*HAPPY SPRING*
This update is a long one, so grab a snack and take the time to read it through!
2013-2014 CCCAM Membership Form and Summit Registration
The benefits to being part of this organization are immense. You can attend the coaches' Fall Summit just in time to help you prepare for competitive season. There are several breakout meetings that are offered across the state to allow for even more networking. Our President sends out newsletters (like this one!) which help to keep you informed as the year goes on. Did you know that we also offer a mentoring program? This allows our veteran coaches to share their experience and knowledge with our newer coaches and form relationships that prove to be very valuable. Your membership also allows you to attend our scholarship invitational which, in turn, gives your seniors a chance to apply for our CCCAM scholarships. If you are a competitive cheer coach in the state of Michigan, you don't want to miss out on an opportunity to be part of such a phenomenal organization!!!
Our new membership form for the upcoming competitive cheer year is up and available on our website here: https://secure.jotform.us/form/31194986253159 We are trying to streamline the registration process to make it more efficient for the board positions as well as for our members. You will register online, and then be taken to a page to download an invoice. Simply print this invoice off and send in with payment. NOTE: There is a late fee for those summit registrations postmarked after September 15th! Be sure to send in payment early to avoid late fees!
Also, please note the adjusted membership due date. In order to be considered for post-season coach and athlete recognition awards, membership fees need to be received by January 1st, 2014. Due to our fantastic increase in membership, there simply needs to be more time allowed to process the information and make sure it is accurate.
SIGN UP FOR THE 2013 CCCAM BOARD ELECTIONS NOW!
Wanted: Charismatic, professional, athlete-centered coaches excited about the sport of competitive cheer!
Visit our website to sign up to run for an elected position or be considered for an appointed position. All self-nominations are due by September 1st, 2013. Positions on the ballot for 2013 are: President (must have experience serving on the Board), Treasurer, Website Coordinator, and Region Directors (1-5)
In addition to the elected positions, you can volunteer for an appointed position. They are the following: Summit Co-Chair, Academic All-State Director, All-State Team Director, Mentor Director, Scholarship Director, and Middle School Chairperson. These positions will be appointed by the 2013-2014 CCCAM Executive Board at the Fall Summit.
2013 CCCAM FALL SUMMIT UPDATE!
This year's fall summit is shaping up to be the best one yet!! It will take place on Sunday, October 27th at the Lexington Lansing (NEW LOCATION!) We will again offer FREE CPR training to the first 50 coaches who register. Be sure to fill out your online registration and mail in the invoice with payment as soon as possible! This year we will NOT be accepting walk-ins as it is too hard for us to properly organize the event. By doing this we can plan for enough seating in break outs and coaches gifts. We feel that allowing 5 months to register should be ample time for everyone to get their forms in. Don't wait register now!
COMMUNICATE WITH CCCAM THROUGH OUR WEBSITE
With growing membership, one concern is being able to communicate effectively with all of our members. We have decided that one way to have an open line of communication from our members is to utilize online tools available to us. There are online forms on our website for you to do the following things:
- · Ask a question, suggest an idea, or share a concern with your Region Director http://form.jotformpro.com/form/31345492074958
- · Register for membership and the fall summit https://secure.jotform.us/form/31194986253159
- · Self-nominate yourself for an elected position or volunteer for an appointed position (due by September 1st!) http://form.jotform.us/form/30644466098158
- · Sign up for a CCCAM Mentor Coach or to BE a mentor coach http://form.jotformpro.com/form/31345690181957
- · Sign-up for a Safety 101 Coaches Clinic (Between June 1st and October 25th) http://form.jotform.us/form/30644063571147
Our email blasts still go out as a mass email. This has been problematic due to increased safety filters of email providers. We are working to find a better method to get information out to our members, but until we can find a better solution, please add the email address cccamexecutiveboard@gmail.com to your contacts! We also suggest that you register for membership using a personal email account rather than work email as those filters are more stringent. If possible, a gmail account would work best.
MORE CHANGES COMING TO www.michigancompetitivecheer.com
After the first year of CCCAM creating a website to replace the one that Craig kept for a decade, we have learned many things! The first is how completely Craig dedicated his whole life to updating competitive cheer scores for so many years! The second is why he needed to retire the job- it has gotten HUGE! Many thanks to Yvonne Cunningham who experienced the growing pains first-hand through the building of the new site and the complaints from coaches and cheer fans who just don’t understand what it took to do this job. Next year will be much smoother as we are already working on upgrading many of the uses of the site.
You will continue to see small changes to the appearance of the website as well as new features to make it easier to use. We hope to have all changes in place by the end of May so that all summer information can be uploaded. Please help us with that task by sending in the information for you competition ASAP!
One thing that seems to be misunderstood and I want to make clear is that CCCAM did not take over Craig’s website. Craig’s website was retired and we created a new website to fill the void and to do the same job. This new site is run by CCCAM. YOU are CCCAM! So we are pleading with all of our members to do your part to make this tool more up to date and accurate! Send in the information now for the meets you are hosting (http://www.jotform.us/YCforms/CompListForm). Then, as soon as you can, and hopefully periodically through the registration process, send in your list of registered teams so that other coaches can see that online! Finally, make sure you send in the excel tally program to the website directly from your meet as soon as awards are announced. If YOU do not do your part for CCCAM, we will not be able to give you the most updated accurate information. If you would like to see more information about a tournament, please contact that tournament host and encourage them to send their information into the website.
2013 CCCAM Scholarship Invitational!
Be sure to get your team signed up for the 2013 CCCAM Scholarship Invitational! Only seniors of participating teams are eligible to apply for a CCCAM Scholarship.
Last season CCCAM awarded $42,000 in scholarships!
This year’s sites include:
Comstock Park
Escanaba
Holly
Houghton Lake
L’Anse Creuse North
Lansing Waverly
Otsego
Rochester Stoney Creek
Trenton
NEW THIS YEAR….CCCAM, in conjunction with MCJA, will be utilizing some of the invitational sites for judges training! At these sites, judges will be mentoring and training new judges to help them better understand the rules, regulations and scoring procedures in a real-life situation. Two judges will work together to fill out one score sheet. MCJA and the Board of CCCAM are excited about this opportunity to offer intensive hands-on judges training to improve the quality of judging in our sport!
Make sure you visit the CCCAM website (www.cccam.org) to complete the registration form and get your team entered!!
CCCAM HAS PARTNERED WITH COACHES VS. CANCER
CCCAM is once again excited to partner with the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer. Coaches vs. Cancer is a statewide effort to empower coaches and their teams to join the fight against cancer! It's easy to get involved!! You can do an event at a football game or host a competition to benefit Coaches vs. Cancer. Every dollar counts so no matter how large or small the donation we hope everyone will do something!! In October, the NFL partners with the American Cancer Society through the A Crucial Catch program and is hoping to get local high schools to join in as well. Would your football team be interested in hosting a pink game? Last year Coach Amber Stocks, her team and the Walled Lake Western football team donated $10,000 to Coaches vs. Cancer through their pink game!! If you are interested in doing something with your team please contact Beth Campbell at beth.campbell@cancer.org.
2013-2014 MHSAA RULE AND TECHNICAL CHANGES
At the time of this email, the MHSAA representative council has met, but the minutes have not yet been released or posted. Even though this is not a year for a new manual, there could and most likely will be rule and/or technical changes. As soon as we see these minutes, we will post a link on our website homepage at www.cccam.org!