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RECREATIONAL CHEER
WHAT IS RECREATIONAL CHEERLEADING?
The purpose of recreational cheer is to provide the entire youth community with a positive cheer experience at an appropriate level. It is expected that recreational cheer programs will offer participants the opportunity to have fun while increasing their physical fitness, learning new cheerleading skills, teamwork, fair play, leadership, sportsmanship, time-management skills, cooperation, trust, and regard for others.
Recreational Programs are..
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Associated with and governed by an organization. (Examples include but are not limited: to the YMCA, boys and girls club, pop warner, or city parks & rec program.)
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Not to be affiliated with an all-star team or program.
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Associated with an organization like the examples listed above, and programs must be Independently operated.
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Competitive recreational programs are not required to cheer for sports programs if the above rules are met.
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At the time of competition, entrants must be registered students, and official full-time members of their team. No members shall be older than 12th grade. The penalty for an eligibility violation will be disqualification.
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Follow the NFHS Spirit Rules book for safety regulations issued by the National Federation of High School Associations. NFHS Spirit Rule Books are available in the NFHS Rules App and printed versions at: https://www.nfhs.org/resources/publications/.
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Each team's Head Coach must have a “Hands on” stunt certification. The Washington State Cheer Coaches Association must approve the Safety certification program. Coaches must be recertified every two (2) years with “hands on” training. Stunt certification classes can be found here:https://www.mywiaa.wiaa.com/cheer-stunt-certification/
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Because WIAA requires assistant coaches to be at least 19 years of age, certificates for completing a stunt certification clinic and passing the test will be issued only to individuals who are at least 19 years of age.
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Every team must have a stunt certified coach on site during practice and/or competitions for an athlete(s) to be eligible to stunt.
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All coaches and volunteers must pass a background check to have contact with athletes.
COACHING REQUIREMENTS
STUNT CERTIFICATION
REQUIRED AS OF AUGUST 25, 2008 (good for 2 years)
REQUIRED FOR ALL HEAD COACHES
Stunt Certification clinics are offered by WIAA, which is the governing athletic and activity association for Washington State.
Stunt certification classes can be found here:
*If you're experiencing technical difficulties registering for a clinic, please contact Nick Mendro.mailto:nmendro@wiaa.com
Steps to receive your certification after you've attended a clinic:
1. Return to your my247ed.com account
2. Select the "Conference Center" tab at the left of the page on my247ed.com
3. Click on the WIAA 2023 Cheer Coach Stunt Certification conference
4. Select the "Sessions & Schedule" tab on the left-hand side of the screen
5. Select "Confirm Attendance" (Note: If this step has already been completed, it is because you selected "Add to Your Schedule" prior to the clinic. Don't panic -- this is normal. Proceed to step 4 below).
6. Select "Certifications & Forms" on the left-hand side of the screen
7. Select "Start Application"
8. This should take you to a page with the header, "Are you ready to apply?"
9. Click all the sliders on this page to the right, indicating completion
10. Proceed to fill out the survey and download/sync your certificate
WSCCA
Would like to introduce your Recreational Director. She is a great resource for all things cheer.
Danni Chapman
Recreational Director
cheerpca@gmail.com
Hello, I am Danni Chapman your Recreational Director.
I first started coaching in 2000 at the junior high level and soon after found myself coaching my first high school team. I lead them into their inaugural season in the world of competitive cheerleading.
In 2013 I started my own recreational program, now known as Puyallup Cheer Academy. I was seeking to offer our younger thriving athletes a year around cheerleading program, like what we have offered at the high school level.
I value and seek opportunities to help grow cheerleading within Washington state. In past years, I've hosted Rec Connection open houses at Puyallup Cheer Academy, where I have had the pleasure of networking with several other local recreational coaches in our area.
Over the years, I've also volunteered and worked with several recreational programs from lending uniforms for fittings, teaching a variety of cheers, helping with routine choreography, and offering any additional knowledge or skills within my wheelhouse.
My background in both High School and Recreational cheerleading has allowed me a broad spectrum of working with principals, athletic directors, football boards, coaches, and athletes of all abilities.
Being Recreational Director for Washington State will allow me to share ideas and bridge the gap between high school and recreational coaches. I look forward to sharing my passion for growing cheer coaches and athletes in our beautiful state!
Danni
Programs wanting to compete in Washington will follow the NFHS spirit rules for cheerleading and will use the WSCCA/WSCJA high school score sheets for all qualifying events. As well as a few additional WSCCA requirements. Please review the scoresheets, rubrics and ratios needed for a putting together a successful routine.
The competition season in Washington starts in November with WIAA qualifying events hosted by high schools around
the state. Recreational teams are invited to compete at these competitions as well. WSCCA then hosts the Rec State Championships as a culminating event for Recreational teams. There are no pre-qualification requirements for this competition.
1. All recreational teams must provide a letter, on letterhead, from the overseeing director of their program.
This letter must include:
a. Confirmed affiliation with the organization.
b. Confirmation that all coaches and volunteers who will be collaborating with their team have current hands-on stunt certification.
c. Confirmation that all coaches and volunteers have passed a background check by your organization.
There are multiple ways to accomplish this if your program has not done so already.
d. Full names of all coaches and volunteers who meet the above requirements. (Any coaches or volunteers that are not listed will not be allowed in the warmup or TEAM only areas) There is limited space in the warmup areas and only 2 Coaches of the participating team will be allowed in the warmup areas.
2. All Recreational cheerleaders must complete a participation waiver for competitions, with each competition featuring its own specific version.
3. Follow and confirm Music Copyright Compliance.
4. Students can participate in either tumbling or non-tumbling, but not in both, along with stomp or game day.
5. NFHS Spirit rules apply strictly.
6. Teams may add up to one mascot in their Game Day routine. The mascot must meet the same eligibility requirements as the athletes. The mascot must enter the floor with the team and should be used to raise crowd energy and participation. The mascot is not allowed to be involved in any stunts / technical skills and or tumbling and should position themselves away from skills being performed. The mascot will not count towards the total number or gender of participants allowed in the division.
7. Rec competitive teams may have no more than 2 registered all-star athletes on a team.
8. At any Qualifer competition in Washington, WSCCA has determined that recreational teams can only compete with their official team members. No spotters will be provided during these competitions.
9. Although WIAA does not oversee recreational teams, it is essential for all teams participating in Qualifiers to review WIAA regulations beforehand. This ensures compliance with the relevant rules associated with the Qualifiers.
Programs wishing to extend their season can attend Regional and National Competitions as well. National companies will offer other opportunities for competitions throughout the year. (Please note that every competition company has their own rules, score sheets and fees)
COMPETITION BASICS
ADDITIONAL REC COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS
2024-2025 RECREATIONAL AGE DIVISIONS
Recreational Divisions are determined by WSCCA.
The age grid provides a list of divisions that may be offered by a competition director. A competition director does not have to offer every category or division listed and may combine categories.
TUMBLING & NON-TUMBLING CATEGORIES
Traditional Tumbling and Non-Tumbling categories are separated into age divisions and categories.
Divisions -Birth Year- Gender- Team Size
GAME DAY CATEGORIES
Recreational Game Day categories will be combined as listed if there are not at least 2 teams in each division.
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8-12 years, female/male
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14-18 years, female/male
