Competition Rules and Regulations
Each school must mail a copy of their Certificate of Insurance for the current
competition year to LIKA. No school
will be allowed to enter any competition if they fail to meet this deadline.
Additionally, certificates with coverage of less than 2 (two) million
dollars and/or those not listing competition locations and LIKA as “additional
insured” will be returned and the school will be unable to compete..
a.
Applications and entry fees must be postmarked on or before the contest deadline
date.
b.
Refunds will be made only if LIKA has been notified of the cancellation no later
than the contest deadline dates.
Call the LIKA number 631- 462-1525, and if necessary leave a
message on the tape.
a. LIKA competitions will be divided into divisions i.e. high kick, dance, pom, hip hop and step. Each division will be divided further into
junior high/middle school classes and small, medium and large high school
classes as needed.
b. An individual school may enter one team per division. Therefore, a school may enter a team in the high kick, dance, step,
hip hop and pom divisions.
c.
A team may compete in only one class per division.
d.
Individual participants may compete as members of the high kick, dance, step,
hip hop and pom teams.
e. The number of participants who will be competing for your team(s) must be “declared” in order to compete during the season.
There will be no exceptions. The number declared will determine the class in which the school will compete for the entire season.
Once your declaration is submitted to LIKA, you may NOT change your declaration
number.
f.
Teams competing with more or less than the number of participants “declared” in
their classes will be penalized as follows:
1.
If over the class size number, the penalty is
disqualification.
2. If under the “declared” size number by 4 or more, a penalty of 0.1 per participant starting with the 4th participant, will be deducted from
the teams final average.
g.
The minimum number of participants for any team is 12.
h.
The maximum size for all classes is 36.
a.
The competition floor will be a standard basketball court.
b.
The competition floor will NOT be provided for practice.
A practice area will be provided.
c. No practicing is permitted in the gym (subject to DISQUALIFICATION). Only the on-deck team will be permitted to stretch in the gym,
in a designated area, out of the judges’ view.
d. As a matter of sportsmanship and courtesy, team members must remain seated during another team’s performance
(subject to DISQUALIFICATION).
e.
Team members must remain on the team side of the gym or designated area (as they
must throughout the entire competition).
a.
Set-up:
1.
If a team sets-up outside the competition floor, no set-up time is taken, and no
penalties apply.
2. If a team ends their routine inside the competition floor, they will have 30 seconds from the first sign of movement
(after the final position) until the last participant has crossed the
competition floor.
b.
Clearing
1.
If a team clears the floor to music, no clearing time is taken, and no penalties
apply.
2. If a team sets-up inside the competition floor, they will have 30 seconds from the time the first team member crosses the line until
they assume their starting position.
c.
Length of Routine:
1.
The length of the routine must be 2 to 3 minutes.
The length of a Step routine will be 3 to 5 minutes only.
2.
Timing starts with the first beat of music or from the first motion or the first
call for Step to begin.
3. Timing ends on the last beat of music for team ending on the floor. Teams exiting to music will be timed until the last participant has
left the floor.
d.
All team members must remain outside the competition floor until the
announcement, “...you may now take the floor in competition.”
e.
Timing Penalties:
1.
A 0.2 point penalty will be assessed for overtime in set-up and/or clearing.
2.
A 0.2 point penalty will be assessed for routines less than 2 minutes or more
than 3 minutes in length.
Specifically for Step routine the penalty will be assessed for routines less
than 3 minutes or more than 5 minutes.
3.
Penalties will be deducted from a teams’ final average.
a. Six judges will consider a team's total performance and allocate from 0 to 10 points in each of two categories: TECHNICAL MERIT,
and ARTISITIC IMPRESSION and 0 to 5 points for the PERFORMANCE INTRICACIES category. The highest and lowest scores in
each category will be dropped and the remaining scores averaged to three decimal
places.
b.
The decision of the judges is final.
c.
In the event only 3 teams enter a competition, only 1st and 2nd place trophies
may be awarded.
d. In case of a tie score at a contest, the next place trophy will be used and the plate changed. A coin toss will decide which team
receives each trophy. In the event of a tie for third place, a new trophy
will be ordered.
e.
In the event a tie occurs at the Championships:
1.
the high and low scores will be added in as a tie breaker and if there is still
a tie,
2.
the tied teams will perform their routine again to determine placement.
a. Individual Tumbling and Gymnastics is allowed as long as one hand, foot, or body part remains in constant contact with the
performance surface. Airborne
skills are not allowed when hip-over-head rotation occurs.
Tumbling is allowed, but not required, in all divisions with the following
limitations:
Allowed
NOT Allowed
Backbends
Aerial Cartwheels
Cartwheels
Dive Rolls
Forward/Backward Rolls
Front/Back Handsprings
Front/Back Walkovers
Layouts
Handstands
Round-offs
Headstands
Head spins
Shoulder Rolls
Stalls
Windmills/Flares
1.
Tumbling is limited to 2 connected skills
2.
Weight bearing skills on the hands are not allowed while holding poms or props
(includes tumbling, stalls, etc.)
b. Teams may be subject to DISQUALIFICATION for performing moves not approved by LIKA. Warnings will only be administered in the
first LIKA competition of the season.
c.
Dance Lifts, Tricks & Partnering are permitted and are defined below:
Dance Lift: An action in which a dancer is elevated from the performance surface by one or more dancers and set down. A Dance Lift
is comprised of “lifting” dancer(s) and “elevated” dancer(s).
Dance Trick: An action in which a dancer(s) executes a skill with support from one or more dancers. A Dance Trick is comprised
of “Supporting” dancer(s) and “Executing” dancer(s).
Partnering: An action in which two or more dancers use support from one another, but are not elevated. Partnering can involve
both “Supporting” and “Executing” skills.
1.
A lifting/supporting dancer must maintain direct contact with the performance
surface at all times.
2. At least one lifting/supporting dancer must have hand/arm to hand/arm/body contact with the elevated/executing dancer at all times
during the lift, trick or partnerin g skill.
3. Swinging lifts and tricks are allowed provided the elevated/executing dancer’s body does not make a complete circular rotation and is in
a face up position at all times.
4.
Hip over head rotations of the elevated/executing dancer are NOT permitted.
5.
All cheer style stunts and or pyramids are prohibited with the exception of pony
sits and thigh stands.
6.
Jumping or leaping off a dancer is not allowed.
7.
Tossing a dancer is not allowed.
8. Teams may be subject to DISQUALIFICATION for performing moves not approved by LIKA. Warnings will only be administered in the
first LIKA competition of the season.
d. A five (5) point penalty will be assessed to any team violating any of the specific rules stated above. If you are not sure about a
specific move, please contact LIKA at least two weeks prior to the competition. It is recommended that you video the move and email it
to us for approval at kathykicks@yahoo.com.
e. LIKA reserves the right to review any routine and ban any maneuver deemed to be dangerous. Repeating a banned maneuver
in subsequent competitions will result in DISQUALIFICATION.
f. Routine segments where one team member performs "solo" for 16 beats or more (while the other team members remain stationary)
will result in DISQUALIFICATION.
g. Kickline routines must include a minimum of 50 waist high or higher kicks for a two-minute routine. Additional kicks are expected for
longer routines and are encouraged to ensure meeting the minimum requirements. Please remember that the overall routine, not
the number of kicks, determines the placement. Performances with fewer than 50 kicks may result in a 0.2 point deduction
or disqualification.
A kick is defined as one foot remaining on the floor while the other foot lifts
to at least 90 degrees.
h. A Dance or Hip Hop routine is one that portrays a dance style that includes a combination of rhythmic, creative body movements,
which interpret and enhance a musical selection.
i. A Pom routine utilizes any style of performance that incorporates the use of pom pons as the object or focus for at least 80% of the routine. Important characteristics of a pom routine include synchronization and visual effect, clean and precise motions, strong pom technique,
and incorporate dance technical elements.
Visual effect includes level changes, group work, formation changes, etc.
j. A Step Dance routine is one that portrays a specific style of dance using little music and the definite style of Step. A Step
Performance should consist of an intro, at least 2 transitions and an exit step. There should be no more than 3 "breathe" breaks in a
five-minute routine.
a.
Rubber soled shoes or appropriate dance shoes are required.
(The full foot must be covered.)
b.
Jewelry: as a safety precaution, the wearing of jewelry of any kind (including
captain pins, etc.) is prohibited.
1.
Any jewelry observed by the penalty judge will result in a deduction of 0.1
point per piece of jewelry from the team's final score.
2.
Covering jewelry (i.e. with band aids) is not allowed.
3. Discovered jewelry will be taken from student and returned in the scoring envelope. If jewelry is not surrendered to the Floor Judge,
the dancer will not be permitted to perform
c. Props, including shakers and poms are not permitted EXCEPT in the Step and Pom divisions. However props such as sticks, chairs,
canes, umbrellas, etc are not permitted in any division.
a. Each team must provide their own music tape. This tape MUST be turned in no less than 15 or more than 30 minutes prior to the start
of
the contest. It is advisable that each team has a back-up tape as a
precaution.
1.
CD’s are not recommended, due to the fact that all players may not read the disc
the same way, resulting in a speed variance.
b.
In the event a team changes their music, they may NOT select the music of
another team in their own Class.
LIKA will provide blank judge's tapes at the first Competition entered.
These tapes are to be reused for the remainder of the season. Rewind each
tape to start and turn them in with your music tape.
Replacement tapes will be provided at a fee
of $10 for one or more lost tape.
The display of unsportsmanlike conduct by any team, individual team member, an
advisor or chaperone will, at the discretion for the LIKA Board of Directors,
subject the entire team to suspension from one or more competitions. This
rule will be held enforceable from the time a team arrives at the contest site
and until they return to their home school.
a. Each team must have an advisor and/or school appointed chaperone accompanying them to every competition. A team captain does
NOT qualify as an advisor.
Any additional school personnel must pay to enter the competition.
b. During the team's performance, their advisor is to remain off the competition floor (except in an emergency) and should be seated so as
not to impede the view of either judges or spectators.
c. Each advisor will certify, on the day of a contest, that to the best of their knowledge each member of their team is physically capable
of performing.
1.
Students with leg braces or previously injured must have a clearance from a
doctor not just a parent to participate.
d. As per NYS coaching guidelines, it is recommended that the Advisor or other school representative be certified in first aid
and CPR.
Medical kits must be brought to each competition with the advisors.
A team must arrive at the competition site between the "doors open" time and 15
minutes prior to the start of the contest. Teams entering the building
before the "doors open" time or after the official starting time may receive a
5.0 penalty. A team arriving after their scheduled performance time may be
DISQUALIFIED.
After the last team has performed, all teams must remain in their seats in the
stands. Team members must remain on the team side of the gym or in their
designated area (as they must throughout the entire competition). The
awarding of trophies will take place in the center of the gym floor with the
captains of each placing team to be called forward.
Upon receipt of a team entry fee for a competition, each team will receive
2
advisor passes. These will be permanent passes for the current
season and will not be reissued.
Bus drivers may show their bus key to avoid payment for entry to view the
competition.
a.
The order of appearance within each Class will be established prior to each
contest by random drawing.
b.
In the event of multiple sessions, all schools in an individual Class will
compete in the same session.
The dates will be determined after processing by the contest facility and will
be published as soon as possible.
a.
Spectator fee will be collected at the door.
b.
Spectators are expected to follow the same rules of sportsmanship as are imposed
on the competing teams.
c.
Spectators must remain on the spectator side of the gym. Failure to do so
may result in your team being DISQUALIFIED.
d.
The use of flashbulbs or other forms of photographic lighting may distract
performers and judges. It is suggested that they not be used.
e. Food and drinks may not be brought into the gym. Those found with food will be asked to leave. This includes team members.
(Subject to location of contest).
f.
Air-grams will be available for purchase outside the gym.
Inappropriate air-grams will NOT be read.
a.
The invitational Championship will include teams from each Division.
b.
In order to qualify a team must:
1.
enter at least two preliminary contests and
2.
place 1st and 2nd in one of the preliminary contests.
(except in
the event of cancellation by LIKA).
c.
Wild-card placement will be used to insure up to three competing teams per
Class.
d.
In order to qualify for a wild-card position a team must:
1.
compete in TWO PRELIMINARY CONTESTS and
2.
by adding the team's two highest placements be the team with the LOWEST total.
