CHEERLEADING SAFETY MANUAL :

An Introductory Guide to

Safe Practices

CHEERLEADING SAFETY

There is no more important issue in cheerleading today than safety. Following a

comprehensive safety manual will minimize the risk of injury to your cheerleaders.

All parts of this curriculum are important, and we highly recommend that you

implement this program in its entirety.

We also recommend you become familiar with the information contained in the

AACCA Safety Manual. For most up-to-date AACCA Safety Rules and Guidelines

and/or to order an AACCA Safety Manual, visit www.aacca.org.

THE ADVISOR’S ROLE IN SAFETY

The cheerleading advisor/coach has responsibility for the safety of the

cheerleaders. Here are some important points to remember when working with

your squad.

1. Constant Supervision – A survey revealed that eighty percent of all

cheerleading injuries occur in practice. The advisor/coach should be

present at all cheerleading practices and make sure the cheerleaders are

aware of, and abiding by safety rules.

2. Setting parameters and establishing ability levels – The safety guidelines

enclosed in this manual set broad parameters for cheerleading activity. The

advisor/coach must constantly evaluate his/her squad members to make

sure they participate in activities within their ability level. An easy way to

set specific guidelines for each cheerleader, as well as the squad as a

whole, is to establish a qualifying system.

In other words, before cheerleaders are allowed to perform stunts or skills

without spotters, they must do the stunt five times without difficulty.

Qualifying should be done in the presence of spotters. (See sample

qualifying sheet that follows).

3. Stay current – Advisors/coaches should remain up-to-date on all new

techniques and safety regulations. If there are questions, a knowledgeable

cheerleading expert or gymnastics coach should be contacted.

CHEERLEADING SAFETY

(From a Legal Standpoint)

Definitions

1. LEGAL DUTY – Obligation for care and safety of another.

Example: The duty of a teacher or coach towards his/her cheerleaders.

2. REASONABLE CARE – Degree of care a reasonably prudent person

should exercise under the same circumstances.

3. STANDARD OF CARE – Get testimony of group of reasonable people (the

consensus). The standard of care is acknowledged as the AACCA Manual.

4. NEGLIGENCE – When a person with legal duty fails to follow the standard

of care.

5. LIABILITY – For civil liability to be imposed, negligence must lead to, or

cause the injury.

Why Would Parents Sue?

1. Availability of medical insurance.

2. Notification of parents of injury (the sooner the better).

3. Coach’s and school’s attitude before and after injury (you don’t traditionally

sue someone you like).

What To Do If A Suit Is Filed

(What the jury looks at to determine liability)

1. Degree of deviation from the standard of care.

2. Attitude and demeanor of defendant.

3. Severity of the injury.

4. Post injury conduct of coach and instructor.

As A Coach

(What can you do to protect yourself, your school, and

Most importantly your cheerleaders?)

1. SUPERVISION – Most important factor in determining negligence.

a) General – at practice.

b) Direct – active coach role.

NO COACH! NO PRACTICE!

2. PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT – Written and understood.

a) Rules

b) Objectives of program

c) Emergency plan

d) Written Manuals (AACCA, UCA, First Aid, etc).

e) Safety equipment

3. COACH AND ADVISOR TRAINING

4. PERFORMER READINESS

EMERGENCY PLAN

It is essential that this plan be tailored to fit your specific situation. You may want

to write variations of your plan for practice, home games, and away games.

PRACTICE

I. Be Prepared

A. Information Cards (for every squad member)

Include the following items:

1. Full name

2. Squad member’s home and school addresses

3. Telephone numbers for the individual’s parents and two

emergency numbers

4. Allergies

5. Previous injuries

6. Family doctor’s name and telephone number

7. Copy of insurance card and/or school insurance number

8. HMO requirements/restrictions.

B. During the practice, you must have access to a telephone.

Post the following information near the phone.

1. 911 for emergencies

2. Your school’s complete address and phone number.

II. The Plan

A. Assignments

1. During the emergency, the coach will stay with the injured

person.

2. Have a reliable person call 911 – Give your exact location

and the basic information of the injury (head injury, broken

leg, etc) and tell the ambulance service where to enter (south

end of the field by the big gym).

3. Send someone to meet the ambulance and direct it to the

correct location.

4. If you go with the injured person, cancel all other activities.

(Your squad must be supervised).

For away games, meet the other team’s cheerleading advisor/coach to

confirm the location of the medical staff and telephone. Any away game

emergency plan should also include a passenger list. Make a list of each

vehicle’s driver and passengers (check your school’s travel policy on

eligible drivers!). Keep one copy in each vehicle and one copy with

someone at the school incase of emergency. As with the home emergency

plan, check all procedures with your athletic trainer, coach, principal and

campus security.

Give copies of all plan(s) to your supervisor, to the campus police, to the

athletic trainer, and to all squad members.

EMERGENCY PHONE LIST

(Laminate and post by phone during all activities)

In case of emergency call:

When answered, talk slowly and clearly and say this: “We are located at _____________________________ at ___________________________________ (name of school) (Address) One of our cheerleaders has fallen and injured her _________________________________ and (describe the injury) Needs an ambulance. Please come to ________________________________________ located at (location, i.e. – Main Gym) __________________________________________. We will have someone there to direct you.”* (brief directions – “corner of Smith & Jones).

Stay on the line until the ambulance dispatcher says you can hang up.

Training Room Number :

Campus Security Number:

Other Numbers: (Principal)

Note: retype/copy this sheet for each situation (practice, game, away game, etc) and fill in the appropriate emergency numbers and addresses. It may seem like a lot of trouble to

go through, but it will be well worth it in the event of an emergency. Be sure to keep one copy of the emergency phone list in the squad notebook. * An example of the sample dialogue would be:

“We are located at Jefferson High School at 1800 Thomas Jefferson Boulevard. One of our cheerleaders has fallen and injured her ankle and needs an ambulance. Please come to the main gym on the corner of Jefferson and Lincoln behind the parking lot. We will have someone there to meet you.”

EMERGENCY PLAN 1. Do we have an emergency plan? 2. What information do we need to include on our emergency cards? 3. Do we have access to a phone during practice? 4. Who will contact 911? 5. Who will meet the ambulance? Sample Information Card (4x6 Index Card) Full Name: Home Phone

Street Address:

City: State: Zip:

Mother: Day Phone

Father: Day Phone:

Other Emergency Number:

Allergies:

Previous Injuries:

Family Doctor: Day Phone:

Insurance Policy & Number: (for use by coach only)

HMO/PPO: (for use by coach only)

Copy of Insurance Policy on File: Yes No

Copy of Medical Release on File: Yes No

ASSESSING YOUR SQUAD’S

ABILITY LEVEL

Teachers know the importance of assessing someone’s

abilities before, during and after the learning process. In order

to find the correct teaching level that challenges a student without

discouraging him or her, you must first find out their present state of

knowledge or skill.

Before moving on to new material, especially material which will build on the

knowledge or skills just learned, you must be sure that the student has

assimilated the base knowledge. Assessment at this level lets the teacher know if

important topics need to be revisited and emphasized before moving on.

Evaluation after new skills have been learned can give a sense of completion and

accomplishment to the student; a reward for hard work and effort.

The same holds true for all new skills, including cheerleading gymnastics. In the

case of partner stunts, pyramids, jumps and tumbling, it is even more important

that you check the progress of your squad members before allowing them to

attempt any new skill.

Using the qualification charts found in this section, set aside time each week to

evaluate your squad members. Make as many copies as you need, and keep the

originals in this manual free of markings, so that you may make more copies as

needed.

To evaluate your squad’s progress, have them show you the new skill first with a

spotter and increasingly, as their ability level warrants, without one. They should

be able to perform the skill at least five out of five times successfully before they

are allowed to perform the skill in a game situation without a spot. If they are

successful, congratulate them and check off the new skill with the initials of the

squad member(s) and yourself, as well as the date of qualification. If they are not

successful, congratulate them on their effort and point out the areas they need to

work on to master the skill. Inform them that they are not to attempt that skill

without a spotter and that they can try to qualify that particular stunt or gymnastics

skill on the next scheduled qualification day.

This process may be tedious at first, when you must go through each stunt or

tumbling skill for each squad member, but it will be well worth it. Soon, you will

only need to check “new” skills and you will have time on the qualification days to

work extra on those skills they have not yet mastered. In the meantime, you have

created a written safeguard in case of an accident (see “Cheerleading Safety

From A Legal Standpoint” in this manual). You will also get a better “feel” for your

squad’s overall ability level, which will be crucial when incorporating gymnastics

into your cheers and sideline chants or choreographing routines.

We recommend that this position should be appointed with specific duties and

responsibilities. He/she should have a clear understanding of the school’s goals,

priorities, and responsibilities related to cheerleading and the capability to institute

them.

A staff directed program, when compared to one that is student managed, will

provide a greater measure of stability and

continuity for your school.

YOUR SPECIFIC INFORMATION SOURCES

1. Your Supervisor ________________________________________________

School Phone (_____) _________________________________________

Home Phone (_____) __________________________________________

2. Athletic Director

School Phone (_____) _________________________________________

Home Phone (_____) __________________________________________

3. Maintenance Supervisor

School Phone (_____) _________________________________________

Home Phone (_____) __________________________________________

Beeper # (_____) ______________________________________________

4. Squad Captain

School Phone (_____) _________________________________________

Home Phone (_____) __________________________________________

5. Other Coaches _________________________ (_____)_______________

(JV, Dance, Etc) _________________________ (_____)_______________

_________________________ (_____)_______________

CRITERIA TO ASSESS PERFORMER READINESS

(Taken from the AACCA Safety Manual)

Information is the key to all “common sense”

understanding of a cheerleader’s performance capabilities.

Each performance decision should pass a gauntlet of questions before

being implemented. This gauntlet is composed of the following questions:

1) IS THE ATHLETE STRONG ENOUGH TO PERFORM THE SKILL?

Can he/she produce the necessary force?

2) IS THE ATHLETE POWERFUL ENOUGH TO PERFORM THE SKILL?

Can he/she produce the necessary explosive force?

3) IS THE ATHLETE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO PERFORM THE SKILL?

Can the athlete achieve the necessary body positions to perform the

skill?

4) IS THE ATHLETE FRESH ENOUGH TO PERFORM THE SKILL?

Is the athlete fatigued to the extent that safety and ease of

performance are jeopardized?

5) DOES THE ATHLETE ADEQUATELY UNDERSTAND THE SKILL?

Is there adequate matting, lighting, etc?

Is a spotter needed?

Physical readiness forms the foundation for the other factors of readiness.

Without adequate physical readiness, the development of physical skills will be

precarious at best.

Always consider carefully the physical readiness of the performer from moment to

moment in training and performance. This is a fundamental consideration for

insuring the safety and well-being of the participant.

PSYCHOLOGICAL READINESS

There are a number of obvious aspects of cheerleading safety (e.g. spotting,

proper equipment, medical treatment, etc). which all participants should attend to.

The psychological readiness variable is not so obvious and is more difficult to

attain than these other elements of safety. The following practical guidelines are

suggested for supervisors (coaches and sponsors) and participants in

order to facilitate psychological readiness with

emphasis on safety:

COACHES

1. Provide training (year round) in the psychological

components of performance.

2. Stress the importance of self-control in practice and competition

environments.

3. Keep as much variety in workouts as possible. Change allows attention

skills to remain alert thereby decreasing chances for errors.

4. Never over-train your cheerleaders. Boredom and fatigue contribute to

injuries.

5. Keep the pressure off. Have fun in both practice and competitive

environments.

6. Be positive in all situations. Encouragement breeds satisfaction which

promotes safety.

7. Travel arrangements should be made with the participant’s psychological

well-being in mind.

8. Demonstrate patience, perseverance and understanding.

9. As a coach, be a model of the psychological readiness you desire in your

cheerleaders.

10. Provide “emotional first aid” when appropriate. Cheerleaders should not be

left to their own psychological resources following either a successful or

unsuccessful performance. Most performers are not required to crawl off

and nurse their physical wounds, why then should they be expected to

completely manage their psychological needs? A post competitive

discussion with cheerleaders is crucial to future safe performances.

PARTICIPANTS

1. Be aware of your individual areas

of concern (fears).

2. Never attempt a trick with which you feel

uncomfortable, because of peer pressure.

3. Be sure to warm-up sufficiently before performing.

4. Follow the progression of easy to difficult in

terms of routine.

5. Practice is where most injuries occur, so attentiveness is crucial here.

6. Having fun does not mean “messing around”. Horseplay is not wise from a

safety standpoint.

7. Learn about your own psychological strengths and weaknesses.

Remember, you are a performer in a potentially dangerous environment.

To be safe you must be in total control of both your body and mind.

References

1. Richardson, A. (1980). How to ruin an athlete. In R.M. Suinn (Ed.). Psychology in Sports: Methods and Applications. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Company.