Baldwin County High School
Cheerleading Constitution
2012-2013
Purpose
1. Promote and uphold school spirit
2. Develop a sense of good sportsmanship
3. Promote unification of the crowd’s involvement during athletic events.
4. Strive to uphold the highest personal standards, as well as cheerleading standards.
5. Strive to build better relationships between schools.
Prerequisites for tryouts
1. Before tryouts all candidates must have written permission and a signed statement from
their parents /guardians expressing agreement to comply with all requirements.
2. All candidates must attend mandatory pre-tryout training sessions.
3. A current physical form signed by a physician must be on file with the school.
4. School insurance or parents’ assurance of adequate medical coverage must be on file with
the school.
5. All financial obligations (outstanding) must be met before tryouts.
6. Cheerleaders are considered varsity athletes; therefore, they must uphold all varsity
athletic rules.
7. Cheerleaders must have and maintain an overall 70 average for the term prior to tryouts.
8. Cheerleaders must pass all subjects taken from the term prior to tryouts and must pass all
four core classes (English, history, math, and science) for the year.
9. All cheerleaders must comply with all board policies and school policies.
Cheerleader tryouts- procedures
1. Cheerleaders will be evaluated by skill, talent, attitude, and dedication.
2. A panel of judges will be utilized in the selection process, but will not be the final
authority. The final selection of cheerleaders will be made by the coach, athletic director,
and principal.
Conduct and responsibilities of cheerleaders
1. Shall cooperate with the coach, the captains, the school administration, the game
officials, and other squad members.
2. May not eat, chew gum, drink during a game
3. No cell phones during game or practice
4. May not sit in the stands or leave the squad during the game. Must remain on the
football field during half time.
5. Should promote good sportsmanship and school spirit through cooperation with other
students, teachers, and administration.
6. Shall conduct themselves properly at all times for they are representatives of the
school. In public they should not display bad habits such as smoking, drinking
alcohol, or using improper language. In uniform (school and cheer) students should
not display affection towards members of the opposite sex.
7. Will be expected to cheer at all games, pep rallies, and other events as assigned by the
coach.
8. Will be expected to be at school and not tardy the morning following an athletic event.
9. Will accept responsibility for planning pep rallies and other events.
10. Will attend summer camp.
11. Will complete work assigned by the coach.
12. Must be present at school on game day unless absence is approved by the
coach/principal.
13. Must be present for all practices. If you know you will be missing a practice, you
must have a written note/text explaining why you are missing. This note should be
given/sent to the sponsor a week before that day of practice. Please work job
schedules around your cheer schedule. Varsity practices every Tuesday and
Thursday from 3:30-4:30. During the summer we practice every Tuesday and
Thursday from 9-11. See JV sponsor for JV practice times.
14. Must cooperate fully with all other cheerleading squads and promote fellowship and
harmony with all other cheerleaders.
15. Must dress in designated uniform on game days.
16. Must wear hair up in a pony tail (or halfway up if short) when in cheerleading uniform.
Hair should be all the way up when stunting.
17. Must keep uniforms clean, nails trimmed, also no jewelry during practice, pep rallies, and
games (includes belly rings, etc….).
18. Must all wear the same warm-ups or jackets on the field while cheering.
19. Shall participate in fund-raisers for the benefit of the cheerleading program.
20. Shall turn in fund-raising money by the deadline set by sponsors.
21. Must complete assigned duties for each game.
Summer Practices and cheer camp
Please schedule vacations accordingly. You are not allowed to miss practices within 4 weeks of
cheer camp. If you do not attend cheer camp, you will be unable to be a cheerleader at BCHS.
This year cheer camp will be June 26th through June 29th at UAB. No practices can be missed in
June.
We will be attending GOC on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting in May. In May practices will be
from 4-5:30. In June practices will be in the morning. Each girl will pay $50 a month for GOC.
Absences
You are allotted 3 excused practice absences during football season and 3 excused practice
absences during basketball season. Excused absences: sudden sickness, doctor’s note, death in
family. If you exceed these 3 absences you will sit out on your 4th absence, suspended for 2
games on your 5th absence, and dismissed from the squad on the 6th absence. If you know you are
going to be absent inform us as to why soon as possible. Unexcused absences are not allowed.
Cheerleading will take precedence over work and GOC.
During basketball season we will work with those girls who cheer for GOC. We will need a copy
of your GOC schedule in order to do this.
Quitting/Dismissal
You are to cheer for football and basketball. If you quit or are dismissed from the squad at any
point in the year, you will be unable to be a cheerleader at BCHS again.
Uniforms and appearance
1. Each cheerleader is responsible for the care of her uniform. The uniform should be clean
for each event and kept in spotless condition.
2. Shoes and socks are part of the cheerleading uniform. Shoes should be kept clean
and white. Socks should be ankle and WHITE.
3. Uniforms may be worn only in conjunction with school events.
4. Hair must be worn up and out of the face when in uniform.
5. The only jewelry allowed is one pair of small stud earrings.
6. The use of make-up and hairspray must be minimal and will be subject to the approval of
the sponsors.
7. Uniforms shall not be altered in any way without the permission of the coach.
8. Only cheerleading jackets and black wind pants /warm-up pants may be worn with
uniform.
9. Only cheerleaders are allowed to wear cheerleading tops, skirts, jackets etc…whether
they were purchased by the school or the individual cheerleader. No other student should
or will wear any part of your uniform.
10. All cheerleaders must comply with the dress code policy of the Board of Education.
Practices
1. Practices are not optional and are a required part of being a cheerleader. All cheerleaders
must attend all practices. Again, please work job schedules around cheer practice.
2. Proper dress should be worn at practice. Failure to dress out will result in proper
punishment. Excessive failure to dress out could result in suspension or dismissal.
3. All practices will be called and decided by sponsors.
4. Parents (students if they can drive) are responsible for transporting cheerleaders to and
from practice.
5. No change in schedule can be made without the sponsors’ consent.
6. If you are at school you are expected to be at practice that day, if you are absent please
refer to the absences section for instructions on what to do.
Games and pep rallies
1. Games and pep rallies are not optional and are a required part of being a
cheerleader. All cheerleaders must attend all assigned games and pep rallies.
2. Any changes in schedules will be provided to the cheerleader in a timely manner.
3. All cheerleaders will ride the bus to and from away games with the football players.
4. If a cheerleader is absent from school on the day of a game or event, the sponsors are to
be notified as soon as possible in order to make necessary changes. Please call the school
in the morning and leave a message for one of the sponsors. Prior approval can be made
for excused absences, but these should be made a week (if not more) in advance.
Fund-raisers
1. Due to the on-going expense of providing for a first-rate cheerleading program, fundraisers are an integral part of the cheerleading program. All cheerleaders will be assigned
certain fund-raising projects. They will be responsible for participating and cooperating.
2. Varsity cheerleaders are responsible for selling ads for the football program and any other
materials determined by the sponsors. Junior varsity cheerleaders are responsible for
selling programs at the varsity football games and any other materials determined by the
sponsors.
3. Monies collected for these fund-raisers will have deadlines in which money must be
turned in. These deadlines have to be met in order for the cheerleader to participate in the
cheerleading program. Failure to turn in money in a timely manner will result in proper
punishment and could cause suspension or even dismissal from the squad.
Dismissal
1. Gross negligence of the rules and regulations established by this constitution and
supplemental individual guidelines and/or refusal to do as requested by the coach will be
grounds for dismissal.
2. If a cheerleader is truant, (unexcused/unsatisfactory absence from school) a week
suspension or dismissal may result.
3. If a cheerleader receives more than 3 visits to OCS, she may be suspended for a week or
dismissed from the squad. If a cheerleader is suspended from school depending on the
incident she could be dismissed from the squad.
4. If a cheerleader misses an activity without the permission of the coach, she may be
suspended for one week or dismissed from the squad.
Disciplinary action and punishments
1.
Punishments may range from extra physical exercise, arriving to school early to
complete a duty, sitting out during a game, suspension from one game/full week
suspension, or dismissal. We feel that this new system will be more effective than
tallying demerits. We expect the best from our cheerleaders and nothing less. Reasons for
sponsors to take disciplinary action could include, but are not limited to:

being late for a function, game, practice or portion of a game

fighting/back talking/or causing drama with teammates, class mates, or sponsors

PDA on school campus or while in uniform

cell phone use at practice or a game without permission

eating during a game or practice

improper dress for a game or practice

not cheering or saying the words while on the field or at a pep rally

missing a game or practice without going through the proper procedure

failure to complete assigned duty for game

failure to show up for practice

several unexcused tardies in classes during school

OCS assignment

getting cell phone taken up numerous times

getting written up during class

school suspension
Baldwin County High School
Essential Needs for Cheerleaders
A cheerleader at Baldwin County High School must be physically able to:
1. Stand for long periods of time
2. Perform arm and leg motions for cheers, chants, sidelines, and dances
3. Hop or two-step while cheering
4. Have sufficient ankle and stomach strength to perform jumps
5. Base, spot, and/or climb in partner stunts
A. Base- have sufficient strength and or balance to hold another cheerleader
B. Spot- have the ability to assist or catch the climber
C. Climb- have the balance to climb to should height or above.
6. Learn dances in a short amount of time and perform them.
7. Perform exercises for conditioning
8. Lift weights for strength training
9. Perform gymnastics if properly trained
10. Participate in fund-raiding programs to fund the cheerleading program
11. Follow all rules of the constitution
Please sign and turn in to sponsors.
I _________________________________, hereby agree to all of the rules and
responsibilities that my cheerleader must abide by. I also understand and agree with the
consequences if she is to break one of these rules. Done this ____________ day of
______________.
I _________________________________, hereby agree to all of the rules and
responsibilities that I must abide by. I also understand and agree with the consequences if I
am to break one of these rules. Done this ____________ day of
______________.