High School 16-17 Nfhs Rules Changes

[luv2cheer92]

I would love to see an unreleased complete double-up, that would change so much for Senior 5!

From prep level and all star, but this is the first that comes to mind, especially point flyer. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're talking about, there are lots of senior 5 teams that have flyers making 2 full rotations, not starting with the hips/bases kinda already turned.

 

[Official OWECheer]

From prep level and all star, but this is the first that comes to mind, especially point flyer. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're talking about, there are lots of senior 5 teams that have flyers making 2 full rotations, not starting with the hips/bases kinda already turned.

I think you and I are now thinking of the standard 1.75 double with turned bases... the flyer spins twice but the bases have to rotate for that to happen.

IDK I'm confused LOL.

 

[luv2cheer92]

I think you and I are now thinking of the standard 1.75 double with turned bases... the flyer spins twice but the bases have to rotate for that to happen.

IDK I'm confused LOL.

Me too lol, the bases aren't turned in the video I posted.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

All Stars is a whole different game. The USASF has the ability to change rules quickly if they see a need. The NFHS gets basically one go at it every year, and then we're stuck until the next meeting.

 

[BuegeSmalls]

So are high schoolers allowed to double up? That's so awkward...


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How is that awkward?


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[_MRB]

How is that awkward?


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you don't see many teams.... well at least i don't see many middle school teams doubling up, not underestimating anything because those could be junior 5/senior five athletes of course, but yeah i'm just starstruck lol

 

[davidmamahit]

Sorry for all the posts, just keep thinking of new things!

I would also like to see the rule added that single leg extended stunts can connect.

So I cheered back in 2010 and our pyramid that year was two girls going up on opposite libs in the center, holding hands, and hitching to two prep groups on either side. That was legal back then, we did it two years in a row and nothing was said. Fast forward five years later and I teach the same pyramid to the group I coach now and I find out it's illegal about two weeks prior to competition. I was freaking. When did it become illegal for extended libs to connect for high school?

 

[davidmamahit]

hey, i know this might not be the best place for this question.. but from my understanding, high school teams are not allowed to double up, they're not even allowed to 1.5 up right? no twisting can be more than 1.25 rotations? someone PLEASE correct me if i'm wrong, but i've saw a video of a middle school team doing their stunt sequence for nationals or whatever comp it was, and they were doubling up, they also did either a handstand or backhand spring up, i can't remember, but I asked the person, and they told me "maybe it's not legal in your state" I thought the rules were the same for everyone?

High school teams can double up. As for middle schools, it depends on the state. In Virginia, the middle school teams can just do whatever the high school teams do rule-wise.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

So I cheered back in 2010 and our pyramid that year was two girls going up on opposite libs in the center, holding hands, and hitching to two prep groups on either side. That was legal back then, we did it two years in a row and nothing was said. Fast forward five years later and I teach the same pyramid to the group I coach now and I find out it's illegal about two weeks prior to competition. I was freaking. When did it become illegal for extended libs to connect for high school?

If they were holding hands while standing on one leg at an extended level in 2010 it was illegal. Connected, extended, one-legged stunts have been illegal under NFHS rules for as long as I can remember. I am not 100% sure about AACCA guidelines, but I think the rules were the same at that time. If you were competing for your high school, but competing at one of the companies that hosts competitions geared towards all stars, then it might have just gotten missed or the rules might have been different (some of those companies did not enforce NFHS/AACCA rules). If you did that pyramid on the floor at UCA nationals, you really got away with one.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

High school teams can double up. As for middle schools, it depends on the state. In Virginia, the middle school teams can just do whatever the high school teams do rule-wise.

The rules for middle school teams under AACCA guidelines are the same as for high school teams, with the exception of no basket tosses. High Schools are also held to NFHS guidelines (which over the course of the last few years have become much more in sync with AACCA guidelines).

 

[davidmamahit]

The rules for middle school teams under AACCA guidelines are the same as for high school teams, with the exception of no basket tosses. High Schools are also held to NFHS guidelines (which over the course of the last few years have become much more in sync with AACCA guidelines).

I'm learning more as I go because I had no idea about baskets for middle schools either. I coach in Virginia and we're under Virginia High School League. The middle schools in my area have a local competition every year that is officiated by state-sanctioned VHSL judges and they have never once said anything about our middle schools doing basket tosses. Also I remember a few years ago when I was a junior coach and we contacted VHSL personally to ask about the rule differences between high school and middle school and they told us that anything the high schools can do, the middle schools can do rule-wise.

And also about that connecting lib pyramid. For two years in a row we took that pyramid to state competitions and they even wrote on our score sheets things like "Creative pyramid!" and what not. And now that I think about it my school also hired a UCA camp and they're the ones who originally taught us the pyramid.

This year at our local competition one school did a pyramid that was extension - lib - lib - extension and they got deducted big time on their score sheet (illegal stunts -20 points, illegal execution of a legal stunt is -5 points on VHSL level)

Thank you for informing me! In August, all Virginia school coaches have to attend rule clinics and I'm bringing up all of this to our state director.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

I'm learning more as I go because I had no idea about baskets for middle schools either. I coach in Virginia and we're under Virginia High School League. The middle schools in my area have a local competition every year that is officiated by state-sanctioned VHSL judges and they have never once said anything about our middle schools doing basket tosses. Also I remember a few years ago when I was a junior coach and we contacted VHSL personally to ask about the rule differences between high school and middle school and they told us that anything the high schools can do, the middle schools can do rule-wise.

And also about that connecting lib pyramid. For two years in a row we took that pyramid to state competitions and they even wrote on our score sheets things like "Creative pyramid!" and what not. And now that I think about it my school also hired a UCA camp and they're the ones who originally taught us the pyramid.

This year at our local competition one school did a pyramid that was extension - lib - lib - extension and they got deducted big time on their score sheet (illegal stunts -20 points, illegal execution of a legal stunt is -5 points on VHSL level)

Thank you for informing me! In August, all Virginia school coaches have to attend rule clinics and I'm bringing up all of this to our state director.

I'll give you a brief rundown of how it all works, and how it's changed in the 20 years I've been in the industry. This is in an effort to both inform, and to hopefully keep you out of a courtroom at some point:

There are three basic sets of rules for every high school cheer team:

American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA): The AACCA publishes the safety guidelines enforced at UCA/NCA nationals. The AACCA guidelines are also the legal standard by which you will be judged should someone get hurt and choose to sue you. If you were to be taken to court, someone from AACCA would be called as an expert witness to testify whether you were negligent or contributory to the injury. So the AACCA guidelines include such things as teaching proper progressions; wearing appropriate footwear, etc. Along with the typical "no 2 1/2 high pyramids." If you aren't following these guidelines, you could be potentially liable for an injury if your failure to do so is felt to have contributed to the injury. You can find AACCA guidelines at Cheerleading Safety News & Resources - CheerSafe or AACCA Cheerleading Safety Education and Risk Management

National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS or "Federation"): I am almost positive, but admit to not having 100% certainty that every state high school athletic association is a member of the NFHS. As such, every high school basketball team in the country, assuming their state athletic associations are willing to sanction the contest, can play any other high school basketball team in the country without confusion about nitpicky rules. Because most high school sports associations play major sports by the NFHS rules, they also adopt the NFHS safety rules as the guidelines for their cheer teams

Twenty years ago, there were subtle, but costly differences between the AACCA and the NFHS. For example, for several years the "yo-yo" dismount was legal in AACCA but not in NFHS. In the last four or five years, there has been a steady movement to have the rules aligned. It should be noted, though, that AACCA has the ability to make changes, if necessary, must more quickly than NFHS. NFHS only meets once a year to look at potential changes.

The last set of guidelines are very location-specific and govern the competition format itself. Most every form of cheer competition has adopted the 2 1/2 minute mixed cheer/music routine, but there are still a few obscure formats in existence. Up until the Kentucky High School Athletic Association took over competitive cheerleading a few years back, the Kentucky Association of Pep Organization Sponsors was still supporting both the 2 1/2 minute routine and the "traditional" routine. Traditional, at one time, included a non-gymnastic cheer (no stunting/tumbling), a normal cheer, and a dance. It was BRUTAL to watch.

 

[AScheer]

I'll give you a brief rundown of how it all works, and how it's changed in the 20 years I've been in the industry. This is in an effort to both inform, and to hopefully keep you out of a courtroom at some point:

There are three basic sets of rules for every high school cheer team:

American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA): The AACCA publishes the safety guidelines enforced at UCA/NCA nationals. The AACCA guidelines are also the legal standard by which you will be judged should someone get hurt and choose to sue you. If you were to be taken to court, someone from AACCA would be called as an expert witness to testify whether you were negligent or contributory to the injury. So the AACCA guidelines include such things as teaching proper progressions; wearing appropriate footwear, etc. Along with the typical "no 2 1/2 high pyramids." If you aren't following these guidelines, you could be potentially liable for an injury if your failure to do so is felt to have contributed to the injury. You can find AACCA guidelines at Cheerleading Safety News & Resources - CheerSafe or AACCA Cheerleading Safety Education and Risk Management

National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS or "Federation"): I am almost positive, but admit to not having 100% certainty that every state high school athletic association is a member of the NFHS. As such, every high school basketball team in the country, assuming their state athletic associations are willing to sanction the contest, can play any other high school basketball team in the country without confusion about nitpicky rules. Because most high school sports associations play major sports by the NFHS rules, they also adopt the NFHS safety rules as the guidelines for their cheer teams

Twenty years ago, there were subtle, but costly differences between the AACCA and the NFHS. For example, for several years the "yo-yo" dismount was legal in AACCA but not in NFHS. In the last four or five years, there has been a steady movement to have the rules aligned. It should be noted, though, that AACCA has the ability to make changes, if necessary, must more quickly than NFHS. NFHS only meets once a year to look at potential changes.

The last set of guidelines are very location-specific and govern the competition format itself. Most every form of cheer competition has adopted the 2 1/2 minute mixed cheer/music routine, but there are still a few obscure formats in existence. Up until the Kentucky High School Athletic Association took over competitive cheerleading a few years back, the Kentucky Association of Pep Organization Sponsors was still supporting both the 2 1/2 minute routine and the "traditional" routine. Traditional, at one time, included a non-gymnastic cheer (no stunting/tumbling), a normal cheer, and a dance. It was BRUTAL to watch.

I never knew what KAPOS stood for! Pep organization sponsors?! Never could have guessed that!

 

[AScheer]

I'm learning more as I go because I had no idea about baskets for middle schools either. I coach in Virginia and we're under Virginia High School League. The middle schools in my area have a local competition every year that is officiated by state-sanctioned VHSL judges and they have never once said anything about our middle schools doing basket tosses. Also I remember a few years ago when I was a junior coach and we contacted VHSL personally to ask about the rule differences between high school and middle school and they told us that anything the high schools can do, the middle schools can do rule-wise.

And also about that connecting lib pyramid. For two years in a row we took that pyramid to state competitions and they even wrote on our score sheets things like "Creative pyramid!" and what not. And now that I think about it my school also hired a UCA camp and they're the ones who originally taught us the pyramid.

This year at our local competition one school did a pyramid that was extension - lib - lib - extension and they got deducted big time on their score sheet (illegal stunts -20 points, illegal execution of a legal stunt is -5 points on VHSL level)

Thank you for informing me! In August, all Virginia school coaches have to attend rule clinics and I'm bringing up all of this to our state director.

I think baskets became illegal for middle schools around 201o or so, but not all competitions removed them. I think Jam events continued to allow. I imagine now that jam is varsity owned that baskets for middle schools would finally be out at those competitions.

 

[AScheer]

While we're on the subject of rules, one I've always wondered about is spring floors. Both sets of rules state it is illegal to compete or perform on spring floors. I don't understand how the EP's choose to overlook that rule but not the others, especially since most EP's are varsity and varsity is the one making the rule. Technically if a team competes on a spring floor and a girl gets injured, the coach could be sued for negligence. Since the rules clearly state no spring floors for competition or performance then there is no way that coach could win a lawsuit. Do coaches with spring floor teams just not realize this or do they not care?

I've noticed the rules have changed to allow spring floors at practice, where they used to say no there too. Maybe we're on our way to seeing the approval of spring for schools? Or maybe they just realized how hard a dead floor can be on your body 5 days a week.