RMU Cheerleading
RULES and REGULATIONS
(These rules and
regulations were created by the coaching staff and current RMU Cheerleaders)
I. Tardiness:
a. Being on
time is mandatory. This means being fully dressed and groomed and ready to
begin. (If you need to change you will be considered late)
b. Being late will not be tolerated and only ONE tardy per semester will
be excused.
It’s your
responsibility to leave early enough to make it on time. (Unless an emergency
arises) However, if you are late, even one minute, you must call.
c. A 2nd tardy results in cheering at a non mandatory event.
(basketball game) or 2 hours of office work with me.
d. The third incident of lateness in a semester will result in being
removed from the squad.
e. Call THE COACH if you are running late. He or she will determine
whether the case of lateness is legitimate. If it is, the lateness will be
excused. However, only ONE tardy will be excused each semester.
~Calling a teammate is not a substitute for calling a coach, if you decide to
call a cheerleader you will not be excused and you will be late. *This is true
for all practices, group or individual.
II. Absences:
a. Misses
will not be tolerated. All practices are mandatory unless otherwise stated. For
example, sometimes some stunts groups need more practice so they might be asked
to come and others won’t.
b. You must contact your coach or captains if you are unsure of a time or
date for a practice or event. Not knowing and missing an event or practice/workout
is not an excuse. A no show to a practice or an event is an unexcused absence.
This results in having to cheer one non-mandatory event, staying for both
practices for one week and losing a spot to the NIT or NCAA Tournaments. (If
more than 12 cheerleaders are present).
c. Obviously emergencies happen and other issues take place,
therefore, these are excused absences.
~
Class: (regular season games and must find a replacement from other team)
~Family/Friend
emergency
~Visibly
ill (Not hung-over)
*Please be aware that you must still report if you are sick. If the trainers
and the coach deem you too sick to be present, you will then be sent home. However,
you will have to make up any events missed.
~ Other issues can and
will be excused by the coach’s discretion.
*If any of these happen you must CALL the COACH, no e-mails or another
cheerleader’s word will be accepted.
d. WORK or HOMEWORK is NEVER an excused absence. Part of being a college
athlete is learning good time management skills.
e. There will be no excused absences due to injury. You must come to watch
what you are missing if I deem you able to.
f. The first unexcused absence in an ACADEMIC YEAR, results in having to
cheer one non-mandatory event, staying for both practices for one week and
losing a spot to the NIT or NCAA Tournaments. (If more than 12 cheerleaders are
present).
*Anymore than 1 unexcused
absence results in being removed from the squad. No exceptions.
III. Attitude
a. All cheerleaders MUST treat each other and the coach with
respect.
b. If a cheerleader is disrespectful to a teammate at a practice or event,
the coach will deem a punishment at his or her discretion. *Talking about a
teammate behind her back WILL BE considered an act of disrespect.* No form of
disrespect will be tolerated.
c. If a cheerleader is disrespectful to the coach, she will be kicked off
the team. Questioning the coach’s decision making is a form of disrespect and
you will be kicked off for that.
IV. Safety
a. Safety must be EVERYONE’S main priority.
b. You are never allowed to stunt without the head coach present. If you
are caught stunting without the coach present, you will be required to cheer at
a non mandatory event.
c. Absolutely no jewelry is permitted at any event or practice. You must
take out any and all jewelry, NO EXCEPTIONS!!! If you claim you are
unable to, you either take it out or you do not cheer.
**In addition to
this, if you are caught with ANY PIERCINGS at the start of practice or an event
you and your stunt group will
run 4 laps per piercing. Therefore, make sure you take them out prior to your
arrival. The TEAM will only receive ONE warning in regards to this, which will
take place at tryouts ONLY.
V. Traveling, Basketball Tournament, and Scholarship information
a. Traveling Squad: On occasion
we will travel away to basketball and football games that have a limit of girls
allotted to cheer on the court or field. In this case, the top 8, 12 or 16
positions AND or tumblers will travel.
~Any issues in regards to this will result in not traveling anymore AND your
book scholarship being removed.
b. Basketball Tournaments: The NEC Tournament falls during spring
break every year, and it is required that EVERY cheerleader be present.
Therefore, if you are an RMU cheerleader you will NOT have an entire week of
spring break off to go on vacation.
~If you can’t commit to that week you are encouraged not to tryout.
~If you cheer the entire year and say you can’t make the tournament, you will
not receive your scholarship and you will be removed from the team.
c. Scholarship Info: $300 to $600 is available in the form of a
refund check, pending the fulfillment of your obligations through football and
basketball season.
~In order to qualify you must be on the official roster by September 1st and
cheer all of football and basketball season. This includes the NEC, NIT, and
NCAA basketball tournaments. If you miss ANY of these due to an unexcused
absence, you will NOT receive your stipend.
VI. Costs and Perks
a. All cheerleaders receive priority scheduling
so that he or she can schedule classes around practice.
b. Costs:
Cheerleaders do not have any out-of-pocket expenses other than partial
competition fees if applicable.. * All uniforms, shoes, travel bags, warm-ups,
sports bras, practice clothes, poms, per diem while traveling, hotel
accommodations and all other travel expenses in regard to game travel will be
provided.
Competition Fees: Cheerleaders will be responsible for fundraising
all fees that are not covered by the University in the event we compete. In
most cases, the University will cover HALF the competition cost but this
depends on roster size and equipment needed for the entire year.
~If you agree to
compete, the budget will cover some of the competition fees. However, in the
event you longer wish to compete, you are responsible for any and ALL costs
that were paid for by the University on your behalf. This is up to and
including registration, flight, and hotel fees. You must pay back any and all
money that was spent on your behalf towards competition.
~ As a reminder, the
RMU Cheerleading program is a game-day program. Team
participation in regional and/or national competitions will be determined by
the coaching staff and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Determination of which competitions to enter will be made by the coaching staff
considering the time of the year during which the competition falls, financial
considerations, athletic ability of the squad as a whole and academic status of
the team.
After the decision to enter a competition is
agreed to, a member agrees to give their full effort to the decision,
remembering that the priority still remains the support of the university's
intercollegiate athletic teams. If sufficient funds are not in the budget, each
cheerleader must fundraise the appropriate amount of money in order to compete;
this includes competitors and alternates.
The coaching staff will determine which members
are selected for competition. This could include members from both squads.
However, all competitors must have a minimum of a BHS and a ROBH on the
hardwood floor. Anyone without these skills can become an alternate.
