CHEER AND DANCE AGE DIVISIONS:

The ages of all spirit participants in the program shall correspond to the overall ages that the League is permitting for players, unless League rules dictate that the ages of the spirit squad shall correspond to the playing ages of the squad with which they are associated.

The participant's age on July 31st of the current year shall be the participant's age for the coming season.

Please contact us in writing with any safety clarifications/questions at spirit@popwarner.com

1. GENERAL INFORMATION
If you ever have a problem, with anything, please follow the chain of command. Coaches first, then cheer directors, and if necessary, the executive board.
When contacting our staff, please remember that they are volunteers. Respect them as well as their hours with their family since they are few and far between during competition season. Coaches should also never be interrupted during practice and/or games.
NO GOSSIP. Please do not gossip about children, parents, staff, other teams, organizations, etc. Gossiping is shallow and unnecessary. We believe it is better to confront a problem head on rather than listen to idle talk.
No profanity, vulgar, or abusive language.
All squad and routine decisions are at the discretion of our coaching staff. Believe us, if your child is meant to be a flyer, they will be a flyer! We ask that you trust our staff and their decisions.
Anyone threatening to quit or pull their child from the squad will be dismissed immediately. In Pop Warner cheerleading, time is not a luxury we have to play around with.
It is the parents’ responsibility to know what is going on within the organization. Please check the websites many times daily, as well as attend our monthly meetings.
Withholding a child from practice should never be used as a form of punishment. You are not only punishing your child, but every other team member, parent, and coach on that team.
We will do our best to work with extracurricular activities. However, if the other coach refuses to work with our mandatory practices and games, you may have to make a choice.
On days that we have competitions scheduled, please plan on being committed to that all day. Competitions often run long and your child is expected to be there cheering on her sister squads all day.
We reserve the right to add, change, or remove rules at any point.

2. RESPECT:
A child must always show respect towards coaches, teaching staff and other members of the squad. If a child is being disrespectful towards any of the previous stated, she/he will be warned twice and the third time removed from the squad.
A child must always show respect for the uniform and the organization she/he represents.

3. SPORTSMANSHIP:
You must remember that you are a team representing Freehold Pop Warner and should always conduct yourself in a proper manner.
Always display good sportsmanship in manners to the organization, team members and opposing teams.
Fighting, intimidation, use of illegal substances (including cigarettes) or disrespect for authority during practices, games or any Pop Warner event will result in the following:
1st offense: benched (must attend) from remaining practices and games for that week without participating
2nd offense: removed from competition
3rd offence: suspension from program for the remainder of the year with no refund.

Such offenses must be witnesses by a coach or board member. Vice President of Cheer and Cheer Director will handle suspension.

4. ATTENDANCE:
After Labor Day, all practices, games, special events, and competitions are mandatory.
The only excused absences will be religious instruction. Our staff has demonstrators, cheerleaders and parents, so our practice schedules are made around each teams’ religious commitments.
Any cheerleader who misses 3 or more excused/unexcused practices and/or games shall be considered for dismissal from the competition program and shall meet with our staff to discuss disciplinary action. For the month of August, any cheerleader who misses 5 unexcused practices and/or games shall be considered for dismissal from the competition program.
Cheerleading is a team sport and in order to have the best team possible, every member needs to be present at all times.
Tardiness
Tardiness is defined by 15 minutes late to practice or games.
Excessive tardiness or absences will result in dismissal from our competition program.

5. PRACTICES:
Practices may be changed or added at any time during the season.
NEW Sneakers should be worn indoor practices and competitions.
OLD Sneakers should be worn to outdoor practices and games.
We ask that your child carry their sneakers into indoor practices so that outside dirt doesn’t get on our cheer mats. We recommend they wear some sort of flip flops or slides and change when they get inside.
All cheerleaders should have their name on the inside of their sneakers.
No sports bras only. Sports bras can and should be worn UNDER tanks and t-shirts. We consider the sports bra only with shorts practice outfit inappropriate.
Cheerleaders/Demonstrators should wear properly fit clothing. No baggy clothes, no hooded sweatshirts, no jeans, and no clothes with any sort of button or zipper.
NO JEWELRY! Wearing jewelry of any kind could result in injury to your child or another.
All cell phones are considered a distraction and should be left on silent away from the practice area.
Fingernails should be short and polish free. No fake fingernails are allowed.
Hair must be pulled back from the face and a water bottle is suggested.
All indoor practices are closed to parents and siblings for the safety of our cheerleaders.
Competition practice is mandatory. Once we have started competition practice, there are only three (3) absences allowed. If a child has 3 allowed absences during this time, she can remain a game day cheerleader but may not compete. A committee made up of the Vice President of Cheer, Director of Cheer and Head Coach will review any absence due to injury.

6. GAMES:
Uniforms should be worn for all games. You are responsible for keeping uniforms clean and in good condition.
Any child coming before or staying after their assigned game should bring a change of clothes.
We consider it inappropriate for cheerleaders to walk around with their uniform unbuttoned, skirt folded, etc. Any cheerleader spotted wearing a uniform in an inappropriate way will be asked to change immediately.
Cheerleaders are not allowed to eat or drink while in uniform. (Water only please)
Uniforms are to be hand or machine-washed on the gentle cycle in Woolite only. Hang dry – DO NOT PUT IN DRYER. Do not iron uniforms. This material tends to burn and melt easily.
Uniforms are the property of Freehold Pop Warner and are not to be worn outside of League sponsored functions (i.e. Halloween).
No alterations are allowed without permission from the Cheer Director.
Uniforms not returned or returned damaged will be the financial responsibility of the participant’s parent or guardian. Failure to meet this responsibility will result in participant being ineligible for roster to a team in the future until said obligation is met.
Uniforms should be returned cleaned.

7. SPECTATOR/COACH CONDUCT:
All spectators will be expected to conduct themselves in a lawful manner at any Pop Warner activity. Any unlawful or unethical conduct by anyone witnessed by two or more members of the Board of Directors (when possible), will result in the expulsion from that venue for the duration of that day’s event and could possibly result in the banishment for the entire season from Freehold Pop Warner activities. A mutual relationship of respect is maintained between all the leagues in the Jersey Shore Football League and throughout the Eastern Region. Any conduct or behavior that could compromise that relationship will not be tolerated. 8. FUNDRAISING:
Each cheerleader is required to can for fundraising. The canning will be at a local Freehold Township/Freehold Borough store. Parents are required to supervise their children and turn proceeds in after completion of the session to the Team Mom. This canning will be done as early in the season as possible.
If a cheerleader’s team has a chance to advance to Regional or National competition, that child or his/her parent may be required to fundraise for traveling purposes. This may include canning or any other type of fundraising activity the Freehold Pop Warner Board chooses. All monies raised in said fundraising would be placed in the National Travel Fund to be distributed to any team that qualifies for National Competition.

9. PARENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES FOR POST SEASON TRAVELING TEAMS:
In some cases competitions require travel and overnight stays at hotels. All expenses incurred in travel are the responsibility of the participant’s parents or guardian. The coaches and staff of Freehold Pop Warner will assume the responsibility for their participants under the following circumstances (the same rules apply away as at home):

1. during practices.
2. during travel on a team bus.
3. when at the competition venue.

All other times parents or guardians are responsible for their child’s safety and conduct.

Cheerleading was officially recognized in the 1970's, but has been a part of the Pop Warner program for several decades. The first ever National Cheerleading competition was held in DeKalb County, Georgia. Today, 160,000 children are participating in cheerleading and dance around the United States.

*The asterisked (*) provisions in each division are for those leagues/associations that carry “older but lighter” football players. The age of the spirit participant may match the age of the football players in that same division. (i.e., if the league permits a football player to be a 13 year old, older-lighter junior midget, then the spirit squad may also sign-up a 13 year old participant on the corresponding cheer/dance squad.) The spirit participant is matched in age only, weights do not apply.

* Only a League that requires the ages of the spirit squads correspond to the playing ages of the team with which they are associated shall be permitted to send spirit squads to any competitions sanctioned by PWLS outside their League. Outside their league would be defined as PWLS Region or PWLS National Competition.

* A squad, regardless of the ages of its spirit participants, must be rostered, certified and registered in the same age division as the football team with which it is associated (e.g., it cannot cheer at midget games and compete as a junior midget cheer squad). The only exception to this rule is a squad registered as “Cheer/Dance without Football”. Reference Rule 1 - Formation of Squads for the definition of Cheer/Dance without Football.

* The participant’s age on July 31st of the current year shall be the participant’s age for the coming season.