Eligibility Fees Attendance Uniforms/Practice Wear Pre-Season Team Structure/Size Practice Game Time Competitions Adult Volunteers Tumbling Post-Season Eligibility Frequently Asked Questions about BFL Cheerleading (draft 2.18.09) What age do you have to be to cheer with BFL? BFL Cheerleading is open to all children from Bridgewater and the surrounding area in Kindergarten through 8 th grades. The Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleading is open to cheerleaders in 4 th 8 th grade. Fees How much does it cost to cheer for BFL Cheerleading and what does it include? Families involved in Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleading pay $150 to BFL for Registration, Insurance, Field Usage, Safety Training for Adult Coaches, Trophies, Uniform Usage, Pompon usage, Turtle Neck, Lollies, Sweatshirt, Practice Wear and Competition Bow. There is also a fee paid to Evolution Training Center of $365 which includes four 6 hour days of Choreography Camp and ten 2 hour weekly clean up sessions. This can be paid in increments. A $25 Skills Clinic/Evaluation/Try Out Fee is also payable to Evolution Gym. Total Cost is $540. The approximate price of team sneakers is $50, which are to be purchased individually once agreed upon by coaches. Families involved in Golden Eagles Cheerleading pay $150 to BFL for Registration, Insurance, Field Usage, Safety Training for Adult Coaches, Trophies, Uniform Usage, Pompon Usage, Turtle Neck, Lollies, Sweatshirt and Practice Wear. Families are also responsible to purchase a plain, white cheerleading sneaker.
Attendance Is attendance at practices, games and competitions mandatory? All practice sessions, games and competitions are MANDATORY for families involved in Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleading. There are no make-up practices. If you are sick or injured, attendance at a practice is mandatory unless you have a high fever or are vomiting. The cheerleader will not be required to participate, but will watch and observe any changes that may directly affect them. Abusing the attendance policy can result in removal from the team. Cheerleaders must also be on time to practice. Continual tardiness will be grounds for disciplinary action or dismissal. Additional details can be found in the BFL Competition Packet. All practice sessions and games are strongly encouraged for families involved in Golden Eagles Cheerleading. While not mandatory, cheerleading is a team sport and when an athlete is missing, it impacts the safety of the team as well as their ability to perform. If you are sick or injured, you must contact your coach. If you know in advance that you will not be in attendance at a practice or game, you must also notify your coach. Can my family take vacation during the BFL cheerleading season? Families involved in Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleading are NOT PERMITTED to take vacation during the BFL season. Due to the competitive nature of these teams and the emphasis BFL places on safety, it is important that families abide by this request. An irresponsible team member will not be allowed to jeopardize the importance and safety of other cheerleaders. Taking vacation during the BFL season is grounds for dismissal. Additional details can be found in the BFL Competition Packet. Families involved in Golden Eagles Cheerleading are permitted to take vacation during the BFL season; however it is important that families inform the coaches of the dates for planning purposes. As this is an instructional league, it is important for cheerleaders to attend practice/games as much as possible. Please be aware that due to the instructional nature of these teams, much material and/or choreography will be taught in a short period of time. Parents must be prepared to explain to their cheerleader that certain decisions regarding stunts, pyramids, etc. will be made while families are away on vacation. Uniforms/Practice Wear What should my cheerleader wear to practice/clinics? Cheerleaders should wear comfortable shorts, t-shirt or tank, socks and cheer shoes (or athletic shoes). Hair should be in a high pony tail and finger nails trimmed. Absolutely no jewelry allowed. When are Uniforms distributed? Uniforms are typically distributed the end of May. The date will be communicated in advance. Historically, BFL has offered multiple dates for Uniform distribution, however due to the size of the league we are now partnering with a local vendor to streamline the process.
How are Uniforms returned? Uniforms can be returned at the Cheerleading Banquet. If your family is unavailable on the date, please return to your coach prior to the banquet so that all Uniforms can be collected in a streamlined process. Pre-Season What is the deadline for registering for BFL Cheerleading? The deadline for Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleading is February 28 (firm), while the deadline for Golden Eagles Cheerleading is June 15, 2010. The deadline is earlier for the Jr. Panthers Cheerleaders because of the need to partner with Evolution Training Center to conduct Evaluations/Try Outs, music selection and choreography. Are there pre-season clinics for the Competition Cheerleaders? One pre-season clinic will be conducted for the Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleaders. The session will take place at Evolution Training Center and is mandatory. It is designed to provide cheerleaders a review of the fundamentals of motions, jumps, etc. prior to Evaluations/Try Outs. How are Competition Cheerleading Evaluations/Try Outs conducted? Cheerleaders will be evaluated for stunting skills at the clinics and will receive scores for that. At the individual try outs they will be in groups of 3 or 4 and they will each perform one or two jumps, the dance/cheer that they learned and they will be asked to do their hardest standing tumbling skill and running tumbling skill. (this can be a forward roll, cartwheel, back handspring etc). Individual try-outs will be judged by 2 or 3 independent judges hired by Evolution Training Center with the Competition Cheerleading Volunteer Team observing. What position should my cheerleader try out for? At the cheer clinics most cheerleaders will be asked to try two positions in a stunt group. There are limited numbers of positions for flyers on each team and they will need to exhibit superior skills to be offered that spot on the team. How are Competition Cheerleading teams formed? Teams will be put together by the RYSI head coach in conjunction with the Evolution staff using the impartial try-out scores. All try out scores are confidential and all team decisions are final. For Competition Cheerleading, how is team placement communicated? Cheerleaders will receive an e-mail by mid-may communicating team placement. Any cheerleader who tries out and is not satisfied with team placement will be offered refund for fee paid to BFL. Fees that have been paid to Evolution Training Center and/or monies transferred to Evolution Training Center are non-refundable.
Team Structure/Size What determines which squad my child will participate on? Cheerleaders interested in participating on the Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleading teams will be evaluated by UCA Certified instructors and/or employees of Evolution Training Center. Each athlete will be evaluated on their motions, jumps, building and tumbling. The session will start with beginner skills and then continue through the elements as far as the student is able. In addition to motions, jumps, building and tumbling, skills such as strength, flexibility and dance will be evaluated. Once the evaluations have been conducted, cheerleaders will be placed on a team based on their skill and ability. Cheerleaders involved in the Golden Eagles Cheerleading are placed on teams generally by grade: K - 2nd, 3rd - 4th, 5th - 6th and 7th - 8th. However, every effort is made to honor requests to place siblings on the same squad and/or to allow siblings to cheer at the same time their brother or sister is playing football. How large is each BFL Cheerleading team? Ideally, teams should have between 18 24 athletes to enable cheerleaders to perform a variety of formations, stunts and builds. The size of team varies based on enrollment and number of adults who volunteer to coach. Practice When does cheerleading practice start? The first practice is generally August 15 or the Monday following August 15. All cheerleaders practice Monday thru Thursday until the first game. The Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleaders will practice outdoors with the Golden Eagles teams except for Choreography Camp which is held at Evolution Training Center. How often do teams practice and how long are practices? Families involved in Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleading practice four nights a week (Monday through Thursday) prior to opening weekend (weekend post Labor Day). Practices are 2 hours. Practice drops to two days per week once school begins. Each practice is two hours for a total of 4 hours per week. Practice nights vary per season, dependant upon the availability of Evolution Training Center and a local primary school. Additional practices during the competitive season may be added if needed. Families involved in Golden Eagles Cheerleading practice four nights a week (Monday through Thursday) prior to opening weekend (weekend post Labor Day). Each practice is between one and two hours, dependant upon team/coach. Once school begins, practice drops to one or two days per week dependant upon team/coach. Practice nights vary per season due to coach availability.
Where do the BFL Cheerleading teams practice? Families involved in Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleading practice at Harry Ally Field in Finderne prior the commencement of school. Once school starts, teams practice one night at Evolution Training Center in Bridgewater, and one night at a local primary school gymnasium, dependant upon availability. Families involved in Golden Eagles Cheerleading practice at Harry Ally Field in Finderne prior to the commencement of school. Once school starts, some teams continue to practice at Harry Ally Field and others practice at a local primary school gymnasium or cafeteria, dependant upon availability. Are parents required to remain at practice? Generally, parents are not required to remain at practice. However, it is important for parents to understand that the coach's primary responsibility is to supervise practices/games and coach the team to increase athletes cheerleading ability. At Harry Ally there are only port-a-potty facilities and it may be worthwhile to develop a rotation schedule for a parent volunteer to escort cheerleaders to the bathroom. In the event a cheerleader does not follow basic instructions or acts in a disrespectful way towards the coach, parents will be required to remain at practice for the duration of the season. Game Time! When are the football games? The Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleaders cheer for the Travel Football players on Saturday evenings at either 6:00 pm (Junior Varsity) or 7:30 pm (Varsity). The games are played at the highs school of the hosting team. Games begin the first Saturday after Labor Day and continue through Playoffs, the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. The Golden Eagles Cheerleaders cheer for the Patriot League Football players on Saturday mornings and afternoons between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. The games are played at various fields in Bridgewater, Green Brook and Ridge. Games begin the first Saturday after Labor Day and continue through Playoffs, the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. Competitions How many competitions does BFL Cheerleading attend and are they local? Families involved in Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleading typically attend 3 to 4 local Competitions per season with the possibility of one overnight competition. Competition Registration expenses are paid for by BFL, however families must be prepared to cover competition admission fees or overnight expenses. Jr. Panthers Cheerleaders also cheer at our end of the season Exhibition. Families involved in Golden Eagles Cheerleading do not compete in Competitions. Each squad does perform at our end of the season Exhibition.
When are the competitions? Competitions generally occur on weekends throughout October and November. Unfortunately dates are not communicated until early September. Families involved with Jr. Panthers Competition Cheerleading must be available any Saturday or Sunday in October and November including Teacher s Convention weekend. Adult Volunteers Are the coaches with BFL certified to Coach? BFL coaches are Rutgers S.A.F.E.T.Y. Certified (http://youthsports.rutgers.edu/programareas/volunteer-coaches). This certification helps coaches minimize the risk of injury to young athletes, provides information about fundamental coaching concepts which enhances volunteer coaches' effectiveness and protects volunteer coaches from civil lawsuits. Tumbling How important is tumbling? Tumbling is not the most important thing, but it is important. Given the direction Competition Cheerleading is moving, strong tumbling greatly helps to enhance the overall team score. In addition cheerleaders who tumble (and take tumbling lessons), generally have better core strength and flexibility which enhances many other cheerleading skills such as jumps and building. BFL does not teach or spot tumbling. Coaches look for tumbling skills that cheerleaders can perform independently. Post Season What activities occur after Thanksgiving? Cheerleaders and their families are invited to attend an Annual Cheerleading Banquet. The Banquet will be held at a local hall and last for approximately 3 4 hours. Cheerleaders will be awarded their trophies and potentially other awards they have earned for the season.