High School 7th And 8th Grade On Hs Teams

[TealShades]

Our rule used to be "7th and 8th graders can cheer varsity as long as they share a campus." 5th graders were also allowed to cheer middle school if they "shared a campus." I found the rule to be there mostly to help the small k-12 or private schools. Around here those have been the only ones I've seen that utilize it. That may be why I don't have strong feelings against it. Our school and the lower one technically share a campus, so we tried to do this once. Our AD wouldn't allow it. I personally don't see an issue with it.

Where I do have an issue though, is that I've been told the new rule is not if they share a campus, but if they are all under the same board of education. THAT changes things majorly. I'm going to be doing some digging to find out if this is rumor or fact. This essentially means I can legally take the best kids from my school and the best kids from the other 3 high schools in the county to make one competitive powerhouse. Legal, because we're all under the same BOE. Our other high schools aren't competitive, so we offer a sport/activity they don't. Essentially an allstar like team, getting to chose the best kids within the entire county and take them to UCA, where other schools only have the kids in their building to chose from. I'm hoping that the talk I'm hearing is just being blown out of proportion and is not actually the case.

We have a similar rule with pulling for other schools but that are under the same public schoo system. It's not to make powerhouse teams (could be used that way) but more for pure numbers. My area only has one high school so the schools that could pull from are several middle schools (and only 8th graders). It doesn't happen for all sports. Usually the only sport that pulls the most (for middle school only) is football. Each mid school don't have the numbers for a whole team. So they combined 3 or 4 schools to form one team. I'm not sure if it's allowed with cheer. I'm also not sure how it works for other public schools (I'm sure the same). Our public school is small only one HS and handful of middle/Elem schools that technically are feeder schools for the HS.

 

[cheerisloving]

Yea I talked to someone I know who is still coaching in MS and she said they are still stunting and tumbling.

It must be different, I don't think that was a thing in my county, at least when I was in school. But middle school sports were pretty big then. It could be different now.

You know cheer in VA is v v different geographically. Middle school sports are not big at least where I was in NOVA, at least it wasn't back in my day. Only track, wrestling, tennis and maaaybe swimming (?) had actual championships. Cheer was 100% sideline and ran by a teacher trying to get a check. No one tumbled, and it was funny because I was heavy in AS at the time and I remember doing a bhs at a game and the AD having a fit.

 

[luv2cheer92]

You know cheer in VA is v v different geographically. Middle school sports are not big at least where I was in NOVA, at least it wasn't back in my day. Only track, wrestling, tennis and maaaybe swimming (?) had actual championships. Cheer was 100% sideline and ran by a teacher trying to get a check. No one tumbled, and it was funny because I was heavy in AS at the time and I remember doing a bhs at a game and the AD having a fit.

So weird how different it was so close in NOVA. I think every sport had championships, many sports had A teams/B teams (basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball come to mind). We had a county cheer championship comp as well, which I believe still exists if I'm not mistaken. Everybody went to watch the football and boys basketball games. I think the only sports we didn't have that we had in high school were lacrosse, field hockey, and gymnastics.

 

[cheerisloving]

So weird how different it was so close in NOVA. I think every sport had championships, many sports had A teams/B teams (basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball come to mind). We had a county cheer championship comp as well, which I believe still exists if I'm not mistaken. Everybody went to watch the football and boys basketball games. I think the only sports we didn't have that we had in high school were lacrosse, field hockey, and gymnastics.

Whut! Lol we tennis, track, swim, sideline cheer, wrestling, bball and soccer. The cheer thing is the biggest blow because most of the other sports have pretty active club teams, and AS is literally just becoming a thing that people do and it's a very small amount, at least in my county. Making a team state-contender when most your new people have never based or tumbled, or even been to a competition is tough.

I still hate that girl who broke her arm in the early 2000s lol

 

[Hscoach10]

I absolutely hate the rule. Our league/district/state level would never allow it but even if there was a way around it I still wouldn't do it. I really don't understand why it's a thing?? I get it if they are very small district and are actually all in one school but otherwise I just don't understand it? I get so irritated when I see Jvs with little 7th graders in my opinion it is a big advantage! And some of the programs with 7th and 8th graders are D1 division. Either way I wish that high school division should be for high school athletes only.

 

[cheermommaRN]

Nope. Our junior highs have no cheerleading and they are not allowed to tryout for any HS sport. Heck freshman can't even be on JV let alone Varsity.

 

[dat.jpp]

Anybody know the rules for PIAA cheerleading? I think I saw someone say that high school cheer is only for 9-12th. What about for schools that is combined in a junior-senior high school that has 6-12th or a private school that has K-12?

 

[coacha]

Anybody know the rules for PIAA cheerleading? I think I saw someone say that high school cheer is only for 9-12th. What about for schools that is combined in a junior-senior high school that has 6-12th or a private school that has K-12?

Article XIX, Section 2 talks about not allowing 7/8 graders to participate with 10-12th graders. (https://www.piaa.org/assets/web/documents/Handbook - Section I - Constitution and By-laws.pdf) It's in the section labeled Junior High/Middle School so I don't know how it affects 6-12 or K-12 schools.

Note that these are general PIAA rules, which only recognize competitive spirit. So essentially sideline is open to whatever you and your AD decide.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

I absolutely hate the rule. Our league/district/state level would never allow it but even if there was a way around it I still wouldn't do it. I really don't understand why it's a thing?? I get it if they are very small district and are actually all in one school but otherwise I just don't understand it? I get so irritated when I see Jvs with little 7th graders in my opinion it is a big advantage! And some of the programs with 7th and 8th graders are D1 division. Either way I wish that high school division should be for high school athletes only.

I hate watching high school football players stunt with middle school midgets in the coed division. I want to tell those boys to toss a real flyer. They're going to struggle hardcore when they get to a college team and find some poor girl who's found her freshman 15.

Edited to spare people's feewings

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I hate watching high school football players stunt with middle school midgets in the coed division. I want to tell those boys to take the plastic wrap off their junk and toss a real flyer.

Yikes!

 

[quitthedrama]

I hate watching high school football players stunt with middle school midgets in the coed division. I want to tell those boys to take the plastic wrap off their junk and toss a real flyer.

this is unneccesary - particularly from a "coach"

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

this is unneccesary - particularly from a "coach"

There, I edited it. Does that spare your bleeding heart?