Welcome to Valley Center Pop Warner Cheer!

Cheerleading is a commitment and takes a team effort, just like any other sport. To be a great cheerleader, one must be motivated to do their best while fulfilling their commitment to their team.  Our primary goal is to have fun!  The cheer squads focus on teamwork, spirit & safety.  We learn & refine our cheerleading skills, including cheers, stunts, motions, jumps, dance, formations, & understanding the basics of the football game.  We will also focus on leadership.  Each week, one or two cheerleaders will be delegated as Captain, to call cheers & help coordinate the team during the practices and games.

WHAT TO EXPECT

SEASON OVERVIEW 
Our season begins August 1st, and we cheer through November for football season.  For the competitive cheer teams, competition season continues on possibly through January, depending how far the teams advance (such as regionals and/or nationals). Practices begin the first week of August, and teams typically practice up to 4 days per week during the first 2 weeks. Once school begins, practices will be 2-3 days per week for 1.5-2 hours. We practice at the lower elementary school fields, park and enter through the gate on School Bus Lane. Games begin at the end of August and are played every Saturday throughout San Diego county and into the Temecula/Murrieta area.  Home games are typically played at Valley Center High School.

PRACTICES
Practice begins for all participants on August 1st. Each cheer team will have their own practice schedule.  For the first 2-3 weeks of August ("conditioning" weeks), all participants will practice Monday through Thursday for two hours each night. All Pop Warner participants are expected to begin practice on August 1st. What to wear? Cheerleaders are to wear athletic wear - shorts, t-shirt, socks, and cheer shoes. No halter tops, half or spaghetti strap shirts, sport bras, or jeans (short or long).  Later in the season, bring a sweatshirt (no zippers) and/or leggings, as it gets colder in the evenings.  No booty shorts or crop tops/midriffs. Cheer shoes should be worn when practicing.  Vans are not a cheer shoe and are not to be worn. Hair pulled up off the neck, away from the face and secured tightly with hair bands.  Nails must be kept trimmed for stunting and tumbling safety.  No jewelry allowed (including earrings, watches, body piercings, necklaces, etc.) for safety reasons. No band aids are allowed over newly pierced ears. All earrings must come out for practices – no exceptions, so if you want to get your ears pierced, please wait until the end of the season.  Every participant should bring a water bottle to every practice.  

GAMES 
All regular-season games are scheduled to be played on Saturdays at various locations around SD county and the Temecula/Murrieta area. Generally, the first regular-season game is on the last Saturday of August. There are games Labor Day weekend. We typically do not receive the game schedule until a couple of days before the first scheduled game, and there are frequent changes made to the schedule immediately after that. We do not have any control over the schedule or when it is disseminated. The regular season usually runs through the first weekend in November for all tackle teams. The Flag division usually concludes their season with an inter-league "bowl" game at the end of the season. Teams in the 9U division and older are eligible to compete in post-season competition based on their win/loss record. Post-season competition may include regional and national championships and/or invitational bowls, which can run through Thanksgiving or into December, if a team goes on to nationals.

UNIFORMS & GEAR 

Performance uniforms are distributed as a rental, with a deposit check paid upon receipt.  All uniforms & poms are to returned at the end of the season. Parents will be financially responsible for the replacement costs of uniforms not returned, lost, or damaged in any way. This means you will not receive your uniform deposit back.  Uniforms should be returned in CLEAN condition, otherwise you may forfeit your uniform deposit. This also includes the little rhinestones have not been removed. We are one of the few organizations who offer uniform rentals to keep registration costs lower for families, so please help by maintaining a clean uniform. 

COACHES
Each cheer team has a head coach and up to four assistant coaches. In addition, the staff includes a team parent.  The VCPW Board selects the head coaches. The head coaches then select their assistant coaches from the pool of applications. Because of the limited number of rostered coaching positions, not everyone who submits a coach application gets to coach. However, many head coaches appreciate the extra assistance of parent helpers at practices. Talk to the head coach about this option if you are not selected as an assistant coach.  All rostered staff must pass a criminal background check through Livescan and take appropriate training classes online.