Jammy and Varsity All Star released their 2013-14 scoring system updates today. I haven’t spent much time looking at the updates yet, but am sure Fierceboard and Twitter will be full of comments on the updates. I’m sure I’ll have more to say regarding them once I spend some time with them.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Effective January 1, 2013, Jeff Webb will assume the office of President and Chief Operating Officer of Herff Jones, Inc. Joe Slaughter, Herff Jones CEO, will assist in the transition with plans to retire in June of 2014.
Jeff Webb is a native of Dallas, Texas and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. Mr. Webb is the founder and CEO of Varsity Brands, the leading company in the global school spirit market. Beginning with overnight summer training camps for high school and college cheerleaders in the Southeast and Midwest, Varsity quickly grew to also include a full line of uniforms and a series of nationally-televised competitions that have sustained a 35-year track record of growth and profitability. Through a merger on July 29, 2011, Varsity joined the Herff Jones family of companies. Jeff has been a member of the Herff Jones board since the merger.
ABOUT HERFF JONES
Herff Jones works closely with customers to create a climate of achievement through graduation products, class rings and jewelry, yearbooks, educational publishing, and motivation and recognition tools. The company provides guidance, support and quality products to elementary and middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities, church organizations, professional and collegiate sports teams, and corporations. Founded nearly 100 years ago, Herff Jones is an employee-owned organization focused on building long-term relationships through a nationwide network of trusted, expert sales representatives.
ABOUT VARSITY
Varsity is the source for all things related to cheerleading and dance team. With a rich heritage and traditions dating back to 1974, Varsity is an innovative global leader comprised of the leading spirit brands and organizations including its educational camps, clinics, competitions and uniforms to teams around the world. Varsity’s National Championships, many of which are held at the Walt Disney World Resorts, have been televised on ESPN Networks for more than 25 years. Sponsors for Varsity events include Gatorade, Degree Girl, Playtex Sport and PBTeen. For more information about Varsity, please visit http://www.varsity.com.
Dear Presidents,
The International Federation of Cheerleading (IFC), based in Tokyo, Japan, is a registered non-profit international federation, recognised as the world governing body of cheerleading by a membership of over 40 members across 5 continents.
In recent years, the International Cheer Union (ICU) emerged to claim governance of the sport of cheerleading.
At the SportAccord General Assembly in Quebec, Canada, on 25 May 2012, the membership application of the International Cheer Union (ICU) is expected to be an item on the meeting agenda.
Is ICU really the right organisation to represent cheerleading in SportAccord…? Consider these facts;
Summary
IFC is a relevant international federation for the sport of cheerleading. ICU cannot claim to be the only governing body of cheerleading in the world, therefore ICU is not eligible for membership with SportAccord. IFC’s opinion is that if ONE International Federation should, at some point, be accepted by SportAccord, it shall be IFC since IFC has a proven track record of more than a decade in the development and promotion of Cheerleading as a non-profit sport.
Yours sincerely,
Setsuo Nakamura
President
This is the final piece of a 5 part series on increasing competition in All*Star Cheerleading. This one will focus on my recommendations and suggestions that were sent to the USASF as part of the Rules Process for 2013-15 seasons.
Move Coed Divisions on the Age Grid
My first suggestion is to move Coed divisions from the top of the Age Grid and list them in the When to Split Divisions section similar to how Small and Large splits are listed. This would make it so every Junior Level 3 team is competing against each other, regardless of large, small, coed, or all girl, until there are enough Junior Level 3 teams to warrant splitting Junior Level 3.
I intentionally avoided stating how many teams should remain on each side of a split in the official suggestion to avoid clouding the issue with a specific number, but I think it should be raised to 5.
Move Coed Divisions on the Age Grid
Remove Size Based Division Splits in Favor of a Single Team Size
My second suggestion is to remove Small, Medium, and Large divisions in favor of a single division size. Once again I intentionally did not state what size teams should be in the official suggestion to avoid clouding the issue of if there should be a single division size with what size it should be. If it were up to me I would go with 24, but I’ve heard some decent logic behind using 25 instead.
Remove Size Based Division Splits in Favor of a Single Team Size
Increasing Competition Series
This is Part 4 on our series on Increasing Competition in All*Star Cheerleading. This one focuses on the All Girl & Coed options for All*Stars. There are several questions asked and none answered, but it raises the questions we need to think about as we head towards rules changes for the next couple of year.
What is the best way to split Coed and All Girl teams? Right now younger divisions, Tiny, Mini, and Youth, don’t split, while Junior and Senior divisions do. Junior and most of Senior have a simple All Girl and Coed split, while Senior Level 5 has All Girl divisions along with Small, Medium, and Large Coed divisions based on the overall team size and the maximum number of males allowed. Is this fair?
At what point should All Girl teams not be put in divisions against Coed teams in the name of fairness? How much impact do guys really have on a routine? Does it vary by age group or level? What have the major scoring systems done to account for this? Have they done enough? What else do you suggest they do?
What can be done regarding All Girl and Coed divisions to increase competition? Should Coed divisions be added to Tiny, Mini, and Youth ages? Should Junior and all Senior divisions have Small, Medium, and Large Coed options? At what point does the desire for competition outweigh the desire for fairness?
Spirit Post Increasing Competition Series: