HOST A QUALIFIER
WSCJA Qualifier Guidelines 2023-24
A Competition Director meeting with the WSCJA and WSCCA was held on September 5th, 2023
at which time detailed instructions regarding the following were provided. This document is a
high-level summary of that information. For full details, review the presentation slides.
In accordance with the WIAA Postseason Standard Operating Procedures - Qualifying
Events must be staffed entirely by school personnel and/or affiliates, have all registration/entry
fees deposited into the school ASB account, not exceed the maximum per team
registration/entry fee, utilize WOA/WSCJA judges, and be held during the months of November,
December, or January. Visit WIAA.com to view the full regulations.
In accordance with the CO-OP Agreement:
● The WSCJA’s service area includes all WIAA member middle schools, junior highs, and
high schools. This includes all contests, varsity and non-varsity. Only WSCJA officials
are eligible to officiate scheduled contests. School representatives do not have the
authority to solicit officials directly for contests. All assignments must be made by and
through the WSCJA/WOA Assigner.
● The Host School will be invoiced following the event according to the CO-OP Agreement
including “contest fees” and “additional fees” with the exception of: the approved Spirit
Mileage Chart, time and a half for double duty, and the negotiated standy-by fee. (All
fees can be found in the WSCJA Qualifier Guidelines presentation.)
● Schools shall pay lodging expense... when an overnight stay is agreed to by the
Assigner and athletic administrator prior to the assignment being made. (Hotels may be
needed for out-of-town judges for competitions with start times, end times or length of
competition that hinder reasonable day-of travel.)
● The WSCJA shall utilize ArbiterSports to communicate with schools and officials for the
purpose of assigning contests. (Competition Directors should log into Arbiter two weeks
prior to their competition for the email address to contact their Head Judge.)
● Schools are to provide schedules in a timely fashion. (Start time, approximate end time,
number of panels and number of sessions are due to WSCJA 60 days prior. Each
Competition Director is to turn in their schedule 10 days prior to their competition to the
Head Judge for verification. No changes aside from scratches can be made within 24
hours of competition start time.)
● Contest management will greet the officials upon arrival at the site and be available
throughout the contest. (The Head and Head Tech Judges will arrive 1 hour prior to start
time to tour the judging areas with the Competition Director.)
● Provide adequate facilities for the officials. (For cheer, this includes a judges room away
from coaches, competitors, spectators, and event staff.)
Panels - The WSCJA will staff officials for up to 3 panels per day. Each panel consists of 4
performance judges and 2 tech judges. A double panel consists of 8 performance judges and 4
tech judges. An additional Overall Head Judge will be staffed to each competition whether a
single or double panel is assigned.
All Star sessions are not staffed by the WSCJA in any capacity. Rec Only Sessions (where
no WIAA member schools perform) are not staffed by the WSCJA. Any non-WIAA teams on a
Qualifier schedule will be scoring according to WSCCA/WSCJA scoring.
Score Sheets:
● The WSCJA will supply the Penalty and Appeal forms and this process will not be digital.
● All score sheets will be handled digitally by WSCJA staff and will be emailed directly to
coaches on a timeline agreed upon with WSCCA following awards. This process will be
handled by an off-site WSCJA Scorekeeper.
● Judges will be dismissed following the verification of their score sheets by the Head
Judge.
● Scores/placements/qualified teams must be verified by the Head Judge and Head Tech
Judge prior to announcement of awards.
Information Requests - Competition Directors will be contacted by the Head Judge, the
Assigner, the WSCJA President, and the Scorekeeper, particularly within the two weeks leading
up to the competition. The primary contact for information needed by the Competition Director
will be the Head Judge.
Payment - The WOA office invoices all host schools/districts between the completion of the
event and the end of the season. Competition fees per judge are based on how many teams
each judge evaluates. Head Judges get paid for each team on double panels. The
Scorekeeper will be paid at the same pay scale as all judges for all teams scored. If any break
between sessions or delay becomes longer than one hour, the officials will be paid a $15/hour
standby fee. A screenshot of what will be billed to the school/district following the event will be
provided to the Competition Director at the time it is sent to the WOA.
Judges Room - At report time, the judges need a room with tables and chairs where they can
prepare for the event and the Head Judge can hold a private judges meeting. This area must
remain separate from coaches, cheerleaders, and spectators.
Exhibitions - Officials need to be notified of any teams on the schedule that will not be scored,
otherwise they will evaluate all teams and the host school will be charged. Teams with an
asterisk (*) on the schedule will not be scored, no feedback given, and judges will not be paid
for that team.
Scheduling Teams - Detailed instructions can be found in the slides presentation. Below is a
summary:
● Each team receives 10 minutes of judging time. For single panels, teams can be
scheduled every 10 minutes, for double panels, every 5 minutes, alternating panels. For
double panels only:
○ Each panel should judge approximately the same number of teams.
○ Ensure 10 minutes per panel even when scratches or last minute scheduling
changes occur.
● Keep all divisions/categories together in one schedule block.
● It is helpful to have Non-Tumbling seen before Tumbling, and smaller divisions perform
before larger divisions.
● Schedule any Stunt Groups for the end of the competition so that cheer judges can be
dismissed.
● Stomp should go at the end of a session due to the mat change and must all be seen by
the same panel regardless of size.
● NEW Max of 5 hours per session including appropriate bathroom breaks. Each session
will be considered a separate competition for pay purposes.
● Keep all teams within one division within one session, seen by the same panel.
Exhibitions and teams that are attempting to qualify but are not seeking placement can
perform outside of the session.
● During each 4+ hour judging shift, a 10-minute break must occur.
● Please schedule one hour between sessions for session wrap up tasks, meal break, and
the switching out of officials.
● Breaks must be scheduled in such a way that all judges (including Head Judges) have
the appropriate break length.
Printed Judges Schedule - A final schedule must be printed out and provided to officials
day-of. This schedule need not be the same as the one given to spectators.
Judging Setup:
● Panel Setup
○ Panel judges should be elevated and quite a ways back from the front of the mat.
Judges should be seated centered on the mat.
○ Event staff must ensure that the view of officials is unobstructed by spectators
throughout performances. Additionally, officials must be seated well away from
spectators so all discussion is confidential.
● Tech Setup
○ Tech Judges need a table at a back corner of the mat with table space and
seating. When placing the tech table, select the back corner with the least foot
traffic for privacy and confidentiality.
○ Tech Judges need appropriate space to walk the outside edge of the mat.
○ Please provide a school printer at the tech table with appropriate cord.
● WiFi - There must be WiFi access for the judging panel and tech table, power and
enough power strips to run the number of judges laptops for digital scoring. It is highly
recommended that the full school WiFi is available for judging, not just the guest access.
● Regarding spectators: as the event manager, a Competition Director is expected to deal
with any spectator issues the same as other sports. Judges will not get involved directly
with fans, but will notify you to be dealt with.
Runners - The officials need the following personnel to be assigned as judges runners. They
should report to the Head Judge for training no later than 15 minutes prior to start time:
● One performance runner to assist with any needs of the panel.
● Two tech runners with timing devices to assist with timing
● One Headcount runner - IMPORTANT SEE PRESENTATION FOR DIRECTIONS
Runners must be available for the duration of the competition (IE: team members who need to
leave to perform and come back are not suitable for this position).
Coaches Meeting - It is necessary for Head Judges to attend a coaches meeting before each
Qualifier session. Please schedule any in-person coaches meetings 45 minutes prior to the start
time of each session. The WSCJA highly recommends a Thursday night virtual coaches
meeting where possible.
Announcer - The announcer should not announce a team prior to their scheduled time, but they
also must wait for the go-ahead from the Head Judge prior to each team taking the floor. Watch
for the signs Head Judges will bring: green means “Ready”, red means “Wait”. Ensure
announcers are equipped with Game Day Cues and directions on how to administer cues.
Announcers should be made aware that following certain WOA protocols will delay the schedule
especially when dealing with the safety of participants.
This document must be signed by the Competition Director and the host school Athletic Director.
__________________________________ __________________________________
Host School Athletic Director Signature Competition Director Signature
__________________________________ __________________________________
Host School Competition Name and Date
Please scan signed form to: wscjapresident@gmail.com
Hosting Guidelines
Information for Competition Directors
1. Competition Applications received by a TBD date for the 2021-2022 season will receive priority scheduling. Fill out the information on page two of the application and send via email to the WSCCA President at wsccapresident@gmail.com.
2. WSCJA has the ability to staff a maximum of 1 Westside Competition per weekend and 1 Eastside OR South End Competition per weekend
a. All Westside Competitions will require two panels of WSCJA Judges for event efficiency.
b. Schedule will be set and posted on www.wscca.com by September 3, 2019.
3. Competition dates will be approved based on the following criteria:
a. In the event of a scheduling conflict:
i. The longest-standing competition/director will have priority given the additional below conditions are also met.
ii. Competition Directors currently using the qualifier for a fundraiser for their High School Program will have priority over Junior High and Middle School Programs.
iii. The WSCCA will consider the following: Experience level of the Competition Director in this role, tradition of a qualifier at a certain location and tradition of a qualifier on a certain weekend. Additionally, the WSCCA Board in approving qualifiers considers ongoing review of competition cancellations, competing coaches, athletes, spectators and WSCJA feedback of the previous year’s event. To be re-instated in 2020/2021, the competition director will again need to shadow a current competition director in 2019/2020.
iv. Each Competition Director and/or location is limited to hosting two competitions during one season (additional competitions at the same location permitted if the registration fees run through another program/organization).
v. WSCCA reserves the right to hold a Last Chance Qualifier two weekends before WIAA State, given the State Date is in February and allows the now required two-week period with no qualifier held.
4. New Competition Directors must complete a one-competition internship with a seasoned Competition Director assigned by the WSCCA. The internship includes working with seasoned Competition Director throughout the planning process and shadowing this individual at his or her own competition during setup, event, and clean up. Contact WSCCA President at wsccapresident@gmail.com to set up an internship opportunity.
5. Competition must have a minimum of 5 high school teams and 10 teams total in order to be a qualifying event. Failure to meet registration minimums by the Monday prior to the event will result in event cancellation.
6. The facility and the Competition Director be prepared to offer the following minimum requirements:
a. 9-panel regulation cheer floor with as the performance floor.
b. 7-panel minimum regulation cheer floor as the warm-up floor.
c. Mat floor tape between all panels of the regulation cheer floor in both the performance area and the warm up.
i. Please note, WSCCA would prefer to see a 9-panel floor with additional mats for stretching and tumbling/jumping/skill warm up across all qualifiers to keep the quality and consistency of the qualifiers the same.
d. Performance area and warm-up area sound systems intended to provide music for full out routines.
e. Seating quantity that allows acceptable competitor holding areas and performance area spectator seating.
f. Secure judges’ area with appropriate tables, chairs and paperwork for scoring – See WSCJA requirements.
g. Parking must be appropriate for the size of the competition or the facility will need to secure overflow parking at an appropriate, walkable location.
h. Athletic trainer/and or other emergency personnel the day of the event must be on site to assist with any injuries.
i. Awards are at the discretion of the Competition Director but see WIAA Bound for State Regulations as an appropriate example of award quantities based on event size.
j. Nutritional concessions in appropriate amounts that will sustain athlete, spectator and coach alike demand, which is especially necessary in remote locations.
7. Upon WSCCA approval, you will be supplied with a link to request WSCJA officials to staff your event.
Failure to follow the above outlined process will disqualify the Competition Director from hosting during the next qualifying season.
Discriminatory Behavior
The following steps should be taken if an incident of discriminatory behavior occurs or has been
reported.
When discriminatory behavior is heard or seen by an official:
• Apply NFHS rules as it should be enforced resulting in the appropriate penalty, which
may include ejection from the contest.
• Speak with both coaches immediately regarding the incident that occurred and ensure
that coaches address their teams on expected behaviors for the remainder of the
competition.
• Officials immediately alert event management of what has occurred so event
management can follow through with the school(s) involved.
• Officials should report the incident to their assigner at the conclusion of the contest.
• Applicable NFHS rules should always be enforced.
Note: the NFHS disapproves of any form of taunting which is intended or designed to embarrass, ridicule, or demean others under any circumstances including on the basis of race, religion, gender, or national origin.
The WIAA encourages participants to report discriminatory behaviors to officials and event
management when they occur during a game. Below are the steps expected for officials and event management to take when such behaviors are reported.
When discriminatory behavior is reported to an official by a student or coach:
• Stop the game, send the teams to their benches, alert other crew members, and bring
both coaches and captains together to discuss what was reported. Explain to both
coaches/captains what behaviors were reported and that any such behavior will not be
allowed to continue, and consequences will occur if reported again, including potential
postponement of the game.
• Return coaches to their athletes to explain what was reported and the consequences
that will be applied if the behaviors continue.
• Officials immediately alert event management of what has been reported so event
management can contact administrator(s) present at the game and follow through with
the school(s) involved.
• Officials should report the incident to their assigner at the conclusion of the contest.
Discriminatory behavior reported to event management by an official, student or coach:
• Alert officials to stop the game, alert the crew, send the teams to their benches, and
have the crew bring both coaches and captains together to discuss what was
reported. Explain to both coaches/captains that those behaviors will not be allowed to
continue, and consequences will occur if reported again, including potential
postponement of the game.
• Return coaches to their athletes to explain what was reported and the consequences
that will be applied if the behaviors continue.
• Officials and event management should be in communication throughout the
remainder of the game regarding alleged behaviors.
• Event management needs to contact administrator(s) present at the game and follow
through with the school(s) involved.
• Officials should report the incident to their assigner at the conclusion of the contest.
For a second occurrence, the process should be repeated. At the discretion of the officials, they can include a warning that if it continues, the contest will be terminated. If the warning is given to the coaches, the crew should meet with game management to make sure they are aware that a third occurrence will result in the termination of the game.
Upon consultation with game management, the crew may terminate the contest on the first or
second occurrence if deemed egregious and a safe resolution cannot be reached. The assigner
must be notified prior to the termination of the contest.
Discriminatory Behavior Policy Simplified
Official “hears” or “sees” behavior
Behavior is “reported” to Official by anyone
Apply NFHS rules as applicable
Stop the game Communicate to entire crew what happened
Bring coaches together and inform them of the concern have them address teams
Send players to their benches Inform both coaches of what happened & have them address teams
Post-game inform your assigner of incident
1st or 2nd Occurrence?
Resume game
Inform game management Consult w/game management Resume Play?
Inform game management
YES NO
1st 2nd
Stop the game Communicate to entire crew what happened
Give coaches a few minutes to address their teams
That player
said...
NOTE: For a second occurrence, the process should be repeated. At the
discretion of the officials, they can include a warning that if it
continues, the contest will be terminated. If the warning is given to the
coaches, the crew should meet with game management to make sure
they are aware that a third occurrence will result in the termination of
the game.
Upon consultation with game management, the crew may terminate
the contest on the first or second occurrence if deemed egregious and
a safe resolution cannot be reached. The assigner must be notified
prior to the termination of the contest.
Purpose of the “Qualifier Guidelines” document
This document is designed to assemble the main information regarding using
WOA cheer officials at WIAA State Qualifying cheer events. It includes:
● Key WIAA and WOA requirements
● Most relevant procedures
● Best practices
● Requests from officials
● Lessons learned over time
Please note: this document is not comprehensive and Competition Directors should
review all information related to holding an event. Additionally, the WSCJA Qualifier
Guidelines are adjusted for WIAA State.
