Hair Clips

Hi all,

CAS has received several queries regarding hair clips.

Here is an image which illustrates the type of hair clips allowed and disallowed during the competition.

Best Regards,

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.

Technical FAQ #5

Here is a technical question sent in by a cheerleader and our responses in red.

Hi, I have a question regarding Cheerobics 2008 Secondary division.

Is flyer toss straight up to 2-2-1 shoulder sit allowed? Is it deem as 2 high? The flyer foot will be on ‘same level’ as base head, not ‘at top’ of base head. The mid base will be catching the flyer the same way as on a normal shoulder stand 2-2-1.

The closest stunt related to your description is a shoulder sit 2-2-1. It is where 2 mid tier sits on 1 base each, while holding each leg of a top person. This stunt is considered 2 high.

Previous mentioned of "flyer toss straight up to 2-2-1 shoulder sit" denotes top person sitting on the shoulders of 2 sets of shoulder stands. This stunt is considered 2.5 high.

Technical FAQ #4

Here is a technical question sent in by a cheerleader and our responses in red.

Hi,

Your glossary states that Partner stunt is only one top person supported by one or more bases on the performance surface. So does that mean that anything that a grp stunt category is doing is considered a partner stunt?

Group Stunt Category allows pyramids too, Example, connected shoulder stand and shoulder sit.

If so does that mean basket toss and sponge toss is not allowed in the grp stunt category? as rule 5.3 states that physical contact must be maintained at all times between top person and base(s) during the stunt?

Rule 5.3 is under Partner Stunts & Pyramids. Basket Toss and Sponge Toss are allowed, please refer to Rule 7 under Tosses.

I have a stunt which consist of a sponge toss and the flyer twists 360 degree while doing a toe touch. Is that allowed?

Yes, it is allowed. Refer to Rule 7 for guidelines.

Technical FAQ #3

Here is a technical question sent in by a cheerleader and our responses in red.

Hi there, I'll like to ask about 1 of the rules.

Open Division Safety Guidelines

3. Inversions

3.2 Downwards inversions from prep level and above must be assisted by at least 2 bases. The top person must maintain contact with an original base.

For the stunt I've described, my bases will momentarily have no contacts with the top person, as the bases are tossing the top person up and catching her in the stunt position. Therefore it's impossible for my bases to maintain contact throughout with the top person. HOWEVER, as the top person is being tossed up, there will be an extra 3rd person holding onto the top person's foot, hence reducing the impact and letting the 2 tossers move to absorb the top person down in waterfall position. The previous time I consulted CAS, I was told that my stunt could be done as the top person is not free-alling downwards. I just want to seek confirmation here just in case it is penalised during Cheerobics. Thanks.

3. Inversions
3.2 Downwards inversions from prep level and above must be assisted by at least 2 bases. The top person must maintain contact with an original base.

Previously the "above" was actually stated as "below". After a thorough discussion, we reviewed this rule and logically changed it. This allows the mentioned stunt to be legal, as long as the base has contact with the top person during the period when the top persion is inverted.

Technical FAQ #2

Here is a technical question sent in by a cheerleader and our responses in red.

Greetings

Just to clarify the following point:

I refer to the Article - General Safety Guidelines Section 4:
4.2. All members of the team must wear the same shoe colour.

And Article - Scoring and Penalities Section 4.9:
A 10 point deduction will be given for EACH occurrence of the General Competition and Safety Guidelines violation. This includes the following:
e. General Safety Violation - Refer to General Safety Guidelines.

May I ask if it is really necessary to get 16 pairs of identical shoes?

Same shoe colour but different shoe designs/brands are permitted as long as the judges are not able to tell the difference from their point of view. But they are strongly encouraged to get the same shoe brand and colour as they are competing as a team.

Does it mean that if i have 14 ppl wearing white shoes and 2 people wearing blue shoes i will get a 2x10=20 point deduction for safety violation?

Yes that is correct.

Technical FAQ #1

Here is a technical question sent in by a cheerleader and our responses in red.

To whom it might concern,

I would like to clarify one particular rules under the "OPEN DIVISION SAFETY GUIDELINES".

Under Climbing:

"1. Climbing

1.1. Any flipping toss to the third layer of a pyramid is prohibited.

1.2. Aerial twisting into stunts or pyramids exceeding 2 rotations is prohibited.

1.3. Flipping into a stunt must originate from ground level and limited to 1 rotation.

1.4. Flipping into a pyramid is prohibited. "

Under the rule 1.3, I would like to clarify:

Whether the flyer has to begin with her foot on the ground? 

Yes.

Does the rule allows flipping from the stunt bases and end up in the same bases? 

This rule applies if it originates (start) from the ground,not from a stunt. Example: Top person cartwheels into elevator.

Or in another sense, does flipping as part of a stunt consitutes as a flipping into a stunts (i.e. classify under climbing)? 

As long as the flipping is not into a pyramid or flipping toss to a third layer, it is allowed.

On the same point of flipping into the third layer. If the flipping is assisted by the mid flyers and the mid flyers are in contact with the top flyer at all times during the flip to the top layer, is this allowed? 

As you mentioned, the flipping is assisted by the second layer. This stunt would be termed as "Assisted Flipping" instead of "Flipping", and is allowed in Cheerobics.

Technical FAQs

In this new section called Technical FAQs, we will be posting questions or queries sent in by cheerleaders regarding the Rules & Regulations for Cheerobics 2008.

We hope that by posting these questions and answers online it will benefit cheerleaders with a better understanding of the R&Rs.

With Regards,
CAS Admin.