48 hr rule Most coaches realize that they have no control over whether or not their athletes drink.   In most cases, the cheer athletic teams have no official policy. The athletes usually decide as a group what they feel is an appropriate policy for their team or we use a mix of the athletic codes from other sports.   It is pleasing to see that many cheer coaches have a self imposed 48-hour rule which prohibits drinking 48 hours before a game. Other teams ask that their cheerleaders to abstain from alcohol beginning Wednesdays in season (most game play and competition is on Saturday).  Some teams follow their players’ rules and have a strict zero-tolerance policy during their season.   Therefore, the OACC supports the coaches who have gone with the 48-hour rule, meaning athletes are not allowed to drink for the two days before every game.   Understandably, you want to have fun at college when you get the opportunity, but as an athlete and as a team member  you have a responsibility to the team and the school.  There is nothing stopping one from going to a party the night before a game and having a good time without drinking. If you cannot have fun without drinking, then why are you a cheerleader?   However, for some this is a problem.   You may think that the alcohol has no effect on your performance the next day, but that is completely wrong. It is almost guaranteed that you will not be at your physical peak and top performance for a game the day after drinking.   We have seen the hung-over flyer count on her bases as they struggle to manipulate her dead-weight body.  She wobbled to stand in her stunt and spun herself to nearly vomit on her dismount. Her stunt group was put at risk, risk of injury from her body, straining their own body to help her coordinate and risk of embarrassing the squad, the team and the school.   As teammates, they were furious, but said nothing to the coach.   Go to your coach or your captain. That cheerleader should not be participating, even if she were the best player. It shows a lack of respect for the team.   According to the American College of Sports Medicine's official position statement pertaining to alcohol's effects on athletes, consuming alcohol can limit athletic skills that require reaction time, balance, accuracy, or hand-eye coordination. In addition, alcohol is known to decrease power, strength, muscular endurance,  and cardio endurance.

Catastrophic Insurance Changes

The NCAA's Catastrophic Injury Insurance Program recently was extended through the 2006-07 school year, but with noteworthy changes. The policy, which on August 1 is introducing a previously announced increase in the deductible from $65,000 to $75,000, will be revised beginning in August 2006 to address what is perceived as a disproportionate percentage of claims over the past seven years stemming from cheerleading injuries. "In cheerleading, we're seeing trends of really high loss ratios to the catastrophic program," said Juanita Sheely, NCAA travel and insurance coordinator. "With our current provider, Mutual of Omaha, there have been six total cheerleader injuries, with four what we consider truly catastrophic injuries. Those four represent 22 percent of our overall claims costs, second only to football injuries. This percentage is very high when you consider what a small portion of all covered student-athletes cheerleaders represent. "We're looking at some safety initiatives for cheerleading, to try and get some control over that." Those initiatives will lay the groundwork for next year's policy change (effective August 1, 2006), which will require cheerleaders to be under the direct supervision of a coach or advisor who has completed safety-certification training at the time of an accident, for coverage to apply. "Currently, the policy says cheerleaders' activities have to be 'authorized, organized and directly supervised by the institution,' " Sheely said. "We're changing the 'directly supervised' requirement to 'directly supervised by a safety-certified coach or advisor.' " AACCA and NCSSE are both Approved Certifications for Insurance changes.  See full story  NCAA Insur Change

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NCAA Press Release on Sportsmanship

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 Jennifer Kearns    Associate Director of Public and Media Relations    317)917-6117   NCAA PRESS RELEASE NEW ORLEANS---When it comes to sportsmanship, coaches and student-athletes should serve as role models for fans, who represent the greatest sportsmanship concern, according to an NCAA Sportsmanship Survey. The survey results were released during the NCAA Sportsmanship Summit, held in conjunction with the NACDA Convention in New Orleans. Representatives from all three NCAA Divisions, NAIA and junior and community colleges attended the summit....... Full Press Release NCAA Sportsmanship

NCAA Cheerleading Safety Initiative

The NCAA has partnered with Varsity Brands, to undertake an important cheerleading risk management initiative with a goal of enhancing safety for college cheerleaders. As a first step in this initiative, effective August 1, 2006, the NCAA's Catastrophic Injury Insurance Program includes a new requirement in order for an institution's cheerleading program to be included as a covered event under the policy. The new requirement states that cheerleading activities must be supervised by a safety-certified coach or advisor. While there are choices among certifying organizations, the NCAA has partnered with, and recommends the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) and The National Council For Spirit Safety (NCSSE). AACCA & NCSSE offers certification courses in Ohio year-round.

Ohio has a college every 30 miles!
	OVER 130 HIGHER EDUCATION SCHOOLS 13 state universities 46 liberal arts colleges and universities 15 community colleges 24 state university branch and regional campuses 24+ independent non-profit colleges 2 free-standing state-assisted medical schools 8 technical colleges

D1

University of Akron Bowling Green State University University of Cincinnati Cleveland State University   CSU Vikings Cheer!   Tentatively: Late April-Early May and a second one in Early September.   Giuseppe Di Iulio  CSU Cheerleading Coach University of Dayton Kent State University Miami University (of Ohio) Ohio State University Ohio University – Athens University of Toledo Wright State University Xavier University Cincinnati Youngstown State University DI Schools

D2
	Ashland University Central State University University of Findlay Tiffin University DII Schools

D3

Baldwin-Wallace College   BW  Baldwin - Wallace will be having cheerleading tryouts May 26th (clinic) and 27th from approximately 12-6. We will also be hosting stunt clinics every Wednesday from 8:00-9:30pm starting March 7th at either BW or Tumbles and Cheers in Avon. Cost is $5 and you must reserve a spot!    Clinics & Tryouts - Contact Coach Amy Bluffton University    Bluffton Cheerleading - Contact Athletic Offc Capital University     Capital Cheerleading-Coach Ann   614-236-6911   March/April Case Western Reserve University Defiance College Dennison University Heidelberg College Hiram College John Carroll University Kenyon College Lake Erie College Marietta College     Tryouts Saturday, April 22nd - Fenton Court. Arrive anytime after 1:00 p.m. to begin to warm-up. We plan to finish on or before 6:00 p.m. Please wear a white shirt and navy shorts for your tryout and have hair neatly pulled back. Coach Debbie Piatt College of Mt. St. Joseph Mount Union College Muskingum College Oberlin College Ohio Northern University Ohio Wesleyan University Otterbein College      Mandatory Clinics: Mon. April 16, 7-9pm   Tues. April 17th  7-9pm  Tryouts: Thursday, April 19 from 7:30-8:30  All will be held in the fitness room in the Rike   Otterbein Varsity Cheer Coach Kaeri King Wilmington College Wittenberg University College of Wooster DIII Schools

Divisions

What's the difference                            between Divisions I, II and III?                                       Division I Division I member institutions have to sponsor at least seven sports for men and seven for women (or six for men and eight for women) with two team sports for each gender. Each playing season has to be represented by each gender as well. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria. For sports other than football and basketball, Div. I schools must play 100% of the minimum number of contests against Div. I opponents -- anything over the minimum number of games has to be 50% Div. I. Men's and women's basketball teams have to play all but two games against Div. I teams, for men, they must play 1/3 of all their contests in the home arena. Schools that have football are classified as Div. I-A or I-AA. I-A football schools are usually fairly elaborate programs. Div. I-A teams have to meet minimum attendance requirements (17,000 people in attendance per home game, OR 20,000 average of all football games in the last four years or, 30,000 permanent seats in their stadium and average 17,000 per home game or 20,000 average of all football games in the last four years OR, be in a member conference in which at least six conference members sponsor football or more than half of football schools meet attendance criterion. Div. I-AA teams do not need to meet minimum attendance requirements. Div. I schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program, and there are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Div. I school cannot exceed. Division II Division II institutions have to sponsor at least four sports for men and four for women, with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria -- football and men's and women's basketball teams must play at least 50% of their games against Div. II or I-A or I-AA opponents. For sports other than football and basketball there are no scheduling requirements. There are not attendance requirements for football, or arena game requirements for basketball. There are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Div. II school must not exceed. Division II teams usually feature a number of local or in-state student-athletes. Many Division II student-athletes pay for school through a combination of scholarship money, grants, student loans and employment earnings. Division II athletics programs are financed in the institution's budget like other academic departments on campus. Traditional rivalries with regional institutions dominate schedules of many Division II athletics programs. Division III Division III institutions have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women, with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are minimum contest and participant minimums for each sport. Division III athletics features student-athletes who receive no financial aid related to their athletic ability and athletic departments are staffed and funded like any other department in the university. Division III athletics departments place special importance on the impact of athletics on the participants rather than on the spectators. The student-athlete's experience is of paramount concern. Division III athletics encourages participation by maximizing the number and variety of athletics opportunities available to students, placing primary emphasis on regional in-season and conference competition.