM, 2007

FJWCheer wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

to the FJW coach: Tell me something. How much exactly does youth cheer cost you, if you compete through just the football season and then through a competition season? Uniform, competition fees, camp fees, gym rental fees, extra tumbling classes, everything else that you need to pay for.

In addition, how many hours a week do you practice? Then the required time you need to be a games? the check in times, performance times, and then the volunteered hours parents need to sign up for.

I'll try to break this down for you as much as possible. There are many different options.

We have try-outs in April for 5 teams. Our maximum roster is 20 per team. Meaning we are not allowed to make cuts unless we have more than 20.

Our Registration fee is $155.00 (covers admin fees for the organization and the costs of try-outs). Each family is required to volunteer 8 hours per cheerleader (max 16 hours per family).

Uniforms: We do not change the style of our uniforms very often allowing girls to re-use it multiple years. We also offer a uniform swap every year. Everyone new and old to the program have an opportunity to buy used pieces. When we do change a piece it's never all at the same time.

Price for a full uniform (w/ a used shell, bodyliner and skirt): approx. $270.00
Price for a full new uniform: $405.00
(full uniform: skirt, liner, shell, spankies, bow, shoes, bag, 2 sets of camp clothes, practice sweatshirt)
Warm-ups: $150.00 (optional- we do not require girls to purchase warm-ups)

We attend a 2 day JAMZ camp each season as a team bonding experience for our girls. It is optional. The cost is $65.00 per girl.

Our league only allows 6 hours of stunt camps per season. The number of hours used per team is at the discretion of each head coach. Some of our coaches are more proficient in stunting and do not need as much time in a gym or facility. (Our coaches are also trained in stunt technique and safety each season at the cost of the league.) Maximum cost per girl for stunt camps: $60.00.

All FJW cheerleaders start practice the last week of July. Practice is 5 days per week for the first 2 weeks. Monday thru Friday 6-8 pm. The first 10 hours are mandatory conditioning time required by the league before any stunting or cheers or routines are allowed to be taught. We then practice Monday thru Thursday 6-8 pm for the whole month of August. We practice Tues, Wed and Thurs 6-8 pm for all of September and October.

Games start mid August and end in early November on saturdays. Cheerleaders are at their game for approx. 3 hours.

We do not require our cheerleaders to attend tumbling. The majority of girls who cheer with us do not attend tumbling classes. The fee for tumbling classes will vary depneding on the facility a parent chooses.

Our regular season girls attend 2 competitions (this year both in October.) One is JAMZ Discovery Kingdom and one is our League Competition, hosted this year by POWER. Fees for both competitions are included in the registration fee.

Participation in the Competitive season is optional. We hold try-outs. This year we have one open team of 30 girls. We use the same uniform as our regular season. The costs is approx. $375.00 per girl. This covers a bow, make-up, a nationals t-shirt, competition fees and facilty rental fees. This price is still an estimate because we only charge the parents actual costs. We will attend 4 regional and 2 national events this season (FJW is covering the admision to one of the nationals). Open team usually practices 2 days per week through the end of February. Some weeks are 3 days and some are 1 or none. We hold most of our practices at elementary school multi- purpose rooms.

Our coaching staff is not paid and we are 100% non-profit.

I hope that I have answered all of your questions. Registrations for the 2008 season will begin in early February. More information can be obtained by visiting our website at www.franklinjrwildcats.org or by calling our hotline at 714-CATS!

The Franklin Jr. Wildcats would like to wish good luck to all teams competing this season.

GO WILDCATS!!!

(edited because I can't spell)

-- Edited by FJWCheer at 23:05, 2007-11-27

I have a daughter that is in the youth league that this team is a member of. I do spend lots of money for our youth team. When you add up the fees that FJWCheer qoutes the $1200 (approx) is just the start. We are still responsible for so much more. We pay for odds and ends throughout the season. There are good bags for our girls, the girls exchange gifts with the other team, spaghetti feeds, luau feasts, crab feeds, end of the year banquet tickets, team pictures, we sponsor travel expenses for the coaches, music costs, choreography, it is strongly suggested that our girls take private lessons - in flying, motions, tumbling. We are asked to support the 50/50 raffles at ever game, car washes, candle sales, candy sales, etc.

As far as time goes, there are lots we are asked to do outside the required hours. Families are asked to work the spaghetti feeds, crab feeds, banquets, car washes, parades, go out and gather sponsorships, and if you are volunteered coach you are required to all the above and more. We do save on some expenses but we have to contribute our time.

Honestly, I do not know that All-Stars end up costing y'all but in the end I estimate paying around $2000.00 per season. Yes, we are saving lots of money in the beginning but I wanted to tell you that there are more than just what is mentioned. There is lots of parent commitment to this organizations to make up the costs for the girls to get a discounted rate.

For me it's o.k. because I am a stay at home mom. I have the time to help out our organization. In addition, I have a son that plays football. It's nice to have my daughter and son in the same place everynight and Saturdays.

OC Mom · GURU

You are getting more than your money's worth because you give your time to your child. Your $2000 is multiplied by a million because of this. All Stars is $2000 minimum but the parent's put in a minimum amount of time.

(don't jump down my throat, I'm talking about majority of the parents, not you psycho's like me who do majority of the work)

But this is ok because we essentially pay for the rest. So in the long run, we are all paying about the same. You just decide which you would rather do, pay thru the pocket or pay thru your time. It's all the same really.

(to me, it's not the same but that's a different topic and my own opinion)

Date: Wed Nov 28 9:49 PM, 2007

***This is just one person's option****

Yes! It does come down to time versus money. How much do you value your time? I know some non-profit organizations only feel that an hour of your time is worth $8-10. I do place a high value on my time.

OC Mom · GURU

But it's not what THEY say your time is worth. It's what it's worth to YOUR CHILD. And your time to your child is priceless.....

Date: Wed Nov 28 10:55 PM, 2007

OC Mom wrote:

But it's not what THEY say your time is worth. It's what it's worth to YOUR CHILD. And your time to your child is priceless.....

I absolutely agree with your statement. If you are with your child. However, often times all the practice session as closed. Therefore, we can't be with our child. The only parent volunteered time that is dedicated your child, in this instance, is working the snack bar or something else. All a while my child is running on the side lines waiting for me to serve the last nacho bowl. I would rather pay someone $8.00 to work the snack bar and I get to take my child home with me and spend quality time there.

OC Mom · GURU

Oooooo, tough one there. But you are still a GREAT mom for doing that and your child will remember it. You're also setting an example for your little one about volunteering. This world would be nothing without people like you.

Date: Thu Nov 29 11:10 AM, 2007

I like to spend my time volunteering at the school since my kids are there more. I probably wouldn't do a sport that required hours of volunteer work.

FJWCheer · Member

I feel like more volunteers are needed in our communities. I don't just look at it as me volunteering my time for and with my children but for others as well. It's so rewarding to me. And trust me for every kid and parent who doesn't appreciate the effort I put forth there's one who does and THEY make it worth my time. At the end of our last competetive season i got a heartfelt note from one little cheerleader and her family thanking me for everything I had done for their daughter. They said thank you for making this such a positive experience for my daughter. She is having the time of her life. It touched me and made me cry. If one kid get's a positive experience then the entire 5 years I have put in have been worth every minute.

OC Mom · GURU

Beautiful