We're excited to start our busy Nationals season with JamFest Super Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana! This is a huge competition full of outstanding teams and it is a ton of fun. We are very excited for our teams to compete with some of the best in the nation. Below you will find many travel details and guidelines for the upcoming weekend. Please have this information handy to refer to throughout the weekend.
Our main goals for this weekend are for cheerleaders to perform to the very best of your ability, and you support all KC Cheer teams by cheering them on at each performance. We also ask that you conduct yourselves in a responsible and respectable manner. We'd also like for our parents to help us monitor our athletes this weekend. Please give them support and guidance when they need it. Bring your loud voices, noise makers and KC Cheer spirit to each and every performance. (See very old Jamfest photo at right for spirit inspiration. Can you spot some familiar faces? :) )
Before We Go
Extra Practices
The KC Cheer Staff reserves the right to call extra practices on any night of the week prior to a major competition. If it is decided your team needs extra practice, your coach will let you know immediately so athletes can make proper arrangements. Please remember that all practices leading up to 2 weeks before a competition are mandatory!
Important Reminders
- You are representing KC Cheer! Please be considerate of others in the hotel, show great sportsmanship on and off the floor and follow all curfew rules.
- KC Cheer team members are required to be at all KC Cheer performances. No exceptions. Staff will take attendance randomly throughout the day. Schedules are all listed below for you to reference all weekend. We suggest screenshotting them so you have them in your phone
- No swimming is allowed during the competition. If you are staying Sunday night and choose to swim after all competition is complete, that is fine.
- This is not a vacation. Remember that you are here to compete. That means your first priority is your team, your gym and all performances and practices that go with being part of this group. Please do not make plans for the girls to go shopping while in Indy, as chances are it will probably interfere with other teams' performance times that they're required to be present for.
- Do not make plans that will interfere with any practice or performance.
- All cheerleaders should make sure they have their phones with them as team parents will be sending text messages to notify people of last minute instructions. At a competition this large, it's important to be in constant communication.
- Please do not allow your child to travel between the hotel, mall and arena alone. These areas are open to the public and will be very crowded this weekend.
- On the "crowded" note, it might be a good idea to bring a small cooler with breakfast foods inside: muffins, fruit, bagels, juice etc. Breakfast will be important to most of our team members, so please come prepared.
- KC Cheer has a team room in the convention center. The room number is 106. Please understand that teams will be using this room throughout the weekend for a meeting place and any practices we may need. Do not leave your valuables in this room, as it will not be locked.
The Bus
- Open containers are not allowed on the bus. All drinks must have a lid.
- You must share seats on the bus. (Unless you paid for a double seat)
- Please remember the four seats in the first row of the bus are reserved for the coaches
- Cheerleaders should wear comfortable clothes on the bus. They may wear slippers on the bus, but must have real shoes to change in to for lunch time.
- The buses are equipped with TVs for movies. Please make sure your movies are age appropriate.
- Cheerleaders are to ride their team buses. If you have cheerleaders on more than one team please inform the coach which bus your cheerleader will be riding if you want them to ride together. Cheerleaders under age ___ are required to have a parent with them on the bus.
- Absolutely no switching buses halfway through a trip.
- If you are going to make different arrangements to get home from Indianapolis, please inform the person who is in charge of your bus before Sunday night.
- Cheerleaders must clean up after themselves. If a bus is left dirty, the team responsible will condition at practice in the future!
- Do not leave items on the bus, as they may not be there on Sunday when you get back on.
Packing
Please see below for a list of things you'll need for this weekend. Athletes are required to be in the designated attire for that day, so it is important you pack all of the items on this list.
Jamfest Super Nationals Packing List
- Uniform top
- Uniform bottom
- Socks
- Cheer shoes
- Makeup
- Hair spray
- Red Bow
- White Bow
- Sparkle Practice Wear
- Infused practice wear
- KC Cheer warmup (black pants or black leggings if you don't have a warmup)
- KC Cheer team t-shirt
- KC Cheer red tank
- Hair clips
- Straightener/curling iron
- Medications (if needed)
- Pillow and blanket for the bus
- Snacks for the bus
- Cell phones/chargers
- Camera
- Money for meals
Attire
All cheerleaders should wear the outfits outlined for each day when not in competition uniform during our stay in Indy. Do not leave your hotel room in a sports bra and spandex.
- Cheerleaders are always allowed to be in warmup jackets and black pants or warmup pants when at competitions.
- The gym shirt is an item that every cheerleader must have. All cheerleaders were given one. If you lost yours you need to purchase a new one, because it is required attire for the weekend.
- Cheerleaders must be dressed in gym shirt and black pants or warmup when not in uniform. No PJ pants, jeans or other street clothes!
- Cheerleaders must be in full uniform for awards ceremonies. They will not be allowed on stage if they are not in full uniform.
Friday, January 20
Traveling
Attire: anything comfy
- All athletes are required to ride the bus to Indianapolis. The buses will leave from the KC Cheer parking lot at 6:30 a.m. This means everyone should be on the bus by 6:15 so we can leave promptly at 6:30.
- Please try to carpool to KC Cheer that morning or have your athlete dropped off so there is enough room for everyone to park. Do not park on the street or in front of other businesses or their garage doors.
- If you are staying at the JW Marriot, please be sure your luggage is in the first luggage bin of the bus. We want everyone staying there to have their luggage together so we can get everybody off the bus in as organized of a fashion as possible.
- The bus will only be stopping for cheerleaders to get off for food and drinks one time, so please make sure your cheerleader has snacks and drinks for the entire 9 hour trip, as well as money for lunch when we stop. We will also be making a few "stretch" stops for the drivers, but cheerleaders will not be allowed off the bus during these stops.
- We will hand out room keys on the bus in Indianapolis. We are staying at the Westin and the JW Marriott - Downtown Indianapolis. We will stop first at the Westin to unload and then the JW Marriott.
- Rooms at the Westin will be pre-keyed but those at the Marriott will not. The buses will unload one at a time to avoid mass confusion in the lobby. It is extremely important that you be patient once we arrive, as you will be asked to remain on the bus for a short period.
Friday Evening Practices
Attire: Black Sparkle practice wear and white bow, with red KC Cheer tank and warmup pants to walk to convention center
- When we arrive in Indianapolis, cheerleaders should take their luggage to their rooms and get ready for Friday evening practices. We will be practicing in the convention center from 7:00-9:00. The practice schedule is listed below. Teams will meet their coaches in the lobby of the Westin and will walk together to the convention center.
- We will be wearing our Black Sparkle Practice Wear and White Bow for Friday evening practices. Teams will wear Red KC Cheer Tank, warmup jacket and pants to walk over to the convention center
- Fantasy, Fever, Fiesta, Fortune, Force and Fame will meet in the hotel lobby at 7:00 p.m. to come over to the convention center
- Ferocious, Fearless, Flawless and Fierce 5 will meet in the hotel lobby at 8:00 p.m. to come to the convention center
Friday Practice Times:
Curfew
- KC Cheer enforces a strict 10:00 curfew, as do both hotels we are staying in this weekend. All cheerleaders must be in their assigned rooms by 10:00 p.m. with lights out by 10:30.
- The KC Cheer staff and parents will be patrolling both hotels to enforce this curfew. There will be serious consequences for anyone found outside of their rooms past curfew. We have had to use these punishments before and have no problem using them again. You're here to do a job, and we need all athletes to be well-rested for the long days ahead.
Saturday, January 21
Attire: Black Team Shirt (with the gold foil) and black pants when not in uniform, White bow.
All team members (with the exception of Ferocious) will meet in the hotel lobby at 9:15 a.m. to walk over to watch Ferocious perform at 9:48 a.m. For the zillionth time (in case you keep forgetting), it is required that all team members be at every KC Cheer performance unless they are in the practice room with their teams.
We will have a gym meeting at 8:15 in room 106. Teams should plan to practice after reviewing their scoresheets sometime throughout the day. Coaches will have team parents communicate times to each team. We will be wearing red infused practice wear to these practices.
Sunday, January 22
Attire: Black team shirt (gold foil) and Black pants when not in uniform. Red sparkle bow.
- Hotel checkout is at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.
- Make sure your cheerleader takes ALL needed items with her in the morning on Sunday to the arenas. We will load the buses with all luggage on Sunday morning. You will not be able to get to this luggage until the end of the day on Sunday when we load the buses.
- Below is the performance schedule and awards schedule. Again, all team members must be at all team performances, even after their awards ceremonies are over.
unday performance schedule
Sunday Awards Schedule
- Awards will be held in Champions Arena, which is Hall F.
- Teams will meet coaches here in FULL UNIFORM for awards
Traveling home
- The buses will begin loading as soon as possible after the final awards ceremony at 9:00. We will NOT be stopping on the way home for food, so please plan for this (drinks and snacks).
- If your cheerleader is not riding the bus home, please let your coach or team mom know before Sunday evening. Your cheerleader is still required to stay for all team performances even if he or she is not riding the bus home.
Additional information regarding this weekend can be found here.
We are looking forward to an extremely fun weekend at Jamfest Super Nationals!