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My child has no experience, is it necessary? - No experience is necessary, and ALL applicants will be placed on a team. We encourage cheerleaders to take tumbling as a part of their conditioning, but it is not required.
What is the total cost of cheerleading for the year?- The total cost is determined by the actual cost to the organization for each cheerleader's charges. There are no "mark-ups" and you do not pay for anyone but your own child.
The breakdown for required costs is simple:
- Registration
- Insurance
- Choreography
- Shoes/Uniform
- Competition fees
Once we find out these costs you can either pay an equal monthly fee or pay by due date. We recommend paying monthly so that all fees are paid for BEFORE the competition season begins. Crossover fees, extra cheer apparel, such as t-shirts, and travel are extra costs. All costs can be offset by fundraising opportunities offered by the organization. We estimate the total cost per season for a new cheerleader to be approximately $650 per cheerleader (approximately $90 per month June - December), not including travel and accommodations. COSTS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER FOR THE YOUNGER (TINY AND MINI) TEAMS BECAUSE THERE IS NO CHOREOGRAPHY AND THEY SOMETIMES DO NOT ATTEND NATIONALS FAR AWAY. Family discounts are available, and scholarships are available on a limited basis to cheerleaders who demonstrate need and show a family commitment to the program.
How do I know how much I owe?- Each cheerleader has an individual account set up when registered. Our treasurer sends out monthly statements to each family via email and distributes printed statements showing your current balance, including credits for fundraising. There are NO HIDDEN FEES.
Do coaches and/or Board Members cheerleaders cheer for free?- NO. All cheerleaders pay the same fees unless scholarships have been awarded. Board Members and Coaches not only pay for their cheerleader's fees and travel, but they also pay for THEIR OWN. All funds raised by the team go to cover TEAM costs, such as rental of practice space and equipment. Any additional funds are used to offset costs to the cheerleaders whenever possible.
Are coaches/board members paid for their time?- NO. All of our coaching and board positions are unpaid VOLUNTEER positions. Our reward is each team's improvement and ultimate success.
Do you offer fundraising?- We offer several fundraising opportunities and a few mandatory TEAM fundraisers. Sponsorship is another way for a cheerleader to earn money for his/her account. Some of our cheerleaders have funded their entire year through fundraising efforts.
Do parents have any input into the teams programs?- Our organization is run by a volunteer Board of Directors. All family members are eligible to be a part of that Board. We also have several Parent meetings throughout the year to keep families informed. We also communicate via text message and email and using our website.
What kind of practice time will it be necessary for my child to devote to this?- Practices start in July/August one per week. Since cheerleading requires the participation of ALL athletes we maintain strict attendance rules. We will have a 2 day choreography camp for most teams sometime in July/August that is MANDATORY. Starting in September practices go to 2 times per week. In January, as competition season approaches we may schedule extra practices as necessary.
Can my child still do school sports and cheerleading?- We make every effort to accommodate other sports schedules as much as possible, taking into consideration that we pull from several school districts. In the past cheerleaders have been able to do fall sports, but winter sports can be more of a conflict. Our competition season runs from late January to the end of March.
How many two day events will you attend?- We TRY to maintain a "ONE EVENT PER WEEKEND" policy unless we will be attending a National event. We realize that families need some "down time", so we only schedule one event per weekend whenever possible.
Some teams keep on going until late in the spring...when does your season end?- We try to finish our season by the end of March so as not to interfere with families' spring break plans.
How many National events will you attend?- We try to attend two out of town (overnight) Nationals per year. These would be 2 day events. In 2010 we traveled to Cleveland and Louisville, KY. National venues will be announced in late fall. PARENTS OF OUR YOUNGER TEAMS (TINY/MINI) ARE GIVEN THE CHOICE OF ATTENDING NATIONAL COMPETITIONS OR NOT.
Is it necessary for me (or my cheerleader) to attend Nationals- We encourage all cheerleaders to attend Nationals, but it is not a requirement. We ask for advance notice if a cheerleader does not plan to attend a National event to be fair to the other team members. If a cheerleader does not cancel BEFORE we pay the fees for the National, he/she will be responsible to pay their fees whether they attend or not. Families are NOT required to attend with their cheerleaders, but we ask for advance notice so that we may make arrangements for their travel and accommodations. All cheerleaders must be chaperoned by an adult (over 21) at all times during the weekend. We will assign cheerleaders to responsible adults if their families cannot attend.
I hear that there are rivalries in cheerleading and I am concerned. Do you have rivals?- As with all small town sports, there are indeed rivalries out there. We follow a NO TOLERANCE rule with regards to participation in "trash talk" and taunting of other teams.
We pledge to focus on OUR OWN TEAMS abilities and we encourage our athletes and families to be humble in victory and graceful in defeat.
Why didn't I know all of these things before???? We want to join!- North County Mega Stars is a well kept secret! Now that you are "in on it" please come to our sign up and team placement days and become a part of the BEST CHEER FAMILY AROUND!!
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