It is a privilege to be a part of the Kuna High School Cheer & Stunt team and each member will act in a respectable manner. You start representing Kuna High School the minute you become a part of the KHS Cheer & Stunt Team. Your actions reflect back on your teammates, program, and school.
Sideline and Competitive Season
Cheerleading requires a HUGE time commitment not just from athletes, but from their families as well. Our season begins in June running through end of February of the following year. Commitments include but are not limited to practices, camp, games, performances, homecoming week events, competitions, fundraising, community service, and mentoring. Summer/ School Year practice schedules will be posted once team is established.
Outside Teams
If you are on any outside club team(s), including-competitive cheerleading, please see coaches for requirements. Decisions for participation eligibility will be made upon schedule review with KHS coaching staff. Cheerleading at KHS is an extremely high commitment and requires an outstanding level of dedication; we need our athletes focused on KHS Cheer & Stunt as the sport it is. Please share your involvement in any of these activities with coaching staff prior to tryouts.
Cheer Season Practices
Cheer Practices will begin June 3rd. No practices held July 2nd-July 7th or August 4th-8th.
We ask that you look at your vacation schedules prior to committing and attempt to plan absences during our off weeks.
Please make sure that you can handle the time commitment prior to stepping into tryouts!
Tumbling Partnership
Tumbling is a large part of our competitive cheer season. We have partnered with a competitive Cheer Gym to improve our skills throughout the summer. We will attend outside tumbling sessions with this group once weekly June-September. (Please note: If you are enrolled in tumbling elsewhere, you may be excused from the group tumbling sessions with prior approval).
Summer
The summer will consist of summer practices, team camp, fundraising, and community events. There will be breaks and we strongly encourage you to plan your vacations when possible around those. If you have previously scheduled vacations please let us know as soon as possible.
Summer Practice/Conditioning schedule will be discussed at parent meeting.
Cheer camp dates are TBD. (Likely to be in July)
Commitment over the summer is imperative to the success of the team, please ensure you are able to commit to summer conditioning. We are looking for outstanding team members with a high level of commitment!
Fall & Winter
Once school starts we will adjust practice schedules accordingly to accommodate games and allow for time for studies. We will be coordinating schedules with multiple sports, so we ask for your patience and flexibility as we may adjust slightly as the year progresses.
Both cheer teams will support all of the following sports/teams: JV & Varsity Football, JV & Varsity Boys & Girls Basketball.
Varsity will be expected to be at all home AND away Varsity football games. JV will be expected to be at all home games. We will look at travel when necessary for further games such as East Idaho. District and State games will be addressed as they arise. For Basketball, both JV and Varsity attend home games, until the District Tournament in which all games, both home and away are attended.
Cheer Competition Season
We compete in 4 different routines. Show, Sideline, Pom, and Stunt.
Our competitions start in November and end in late Feb.. We are allowed 4 competitions, not to include Districts and State. - Additionally we plan to attend a Nationals competition out of state.
We start training and learning skills/routines starting in the summer and build throughout the season.
We will be selecting our Varsity competition team over the course of the season based on skill, performance, behavior, attitudes, respect, work ethic, energy, etc. There will be an official tryout for selected competition routines in August. All current KHS cheerleaders will be considered for these positions. We are allowed 24 on the mat and will select a few alternates as well. These selections will be at the coaching staff discretion. Competing is a privilege. Selections can be changed at any time based on what is best for the teams competition success. Both JV and Varsity will be competing this season in some aspect.
Excessive attendance issues or excessive sitting out without medical documentation from a healthcare provider may determine a cheerleaders placement on a competition team.
Varsity will be working for a Nationals Bid- Should bid be received additional parent meeting with fee information and schedule will be held.
Varsity Lettering Guidelines:
Complete a full season on the Game Day Varsity cheer team (with 85% attendance or greater) and/or Compete in 2 Varsity Competition Routines
Must participate in 90% of practices.
Must be in compliance with the KHS Cheer Contract. (To include all eligibility requirements.)
Social Media
Athletes will not participate in ANY inappropriate social media postings- to include posts, pictures, comments, or being seen or tagged in others inappropriate posts.
You represent Kuna High School and are expected to uphold a higher standard and code of moral conduct.
This means NO PROFANITY on social media (posts/comments) or posting of inappropriate pictures.
The coach will forward any questionable postings to that cheerleader parents/guardian.
These rules apply to all forms of social media including texting, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Tik-Tok, Visco, YouTube......any and all other avenues of social media.
Spam social media accounts will NOT be tolerated or acceptable by members of the KHS Cheer & Stunt teams.
Appearance, Uniforms, and Equipment
Uniforms will only be worn during designated games and activities (school with prior coaches approval).
Uniforms (past or present) are to never be given to non-members to wear for events, costume purposes, etc.
Hair must be pulled back for ALL games/practices all year. Do not wait to arrive at practice or the game, be prepared ahead.
NO jewelry of any kind can be worn to any practice/game/competition. This includes earrings, watches, apple watches, fit bits, bracelets, anklets, necklaces, belly rings, tongue rings, plastic plugs and any other piercings. This is a safety rule and is an IDHSAA rule.
Nails may not be longer than fingertip length at any practice, games or competition.
Athlete Participation
Athletes are expected to be at all cheer practices and assigned activities.
Athletes must be in attendance at school at least half of the day of a game in order to participate. If a full day is missed, a doctor's note must be provided. This is an IDHSAA policy.
Demerit System and Disciplinary Procedures
Outline of Demerit System
.5 Demerit will be used for the following:
a. Being 1-10 minutes late to a practice, game, event, or function without prior clearance.
b. Leaving early from a practice, game, event, or function.
c. Incorrectly wearing or not wearing assigned uniform pieces to school or events.
1 Demerit will be used for the following:
a. Parent Called Absences
Each athlete will get 2 Excused absences each month as long and they adhear to the following requirements. After their 2 parent excused absences, any further absences, even when parent approved, will result in a Demerit.
This includes being sick or family emergency, as well as any absences communicated with the coach. Coach reserves the right to approve other absences that may fall into this category.
These absences must be emailed/called/texted in to the team head coach at least one hour prior to practice/game report time.
Physician excused absences with a note will not be counted against the cheerleader.
b. Stunting and Tumbling without supervision of cheer coach, or without approval.
c. Inappropriate behavior or failure to comply during game suspension.
d. Being more than 10 minutes late to a practice, game, or event without prior clearance.
2 Demerits will be used for the following:
a. Unexcused absences
This includes missing practice or game to attend a different school activity, like a school dance.
This also includes not informing the squad coach at least one hour prior to practice/game.
The following behaviors could result in 1-5 demerits, or dismissal, based on coach’s discretion.
a. P.D.A. in any KHS cheer gear (i.e. excessive or obscene hugging, kissing, making out.. Refer to school student handbook)
b. Showing poor sportsmanship at events or functions.
c. Using profane or vulgar language/ hand signs during practice, games, events, on school properties, or while in uniform at any time.
d. Showing disrespect to cheer coaches/ advisors, other cheerleaders, or any school staff.
e. Disrespectful behavior, unbecoming or inappropriate language or photos posted on social networking sites.
Consequences
Five Demerits: There will be a meeting set up between cheerleader, parent, and coach.
Seven Demerits: Cheerleader is placed on contract, including game suspension*, as determined by the coaches.
Ten Demerits: Cheerleader will be removed from the program.
*Definition of Game Suspension: Cheerleaders must be in full uniform with hair done to coaches expectations. Cell phones and music are to be put away. Cheerleader is expected to be sitting on the bench next to coach or administration for duration of the game and supporting (not distracting) their team. Failure to complete adequate suspension will result in 2 additional demerits.
YOU CAN WORK OFF YOUR DEMERITS. There will be many opportunities to work off demerits. A few examples include: running a mile, vacuuming mats, attending other KHS events, cheering extra basketball games, cleaning the closets, HITT workouts, extra weights training with KHS, ect. The amount of demerits removed is at the discretion of the coaching staff.
-Loss of letter, removal from competitions, games, captain removal
a. Conduct unbecoming of an ambassador, representative, and example for high school aged appropriate behavior (illegal activity)
b. Abusing illegal substances or alcohol at any time.
-Automatic removal from the cheer squad will occur for the following actions:
a. Failing resolution of a repeated offense or problem after placement of contract.
b. Refusing to follow policies and procedures of Kuna High School as outlined in the student handbook and/or websites.
c. Failure to receive a school required physical exam by physician.
-Removal from Program
Any athlete who has been removed from the program will not be allowed to tryout the following year.
Athlete Expectations:
The following are NOT tolerated - NO exceptions:
Excessive Profanity
Talking excessively or being unprofessional during games to other cheerleaders or fans
Leaving performance area during game time
PDA with boyfriend/girlfriend while in uniform/cheer gear or during game/practice/performances (no physical contact)
Inappropriate social media postings/comments
Talking during the National Anthem/silent time or while a player is injured
Talking during instruction time at practice
Gossip/Disrespect to other squad members or the Coaches
Smoking, vaping, drinking, or using drugs of any kind
Failing grades in line with the IDHSAA athletics grade policy
Inability to get along with other cheerleaders
Excessive tardies, excused, and unexcused absences
Disrespect to administration, faculty, staff, or to cheer coaches
Parents who cause issues such as complaining, gossiping, arguing with coaches, failure to make payments, etc
Cell phone usage during games, practices, team events, etc will not be allowed
Any of the above in excess will be grounds for immediate consequence of demerits, benching, suspension, and/or dismissal from the team at the coach’s discretion. Behavior issues will always be addressed first with the athlete, secondarily with a parent if improvement is not seen, and in excessive or severe behavior cases also with a school administrator/counselor.
Transportation:
PRACTICES
It is the athletes responsibility to get to and from practices, home games, events, and bus pick up/drop off locations
Most teammates/parents are willing to carpool if you live close to each other
GAMES
Athletes are required to ride the bus TO every game when provided by KHS
Parents must sign out their child after a game or they will need to ride the bus back to KHS
If your child is to ride home after an away game with someone else, a parent note or email must be sent/submitted PRIOR to cheerleaders loading the bus at KHS to head to an away game. If not sent by then they will ride the bus back to KHS
COMPETITIONS
Athletes are required to ride the bus TO every competition
Athletes are also require to ride the bus FROM every competition
Parent Partnership Guidelines
Cheerleading is a competitive and disciplined sport. We coach the same way.
Do not share negative thoughts about the coaching staff or the program with your child. It is impossible to run a successful program when key members tear it down from the inside.
The team always comes first- this is NOT an individual sport.
We may require your child to be more disciplined than they are accustomed to.
We expect a high level of discipline, focus, and respect.
ALL communication is to be done through the Band app or the KHS cheer email. (Don’t worry-we all get the notifications and will respond in a timely manner!) PARENTS will be given a phone number to call ONLY in the case of an emergency. TEXT MESSAGES TO ANY COACHES PERSONAL PHONE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
Parents will be required to put volunteer a certain number of hours each year to help with the team. i.e. fundraising, parent board, team dinners, team gifts, etc. (this will be discussed in more detail once the team is selected)
All parents must sign the Parent Code of Conduct