ANKENY HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADING
SQUAD INFORMATIONAL MEETING 2017
CONGRATUALTIONS ON
MAKING THE SQUAD!
We are so excited for this year’s
Ankeny Hawk Cheerleading
Squads! This will be a great year!
We are all so excited to get these squads up and running! Tonight will be an exciting night. You will receive a
lot of information including your first fundraiser! Tonight you will also have an order form. Please DO NOT
leave with this form, the sooner we can get these items ordered the sooner we can get them in! Everyone
will also be measured for uniforms. We need to make sure we have enough pieces to fit everyone! Do not
miss your table!!
Please be sure to talk to your Level Coach if you have any questions!
I. Coaching Staff:
Coach Katie Bales: Head Coach
Coach Britne Davis: Varsity Assistant
Coach Allie Ring: JV Assistant
Coach Kelly Ugolini: Freshman Assistant
II. Expectations of an Ankeny Cheerleader:
A. Program Book Overview (reference AHS Cheer School Fusion page)
1. Attendance
i.
ABSENCE FROM PRACTICES, GAMES, OR OTHER TEAM FUNCTIONS WILL
NOT BE TOLERATED. The only absences that will be deemed as excused are: Family
emergency (i.e. death in the family), Academic reasons, School related functions,
Personal illness.
ii.
Penalties for unexcused absences are as follows:
a. Unexcused Tardiness/Unexcused Leaving Early - withheld from ½ of competition.
Per Ankeny High School Student Handbook Policy- greater than 10 minutes late,
it counts as an unexcused absence. 2 Tardy is equal to 1 absence
b. 1st Unexcused Absence - withheld from next competition/game/meet
c. 2nd Unexcused Absence - Indefinite suspension from competition/games/meets
d. 3rd Unexcused Absence - Dismissal from team
2. Lettering/Ending the year in ‘good standing’
i. Ankeny Cheerleaders must have completed the minimum 6 hours of community
service/Service to the squad and have turned in completed forms to coach in order to
end the season in good standing and/or receive an athletic/activity letter.
ii. Cheerleaders must have attended the minimum amount fundraising events asked by
coach at the start of season. Coaches will keep track of attendance at events.
3. Uniform
i. Members must keep nails trimmed below their finger tips and have no acrylics for
safety purposes. Nail polish is accepted only at practices.
ii. Members must have their hair pulled up off their shoulders and away from their face.
No whispies.
iii. Members are NOT allowed to wear jewelry of any kind for safety purposes.
a. This includes any and all plugs or clear options.
iv. Members must have natural hair color promoting our All-American image.
v. At practices, members will wear required camp clothing and cheerleading shoes
(showing bra straps or belly is not acceptable dress)
vi. Members are not allowed to eat or chew gum during practices or games.
vii. Hooded sweatshirts or clothing with pockets will not be allowed during stunting.
viii. Anything worn outside of the formal uniform (listed above) during school, events, or
games is not acceptable uniform wear and will result in consequences like not
participating in part of an event.
ix. When arriving or leaving a school event that requires a performance in
uniform, all cheerleaders are expected to arrive in full Uniform.
Warmups if needed. (Weather permitting)
x. Only skin-tone colored bras or uniform color will be allowed under uniform. No
exceptions. Failure will result in not participating until proper color bra is acquired.
xi. At games AND practices you must have the appropriate all weather shoes.
Competition style shoes are not permitted at ANY AHS Cheer functions. The
Coaching Staff must approve cheer shoes worn by AHS Cheerleaders.
xii. Failure to abide by dress code will result in nonparticipation.
B. Responsibilities immediately following joining the program
1. Fundraisers:
i. Personal Fundraiser: Cookie Dough and Tumblers to help pay for anything
purchased by the cheer account for you. Optional items, camp, bussing… Things
purchased from the cheer Webpage will not be
a. Extra funds raised for individual girls will go back to the program.
a. We start selling TODAY!
b. Every Cheerleader Required to sell 3 items for the Cheer Account first.
After the initial 3 are sold 40% of all items sold go to your cheer
account.
c. Order Forms are due to Coach Bales on April 17 NO EXCEPTIONS!
Turn in at High School after school in the Cafeteria
i. If it is not turned in this day it is not ordered!
d. Pick up of your Cookie Dough orders will be May 10 at the High
School. YOU MUST PICK IT UP THAT DAY! School is in session and
we will not have space in the school fridges/freezers.
i. Parent Volunteers are requested this day to help sort and
distribute.
ii. Sponsorships
a. Each cheerleader will be responsible to find $150 worth of sponsorships to
help the cheerleading program. These funds help pay for materials during the
year as well as new uniform pieces, safety equipment and some
transportation.
a. Those who obtain the $150 in sponsorships will be on our
Sponsorship poster this year.
b. Those who fail to meet the $150 sponsorship requirement will not be
on the poster.
c. Those who get more than 250+ (golden girls) will be in a larger
picture on the poster and receive special recognition throughout the
year.
d. An additional incentive iii. Work Junior Cheer Camp/Clinic
a. TBD - Sign-up will start for this after we have date approval from the
activities office.
iv. Work Carwash
a. June 24th
b. August 19th
a. Cheerleaders are to sign-up to work a car wash.
b. You will be asked to pre-sell some tickets. Those for June will be
picked up at one of the early June Practice dates.
c. Car wash will be located in Prairie Trail Hy-Vee (southside) parking
lot.
v. Additional fundraisers may be added based on total collected. Smaller things will be
face painting at elementary school nights and selling 50/50 raffle tickets at games.
2. Community service events:
i. Participate in at least 6 hours of service (Community/squad) in order to ‘letter’ or
end season in ‘good standing’.
a. If you have reached the $150 sponsorship requirement this time goes down to
5 hours. For every additional $100 (after the initial $150) your service hours
will go down 30 minutes.
ii. The cheerleading program is providing multiple opportunities to volunteer.
iii. Sign-ups will be communicated to you as they come closer and cheerleaders may sign
up at summer practices, over Google docs, or through email.
3. Practicing Cheers, Chants and School Fight Song
i. You will find these on our YouTube page.
4. Attend Camp
i. ALL Members are expected to attend camp.
ii. JV and Freshman teams will be attending Game day camps focusing on cheers,
chants, stunts, dances and how to lead a crowd.
iii. Varsity will be attending the Elite camp focusing on Crowd leading, Stunting and
performance. Stunt groups for the season will be decided here.
iv. There is a safety course that they provide at camp. This is required every year now. If
you do not attend camp you will have to contact Coach Bales to schedule a time to
complete your safety assessment before you are allowed to stunt at games. This
roughly takes 4-5 hours to complete. If you fail your test at the end of the session you
will not be permitted to stunt until you retake and pass the test. You will be expected
to learn the camp material on your own as well as any missed items at practices due
to having to take this assessment at another time.
v. Everyone must also complete the Stunt Progression checklist before being released to
stunt at games or other events. (Freshman – Varsity)
III. Summer Schedule:
A. Summerfest Practice & Parade
1. Must attend practice to participate in parade
2. Expected to attend and represent Ankeny Cheerleading in Summerfest Parade
3. Practice: WEDNESDAY Prior to Summerfest at High School (parking lot)6am-8am
4. Parade: Saturday Roughly 8:00-11:00am. Northview Parking lot. More information will
be given to the girls at practice closer to date.
B. Summer Practices
1. We will have Wednesday practices throughout the summer to go over the Fight song,
Cheers, Chants, Spiriting and Stunting.
2. I am asking seniors to volunteer to be videotaped doing the cheers and chants. Please see
me tonight if you are interested!
i. We will put those on our Youtube page for easy access as well as use them in our
DVD.
ii. The girls will be expected to learn these on their own this summer.
3. Summer Practices will alternate each week between Morning practice and Afternoon
practice on each Wednesday to accommodate work schedules. Must attend at least 2
practices a month.
C. Cheer Camp
Bus: $60 (payment subject to decrease depending on fundraising and sponsorships)
Camp Deposit – $100 Due Tonight
If not attending camp, Coach Bales must be notified no later than June 1st or your
deposit will not be refunded.
1. Camp at the Doubletree Hilton in Cedar Rapids Iowa July 27th – August 1st
i. Leaving around 8AM on the 29th and noon on the 1st.
ii. Expected to attend and represent Ankeny Hawk Cheerleading
iii. Will have practice before camp to figure out stunt groups July 24th, 26th from
6AM-8AM
iv. Projected time to leave 8am
v. Cost for camp $380 – ($100 due as soon as possible to hold our spot at camp)
– 280 left after deposit.
vi. As this is an expectation for squad members if you are not attending you must be
cleared through Coach Bales. Those who do not attend camp will have to schedule
a time to go through the stunt safety class learned at camp after August 1st with
Coach Bales before school starts.
D. Pictures
1. Pictures for the Sponsorship poster will be taken this summer. Date TBD
2. Fall Squad pictures will be taken over the summer.
3. Winter Squad pictures will be taken at a later date.
IV. Proposed Purchases
Many items will be the same year after year; returning cheerleaders may purchase a new version, or keep
what you purchased the previous year.
All costs and items are subject to change or items may be added with or without notice
A. Mandatory Gear: Prices are not definite
1. Camp/practice Clothes- $165 - $185
2. Game Day Bow - $16
3. *Maroon Briefs - $25 – must be maroon. Any other color is considered illegal by ICCA.
– 1 pair comes with camp wear
4. Poms - $45 – different from last year
5. *Warm Up Jacket - $150 – Use every year
6. *Warm up Pants - $60 – May use last previous year items or purchase the new
7. *Sleeves for under uniform - $60 – same from last year
8. *Cheer Shoes - $85 if purchasing your own they must be WHITE ALL LEATHER;
competition style shoes are NOT allowed at ANY practices, games or meets this year.
i. We will be practicing in the shoes we will be using so you get used to stunting with
them.
ii. Cheer Shoes must be all leather or be approved by Coach Bales. Please be aware
that we cheer RAIN OR SHINE in the fall. There will be times that it will rain or
snow. Shoes should be
9. Most of these items will be on our Cheer site for you to purchase online.
- Make sure you try on All items. You will be responsible for returning any items that
do not fit – note anything that comes with a personalization will not be able to
return/exchange
*- If you have these items from previous years you do not need to purchase them again.
B. Optional Items
1. There will be a range of optional items you can purchase such as sweatshirts, pants, bags,
t-shirts and more from this site as well.
C. BILLS
1. First Order (Camp Clothes, poms, shoes, bow – anything needed for camp and early
season) is due May 12th
2. Second Order (Warmups and any extra items) is due June 30th
V. Expected Fall Schedule:
A. Pre-season events:
Gatorade Game: ___________________
(Varsity) Football BBQ: Early August – Expected attendance for all Varsity Football
Cheerleaders
B. School Practice:
Practice will begin August 10th and be held at AHS in the commons/cafeteria for all levels of fall.
Fall Practice Schedule:
Monday 4-6pm
Wednesday 4-6pm
*Tuesday Competition Team 4-6 – (subject to change depending on interest and availability)
Also after school Tuesdays will be poster/sign day for VARSITY. Until all signs are completed
these are mandatory.
C. Games:
(Reference the CIML online for a more accurate schedule)
Cimlcentral.org
D. Homecoming:
All levels: Sunday Decorating School starting at Noon. Ends when decorations
are up. This is mandatory for all FALL cheerleaders. Parent help is requested this year ☺
If the Fall cheerleader does not attend they do not participate in the Homecoming Assembly.
Only other school activities are excused.
VI. Expected Winter Schedule:
A. School Practice:
Practice will begin middle of November (9th or 16th) and be held at AHS in the commons/cafeteria
for all Winter levels.
VARSITY BBALL, JV WINTER, FRESHMAN WINTER, VARSITY WRESTLING:
Monday 4-6
Wednesday 4-6
B. Games/Meets
(Reference the CIML online for a more accurate schedule)
1.) Basketball:
- All Levels: Tuesday and Fridays
- All Varsity BBall, JV, and Freshman will cheer Basketball Games
- Varsity: All home and away games
- JV and Freshman: All home games
2.) Wrestling:
- JV and Varsity: Thursdays Meets, Saturday Tournaments (all day)
- Varsity: All home and away meets and tournaments
- JV: All home JV meets
C. Banquet:
We will be having an end of year Banquet for both Fall and Winter at the same time.
VII. Parent Participation:
A. Sign-ups tonight for where you would like to help out!
B. Parent(s) for each grade level and season
C. Parent Group Members assist and/or lead:
a. Fundraising
i. Collecting, counting, sorting
b. Support
i. Snacks/locker signs/signs etc.
c. Homecoming
i. Helping organize signs, helping decorate the schools and selling 50/50 split raffle
tickets
d. Banquet
i. Helping organize food, decorations, video/photo slideshow
VIII. Contacting Coaches:
A. Contact coach only AFTER cheerleader has communicated situation with coach DIRECTLY.
B. Should contact coaches directly, in person, or via email rather than by phone or text message.
C. In the event a player is ill and cannot contact their coach directly, a parent/guardian should contact
the appropriate coach.
D. Should contact your grade level coach first with questions.
E. Contact coaches during regular office hours (9:00am -5:00pm)
F. We TRY to answer all calls, emails and texts within 24 hours.
Appropriate Items of Discussion with Coaches:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Anything regarding to what their student-athlete can do to improve as a student- athlete
What post-high school playing level we, as coaches, see appropriate for your student-athlete
Any injuries, illnesses and/or “personal issues” your student-athlete may be experiencing
Off-season opportunities and/or activities their student-athlete should be engaged in
**If at any time you wish to quit a squad you must present your level coach with a
letter of resignation including the date you quit and the reasoning behind your
decision.
Dates to Remember
April
3rd Tonight!
14th Cheer items must be ordered online by this date
17th Fundraiser due
19th bill pick up at AHS after school until 4:30pm
May
June
1st Bills Due - Drop off at AHS between 6pm-7pm
21st Practice 6AM-8AM @ AHS
24th Car Wash
28th Practice 6PM-8PM@ AHS
July
5th Practice 6AM-8AM @ AHS Summerfest Parade Practice
8th Summerfest Parade @ NVMS 8am
12th Practice 6pm-8pm @ AHS Fall & Winter
19th 6AM-8AM PM
24th 6AM-8AM Pre camp practice
26th 6AM-8AM Pre camp practice
29th -1st Cheer Camp
August
1st Return from Camp
2nd Practice 6PM-8PM Fall Only
9th Practice 4PM-6PM Fall Only
14th Practice 4PM-6PM Fall Only
16th Practice 4PM-6PM Fall Only
19th Car Wash
4-6pm practices continue into school year.