High School Hs Level Rules?

[FamUsM0m]

I have done numerous searches. Most middle school cheer parents probably wouldn't go this far but the curiosity is eating away at me. My cp made her MS team this year. This is the FIRST year since before I cheered MS that they are allowing stunting. (in our city anyway) The coach mentioned they were cleared to stunt at VHSL Level 1. (being an allstar mom I hear level 1 and I think thigh stands and halfs) Is it the same for HS? Forgive my ignorance lol...

 

[cheerforeverever]

I've actually never heard of school teams in reference to levels, aside from certification levels for coaches (unless they are competing in allstar competitions such as Jamfest, which uses allstar leveling). Typically school divisions are divided by school size/squad size and possibly into novice/intermediate/advanced for competition for some companies, and then sideline just follows NHSF/AACCA rules (i.e. no baskets for middle schools, no double twisting dismounts, etc.). I would inquire about it with the coach when possible, as the VHSA website had nothing about levels/stunting restrictions on there.

If your daughter's team is like most MS teams (lots of first time stunters), I wouldn't encourage them to do anything above halfs really. Anything more than that typically gets janky real fast at that age in school cheer overall, because the first year girls don't understand technique and start to use back/arms/etc. instead of legs to lift for more difficult stunts. Out of all the camps I've staffed, most MS teams have maybe one strong group (of all star kids lv 1-5) that can do extensions, and the rest I'd have to reiterate technique for preps over and over and over.:confused:

 

[xomckenzieee]

Competition Cheer
Try that. It seems to have different levels, classifications, etc. It's most likely in the Spirt Handbook they keep referencing.

 

[FamUsM0m]

I've actually never heard of school teams in reference to levels, aside from certification levels for coaches (unless they are competing in allstar competitions such as Jamfest, which uses allstar leveling). Typically school divisions are divided by school size/squad size and possibly into novice/intermediate/advanced for competition for some companies, and then sideline just follows NHSF/AACCA rules (i.e. no baskets for middle schools, no double twisting dismounts, etc.). I would inquire about it with the coach when possible, as the VHSA website had nothing about levels/stunting restrictions on there.

If your daughter's team is like most MS teams (lots of first time stunters), I wouldn't encourage them to do anything above halfs really. Anything more than that typically gets janky real fast at that age in school cheer overall, because the first year girls don't understand technique and start to use back/arms/etc. instead of legs to lift for more difficult stunts. Out of all the camps I've staffed, most MS teams have maybe one strong group (of all star kids lv 1-5) that can do extensions, and the rest I'd have to reiterate technique for preps over and over and over.:confused:

Yeah this is the first i've heard of levels for school too. I cheered MS and we were NOT allowed to stunt AT ALL...we could not bear weight on another individual. it was lame...so going into HS and allstar in my sophomore year was a reality check...

My cp is level 5 in allstar and all she cares about at this point is basing. She volunteered to teach the other girls but their coach has NEVER cheered before and my cp is not certified to coach. I have a feeling this is NOT going to go well...

 

[INeverStopCheering]

I'm assuming you're in VA, but not in Chesterfield. I just looked through the entire NFHS Spirit section and I can't even find the actual spirit handbook. I've never heard of there being levels in MS/HS cheerleading. As far as I know, VHSL has a set of rules for middle and high schoolers that does not change regardless of where you are. Your school system can allow you to do less, but not more. The most middle schoolers can do in our county are thigh stands, preps, and RO BHS. No stunt may pass above extended level, no tosses are allowed, jumps cannot be connected to the BHS, and one leg stunts may only be done at thigh level.

 

[cheerforeverever]

Yeah this is the first i've heard of levels for school too. I cheered MS and we were NOT allowed to stunt AT ALL...we could not bear weight on another individual. it was lame...so going into HS and allstar in my sophomore year was a reality check...

My cp is level 5 in allstar and all she cares about at this point is basing. She volunteered to teach the other girls but their coach has NEVER cheered before and my cp is not certified to coach. I have a feeling this is NOT going to go well...

Oh gosh, its never good when the coach hasn't cheered before. Do you know if she's at least taken safety certification classes (AACCA spirit safety certified or the like)? It's important that the girls not only learn how to perform basic stunting skills, but also the rules of stunting (spotting, everyone understanding what skill is going up and how its going to get down before anything is built, perfecting skills before moving on, using technique, knowing that the only person that should be talking while stunting is the backspot, no goofing around while someone is in the air, etc.)! Otherwise you get kids just playing around while trying to put someone up and being distracted.....the "spotters" don't understand that they need to pay attention and step in to catch the top girl (there is the "'i dont want her to fall on me' mentality rather than the 'better me on the ground than her' mentality" with beginning stunters), so splat. Top girl on the ground.

It's also actually surprising that sometimes the basic skills are the most difficult for allstar kids to perform/know how to do. I would get varsity teams all the time that had squad arabesque full or double downs, but the girls wouldn't know how to do a proper thigh stand or shoulder sit. Since we rarely use them in allstars, I remember actually having to learn the correct way to do them for each part (especially how to cleanly dismount from them) at staff meeting before my first summer haha. Explaining what to do vs. fixing things when they are going wrong are also two very different animals!

Maybe your daughter could take leadership by meeting with the coach and going through how to do each part of a thigh stand and eventually a prep together with correct technique, so that they can both teach a bit and be on the same page. Also, they can go over what all stunters need to do before stunting (spotting drills, etc.) and understand to stress correct technique and cleanliness: i.e. perfect thigh stands before moving on to preps or shoulder sits. I'd say the biggest thing I saw with novice stunters would be wanting to use their back to get preps up (bases not starting with feet apart and knees bent. They'd bend over to catch the foot with legs not bent and then pull their back up to hold the foot. Works to get a prep up but not for any harder stunts in the future....it will also kill the bases backs), so its very crucial that these behaviors are spotted and fixed before they become habits.....which is why the coach should know what she's doing for at least those 2 stunts and stunt safety.

Sorry, that was a long post lol.

 

[FamUsM0m]

I'm assuming you're in VA, but not in Chesterfield. I just looked through the entire NFHS Spirit section and I can't even find the actual spirit handbook. I've never heard of there being levels in MS/HS cheerleading. As far as I know, VHSL has a set of rules for middle and high schoolers that does not change regardless of where you are. Your school system can allow you to do less, but not more. The most middle schoolers can do in our county are thigh stands, preps, and RO BHS. No stunt may pass above extended level, no tosses are allowed, jumps cannot be connected to the BHS, and one leg stunts may only be done at thigh level.

They are allowed to tumble at any level but not sure what kind of limitations on stunting. She just said "cleared to stunt level 1" at the parent meeting...being an allstar mom that screams "thigh stand and halfs" to me...i may write the athletic dept to get a clearer understanding. I really don't want these kids getting hurt.

 

[CoachMandiCF]

They are allowed to tumble at any level but not sure what kind of limitations on stunting. She just said "cleared to stunt level 1" at the parent meeting...being an allstar mom that screams "thigh stand and halfs" to me...i may write the athletic dept to get a clearer understanding. I really don't want these kids getting hurt.

I coach a HS Comp team under VHSL rules and I've never heard of any "levels" that the coach is referring to. Now, us in all stars who coach HS are saying "yes, we can do level 4 pyramids!" but I've never heard of being cleared to stunt at a particular level. I'm not familiar with the MS rules, just the HS portion but you can contact VHSL (it may take a while to get a response though) via e-mail is usually how I do it.

It also sounds like the coach may be a bit in over her head - see if she'd be interested in FAME doing a stunt camp for them. And Lewis is a wealth of knowledge with his VHSL background too. He may have some more information.

And it's hard to get the rules - you can't find the full version online anywhere. You have to take the VHSL rules clinic to get it.

Good luck!!!!