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 123. 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 5th grade and under 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 Jersey
KC Cheer grey 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
Buses will leave the north side parking lot at Blue Valley Baseball Park located on 137th Street between Switzer and Antioch in Overland Park at 6:00 a.m. This means everyone should be on the bus by 5:45 a.m. We will not wait on you if you're late.
If you are staying at the Omni or Hilton, 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 buses will stop at all hotels, as necessary, and the drivers will get instructions about separating luggage for each stop.
The bus will only be stopping for cheerleaders to get off for food and drinks one time for lunch, 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. Make sure cheerleaders are in groups when they get off for lunch. Our lunch stop will be 45 minutes.
We will not hand out keys on the bus upon arrival at the hotels. Parents arriving via their own transportation will be able to check in at their hotels when they arrive. Please remember that check-in at each of the hotels is 3pm and your patience is appreciated. Everyone staying at the Hilton and Omni Hotels will check in at the front desk when they arrive. If they agree at the JW Marriott, Mary will have rooms pre-keyed for bus riders only.
Curfew
KC Cheer enforces a strict 10:00 curfew, as do all the 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: Team Jersey & Black Pants when not in uniform. White Bow.
All team members (with the exception of Fame) will meet in the team room at 8:00 a.m. to walk over to watch Fame perform at 8:34 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 all meet with all teams at some time in the day after they perform to go over scoresheets and potentially practice. Please make sure to have your phones with you, as this information will be communicated through your team parents.
Sunday, January 22
Attire: Grey Tank Top, Black pants and warmup when not in uniform. Red 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.
Sunday performance schedule
Teams will meet in the team room at 7:30 to go watch Fame at 7:48
Sunday Awards Schedule
Awards will be held in Champions Arena, which is around the corner from Hall H
Teams will meet coaches here in FULL UNIFORM for awards
Traveling home
We are planning on leaving following the Frost performance on Sunday. We will not be staying for the youth awards, as they are not until 11:00 p.m., which means we could be in Indy until Midnight. If this plan changes, we will be sure to inform everyone.
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!