Cheer Information

The objective of Cambrian Valley Longhorns' cheerleading program is to familiarize young participants with the fundamentals of cheerleading, and to provide them an opportunity to participate in the sport of competitive cheerleading in an adult-supervised, organized and safety-oriented manner.

Available on multiple levels! Cheer/dance/tumbling coaching experience is a plus, but not necessary. Please contact Alyssa or Christine for more information or fill out our online inquiry form by clicking here.

Any child residing within the boundaries of CVL (see map below) wishing to cheer is eligible to participate if they are at least 5 years old and not older than 15 years old as of July 31, 2012.

Cheerleaders will be assigned to a team according to their age as of July 31^st 2012. If a team is not formed on your requested age level, your cheerleader will be assigned to the next available team according to age/ability.

DIVISION	AGE*	NOTES
Mascots	5-6	Non-competitive
Tiny Mites	5-7	Non-competitive
Mitey Mites	7-9	Non-competitive
Jr. Pee Wee	8-11
Pee Wee	9-12
Jr Midget	10-13
Midget	11-15

Pop Warner sets limits on the size of each team, depending on the number of adult coaches. A large squad consists of 23-35 cheerleaders and requires 3 adult coaches. A medium squad consists of 13-22 cheerleaders and requires a minimum of 2-3 adult coaches, and a small squad consists of 12 or fewer cheerleaders and requires 2 coaches. There are no tryouts. The Cheer Athletic Director assigns participants to teams on a first-come, first-served basis, based on age, date of registration & payment, experience needed to make a team complete (i.e., tumblers and flyers), and prior head coach recommendations.

Participants may request to participate on a particular team, but CVL does not guarantee that the request will be granted. If your cheerleader is returning and the Head Coach does not think your cheerleader is ready to move up, you will be informed. Participants can request a specific team and let us know that is the only acceptable team. If the squad is full, the participant will be placed on a waiting list.

Team placements will be announced in mid-May or early June. We cannot announce teams prior to that time due to anticipated changes as some of our cheerleaders are trying out for all star or school teams and may be informing us of their intent to pursue those opportunities instead of Pop Warner. Once team placements are announced, there is still potential for some additional changes related to late sign-ups or drops. After August 1^st, team placement will not change unless there is an eligibility issue.

The 2012 season begins August 1^st. The regular season runs through the end of October. For competitive-level teams, the season will continue through the end of November if the team qualifies for Regionals, and through mid-December if the team qualifies for Nationals. Please do not schedule family vacations after August 1^st!

During the month of August, practices are held 5 days a week. Each practice is 2 ¼ hours. After Labor Day, the practice schedule is reduced to 3 days per week, 2 hours each practice. In addition, cheerleaders cheer at the football games, which are typically held on Sundays, but may occasionally be on Saturdays. All home games are held at Leigh High School.

If a cheer squad qualifies for Regionals, practices will continue throughout the month of November with the Regional Championship Competition held the Friday after Thanksgiving. One or more of our competitive teams qualify for and compete in to the regional championships almost every season, so this is a very real possibility. Please do not make out of town plans for Thanksgiving.

If a cheer squad qualifies for Nationals, practices will continue for the first week of December, and travel to Orlando, Florida will take place the second week of December. We have sent competitive teams to the National Championships numerous times the last 10 seasons, so again this is a very real possibility.

The specific practice schedule will be determined based on facility availability and team placement. Generally, participants have been able to manage participating in school activities held on an after school simultaneous with Pop Warner, but it is difficult to make commitments to other activities during the Pop Warner season.

All teams will participate in a 4-day Cheer Boot Camp for the first week of practice: Wednesday, August 1^st through Saturday, August 4^th . Attendance is mandatory as we will be reviewing association-wide best practices for essential skills. This is our first week of practice, and NOT an optional camp. Individual team practice schedules will commence Monday August 6^th.Please do not schedule family vacations after August 1^st! CVL Cheer has a strict absence policy that is especially enforced for our competitive-level teams. All practices, performance, games and events are mandatory unless excused in writing by a Doctor of Medicine.

Other - we are in the process of securing other indoor practice facilities for the 2012 season. Please plan on at least 1 weeknight of practice at a facility other than Leigh High School.

Due to the nature of the sport, a practice missed by one cheerleader has a significant impact on the squad, particularly on that cheerleader's stunt group. As a result, practices may only be missed due to illness or (if the head coach is notified in advance by a parent) due a compelling personal reason.

Please make an effort to schedule your family vacations during June and July. Although we allow some flexibility for pre-arranged vacations, August is a critical month where skill sets are being evaluated and positions determined. Please do not schedule family vacations after August 1^st!

Date Registered	Cost
1/1/12 - 1/31/12	$300
1/31/12 - 3/31/12	$350
3/31/12 - 7/31/12	$385

In addition there will be mandatory fundraising by each cheerleader to help offset costs not covered by registration fees. The registration fee covers facilities & field rentals, general equipment, competition fees, patches, trophies, gifts, insurance, conference dues, scholastic registration, first aid supplies, administrative costs and miscellaneous supplies.

Cheerleaders on teams qualifying for Regionals or Nationals will incur travel costs. Fundraising will be provided on a team-by-team basis to help partially offset the cost of travel.

CVL's 2012 uniform fitting will be held Saturday, May 26^th at Leigh High School.

In addition to registration fees, each cheerleader will be required to purchase the minimum cheer gear package.

The cost for the required minimum package for NEW participants is expected to run between $200-$350

Optional Items include Warm-up Jacket, Warm-up Pants, Team Bag, and additional tees, shorts and other CVL gear.

NOTE: Returning participants can reuse many items from last year, provided they are in good condition and are presentable. Those gear items include: Warm-ups, Team bags, Poms, and Nike Competition Shoes (if they still fit), as well as Uniforms if on the same team. Potentially, a returner for the same team would only need to order bows, practice/game shoes, and practice tee/shorts ($100 or less).

To register, please print these forms, complete and sign them, and mail them along with your check to the address noted on the form. The online registration process is not operable until 3/1/2011, and thus you must mail in your registration until this date.

Registration fees must be paid in full prior to the uniform fitting and all gear fees must be paid at the time of the fitting. Gear will not be distributed to any cheerleader with a balance still owing on their account.

There are three local competitions that all teams participate in (Tiny Mites and Mitey-Mites are exhibition-only). The first is Spirit Jamboree, held in mid-September. This offers the teams an opportunity to receive constructive feedback from a judging team in a non-competitive environment. There are no awards given at the Jamboree. Invitational Competition, held the 1^st or 2^nd weekend in October gives the teams the experience of performing in a competitive setting with awards given, but does not determine advancement to additional competitions. This competition is typically held at Shoreline Amphitheatre. The third competition is Conference Championships, typically held at Santa Clara University's Leavey Center, 2-3 weeks after Invitationals. First and second place teams at Conference qualify for Regionals.

Regional Championships are held Thanksgiving weekend, also typically at Leavey Center. Again, please do not make out of town plans for your family for this holiday! Competition is the day after Thanksgiving, guaranteed. First and second place teams at Regionals qualify for Nationals.

National Championships are held at Disney World in Orlando, Florida the second week of December. Pop Warner provides some competitive travel packages to offset the cost of this trip, which typically involves a 4- or 5-night stay in Orlando, complete with a park-hopper pass and meal tickets. Four to five days of school will be missed, and Pop Warner provides letters to the schools to explain the absence.

All cheer participants are required to provide 7 hours of ADULT volunteer hours during the 2012 season. This is typically in the form of working concerts for CVL at Shoreline Amphitheatre through their non-profit program, as well as volunteering at various Spirit Events for Peninsula Pop Warner. In many cases, the volunteer requirement can be met before the season even starts (via working concerts)! The volunteer buy-out option for 2012 is $150. ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST MEET THIS REQUIREMENT.

All cheer participants will be required to participate in the Cheer and league fundraiser(s). This is typically in the form of cookie dough sales, diner card sales, raffle ticket sales, etc. More information is forthcoming on the 2012 fundraiser. A buy-out option is available for 2012 for $150.

NOTE: Volunteer work at concerts and additional fundraising can be used to offset potential travel and gear costs for each participant. You may be eligible to be reimbursed for all gear and travel costs (for Nationals only) through volunteering at concerts and fundraising above the minimum. If your child's team does not qualify for the National competition, and/or if your gear costs are lower than what you have accrued, any balance will roll in to the general Cheer Program budget for the following season.

Parents, please begin collecting the required Pop Warner paperwork NOW. Don't wait until right before the season starts! This includes:

*Available on the CVL Forms section of our website. 2012 forms will be uploaded soon!

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