January 11, 2015
Secretary’s Minutes
Meeting called to order on January 11, 2015 at 1:04 pm by Whitney Reed-Pierson.
In Attendance:
Whitney Reed-Pierson – Smyrna High School
Jean Avery – Christiana School District
Danielle Dixon – Individual
Jack Speakman – St Marks High School
Kennika Caesar – Hard Knock Athletics
Rhiannon Salsman – Postlethwait Middle School
Dianne Prost – Individual
Jen Carpenter – Polytech High School
Shanna Flynn – Polytech High School
Ben Hawkins – Delaware Edge
Marie Speakman – St Marks High School
Danielle Mackowsky – WT Chipman Middle School
Lisa Stasio – St. Elizabeth’s High School
Ashley Callahan – Dover High School
Samantha Welsh – Dover High School
Shauntae Ford – Woodbridge
Kera Sampson – Woodbridge
Ann Gahan – MOTYFCL
Amber Bullock – Lake Forest High School
Peter Burnham – Lake Forest High School
Robin Smith – Campus Community
Karen DiAmario – Wild Cheer Factory
Christina Houser – Wild Cheer Factory
Christina Rice – Wild Cheer Factory
Daria Word – Reach Academy
Erica Graves – Reach Academy
Maria Catalina – Padua Academy
Amy Hoff – Tri-State Athletics
Brian Payne – Individual
Na’Jae Milton – Caravel Academy
Andrea Ridgeway – Caravel Academy
Nathania Thompson – Individual
Bryana Williams – Holy Cross Elementary
Old Business:
Treasurer’s Report:
Jack Speakman presented the treasurer’s report for the 2014-2015 fiscal year as of 12/31/14. The report shows a negative income for this year because our only income to date has been membership fees, but we paid our insurance policy renewal. All of our income comes from the State Competition so this negative income is typical for this point in the season.
Secretary’s Report:
Danielle Dixon presented the minutes from the membership meeting on October 26, 2014.
District Teams:
Due to concerns from the membership, the District Teams issue went back to the Rules & Regulations Committee and to the Board for discussion and a final decision for the season. District Teams will compete as All Star or Rec, depending on whether or not they cheer for a sport.
Cheer For Charity:
Whitney Reed-Pierson reached out to representatives from CFC to discuss whether or not they would be a qualifier for School and Rec teams. They were willing and able to change their school divisions to match ours, but were not able to change their Rec divisions. CFC will be a qualifier for All Star and Schools, but not Rec teams.
New Business:
Introduction of New Members:
All members introduced themselves, their organization, and their position on the board, if applicable.
Board Position:
There is an open board position for a Board Member. Whitney Reed-Pierson has reached out to a couple people and will announce the new Board Member once a decision has been made.
Scholarships: the scholarship packet went back to the committee and the Board and the number of awards and scoring will remain the same as last year, 3 High School and 3 All Star. The packet is available on the website. We need more members to volunteer for the committee and to assist with the selections. Any interested members should contact Rhiannon Salsman.
Amy Hoff suggested having college coaches or cheerleaders judge to avoid conflicts or controversy. Whitney Reed-Pierson also suggested having All Star coaches judge High School and vice versa. Both options will be considered but are contingent upon response from the colleges and members, which has not had a great response in the past.
Rubrics/Score Sheets: Rubrics and score sheets are available on the website and were presented to the members. Game Day did not change. College, Schools, and CYM will follow NCA score sheets. Rubrics did not change. Dance teams will follow NDA. All Star and Rec will follow Epic Brands score sheets and rubrics. The safety sheet has been revised to match Varsity’s deduction sheet.
For the sportsmanship deduction, hosts will assess as situations arise and use with their best judgment. If the issue arises before the awards, hosts will assess the penalty immediately. If it is an issue that arises after awards, hosts will contact Board for investigation per the sportsmanship clause in the qualifier packet.
The timing deduction was revised to allow for human error and reaction time.
There was discussion on whether or not Rec teams could use the spring floor to allow hosts to combine the Rec and All Star sessions. The board will discuss the option for States.
LUNCH BREAK – 1:33pm to 1:55pm
NFHS Rule Change Proposals:
Rule Change Proposal forms were passed out to the Middle School and High School coaches in case anyone wishes to submit a suggested rule change for the NFHS Rule Book.
Good of the Cause: Any other suggestions/questions/concerns from the membership:
Danielle Dixon reminded qualifier hosts to email their participant lists, with divisions, to Danielle after their competition to track which teams have qualified for States.
Jean Avery reminded the hosts that judges are limited to the number of competitions they can judge each season. Please email judges names to Danielle Dixon to track the judges.
Rhiannon Salsman asked qualifier hosts to have the scholarship packets available and to remind coaches to have their seniors submit an application.
Robin Smith will be holding a camp this summer at Wesley College. If any other members are interested in bringing their teams, she is willing to share the camp to cut down the costs and to offer something in Delaware for teams that aren’t able to travel out of state.Contact Robin if you are interested.
The Board would like to have a Coaches Conference meeting right after States and have the schedule lined up by June 1st with speakers and sessions.
Board Meetings: Board meetings are open to the general membership. Meetings will be held the Third Wednesday of every month at Smyrna High School at 630pm. Please let Whitney Reed know if you are planning on attending so she can plan for dinner and give access to the building. The building is locked after hours. Anyone attending the meetings will need to park out front in front of the main entrance and call Whitney when they arrive. Upcoming Board Meetings: 2/18/15, 3/18/15, 4/15/15
Next General Membership Meeting: April 19, 2015 at The Greene Turtle in Lewes. Lunch at 12pm, Meeting at 1pm.
Whitney Reed-Pierson motioned to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Danielle Dixon. Meeting was adjourned @ 2:12 pm.
