Premier ExperienceCanadian Cheer Finals

What is Canadian Finals?

Where is Canadian Finals located?

How does my team Qualify?

What divisions are offered at Canadian Finals?

What do you win?

If an athlete from our invite-winning team is unable to attend, can we make a substitute?

Do Spectators have to purchase a separate ticket to see the event?

What is the Registration Cost?

Canadian Finals is an invite only All Star event, teams can qualify by competing at
Canadian Cheer events.

There are 4 ways to qualify:

1. Compete at a Qualifying Event (Big East Showdown, Quebec Championship)
2. Earn a Wild Card Invite after attending a Canadian Cheer event. 
3. Earn A Wild Card Invite at an out of province IEP Partner Event. 
4. East Coast/Maritime teams and B.C. teams may qualify by video selection.

Big East Showdown Qualifier:

– Grand Champion of Level 1-4 receives automatic invitation! Grand Champion of the Open Division (4.2 and 5R) receives an automatic invite!
– Up to 5 additional invites to the top placing teams by level, invites will be announced at the event

Quebec Championships:

– Grand Champion of Level 1-4 receives automatic invitation!
– Up to 5 additional invites to the top placing teams in each level announced at the event

Wild Card Invitations:

– Division winners, top scoring teams and level Grand Champions will be eligible for selection at all
Canadian Cheer Alliance events (except the National Championship).
– At least 5 Wild Card Invites will be awarded in the 2018-2019 season at Canadian Cheer Events.
– Teams will be “drafted” after scoring in the top tier of the event that they attend. Drafted teams will be evaluated by a selection of Canadian Cheer judges and the chosen invitees will be announced in late February or early March.

Qualify at a Partner Event:

-Compete at one of our industry partner events to qualify, top scoring teams will be invited according to the protocols set by the individual event producer. Check with your local event producer regarding specific details.

Cold Snap Cheer & Dance Championship – Edmonton Alberta

Atlantic Showdown – St John, NB

Best of the West Cheer & Dance Championship – Regina, SK

Video Selection:

– Teams located on the East Coast/Maritime provinces or B.C. may enter by emailing a competition video to marcy@canadiancheer.com. Videos must be filmed straight on and be from the 2018-2019 season.
– Videos must be received by February 7th, 2019 and selections will be announced by February 15th, 2019.

Eligible Divisions/Levels:

Mini – Senior aged teams (and Int’l Open 4.2) are eligible. Please see additional requirements on the FAQ Page.

Hotel Information

Spectator Admission

Directions

Parking

Schedule of Events

Awards

Food & Concessions

Spectator Conduct

Thank you for attending the Canadian Finals! We are very excited to be back at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls! Once again, Brandon Larry will be hosting the event as our Master of Ceremonies. Brandon has firmly established himself as “The Voice of Evolution” and excels at keeping the spectators and athletes entertained throughout the day. Updated competition information and Performance Schedule will be posted under the above “Schedule” tab.

Included on this page are important details about the event and the facilities including warm‐up facilities, parking information, where to drop off athletes, athlete/coaches credentials, how to pick up athlete gifts, judging panels, legalities, grand champion awards and information regarding collection of waivers and coaches codes of conduct. Please also be aware of our inclement weather policy and refund policy and procedures as posted on the above menu under “Event Policies”.

On the day of the competition, please feel free to approach any of the Cheer Evolution Staff should you have any questions or concerns. Prior to the competition day, please email marley@canadiancheer.com for any registration issues, or marcy@canadiancheer.com for scheduling and legalities questions.

National Championship Event Information

Facilities 

There will be two performance areas this year. Performance floors are located in Hall A and Hall C.  Practice facilities for both performance areas are located in the Banquet Halls next to the Theatre. The practice area will be closed to all spectators and parents. Athletes will be escorted by CE staff through a short corridor to the on deck area of the performance floors.

When arriving at the Scotiabank Convention Centre, spectators and athletes can enter through the doors into the lobby. These doors are along the North side of the building near the bus drop off area. Event registration will be located inside of the lobby beside the Theatre. Spectators will be able to purchase tickets inside of the lobby near the main entrance. Spectators will have access to the lobby without purchasing a pass but must present wristbands before entering the performance halls. There will be a drop off zone for buses along the front of the building. Buses are asked to park in the designated area of the lot only. Please see the map for more information.

Coaches of young teams are kindly asked to arrange meeting times in the lobby area. This will allow parents of the young athletes to wait with their child until the coach arrives.

Athletes must receive a wrist band from coaches before entering the performance hall or practice area.

Parking and Directions

There is ample pay parking at the Scotiabank Convention Centre. For more information on parking and driving directions please visit: http://www.fallsconventions.com/facility-parking.html and see the map on the last page of this information package. The map also outlines the layout of the convention centre for the weekend. Please note that spectators may enter the parking lot from either Stanley Ave or Dunn St but the exit to Stanley Ave is reserved for buses only. All other vehicles must exit the lot onto Dunn St.

Schedule of Events

The performance schedule has been posted under the “Schedule” tab above. Although all Evolution events are known for being run precisely on-time, unforeseen circumstances sometimes cause times to shift slightly. We will always attempt to ensure that this does not affect any teams negatively.The most up-to-date schedule will be available for all coaches in their registration package, and will be posted throughout the warm-up facility. Due to last minute additions we remind coaches to use these copies of the performance order.

Spectator Entrance

Spectators will be able to enter the building through any of the doors into the lobby. The box office is immediately inside the main entrance off of Stanley Ave. Everyone must purchase tickets before entering the performance hall with the exception of participating athletes and core coaches who will be issued a wristband at registration. Cash is preferred, but there will be a limited number of debit/credit machines. All wait lines are indoors. Please note that upon purchasing your “ticket” for the event you will receive a wrist band. Wrist bands cannot be removed until after the event has concluded. Wrist bands that are removed unfortunately cannot be replaced. Coaches will be able to pick up coach and athlete passes once they have checked in at event registration. Athletes will not be able to enter the performance hall without their athlete pass. Passes will be handed to coaches only. Individual athletes are not permitted to pick up passes (exception for Parent team athletes, please see below).

Team Entrance

Team members and coaches will be granted access to the building through any of the doors into the lobby. There will be a large sign outside the entrance closest to the Event Registration table. Competitors may only have access to the main bowl and practice area after their coach has registered the team and athletes have been given their wrist band. Competitors will not be granted admission to the performance hall or practice gym without a wrist band. Coaches and will be issued wrist bands at the registration desk. Parent team athletes will not need to purchase a ticket. You will be permitted to pick up individual wrist bands from the event registration as long as all required registration materials have been received for your team.

Wrist Bands

All athletes, coaches and spectators will be given a wrist band for this event. Spectators will be able to purchase their wrist band at the ticket booth located in the lobby near the building’s main entrance off of Stanley Ave. Coaches will be able to pick up wrist bands for their teams at event check in. All persons must be wearing the wrist band in order to gain access to the performance and practice halls. Athletes will be permitted to wear wrist bands on their ankle if they choose.

Wrist bands that are lost or removed will not be replaced. Athlete wrist bands that are torn off will be replaced as long as the athlete brings the ripped wrist band with them to event registration.

With the exception of parent teams, athletes will not be permitted to pick up individual wrist bands. All wrist bands must be given out as a team set to the coach.

Food & Concessions

There will be concession stands and eating areas will be set up in the ball room. Spectators will not be permitted to bring in outside food or drink.

Coaches’ Meeting

There is no coaches’ meeting scheduled for this event. For questions regarding scoring, rules, and legalities please email marcy@canadiancheer.com. For inquires at the event, please report to registration.

Athlete Proof of Age Eligibility:

Coaches please be advised that teams may be randomly selected for age verification. We require all coaches/administrators to be able to provide athlete identification (birth certificate, drivers license, passport)  in either digital or paper format to verify athletes age eligibility. These personal documents will NOT be collected and kept on file by Canadian Cheer. If requested, coaches will have until 10 minutes prior to their awards to present the required documentation. Photos of original ID’s on cellphones or drives are accepted.

Legalities and Deductions

For legalities and deduction information please review the Competition Guidelines sheet available on the menu above under the Event Policies tab. If you require a legalities clarification please report to the staff at the Score Check table (located in the hallway between Hall A/C) )to coordinate a meeting with a legalities convenor. Those that have not reported to the staff at Score Check will not be able to meet with a legalities convenor.

Scoring

For scoring information review the score sheet and score grid available on the Rules page. National Championships will operate with four alternating judging panels.  Grand Champions of each level will be awarded in indicated awards ceremony from the performance schedule. Single run teams are eligible for the Highest Score award.

Team Change Rooms

There will be very limited changing capacity; teams are encouraged to arrive as ready as possible. There will be no official supervision of team belongings during the event. A room on the 2nd floor has been made available for athletes to meet and change. We recommend all valuables are brought with you through warm up and backstage. CE and the SCC staff are not responsible for lost or stolen articles.

Practice & Warm-up Area

The warm-up area is located in the Banquet Halls adjacent to the Theatre. Cheer teams must check-in to the practice gym approx 35 minutes prior to the teams’ performance times (please see the schedule for exact times). There will be a scheduled rotation beginning with check in and then proceeding through scheduled practice times on a partial floor of 2 strips (non-sprung), immediately moving to a full 9-mat floor (sprung). Please see the schedule for the number of minutes you will have on each mat. Following the practice mat, the teams will be escorted to the “in the hole” waiting area.

As indicated on the schedule teams will be either on Warm-Up Rotation A or B and will be directed to the correct mat upon reporting to practice area. Please note we are rotating on a three & a half minute turn around, and teams will need to take the performance floor as soon as they are announced. Any team chants, motions, etc will need to be performed prior to taking the performance floor. Significant delays on or off the performance mat may result in a Sportsmanship deduction.

Coaches are not permitted on the floor without prior clearance. 

Awards Ceremonies

Awards ceremonies for this event will be taking place in the Theatre (with the exception of Special Needs and any awards indicated as “Main Stage”). There is a separate posted schedule for awards ceremonies. Please make sure to check what time your division’s awards ceremony will be taken place. Teams will meet 10 minutes prior to their awards ceremony in order to prepare for the Parade of Champions. Teams will meet just inside of the main performance hall (Hall A) to the left hand side of the doors (if entering from the lobby). A Cheer Evolution staff member will be there to organize teams and escort them into the theatre for awards. Spectators must enter the theatre from upstairs and are not permitted to enter with the teams. Spectators will line up on the 2nd floor prior to the awards ceremony, the theatre will be cleared without exception after each ceremony.

Spectators must exit back into the lobby.

Coaches Lounge

The coaches’ lounge will be in a meeting room on the second level of the building, room 201. There will be some light refreshments located in this area. The coaches’ lounge is restricted to registered coaches only. No athletes or spectators will be permitted access to the second floor of the building.

Sports Therapists

There will be sports therapists as well as emergency response personnel available for the day to ensure that athletes and spectators can be well cared for if necessary. The therapists will have supplies for their use only and will not be supplying them freely. The role of therapists is to deal with injuries, not to tape wrists and ankles. Kindly plan to bring your own athletic tape.

Spotters

Cheer Evolution will not be providing spotters for the event. If coaches feel they should provide their own spotters for the team, please contact Cheer Evolution prior to the event. No deductions will be made for teams providing their own spotters provided these spotters do not provide hands-on assistance, or visual/verbal cueing. All spotters are required to hand in a waiver before arriving at the event.

Music and Sound Equipment

All music must in CD or MP3 format. NOTE: Do not use CD-RW! We are very pleased to have Brandon Larry and his team as the M.C. for the event and overseeing all audio aspects. Brandon’s exceptional experience and top quality equipment will ensure each team’s music sounds great. It is highly recommended that each team have a back-up copy of the routine CD  at the music table in the event that there is a problem with the primary CD/MP3. It is the responsibility of each team to ensure that their music is error free and plays on the music system. Once the team is positioned at the “in the hole” waiting area, event staff will escort the coach to the music station.

 Recruitment

In the spirit of sportsmanship Cheer Evolution is following suit with many large American companies and enforcing a non-recruitment policy. Solicitation of athletes will not be permitted in any of the following form (but not limited to): signs, t-shirts with try-out dates, athlete gifts, handouts, etc. Please keep in mind that casual conversations can be interpreted incorrectly so please be mindful. For questions or concerns please email marcy@canadiancheer.com

Photography

Professional event photography will be available by Captured Moments here: https://canadiancheer.smugmug.com/

Event Shirts and Clothing

There will be a variety of clothing items available for purchase from vendors. Please be sure to come to the stores to see what’s available.

Athlete Gifts Pick-Up

Athlete gifts will be given out after their first run in the Video Replay area.

For any further questions please contact:

–  marley@canadiancheer.com regarding registration, wrist bands, etc.

–  Marcy@canadiancheer.com regarding scheduling, rules and scoring

Coming Soon!!!

The Final chance to prove you’re the best in Canada! Up to 40 teams from Levels 1-5R will be invited to vie for the chance to take home an iconic jacket and be crowned Canadian Finals Champion. This special event will take place on the Saturday evening of the National Championships.