High School Cheerleading Safety Rules and Regulations

Comparing High School and All Star cheerleading is easier said then done. Due to the multiple levels in all star cheerleading, there are different safety regulations that apply to each level. Then in high school cheerleading there are a set of safety regulations that are applied to every team, since they are not separated by levels.  In this blog entry, I will give some examples of the safety restrictions that high school cheerleaders are to follow. I will be able to describe to my readers exactly what these restrictions do, incase some are had to understand for those who do not know much about cheerleading.
High School cheerleaders follow a set of rules and regulations provided by the AACCA the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administration. Since there are many rules in which cheerleaders and coaches must obey, I will only be selecting a few important rules that I think are important. The rules are broken up in to category of performance.
First, will be Partner Stunts. Partner stunts are stunts performed within in a group of typically four people. Two bases, a back spot, and a flyer. In certain cases a fifth person called a front spot will be placed in the front of the stunt for more support. Speaking of spotters, a new rule was added in the 2012-2013 season was that states : In single based partner stunts (which mean instead of two bases there is only one), a spotter (person who stands by stunt incase of mishaps) is now required to be present in a single based partner stunt when the top (flyer) feet are in place of the bases hand at shoulder level. This is a new rule because the last competition that I participated in, there were single based stunts performed without spotters. Another rule I had noticed had changed since I was in high school referred to the dismount in partner stunts. When I was in high school, we were allowed to complete two full rotations of a twisting dismount. Now the rules state: The total number of twists in a dismount from a stunt cannot be greater then one and one and quarter twists. This means the the top (flyer) when dismounting from a partner stunt cannot twists their bodies more then one and a quarter times before landing in the bases arms. Next, in the category of Pyramids, which is when there are multiple partner stunts put together to put together one large group stunt. One rule states that; The top person in a pyramid must receive primary support from a base or be connected to a bracer who is on a base. A bracer may not support a majority of a top person’s weight. All of this means is that the flyer in a main stunt group (which in a pyramid is usually held at above the head level) cannot be primarily supported by bracers (who are flyers put up in a partner stunts at either side usually held at shoulder level), they must be supported by their base. Another way to look at this would be that if the bracers were not directly connected to the flyers in the main stunt group, that the pyramid would still be able to be completed. The next category is Inversions, this is when the tops' (flyer) head drops below their waist in a stunt. Since inversions usually occur in a partner stunt or pyramid, one must also follow all of the partner stunt and pyramid guidelines. This is where things start to get a little complicated, for a more complicated stunt, comes more complicated safety regulations.  One new rule added in 2012-2013 was that: A top person may be inverted in partner stunts in which the base of support remains below shoulder level (meaning the bases arms may not be extended over their heads) provided both the following conditions are met:

        a. At least one base or spotter protects the head/neck/shoulder area of the top person. This base or spotter must maintain contact with the top person until he/she is no longer inverted. (Meaning that there needs to be direct contact of support on the flyer until she has returned to the normal position or is dismounted.)

       b. During a downward inversion, two original bases or one original base and a spotter maintain contact with the top person in a position to protect his/her head, neck and shoulder area. This contact must be

maintained until the top person’s hands are on the performing surface or he/she is no longer inverted.
 Inversions are a specific type of a stunt and so is a toss, which is the next category. A toss is a stunt that consists of five people a back spot, two bases, a front spot, and the flyer. This type of stunt is a release skill, which means the bases do not maintain contact with the flyer during the stunt. Since this type of stunt is more dangerous, considering the bases do not have control over the stunt, there are specific rules just for this category. In all multi based tosses to a cradle the following rules apply

1. A top person must be caught by at least three of the original tossers, one of whom must be at the head and shoulders.
   
2. The toss may not be directed so that the bases must travel to catch the top person.
   
3. The top person may not hold any objects (poms, signs, etc.) during the toss.
   
4. The top person cannot travel over or under another person.
   
5. The total number of twists cannot be greater than one and one quarter rotations 
6. No more then four tossers are allowed.                                                                                             Those are just some of the many restrictions put on the stunting portion of high school cheerleading. Since my audience may not know the difference between partner stunts, pyramids, inversions, and tosses; I have included video clips for each. 

Partner Stunt:
Pyramid:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eykzG4vYJO0
Basket Toss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgidG0hwFeE
Inversion Stunt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wNlrFbeXaM