Balloting Exercise Q&As

Hi all,

Here are the Q&As which were raised during the Balloting Exercise conducted over the weekend.

Please take note of the items highlighted in Red as they are of utmost importance.

Updated on 11 March 2008. Please see updated information in Blue.

1. General FAQs

Due to their age and parental concerns, are participants for primary schools allowed to report later during the dry run (booking) time slot allocated so as to minimize the amount of time at the competition area?

Such concern are already considered when allocating the booking slots, as the primary schools category participants are already the latest to arrive and the first to have their competition event.

The exact timing for the participating schools are already allocated and we sincerely wish all participants can arrive on time so the event can be executed with as little delay as possible.

Why are the Open category participants the first to report and the last to compete?

Due to variation of ages from all categories, it is considered the best arrangement for the event as the primary school participants are younger and get restless more easily.

Another consideration is the sheer number of Open category participants, and the earlier reporting time allows smoother administration transitions and also acts as a buffer for teams to prepare for their events.

How many judges will there be?

There will be a total of 7 judges. Of which, 5 are routine judges and 2 penalty judges. The judges will consist of both locals and intentional representative from IFC countries, namely Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Regarding the issue of partiality during the judging, it was pointed out one of the judges is also a coach for teams in the competition. The judging system is such as the Highest and Lowest points awarded by the 5 judges are omitted and the remaining points are totaled up, with the maximum being 300 points. The penalty deducted will be the average of the 2 penalty judges and be deducted from the total score giving the final result.

It is also pointed out that this is in accordance with current IFC competition standards in Japan, where coaches and judges are both represented in a single competition itself, which is where CAS is working towards.

Double Cartwheel is pointed out to be disallowed.
Double cartwheel is defined as a pair of tumbler with hands and legs gripped by the other party performing the cartwheel in tandem.
Point to note is that cartwheels in succession are permitted.

2. General Rules and Safety Guidelines.

Can my team have 2 set of different color shoes in the same model?
Can my team have a slight variation is the model of the shoe?

Upon further examination of the competition rule stated in “General Safety Guidelines Section 4.2”, the committee will stand by the decision to impose penalty “Scoring and Penalties Section 4.9” on teams breaking this general rule and thus revoking the special leeway provided earlier. Shoes are considered part of the team uniform and should be adhered to strictly as it is an integral part of team unity and team identity.

As such, the committee would like to remind all teams of the basic requirement of having similar shoe color, different shoe models and patterns are not considered an infringement of the rule.

Within a team or group, members may wear shoes of different models - privided that the shoes are visibly of same colour and pattern.

However, it is important to note that should an individual participant’s shoe stand out from the rest of team, be it in terms of different color or different pattern, the team will be penalized for each occurrence of the infringement.

My team has participants which require the aid of medical apparatus. Is it mandatory to remove the medical item during the routine?

It is to note that medical items such as spectacles are not permitted for secondary and Open category. However, in the special cases of Primary Category, the committee has permitted the usage of such medical apparatus, if and only if the item is properly secured. Failure to do would result in a penalization and point would be deducted should the apparatus be removed during the routine, by purpose or by accident.

For Primary School categories, participants may wear plastic spectacles during the routine, on consideration that those with myopia could be too young to wear contact lenses with care. However, metal spectacles are strictly disallowed.

No form of jewelry is permitted, as stated in the general guidelines, the committee would encourage all participants to remove all ear accessories, even ear sticks for safety reasons.

3. Reminders

For Open Category participants, it is mandatory to include 1 cheer and 1 sideline accompanied by 4 arm motions, in the entire routine. During the cheer segment of the routine, it is also compulsory to include 1 stunt and 1 pyramid.

Is it Compulsory to include 1 stunt and 1 pyramid for Secondary school category?

No, this rule only applies to teams participating in the Open category.

Is there a time Limit for the Cheer segment of a routine?

There is no time limit for the Cheer segment. It is important to note that the minimum and maximum time limit for the entire routine is 2minutes 15seconds and 2minutes 30seconds
respectively, it is to the team discretion to allocated time for the Cheer segment. Timing for the routine begins with the first stunt or first synchronized motion after music commencing.

Are there barricades protecting the participants from the general audience, since the event is held in an open area?

There are barricades encompassing the entire competition ground and as a safety precaution all barricades are at least 2 metres away from the central competition area of mats.

Can the participants step out of the mats during the routine, e.g. to wait for movement or to avoid collision?

No, all participants must stay with the 12 x 12 mats boundary, although there’s extra mats for safety purposes. All actions by participants should be performed within the boundary and infringement will result in penalization.

Can tumbling be of more than 4 elements for Secondary Category?

No, tumbling can only be of 3 elements for Secondary Category. Eg. Round-off back hand spring layout.

For Primary Category, is chest level liberty permitted?

Yes, Chest level liberty is permitted as it is still in accordance of the 2 height limit imposed on Primary Category.

Can my team switch ballot positions since we are sending 2 Group Category teams, and we have the same coach?

No. The purpose of performing a balloting medium is to ensure all teams are given equal standing for the order of performance. Any teams found to have swapped positions would be disqualified immediately without the refund of the competition fee.

When can I use my reserves?

In any cases, should the active participants be unable to compete on the day (e.g due to sickness or injury), the reserves as listed in the registration form can replace the member at any time before the competition routine. However, it is still necessary to inform any changes to the committee prior to the performance.

When is the dateline for the submission of music?

There is no need for submission for music. However the committee would like to inform all teams, it is the team responsibility for ensuring the availability of their required music on the competition day. It is also important to note, the music should not include any form of offensive or impropriate language. Violation results in penalization.

Best Regards,
CAS Admin.