All home games are played on the Montgomery High School Turf Field located at 1016 Route 601, Skillman, NJ. Games start first thing in the morning on Sundays starting with the youngest team to the oldest team. Typical schedule is as follows:

9:00 Flag

10:30 Mitey Mite

12:00 Junior Pee Wee

1:30 Pee Wee

3:00 Junior Midget

4:30 Midget

*******All Times subject to change*******

Important Dates:

August 3, 2009-Practice Begins

October 10, 2009-MVC competition for all squads

November 20th and 21st, 2009-Regionals (for those squads that move on from Qualifiers)

December 7th-11th, 2009-Nationals (for those squads that move on from Regionals)

MONTGOMERY YOUTH FOOTBALL/CHEERLEADING ASSOCIATION
CHEERLEADING GUILDELINES and REQUIREMENTS

WELCOME to MYFCA. We are anxiously anticipating a fun and rewarding season again this year. We think that you and your daughter will find this to be a very rewarding experience. Following is general information required of each cheerleader/parent. Please be sure to read through this carefully - it will answer most of your questions prior to the start of the season. You will be asked to sign a code of conduct at the start of the season that includes your agreement to these requirements.

OVERVIEW

The Montgomery Youth Football and Cheerleading Association is a Pop Warner league(www.popwarner.com) with Montgomery being a member of the Mountain Valley Conference (www.mvcpopwarner.org). We are part of Pop Warner’s Eastern Region(www.easternregion.org). There are 5 levels; Flag, Mitey Mite, Jr. Pee Wee, Pee Wee, and Jr. Midget. Ages for participation range from 5 years old to 13 years old with Flag being the youngest group (a child’s age on 7/31/2009 is their age for the season).

REGISTRATION

Registration this year is available online. The cost is $170 per participant, with a family maximum of $400. At the first week of practice(August 3, 2009), a parental release with signature, parental code of conduct with signature, copy of birth certificate, copy of last year’s complete report card, and medical release form/doctors note-signed by physician must be turned into your team commissioner. . If not received, your child will not be able to participate-this is a Pop Warner rule. Pop Warner regulates that we may have only 35 people on each squad. There are no try-outs for Pop Warner, therefore, registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Please register early, as to not be left out. All forms can be found at www.popwarner.com.

EMAIL

We find the most effective form of communication from us, to you, is through email. Please make sure we have your current email address upon registration. If you do not have email, we suggest you arrange with someone on your squad to receive all the updates as necessary. You may email us at any time with changes/updates or questions at khaaijer@yahoo.com or bethking04@comcast.net . For updated information regarding the Montgomery Youth Football/Cheerleading Association, log onto MYFCA .

TEAM ASSIGNMENTS

After registration is complete, team assignments will be made by us. Unfortunately it is not possible to assign girls to squads because of friendship, coaches or car pool conveniences. Placement of the girls is primarily done by birth date, then years of participation in Pop Warner.

PRACTICE/ATTENDANCE

Over the past 9 years attendance has been the primary cause of problems throughout the season. We are aware that August is a popular month to vacation; however, we do request that vacations be avoided during August. Cheerleading has become quite a serious sport over the past few years and can be dangerous if not coached properly. In order for the coaches to maintain a safe environment for all girls, it is most important that they attend each practice. Each person plays a role in the overall routine, and when 1 person is missing, the entire squad suffers as the routine cannot be performed as planned.

Attendance will be taken at each practice. Missing part of the practice will be considered an absence. The only acceptable excuse will be illness or family emergency. After 4 unexcused absences, the participant will be given a warning and she may lose her position in the routine. Additionally, the Cheer Commissioner will be informed so that a conference can be scheduled with a parent to discuss future participation/attendance. Additional disciplinary action is at the discretion of each coach. Missed practices/games in excess of 4 may result in dismissal of your daughter from the squad. Please feel free to contact Kristen Haaijer at khaaijer@yahoo.com with any questions or concerns.

Practice will begin on Monday or Tuesday, August 3rd or 4th, 2009 for all squads at the Montgomery Middle School field. Practice will be every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night from 6:00 – 8:00 for the Jr. Pee Wee, Pee Wee, Jr. Midget and Midget squads (if different, your coach will notify you). Mitey Mite’s and Flag may practice only 3 nights per week based on the coach’s discretion. Beginning the week of September 1st, practice will be cut down to 2 or 3 nights per week and/or Saturday and held at one of the schools or Saturday mornings at the field, depending upon the coach’s schedule. Please see your coach for specific days, times and location. Keep in mind, once we are in the schools, if there is no school, or a back to school night at scheduled school, there will be no practice unless notified by your coach of an alternate practice location. PLEASE NOTE: Some additional practices will be called prior to the weeks leading up to Competition.

Games will be played every Sunday for the months of September and October and the beginning of November. Approximate game times start at 9am beginning with Flag Football, then Mitey Mite etc.... Keep in mind, the final game schedule will not be available until some time in August. Unlike recreation sports, all of our games are played against other towns, the schedule cannot be finalized until all the towns have finalized their team rosters. We will have approximately 4-5 home games and 4-5 away games. There may be playoffs or bowl games added at the end of the season. Cheerleaders are required to attend any additional games added or the boys cannot participate. We will notify you as soon as we are aware of any additional games that the football teams are going to participate in.

COMPETITION

The Mountain Valley Conference Competition will be October , 2009 at Bridgewater Raritan High School. The Flag and Mitey Mite squad will exhibit a performance. The Jr. Pee Wee, Pee Wee, Jr. Midget and Midget squads will actually compete in a formal judged competition against other cheerleaders in Mountain Valley Conference. For the competitive squads, placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd in this competition can lead to additional competitions among other New Jersey/Regional/National squads. If this occurs, the season would be continued for those squads. Currently, the advanced competitions are scheduled for the weekend of October 25th and November 20th and 21st with the ultimate competition being the second week of December in Disney! As soon as final dates are known you will be notified via e-mail and they will be updated to our website www.myfca.org.

In 2006, Montgomery sent a squad to Disney for the first time. In 2007, the Midget squad advanced to the finals again and won First Place to obtain the National Title in their age group! It was an exciting experience and we are so proud of the girls and volunteer coaches. Below is some information to prepare you in the event your squad advances to Florida.

The cost for airfare and hotel runs around $650 per person (assuming 4 people to a room). Fundraising was the key to keeping these costs down for parents. The fundraising was quite aggressive and took place in a matter of 3 weeks, additional information will be available regarding fundraising activities should we feel that a trip is a realistic possibility.   The required candy fundraiser is not for this purpose (there will be a separate notification as to the purpose of this fundraiser). You will need to plan on funding this trip for your child if you do not want to participate in additional fundraisers. We do not attempt to fundraise to cover incidentals or any part of a parent accompanying their child, but parents are strongly encouraged to go if at all possible. Financial hardships will be considered when appropriate.

WHAT TO WEAR TO PRACTICE
No belly buttons showing and nothing provocative should be worn. Appropriate tops were an issue for the older girls this past season. We also ask that you discuss this with your daughter and make sure they are wearing appropriate clothing. Your child’s coach may require that girls purchase specific practice gear.

All girls should wear comfortable clothing and bring a water bottle, as water breaks will be taken frequently. The girls will be doing jumps, lifts and stunts, therefore no jeans, jean shorts, nylon pants or nylon shorts may be worn. Also, in keeping with the proper safety issues, girls should not chew gum, no jewelry is to be worn, and hair should be tied back in a soft hair tie (no metal clips and barrettes). Absolutely no earrings are to be worn! Fingernails must be clipped to avoid scratching accidents. All girls are to wear sneakers and socks; sandals or bare feet will be prohibited. Inspect repellant should be applied for outdoor evening practices, and sunscreen during Sunday games when the sun is out.

Some sportswear items will be available at home games. Village Shoes carries shorts and t-shirts that are appropriate for practice. Cheerleading jackets can be ordered at Pear Tree Creations on Route 518 in Skillman.

WEATHER

Games: We are expected to cheer at games even during inclement weather; this includes rain and occasionally snow (If the boys play, we are required to cheer). Stunting and tumbling performed during games with inclement weather will be adjusted accordingly. Games will only be called for thunder/lightening.

Practice: If it starts raining during outside practice (especially thunder and lightning) please make every effort to pick up your child promptly. Coaches/commissioners are required to stay with your child until they are picked-up, so promptness is appreciated. Occasionally we are forced to cancel practice at a moment’s notice-DO NOT LEAVE YOUR DAUGHTER AT A PRACTICE UNTIL YOU SEE HER COACH. Please check your email or log onto myfca.org for weather updates.

Although parents are permitted at practices, they can be a distraction to the girls, so please plan accordingly.

UNIFORMS:

Once practice starts in August, your child will be issued a Montgomery Wildcat Cheerleading skirt and vest, along with a turtleneck. These uniforms are the property of the league; they are used each year and are quite expensive. As a result, they are to be hand washed properly after each game and to be worn to games and competitions ONLY. Uniforms are never to be worn to school (unless approved by myself for special occasions) and never as a Halloween costume.

ADDITIONAL UNIFORM REQUIREMENTS

We require that each girl purchase a pair of socks, a bow and underwear (or lollipops). All three items should not exceed $20.00. If you have cheered for MYFCA before, we do require you to get new socks and a new bow each year; new lollis are not required each season. These items will be available for purchase at Village Shoes in Montgomery.

The proper regulation sneaker must also be purchased; the cost should be approximately $35.00-$40.00. Sneakers are available at Village Shoes in Montgomery. These sneakers should not be worn until the competition in October. If your coach asks you to wear competition sneakers for an indoor practice, please change into the sneakers once in the building. For games, the girls can wear any white sneakers; last year’s sneakers (if they still fit, or you may want to purchase 2 pairs-one for games and one for competition).

Your daughter’s squad may require a white sweatshirt with a pawprint to be worn during cold weather. This should not

cost more than $15.

CLINICS/CAMPS

There will be camps this year some time in August/September for the cheerleaders to be involved in. More information will be available soon. There will be additional charges for camps.
The competitive squads will plan up to a week long fundamentals camp. Like any summer camp, there will be an additional cost (these are run through local cheer academy’s and payment is made to them directly). We will notify you of the details as soon as possible so that you can plan this into your summer day activities for your daughter.

VOLUNTEERS

As always, help is appreciated, and each family will be expected to volunteer 4 hours during the season to assist with running our home games (concession/gates etc). Signups will be available during the first week or practice. Jobs and times are on a first come, first serve basis. If you do not select a job/time, you will be assigned one.

Thank you and again, and WELCOME/or Welcome back to MYFCA,

Kristen Haaijerkhaaijer@yahoo.com
Beth Kingkinerbethking04@comcast.net

Co-Cheer Commissioners