Aleisha@exathleticsne.com – 1258 Royal Drive – Papillion, NE 68046 – www.exathleticsnebraska.com – 715-829-2671
All-Star Cheerleading Team Packet Welcome to Exceptional Athletics Nebraska and thank you for your interest in our All-Star Cheerleading Program!
MISSION: To be a premier cheerleading facility in the greater Omaha area and to provide a fun, safe environment for children to learn and grow in their cheerleading and tumbling abilities.
REGISTRATION: Forms for registration are available at Exceptional Athletics Nebraska or via email.
MEMBERSHIP FEES: An annual membership fee of $40/year for 1 child or $75/year for 2 children or $100 for 3 or more children is required. This is to assist with covering insurance and paperwork
ALLSTAR PROGRAM INFORMATION: All-Star Cheerleading is a competitive team not associated with a school but rather with a gym such as Exceptional Athletics Nebraska. Teams prepare year around for several different competitions. Teams are divided according to age and skill levels: Minis: 8 years and under Youth: 12 years and under Junior: 14 years and under Senior: 18 years to 10 Special Needs: All ages

Tryouts: Tryouts will be held Every Tuesday and Thursday in April and will be an open format. Kids ages 10 and under will practice from 6-7pm and kids ages 10 and older will practice from 7-8:30pm. We may ask kids to try different times to see where they fit best. Everyone will be practicing as a group, so we can see how everyone works together.

Team Placement:

Exceptional Athletics retains the right to:
1. Place cheerleaders on the team(s) it feels will best suit them and the program.
2. Move, add, suspend, or dismiss a cheerleader for a period of time or indefinitely from a team or the entire program based on criteria including but not limited to: attendance, conduct, skills, finances, etc.
3. Decide if a cheerleader may participate on more than one team.
4. Decide the roles and/or positions a cheerleader will have/play on their team(s). (i.e. base, flyer, back spot, tumbler, dancer, etc.)
5. Request that a cheerleader or team take additional classes to improve skills.
6. Request that a cheerleader or team practice longer than their regularly scheduled time or add additional practices or competitions if deemed necessary. This includes removing competitions if the coaches feel the team is not ready.

Parents Initials________ Cheerleader Initials ________ Date:_______________

Cheerleaders chosen to participate on more than one Exceptional Athletics team must:
1. Be in good financial standing.
2. Be willing and able to fulfill all responsibilities required by each team.
3. Be responsible for any additional entry fees they incur beyond their first team.

Practices: Practices are held twice a week. The schedule will depend on team practices. Additional practices may be added as we get closer to competition season. All changes will be communicated to parents and team members in a timely manner.

Tentative Practice Schedule for the 2013-2014 practice season:

Minis (Emeralds): Tuesday 5:30-6:30 & Thursday 6-7 Juniors (Titanium): Wednesday 6-8:30(May)/Monday 6-8:30(After May) & Thursday 6-7 Seniors (Diamonds): Tuesdays- 6:00-8:30 & Thursday 5:00-8:30 Special Needs (Gems): Sundays 3-4

Attendance: For the competitive teams, attendance is critical for learning, perfecting, and improving routines and skills.

April thru July 31st absent program:
Each athlete will be required to check in at each practice they attend. Athletes will be permitted 3 excused absences without repercussion during this period. This allows each athlete to attend family vacations when they choose. Athletes are still required to fill out an Absence Request Form for family vacations. August thru March absent program: Each athlete will be allowed 3 excused absences for the rest of the year. Any more than the allowed number of absences will be cause for dismissal from the program. This includes school events.

Competition Absences: Athletes are required to attend all practices 2 weeks prior to a competition. Any absences during this period will be unexcused and the athlete may be removed from the routine for the upcoming competition. These absences may also result in dismissal of the athlete from the team for the remainder of the season. We may add practices 2 weeks before a competition, but we will not change regular practice schedules. Absence from a competition for any reason, including illness (not contagious), will result in dismissal from the program and the athlete may not be eligible to try out for the next season. The only exceptions to this rule will be a death in the family or the admission of the athlete to the hospital.

In your packet you will find an “absence Request Form”. Please fill it out as soon as you know of any event you will not be present for. Please note that just because a form is filled out does not mean it is excused.

Parents Initials________ Cheerleader Initials ________ Date:_______________

Practice Etiquette: Please come to practice on time, dressed and ready to start working out. If this means you need to wrap a wrist or get dressed please show up early. The door to the gym will close at 6:15pm therefore if you are not ready to practice or there by 6:15 you will not be able to attend that nights practice.

Those not participating in a class must remain out of the gym area at all times. This includes parents and siblings who have classes scheduled at other times. There is a viewing area where you can wait and watch during practice. This policy enables our staff to retain their student’s full attention ensuring they receive a quality class. We ask that parents please do not talk with your child during class time. A child’s contact with their parents can be very limiting to their class progress and could become a safety hazard due to a lack of concentration from the child. The coaches reserve the right to close practices at any time. In the event, the team mom will remain at practice. We will allow parents and family members to join us on the floor the last 30 minutes of practice the week before a competition.

Attitude: Please come to practice in the best mood possible. I know this is hard, but please try to leave your problems at the door. Bad attitudes and lack of enthusiasm is contagious and can quickly ruin a practice. If we feel you aren’t putting a 100% into practice or disrupting our practice we will ask you to leave. During practices the athletes may not chew gum or drink soda. No food is allowed in the gym area. No cell phones are allowed in the gym area. In the event that your phone is being used it will be confiscated till the end of practice.

Dress Code: We will be ordering practice clothes at the beginning of the season. The cost for 2 outfits and one t-shirt/shorts combo is $75 and an additional $25 if you are crossing over to another team. Please refer to the monthly calendars on what your child is expected to wear for each practice. We will allow minis and juniors to wear their t-shirt/shorts over their practice wear. Seniors, you may wear sweat pants and a t-shirt for warm ups and conditioning, but they must come off for the beginning of tumbling or stunting.

All girls should have their hair pulled back. For safety, jewelry must be removed. We have a changing area so please arrive at least 10 minutes early if you need to change. Shoes must be worn at all times in the gym.

Payment Plan: The payment plan is based on facility fees, & competition registration costs. The monthly fee is due on the first practice of the month. These prices do not include registration, warm ups, camp (Schedule and cost will be determined soon), uniform costs ($200), or hotel and travel costs.

Senior monthly fee breakdown: Facility Fee: $60 Competition Fees: $50 Total: $110/month

Junior monthly fee breakdown: Facility Fee: $35 Competition Fees: $35 Total: $70/month

Mini monthly fee breakdown: Facility Fee: $20 Competition Fees: $35 Total: $55/month

Parents Initials________ Cheerleader Initials ________ Date:_______________

Special Needs Monthly fee breakdown: Facility Fee: $20

Crossovers: only $20/month (this covers crossover costs at competitions)

We take checks and cash and credit cards and willing to set up automatic payments. There will be a deposit box where you can place payments during practices. A late penalty fee will be added as follows for any payment that is turned in late without prior notice:

* 7 days late: receive a notice & $5 late fee * 8-14 days late: receive a notice & $10 late fee * 15-21 days late: receive a notice & $15 late fee & competitive athlete conditions for 1 practice * 22 days – 1 month late: receive a notice & $20 late fee along with competitive athlete conditions for 2 additional practices * After 1 month of missed payment the athlete’s position on the team will be reconsidered
Non-sufficient fund checks and returned credit card payments will result in a $50.00 fee for the 1st and 2nd offense. If this happens after the 2nd offence we will no longer accept checks from the family turning in the NSF checks

Withdrawal & Refunds: If you decide Exceptional Athletics Nebraska is not for you, you may terminate your contract. You will be responsible for the remaining competition entry fees left for the season. All payments are final. Uniform sales are final. The only refunds given will be in the case a competition is canceled.

Competitions: We will complete at local and regional competitions and one national trip. All competitions are mandatory. As the competitions get closer a packet will be provided with info on the competitions, spectator fees, hotel information (recommendations), and directions. UCA MidAmerica Challenge American Heartland November 17, 2013 February 15 & 16, 2014 Council Bluffs, Iowa Omaha, Nebraska

COA Cornhusker Challenge NCA Nationals (Seniors Only) November 23, 2013 March 1 & 2, 2014 Omaha, Nebraska Dallas, TX

AACS Kansas City Christmas Celebration ACDC Heartland Championship
December 15, 2013 March 23, 2014
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri

JamFest Mega Jam February 1, 2014 Omaha, Nebraska

Parents Initials________ Cheerleader Initials ________ Date:_______________

Communication: Exceptional Athletics Nebraska will use a number of different methods to communicate with parents. These include: * Regular emails: every effort will be made to keep these to no more than one a week, if you are not receiving emails please let us know so we can check our email list * Handouts in classes to include monthly Newsletters * The Exceptional Athletics Nebraska website * Facebook & Twitter * Postings in the gym * Your team mom on your child’s team

Team Parents: We will be selecting Team Moms / Dads to foster communication between parents and coaches, create positive incentives and excitement for our athletes, and help with athlete control during competitions. If you are interested in being a team parent please let the coaches know after Try-Outs. Team parents will be selected shortly after we announce teams.

Gym Calendar: Classes & practices will be held throughout the year. Monthly and seasonal calendars will be available in the gym and posted on the website calendar page. The gym will be closed for holidays as noted on the posted calendar. Exceptional Athletics Nebraska holds the right to reschedule practices and competitions as necessary; however, every effort will be made to hold practices and competitions as scheduled.
Inclement Weather Policy: Exceptional Athletics Nebraska follows the Papillion-La Vista School District closings regardless of the weather at the end of the school day. Please check emails, the website, Facebook or Twitter in regards to gym closings.

Termination: Excessive negative or threatening behavior by an athlete or family member may be cause for termination from the program. Athletes removed from practice for behavior will require a conference with a parent before they may return to practices. Parents may not coach their athletes from the viewing area. Athlete’s use of drugs, alcohol or tobacco will result in a one week suspension with no refund and a conference with the coaches to review standings on the team. A second infraction will result in immediate termination from the program.

Parents Initials________ Cheerleader Initials ________ Date:_______________

Absence Request Form

Date to be absent_____________________________________________________

Team___________________________________________________

Reason for absence___________________________________________________

I _________________________________ am requesting to be absent from practice on the date above. I know that missing a practice places complications and difficulties on the whole team. I also understand that an unexcused absence or continual absences can result in being placed in an alternate position or complete removal from squad. I also acknowledge that filling out this form, it is in no way an excused absence. Excessive absences are reasons for removal and you will get a warning from the gym if this is a problem before dismissal.

Cheerleader Signature_______________________ Date____________________

Parent Signature_____________________________ Date____________________