Here are a few things you'll want to do to get started:
Email us at wsddca@gmail.com to let us know you are a new coach so we can get you in touch with our New Coaches Coordinator and answer any questions you have. You can find contact information for the New Coaches Coordinator and your District Representative on our Contact page. If you don't know which WIAA district you are in, look up your school in the WIAA School Directory.
The Fall Conference will build your skills and knowledge base and allow you to get clock hours needed to meet the WIAA Coaching Standards (more info linked below).
Keynote speaker
Breakouts, some of which are specially designed for newer coaches
Updates from the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)
Updates from the Washington State Dance/Drill Judges Association (WSDDJA). This includes important safety updates.
Meet and network with other coaches
Meet coaches in your area at your district meeting
Connect with vendors
WSDDCA Awards Luncheon
WSDDCA membership included with conference registration
If you can't attend the conference, you can still become a member. Learn about what is included in your membership and join.
All coaches, both paid and volunteer, are expected to meet the WIAA coaching standards. View WIAA Coaching Standards.
If your team will be performing lifts, you will need to be certified. A lift/stunt is any move where an athlete's weight is being supported by another person. Register for Lift Clinics on the WIAA website.
Carefully review all information on the Rules & Safety Tech page. Most of the rules that govern Dance/Drill can be found in the WIAA SOPs (formerly Bound for State Regulations), Casebook and the NFHS Spirit Rules book. Go the the Dance/Drill page of the WIAA website to view the dance/drill specific regulations and Casebook. Spirit Rules books are sent to school athletic directors in August (one for dance/drill and one for cheer). If you don't get your book, you can order one from nfhs.com. You'll also want to read over the information on the safety/tech, stunt, rules clinic page of our website.
Review Resources for Coaches, particularly the "Planning - Get Organized!" folder.
During the regular season, teams can attend any competition and usually compete against teams in the same category (specifics may vary at some events). Registration is on a first come, first served basis, so register early. Learn how to qualify for Districts and State by reading the WIAA SOPs. Please be mindful of our Competition Etiquette.
Only register for those competitions at which you are committed to compete.
Submit registrations no later than the deadline established by the competition host.
Do not cancel unless there is a dire emergency. This includes cancelling just one category. Cancellations impact every single team involved in the competition by changing practice times, performance order, and awards. Cancellations also impact judging; sometimes judging changes must be made at the last minute, which should be avoided. Many coaches often feel their team is not "ready" for an event or that they have too many illnesses/injuries, students on academic probation, etc. These are problems that many teams face and should not lead to cancellations. (Exception: if your school district forbids you to travel because of adverse weather conditions, always follow your school district's decision.)
If you do cancel, you will not get your registration fee back because many competition expenses are paid in advance of the event.
Please be courteous and respectful of other teams' choreography by refraining from video-taping. Our association requests that audience members only record their own team performances. Posting to public sites such as YouTube can infringe upon copyrights.
Go to the Scoresheet & Rubric page to learn more about how teams are scored at competitions.