Parent Handbook 2019

Dear Parents ,

It is our pleasure to welcome you and your athlete(s) to the Making All Dreams Dynamic Family. Over the past 4 years, we have created a unique organization where girls discover their own greatness both on and off the blue mats. Although it is a lengthy commitment, it will be a fun and energetic season. To best prepare our athletes to reach their full potential, please review this handbook. Lets help promote our community by adhering to the MADD rules and policies and by ensuring that your athlete(s) understands them as well. Thank you for your assistance and support.

We are available full-time, year-round to answer your questions. You can also visit our website at www.maddcheer.com.

Social Media Accounts

Like us on facebook MaddCheer MaddCheerRequest our MADD Cheer - PARENTS ONLY Group⭐️

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Download our Team App and search for MADD Cheer All Stars and request access to our App. This App is for parents only!

Our HistoryMaking All Dreams Dynamic!

Madd Cheer was founded in 2015 by Jasmine M. Masters, Owner and Director. Ms. Masters is a Middle School, Special Education Teacher in the Dallas Independent School District, and youth mentor for MADD Cheer. MADD began as Recreation Cheer team, with open doors to all athletes, regardless of experience and skill level. Joined by Jasmine, and the MADD Cheer vision is her dynamic coaching staff. The purpose of the program was to offer the “All-Star” experience to inner-city youth with a desire to be cheerleaders at an affordable cost for families. Since then, the number of athletes has almost tripled and MADD Cheer has transitioned into an award winning, Competitive All-Star Cheer Team. Now, we are members of the USASF and entering our 4th All-Star Season. We are based in the Dallas/Mesquite area and welcome athletes from all over the DFW metroplex. We are a federally recognized 501 C(3) Nonprofit organization.

Collectively Madd Cheer has won over 50 1st - 3rd place trophies, plaques, and Team Banners. We’ve won Bids to compete across the nation and a plethora of individual spirit awards, parent awards, and titles. In addition to competing, we mach in Community Parades as well. We are most known for our famous slogan, “No Tryouts, We Train!” Here at MADD, we believe in the quality of our coaching staff and their leadership. Our athletes achieve great things during their tenure with MADD. Community Service is vital. During the season, it is required for all of our members to participate in several community service events throughout the year! It’s more than just competing.

Madd Cheer believes in providing quality training for our staff. All coaches attend numerous seminars, webinars, and training sessions throughout the year to provide the best care, choreography, safety and coaching to our athletes. Our doors are always open and we hope that from here we continue to grow and succeed in our future endeavors.

Role of the Parent or Guardian

● Check your Emails,Team App,and Facebook Parent Group Daily.

If you do not have an email address, please go to a free website such as yahoo.com or hotmail.com and get a free email address. If you do not have an email address on file, we will not be able to send you important information. It is our primary form of communication. It is your responsibility to ensure that we have your current email address . We will do our best to answer your emails within 48 hours. Please use email and not social media to contact the Director, Parent Coordinator, and Coaches.

● Ensure that your athlete(s) understands what we expect of them as an athlete, as explained in the "Role of the Athlete"

● Encourage your athlete(s) to always treat fellow parents, teammates, coaches and MADD staff with respect.

● Refrain from using any social media networking, messaging services or electronic media to distribute negative or inappropriate information that could be detrimental to yourself, your family, and the MADD reputation in any way. These are grounds for immediate dismissal from the program.

● Parents should not listen, participate or instigate idle, worthless gossip. It is a detriment to team unity and chemistry. If you have a question or concern just ask.

● Demonstrate winning and losing with dignity.

Attendance Policies and Procedures

MADD Cheer is expected to be a priority commitment during the entire season. When a

team is missing cheerleaders, it diminishes the cheerleaders’ opportunity, both individually and as a group, to safely learn and practice their skills. Excessive tardiness and/or absences are both harmful and disruptive to the team and very discouraging for the coaches. Every single athlete is vital to the success of the organization. A single absence affects the entire squad and impacts those cheerleaders and coaches who have committed to being at all practices. We understand things may come up throughout the season. For that reason we have defined our attendance policy below.

Illness: You should attend practice when you are sick, if you are not contagious. You are not required to participate;however, you must be physically-present. In addition, when absences due to illness perpetually occur on an ongoing basis, you may be required to provide a doctor’s note with detailed information regarding the illness,treatment and length of recovery. This includes dental, medical and any other health related issue that may prohibit a student from participating.

Injury: In the event that an athlete is injured, you should notify our parent coordinator immediately. Thereafter, you should continuously update us as soon as possible with all information concerning doctor’s prognosis, estimated length of recovery, potential for surgery, and any change in circumstance affecting their ability to perform the physical skills required to fulfill their role on the team.

We will re-choreograph routines based on the athlete’s injury and length of recovery. Once the individual has fully recovered, he or she may or may NOT be choreographed back into the same spots in the routine. The determination of when he or she will be placed back into the routine is up to the Coaches and Director based on the team and competition schedule at the time. Every situation could vary.

Family Emergency: This term is not to be taken lightly. Contact our parent coordinator or coach immediately upon the occurrence of such an emergency.

Athletes are expected to be on time to all practices, performances and competitions. If at any time the athlete will be late, the perspective coach needs to be notified at least 1 hour before the arrival time. (Excessive tardiness can negatively affect the athlete’s participation with the organization.)

Athletes must turn in an Absence Request Form 2 weeks prior to any scheduled absences. (Filling out an absence form does not excuse any athlete and can be documented as an unexcused absence.)

If the athlete is injured or sick (high fever, contagious illness, & vomiting excluded), you are still expected to attend/observe practice so you may see any and all changes that affect the team.

The week of competition is the most crucial and necessary time to practice. Athletes will not be allowed to miss any practices the week leading up to competition. (Scheduled absences will not be approved the week of competition)

NO CALL NO SHOW, will not be tolerated. Coaches, Parent Coordinators and/or Director needs to be notified of any absence. If an athlete is absent and the proper parties are not notified, the athlete will be removed from the routine.

All athletes are allowed 2 unexcused absences a month.

Competition AttendanceEach competition is absolutely mandatory. Prior to each competition, athletes will be given the following set of team specific times for each competition:

● arrival time- when you must be present in the competition venue● meet time- when your team is required to meet with a coach and congregate at a

specific place. ● performance time- the time when the team is scheduled to perform● award time- the time of the awards ceremony that your team has been scheduled

to receive its award If you are not present at awards, you will forfeit any awards and prizes you may win. If an athlete does not show up for a competition, she may be dismissed from the team.

Financial Obligation Agreement1. Tuition does not fluctuate based on the number or duration of practices in any month.2. Tuition pays for training. It does not pay for the right to perform. 3. All payment due dates must be met in order to participate in practice and competitions.

4. An athlete’s account must be current to participate in practices/competitions/special events.5. Madd Cheer All Stars reserves the right to remove an athlete from their team at any time for failure to keep up with financial obligations.6. Any monies received from fundraising or from an athlete/parent will be applied first to any overdue tuition/fees. 7. Your athlete has ONE account. If your cheerleader has separate parents/people that pay for her account, Madd Cheer All Stars will consider the total outstanding amount as due. (We cannot interpret your 'half' as paid and the other half is outstanding because the other party did not pay.)8. All tuition/fees must be current before an athlete may collect any clothing/uniform or other retail items. 9. If an athlete chooses to leave or if asked to leave Madd Cheer All Stars for any reason before the season is over, any and all funds are completely non-refundable. 10. All Fees are non-transferable and non-refundable.

Failure to meet Payment Deadlines and lack of reasonable and fair communication regarding payments will result in your child's loss of services (sitting out of practice) and/or dismissal from the program. Please note, we reserve the right to replace the athlete if this happens. Phone calls, emails and meetings regarding past due accounts are a courtesy. Fee schedules are supplied at the beginning of the season. It is your responsibility to make your payments on time and in full

By signing below, I understand these rules and regulations, the payment and financial obligations, and fully agree to comply to all the above.

Parent signature ___________________________________________________

Date _________________

Financial Obligations

Fee Due Date Amount

Registration Due upon sign up $25 Returning/$50 New

Practice Wear 7/31/2019 $54.00

Uniform 7/31/2019 $180

USASF Fee 8/30/2019 $30.00

Cheer Backpack 8/30/2019 $50.00

Cheer Shoe 8/30/2019 $68.00

Choreography & Music 9/30/2019 $60.00

Competition Entry Fees 9/30/2019 $150.00

Competition Entry Fees 9/30/2019 $150.00

Warm Up TBD TBD

Membership Monthly Dues

15th of every month $55.00

Competition Etiquette

We would like to go over some do’s and don’ts so that our competitions can be atruly enjoyable experience for the cheerleaders, parents and coaches.

Do’s– Be sure your child has his/her name on everything they bring. Pack their backpack and always have a water bottle and some type of easy to eat snacks. We never know what type of warm-up schedule we have to follow and how long it could be until we can

let them go to concessions. Let them keep only small amounts of money, as they often must be left unattended and things can getstolen. Be aware they will have only limited access to their cell phone, so do notexpect constant updates– Get to the event early so you can get seats together, and always wear yourMADD CHEER gear. The kids get really pumped up when they can hear youcheering for them!!! Stay on the spectator side and leave the care of your child tothe coaches. Often children will become stressed and anxious once they seetheir parent in close range, so keep your distance. If there is any real problem,we will send for you.– Check that your child has all items, and is not wearing nail polish or jewelry ofany kind. (this includes belly button rings) These can result in deductions if wornon the competition floor.– Cheer politely for other squads –remembering that each child has worked hardjust like your own. If we develop good relationships with opposing squads, wemake friends and those fans will, in turn, cheer for our teams.– Follow rules of establishment regarding food in gym, entering and exiting duringperformances, etc. Remember that most competitions have rules that state thatthe actions of spectators can result in deductions on the teams score sheets.– If a member of the host staff asks you to move from a certain areaplease do it without being hostile, as this is usually a safety issue, and we allwant our children to be safe.– Accept the judges decisions regarding squad placements, and help your child do the same. Put the emphasis on their doing a great job, trying their best, and helpthem get motivated to work even harder for the next one. Your positive attitude isvery important. The coaches will go over score sheet sat the next practice, whichwill give them some ideas on what needs improvement– If we are fortunate enough to be in a position where we know our team has wonfirst place when the second place team is called, do not start cheering for ourteam– Allow that second place team to enjoy its moment, and wait for our team to becalled before cheering.Don’ts– Don’t approach the judges or hosts to complain about the results of acompetition. This only hurts the team in the end, as we may not get invited back,or could be disqualified from the day’s event.– Don’t encourage your child to cry hysterically if her team does not place

as learning to win and lose graciously are important life lessons that we hope thistype of program will instill.– Don’t make negative comments in the bleachers about other teams, or membersof our own teams. This includes blaming a certain member for a mistake. Aperformance is the result of all of the effort put forth at practices prior to theevent, so while a stunt may not hit it is not just one person’s fault, it is a teamresponsibility. Factors like attendance and willingness to pay attention affect thequality of the performance.– Also you never know who is recording a team performance and your criticism’sare in earshot of their camera’s microphone.– Find a cheer mom that you can trust. You may need help getting your athlete topractice or an event. You might have an emergency. Pair up with a cheer momthat you can trust, exchange phone numbers. If you need to know when acompetition is about to end so that you can head back to get your child, having apoint of contact is a great idea.– Don’t complain to coaches if an event runs behind schedule as this is simply outof their control. Expect a competition to take up your entire day. Be patient andwait until coaches have dismissed squads after awards. Coaches are humansand should be respected just as you would like to. If you have pre-arranged plansfor the day of a competition, simply communicate with the coaches.MADD CHEER coaches love their girls and will try their absolute best to make arrangements for your child to attend

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW…

Lastly, there are some items below that did not necessarily fit in our topics above but we feel are good things to know.

The Madd Cheer brand is a highly recognized and TRADEMARKED. The Madd Cheer logo,apparel, and any item associated with MADD CHEER are only allowed to be purchased through the organization. Family/Friends are not authorized to create, sell, or purchase non-authorized or licensed apparel or accessories.

The Coach is the Coach! Coaches are trained to create a routine that will make your child’s team competitive. This sometimes means making decisions that you may not

like. Your child’s coach knows what looks good in routines, what each child is capable of doing, what each competition requires to reach a high level score, and how to keep your child as safe as possible. Unless your child is in some type of danger, let the coach do their job.

Injuries, Injuries, Injuries Yes, your child might get hurt in some way during their All Star career as with most sports. Usually this means minor injuries like bumps, bruises, or mild strains. If your child will be overly upset by a mild injury you may need to reconsider All Star Cheer.

Communication is very important to us. All important information will be made available on multiple platforms. Email will be your primary form of communication, please make sure to print legibly on your paperwork. It is our top priority to give you the fastest communication possible. Please communicate in the following manner to ensure you receive quick, effective communication from our staff.

Practice Wear: Cheer Shoes must be worn. -Hair must be out of face -No jewelry of any kind -Shorts and bikers must be appropriate length.

Almost all competitions are held on Saturdays and Sundays. Anyone with a regularly scheduled Saturday or Sunday activity should make arrangements early to miss. We plan to attend approximately 3-4 competitions each year.

Community Service

MADD CHEER is a firm believer in giving back. We want to help every athlete learn self-confidence, leadership, positive attitude, character, commitment, hard-work, and integrity. We believe that those who volunteer gain a type of growth that they could not get elsewhere. When volunteering, athletes are given the opportunity to see life from a variety of different perspectives, giving them a sense of humility for their own lives. When a person volunteers, they are able to give as much of their time as they want, making the commitment their own. Throughout the competitive season there will be numerous community service events and every athlete is encouraged to participate in these events.

Birth Certificate and Health Physical

MADD Cheer Inc. does require each registered athlete to provide a clear copy of their birth certificate and a current physical. Both documents are needed in order for your athlete(s) to compete. Health physical must not be older than 12 months.

Pick up/Drop Off Only

Due to the location of the gym and limited parking available, we kindly ask that you follow the drop off line. Please do not park or block anyone in during drop off. Be mindful of fire lanes and other tenant parking spots. Athletes should be dropped off at the door andthe line should move in an orderly fashion. In the event that you need to come in, please find a parking spot. Do not parallel park in front of the building or anywhere that may cause you a citation. Practices are CLOSED.

Bid Only – Extended Season

In the event that we are awarded a BID, which will extend our season, additional expenses will arise. Example: Travel, Room & Board, Event Fees. If one or more of our teams are awarded a bid, there will be a fundraiser in place to help offset the cost, BUT you still may have to come out of pocket for necessities.

What is a Bid ?

A bid is an invitation to compete, and must be earned through competing at an event that offers them. There are 120+ event producers who offer bids to both The Cheerleading Worlds and The Summit. A team cannot compete at either competition without earning a bid.

No Bullying

Here at MADD Cheer, we have a very strict no bullying policy. The first infractionwill result in a parent hearing with the director and athletes involved. Any further infractions will result in automatic dismissal without refund. No Exceptions!

1. COACHa. Any questions about athlete specific progress and updates. b. Information regarding an athlete being late for practice.

2. PARENT COORDINATORa. Any questions regarding billing or financial policies.

Madd Cheer athletes are expected to be matching at all scheduled team practices. Practice wear must be purchased from the organization. It is the responsibility of the athlete and parent to ensure they wear the correct practice attire. All athletes should keep hair pulled back out of their face. If an athlete loses a piece of practice wear you will need to purchase a new one immediately. Cheer shoes are required; please do not wear athletic running shoes. No JEWELRY of any kind including ear, nose, tongue, eyebrow or belly button rings. Wearing these could result in serious injury to your child, another child or to a coach. Long fake fingernails are not permitted; fingernails should be kept short, and filed. Athletes not wearing required practice gear, or violate our dress code including jewelry and fingernails may be required to perform extra conditioning at the end of practice time. If this continues to be an issue, we will call for a parent meeting.

I DO/DO NOT (CIRCLE ONE) authorize photographs depicting my child or my likeness during participation in Madd Cheer All Star activities which may appear in announcements, advertisements, and the Madd Cheer All Star website. I hereby give my consent to Madd Cheer All Stars to provide, through medical services of its choice, customary medical/athletic training attention, transportation, and emergency medical services as warranted in the course of my child’s participation.

Parent or Guardian Signature: _____________________________________________

Date: ________________

Please respect our 24-hour rule for a reply and respect that our coaching staff and management staff have families and lives. Please call or email during business hours and refrain from late night emails and texts.

TRAVEL FEES

All families are responsible for their own airfare and hotel costs. Madd Cheer will provide a room block and instructions to each family about how to secure these rooms. When planning our travel for the season, we do our best to minimize travel costs by

choosing locations that are accessible by most major airlines and by choosing hotels that are affordable. Please also remember that booking airfare in a timely fashion can greatly reduce your travel expenses. In addition, some families do decide to drive to various events rather than flying. When deciding which competitions to attend, a great deal of research is done. Determining factors include other gyms/teams attending, competitiveness of event, cost, date, location, etc. All of these competitions are in a 1-3 hour radius and are within driving distance. We want all parents and athletes to be aware that when we travel to an out-of-state competition, the primary purpose of our trip is to compete. While we hope each family will enjoy our trips, they are not intended to be a “family vacation.” However, if there is time available and you would like to extend the trip by one day on either end you may do so.

Members are highly encouraged to take additional classes if they would like additional progress in their athlete(s) skills. Team practice time is mainly spent on perfecting the skills members already have, other cheerleading skills and choreography.

Madd Cheer All Star Registration Form

ATHLETES NAME ___________________________________ DOB _____________

ADDRESS ____________________________________________________________

CITY/ZIP _____________________________________________________________

NAME OF PARENTS/LEGAL GUARDIANS__________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

MOMS CELL __________________________________________________________

DADS CELL __________________________________________________________

ATHLETES CELL ______________________________________________________

EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME & PHONE _________________________________

MOMS EMAIL _________________________________________________________

DADS EMAIL _________________________________________________________

General Rules and Guidelines

I have read and understand all rules and guidelines outlined in the Parent Handbook. I agree to uphold my obligations and abide by the rules set by Madd Cheer and described in the above documents. Any failure to uphold these commitments/obligations can result in removal from the program and forfeiture of all monies paid.

X___________ (Initial Here) Payment Policies and Procedures I have read and understand my financial obligations. I understand the payment policies set forth and agree to uphold my financial commitment to the program.

X___________ (Initial Here) Attendance Policy I have read and understand the Madd Cheer Attendance Policy.

X___________ (Initial Here) Competition Rules and Guidelines I have read and understand the Competition Rules and Guidelines.

X___________ (Initial Here) I have read and understand all the rules in the handbook and understand that ownership and management have the right to add or subtract from any and all rules stated above throughout the season.

NAME: _______________________________________________________________

ATHLETE(S) NAME:____________________________________________________

SIGNATURE: _________________________________________________________

DATE:__________

Role of the Athlete

We expect the following from ALL athletes of Madd Cheer All Stars. These expectations will be strictly enforced during practices, clinics, competitions and all Madd Cheer events.

Athletes are expected to:

● Treat fellow teammates, coaches, staff, and parent with respect at all times.

● Not Participate in Gossip. This includes internal gossip about other Madd athletes and external gossip about other cheerleading programs and their athletes.

● Show good sportsmanship and class at ALL times.

● Not Bully. This includes all forms such as electronic, verbal, physical, mental, social media based, monetary, etc.

● Not use profanity and/or abusive language.

● Not consume alcoholic beverages and/or illegal behavior

● Use social networking and electronic media as a means of publicizing and spreading the word of Madd in a positive and appropriate manner.

● Remain mindful that your decisions, whether you are actually wearing anything displaying the Madd brand or logo at the time or not, affect and can be a negative reflection of yourself, your parents, fellow teammates, coaches, staff, and the entire Madd Cheer organization.

● Athletes should take pride in wearing the “Madd colors” and conduct themselves accordingly to uphold the legacy of Madd Cheer.

All Star Waiver/Release FormIn consideration of participating in any activity at Madd Cheer, I represent that my child is in proper physical condition to participate. I acknowledge that if I feel that any conditions are unsafe, I will immediately discontinue participation in the activity. I fully understand that this activity involves risks of serious bodily injury, including permanent

disability, paralysis and possibly death, of which may be caused by my own actions, or inactions, those of others participating in the activity, the conditions in which the event takes place, or the negligence of the “releasees” named below. There may also be other risks either not known to me or readily foreseeable at this time and I accept and assume all such risks and responsibility for losses, cost, and damages I incur as a result of participating in these activities. I hereby release, discharge, and covenant not to sue Madd Cheer, its respective staff, director, volunteers, other participants, any sponsors, advertisers, and if applicable, owners and lessors of premises on which the activity takes place from all liability, claims, demands, losses, or damages, on my account caused or alleged to be caused in whole or in part by the negligence of the “releasees” or otherwise, including negligent rescue operations and future agree that if, despite this release, waiver of liability, and assumption of risk I , or anyone on my behalf, makes a claim against any of the releases, I will indemnify, save, and hold harmless each of the releases from any loss, liability, damage, or cost which any may incur as a result of such claim. I have read the WAIVER/RELEASE, and understand that I have given up substantial rights by signing it and have signed it freely and without any inducement or assurance of any nature and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect. We, at Madd Cheer, recognize that there is a risk of injury when participating in cheerleading. While we do our very best to insure that these things do not happen, there is always a risk. We always take safety precautions as well as teach (and remind) the children of what those safety rules are. Parents are asked to remind their children of the risk of injury, and therefore, the importance of following the rules in class at all times. With the above in mind, I fully understand the policies set in place at Madd Cheer, and release all rights and claims to the greatest extent allowed by the law for damages that my child may have against Madd Cheer.

Parent/Guardian Signature: ____________________________ Date:_______________

Year at a Glance

March – Registration

April – Open Gym Sessions / Team Evaluations / Skills Training

May – Open Gym Sessions / Team Evaluations / Skills Training

June – Team Practices Begin

July – Choreography &Team Practices and Uniform Fitting

August – Final Choreography Month

September- Annual Showcase

October – All Star Season Begins 1 st Competition

November – (1) Competition

December – Fun Cheer Winter Wonderland Competition

January – MLK Parade

January – March (1) Competition per month