Do you have interest in being a Capital Cheer Team Parent (Mom, Dad, Stepmom, Stepdad) but don’t know what the role entails?  If so, please read through this general guide to help you understand the role and what you’re responsible for. Also, please keep in mind that Team Parent responsibilities are managed typically by two to three Team Parents, who take on different aspects of the Team Parent role. So you don’t necessarily have to take it all on yourself!

 

The Job:

Team Parents at Capital Cheer approach the role a bit differently from team to team and from year to year, but ultimately, you serve as a liaison between the coaches, parents, and athletes. 

 

Here are some of the typical tasks that you might have as a Team Parent:

 

Collecting Athlete and Team Contact Info

You will collect athlete and parent contact information and other necessary info such as food allergies and special preferences from parents for the purpose of creating a team roster to be shared with the entire team via Band.  Team parents may use this information to relay messages from the coaches and to coordinate team events such as competitions, celebrations, and team bonding events.  Team Parents also relay information and questions from the parents to the coaches and vice versa to then share responses.

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Choreography and Other Extended Practices

Sometimes, there are longer than usual practices, like choreography days and extended practices. As a Team Parent, you help organize meals and treats. A couple weeks prior to choreography or an extended practice, you could make a SignUp Genius for parents to bring specific food and drinks or order catering food for pick up. On the day of, you or someone who volunteers will set up the food for and serve the team at the time the coaches decide to break.

 

It has been tradition that Team Parents coordinate the design and either make or buy a team bow, one that all the athletes wear for choreography days. Often, the team bows’ designs align with team colors and/or mascots.

 

You can collect money from athletes’ parents per event/item or for the whole season to cover food, bows, bonding events, treats, goodie bags for competitions, and anything else necessary. Currently, teams collect between $100-$150 to cover all of these costs per athlete for the season.  

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Team Bonding Activities

Connecting as a team early on and throughout the season is important, as it helps build trust and camaraderie needed for success.  Team Parents help make that happen by arranging or designating someone else to plan specific events.  Events have included pin making, Friendsgiving, pool parties, dinners at competitions, bowling, fire pits and smores, cheer bow exchanges, an outing to get ice cream, etc. 

 

Team and Coaches Gifts

As a Team Parent, you also oversee some of the gift giving through the season such as coaches’ gifts, team buddy gifts, and special Summit gifts. You will buy gifts with money you collect from parents. At the beginning of the cheer season, you can also ask coaches to fill out a Favorites List to help find things they like for birthdays and other special events.

 

Social Media Support

Each Capital Cheer team has an Instagram account that covers the season, and a parent from the team will manage the account. You will work with the Team Instagram Manager on some of the content that goes out. This content may include athlete profiles, events that you plan, etc. The Team Instagram Manager can share with you about parents’ preferences related to their child’s presence on social media. Parents note this preference at the beginning of the season.

 

Competitions

It’s important to know that Capital Cheer does not coordinate hotel bocks for competitions, so Team Parents are often a go to source for help figuring out where to stay. Prior to a competition, you could create a spreadsheet/document to share with athletes’ parents so they can see where their teammates are staying when on an out-of-town trip. This helps other parents who are unfamiliar with a city or competition venue or to help parents coordinate rides to and from the competition.  In some cases, teams have been able to stay at the same hotels and even on the same floor when coordinated far enough in advance to the competition. 

 

Team parents often share communication via Band and/or texts about the competitions, maps of the competition venue, and remind people of the parking situation if they have knowledge/tips. You may share where to buy spectator tickets and the latest program schedule as well as remind the athlete with the team mascot to bring it to the competition.

 

On the day of the event, Team Parents find a place within the venue for the team to meet and keep their stuff.  At this meeting location, Team Parents do a head count of the athletes and try and locate anyone missing. Team Parents often bring supplies in case people forget bobby pins, a hair straightener, and hairspray, for example. In general, they are a source of encouragement and help to get the team pepped up, stay organized, as well as handle the often nervous energy that the athletes get. There is a lot of down time at cheer events.   

 

Team Parents escort athletes to the coaches or wait with them until coaches are ready to pick up the team for warm-ups, and then do the same when it’s time for awards. You will get texts from the coaches with updates and times. Before you hand off the team to the coaches, you do a final head count to make sure everyone is there and ensure everyone has used the restroom and looks competition ready.

 

Sometimes, coaches will give you things to pass out for them, to include Hit Zero pins, medals, or required athlete lanyards for entrance into Summit. Team Parents often wait with athletes whose families are not in the right place after awards are over. 

 

In short, Team Parents serve everyone — coaches, athletes, and parents. While coordination with the coaches is important throughout the season, you also have the opportunity to bring your fun, creativity, and support to our athletes and parents in a very special way!  If you have questions, you can reach to past or current Team Parents to get tips, ask questions, and source ideas.  We hope you volunteer!