I have a local HS that has cheerleaders that love to really crowd the baseline on one side of the court. It makes it real hard to work the baseline on the side they are on. Usually I motion them to move back a bit and they comply. But that led me to wonder...

What authority, if any, do we have to move cheerleaders?

I cant find a rule that allows us to do it and I even pulled up the Spirit Rules to see if they have a rule about it and they dont seem to.

I know one solution is to just ask the AD to do it. But at the end of a tight game, I dont want to have to get the AD and stop play to move them. I want to know if there is a rules basis to be able to move them if I want to.

You won't find anything in the rules to justify it, but you run over or bump into a couple of em, and they'll probably get the hint.

Yeah, there are any number of "practical" solutions. But I was hoping to have some rule backup if I really needed to move them at the end of a tight game.

I'm thinking about it because I have a game at that site coming up soon.

Look a little harder, it's in there.

A couple of years ago, I helped out part time at a local rec center. They had a Spirit Rules Book. One boring Saturday afternoon, I thumbed through, in search of this exact rule. The book basically says that cheerleaders should not stand during any live ball situations.

Your state association may also have rules regarding this. The NCHSAA states in the Basketball section of our handbook that "Cheerleaders must remain seated during all live balls, which includes after the free throw shooter is handed the ball. Cheerleaders may not come onto the fl oor during 30-second timeouts."

Authority.

The authority is in 2:3 - The referee shall make decisions on any points not specifically covered in the rules.

High School kids love to feel important. Before the game, ask who the cheerleading captain is. Then just tell her that she needs to help you out and explain what you expect from her team. She'll comply. If they do forget and start to crowd you as the game gets exciting, just go to her and she'll take care of it.

Z

Talk to the Game Administration. Mention "saftey" concerns you have.

Additionally, on page 10 of NFHS, "The restrictions which the rules place upon the players are intended to...provide reasonable safety and protection"

2:2 - The officials shall make decisions for infractions of the rules committed within or outside the boundary lines.

The NFHS Spirit Book is provided to ALL school cheerleader sponsors, administrators, as well as each local officials association. (normally sent to the previous year's president).

The rule, as has been explained to us, is simply that cheerleaders may not stand <b>ON THE FLOOR</b> during a live ball. However, as long as they are in the 2nd row of the bleachers or higher, they may stand during live balls.

They are allowed to come on the floor during full timeouts and in between quarters, but, not during 30 second timeouts.

Ask your local association president (or board member) if they have a copy of the spirit book and have them look up the rule to reinforce your confidence in the rule.

Cheerleaders are not our (officials) responsibility either. They fall under the home game managements responsibility.

Hmm...thinking of picking up another activity (cheerleading) if this referee thing doesn't work out?

It's interesting to hear the book says they should not stand during live ball situations. I have yet to see a cheerleader do anything BUT stand during the entire game, except, of course, when they're doing their flips and things during the full timeouts. I usually ask nice, and most of the time they move aside when they're in the spot I want to be, but I've always wondered it had more to do with my deodorant.

Most of the time I have very little contact with cheerleaders, but in a recent game my partner had to almost restrain one from coming on the floor. Apparently she had an issue with a fellow from the other team who had, perhaps, fouled a good friend of hers a little too hard. A quick step in front of her, and a couple of comments from her colleagues got her back under control. It's good to have a woman who's willing to protect her man, right?

Thanks everyone.

I saw 2-3, but that is pretty generic. I was hoping no to have to hang my hat on that. However, I imagine no one would get pissed if my ruling was that the cheerleaders were interfering with my ability to call the game, observe violations and fouls, etc.

I was just hoping for a clearer statement somewhere.

I will check local association rules, too. Good suggestion.

Its funny. I've never really had this before. This is my first year with a new association (I moved). The cheerleaders here really like to be on the baseline. And I mean close to the baseline.

[Edited by cdaref on Jan 12th, 2006 at 05:45 PM]

I know our state has noticed that cheerleaders are such a problem that they have addressed it with the schools and officials a couple of years ago. As a matter of fact post season hosting assignments are considered by the amount of room that needs to be clear because the cheerleaders have become a problem with interfering with officials and players. I think the distance from the court has to be 6 feet (I will have to check for sure) from the perimeter from the court in order to host a post season assignment.

All you have to say to the "ladies" is to let them know you are not looking at them when you are running down the court. Usually they realize they are in danger (the operative word is "usually") of getting run over or getting in the way and they adjust. Officials have every right to move people that are not apart of the game that might put someone at risk of injury or interfering with the game.

Peace

Generally they respond if asked to move. In a respectful way asking, "can I get you to move a few steps down this way" or something like that, seems to be effective.
A few years ago I had this issue and asked one of the girls to move down the baseline so I wouldn't run into her. She immediately got defensive and said, in a very negative tone, "we're athletes too you know!" I wasnt' going to get anywhere with her so I went to the table to ask for the game admin. The PA announcer asked what I needed and I said I needed the girls to move to one side of the basket or the other. He immediately gets on the PA and requests, "WILL THE CHEERLEADERS PLEASE MOVE FROM THE END OF THE COURT" so everyone in the gym could hear it. I was laughing to myself thinking, hey, they got what they deserved. It wasn't what I intended but it certainly was effective!
They ended sitting up in the stands without doing any cheer for the entire game and they let me have it nearly every time I was at their end of the court within hearing distance.
Lesson: Be careful who you ask to help you.
Lesson2: Mess with the cheerleaders only if absolutely necessary.

I have seen similar problems, only with them standing too close to the sideline in front of the bleachers opposite table side.

Last season I had one game where they were really close to the sideline and we'd asked them to move back. In the 3rd quarter I was transitioning to cover a fast break that was close to the sideline. I was in a full out sprint straight down the sideline, looking back over my shoulder when one of them stepped a little too close & I didn't see her. Fortunately it was more of a glancing contact than a direct collision, but it still knocked her flat on her butt. She was shaken up but not really hurt. We then had the AD make them sit.

Now when I see cheerleaders at the game, I tell game management that for safety reasons they're not allowed within 3 feet of any court boundary line when the ball is live - period.

I tell them they need to move back. I'm 6'6" and about 230 pounds and I tell them that when I haul booty down court, I'm not looking to see where they are and they are a lot smaller than me. They get the message.

I was stretching before a game last year where I pulled my foot behind me and it ended up between a cheerleader's legs. Needless to say she was pretty embarrassed :o. I learned to look behind me before stretching on the court.

I have also heard from different officials that the cheerleaders must not be underneath the basket. It sounds like they are not allowed anywhere on the endline (if they are standing).

I try to do my stretching in the locker room...in fact, I believe the NFHS Officials Manual suggests not to do stretching on the court.

Strectching on the court. Hmmmm...I don't think so.

I try to stretch before I'm on the court but sometimes I'll work out some kinks.

The Spirit manual says they cant be along the end line between the freethrow lane extended. That is the only restriction in their manual.

And yeah, warm up in the locker room. I hate seeing officials stretching on the court. Looks bad. But some jurisdictions seem to care more than others. I've seen varsity officials do it a bit here where in my old jurisdiction there is no way taht would ever have been tolerated.

All you know on Earth and all you need to know
 

All you know on Earth and all you need to know, I would suggest, is that the idea is to get a fair game. If the cheerleaders are interfering with that - say by getting in your way - you have the authority (you ARE a member of the Rule 2.3 Club, aren't you?) to have the site manager take care of the site.

That being said, cajoling cheerleaders can work, too.

"You can always tell a cheerleader, but you can't tell them much."

I have never had a problem with cheerleaders not responding to my request (not since high school anyway!), but that was a different request then ! Anyway, if you compliment them first, they will do anything for you. Example: "You girls are doing a good job, but I hope I don't accidentally run over one of you. You might want to take a couple steps back....thanks a lot....let's see a pyramid or some flips later....".... main thing is: just be friendly, but let them know who the boss is on the court in a nice non-threatening way.... they will respond favorably 99.9% of the time.

Cheerleaders last night were no problem. But I heard a cheer that made me laugh.

Girls Varsity.

I call a travel on a girl right in front of the opposing cheerleaders. Just as I'm about to bounce the ball to the thrower-in I hear this cheer from the sideline: "You travel, you travel, you walkkkkk too much!" I couldn't help but laugh.

In the 2nd half I called another travel. As I'm coming back as the new lead the cheerleaders are doing the same cheer, except this time while singing the "you travel" verse they are doing the traveling mechanic, and then for the "you walkkkk too much!" verse they march in step up the sideline.

But I guess karma came back to bite them in the butt, b/c the cheerleaders' team lost by 3 points and committed two travelling violations in the last minute of the game.

There are a couple of smaller gyms where there is no room for the cheerleaders except along the baseline. I generally try to warn them that I'm alot bigger than they are (they're cheerleaders, I need to explain it:D ) and I won't be the one hurt if I run into them. One game, during a fastbreak, I was running down the sideline looking over my shoulder and steamrolled one girl. Thank the Lord she wasn't seriously hurt. They stayed out of my way after that.

NCAA rules, court diagram shows a minimum 3 ft of unobstructed space along the sidelines (preferred 10 ft) and 6 ft along the end lines.

This is the same line I use when I foresee a potential problem. I'm 6' and 200+, so when I tell them it won't be me getting hurt, they tend to believe me.

I worked a gym just a couple nights ago that had no room on the sidelines for the cheerleaders and on the end lines there was 3 to 4 feet from baseline to wall.

I told the girls look you can do your thing but if you see me come running, im getting a little older I still run well but I dont stop very well so be heads up! :eek:

So, on occasion through out the game when a fast break would develop as I am running down to the base line I can her the cheerleaders, " Look out here he comes" :D I had to chuckle every time.

I usually just back out when I am on the baseline and they will move. I actually ran into one last month and both of us hit the pads on the wall. After that, no problem with them.

I just tell them to move back for me because I step on one cheerleader every year, and I haven't so far, so let's not have it happen tonight.

NFHS has basically the same thing on page 7 of the rules book.

Minimum of 3 feet, preferably 10 feet, of unobstructed space outside [the boundary lines].

That is the rules support which I would use to move the cheerleaders, if necessary.

I do as Zebraman has said, see the captain before the game starts and have them stand away from the sideline. When it comes to baseline, I tell them curl no further than the 3-point arc. I believe its important to do these things and here is why. This happened some tears ago, but the point remains the same. a official was running down the sideline focusing on the fast break (this was in two-man days) and BAM! right into a cheerleader on the sideline/floor. She wound up getting her arm broken and the parents were in the process of suing the official. Who would have thought that was going to be the outcome?

How about, "Move back?" :)

About 4 years ago, one of my partners asked the cheerleaders to move and they called him an A hole. He gave a T for that one. :D That was the talk at the bar that night. Oh, he had game admin remove someone for using a bullhorn and calling him an A hole too. As the kid was leaving (he left the bullhorn), the gyme is quiet and someone (who now has the bullhorn) says, "You're still an A hole." Nice! I helped get him beat all the traffic. :D

Totally OT. One official from Vegas had a whole section removed. He told game admin, "From there to there is out of here." I don't remember what they did, but it is funny because this guy is very cool. Nevada probably knows him - he is the most naturally talented official I have ever seen in my life.

I started to do this in one of my games earlier in the year. There was a hole side of fans trying to be like the Dukies! They were being annoying and disrupting. I stopped the game and told GM that they needed to shut up or leave, the whole section. It was about 8 rows of them. Needless to say, they shut up!

What's school was that? Not HRA, was it?