Commonly Asked Pop Warner Questions
IS The Utica Raiders Pop Warner open to all kids in Utica?
Yes, we are open to ALL Utica residents, so as long you live in the Utica area you can play for us!.
What is the first day of Practice?
Practice will start the first August 1st.
How long is the season?
The season runs from August to the end of October depending on the team and how well a team does. Teams qualifying for playoffs will play into November. Competitive Cheer Teams will have competitions in November also. See Calendar of Events for competition dates.
Which days of the week are Practices held on?
During the month of August practice is 4 days a week 2 to 2.5 hours a day and the times are either 5:30 – 6 to 7:30 – 8 pm, depending on your coach. After Labor Day practice drops down to 3 days a week again 2 to 2.5 hours a day and the times vary depending on your coach.
Games are held on Sunday, with the exception of Flag, which may play an occasional Saturday game. Game times will vary. Schedules will be released towards the end of August.
What happens if we miss 1 or even 2 weeks of practice because of vacation?
Depending on the number of days or weeks you miss will put a child behind everyone else on their team. We ask that you try and limit vacations during August.
Please understand that both cheer and football need 20 hours of conditioning before they can be fully involved in the program. This means before a child can get in the mix of contact or cheer stunts, they must complete the 20 hours with their team.
Why is a report card needed?
To show he or she meets the academic requirements to participate in the program. If a child has less than a 2.0 GPA they will be placed in academic program during the season and must be passing in school and complete a form by their teachers advising he or she is meeting the academic requirements. It is also very important before the first day of practice that we have your child’s completed report card from the 2010 to 2011 school year.
When is the last day to turn in paperwork/documents?
A child cannot play or start on August 1 if his or her Participant Contract and Medical form are not completed. A doctor stamped and signed 2014 Medical form must be one file in order for any child to participate in practices. It advised that you complete and send in all paperwork as soon as you get them completed. These forms can be found on the “Forms” tab for your use.
Can we make sure our child gets to play on the same team as his friends?
This is very hard to do, because of several reasons; it may have to do with weight issue, age or experience. We do what we can to place a child on the lowest team as possible to ensure they get more playing time. We will look at all requests but do not make any promises.