South Johnston Pop Warner hopes to offer a great experience for youth who want to cheer for a team and also participate in exhibitions or competitions. Cheerleaders will be placed on teams by the cheer director based on the participant's age as of July 31, 2017 - participants are placed in the YOUNGEST division possible.  Squads are broken down into Tiny-Mite teams (ages 5-7) and tackle teams (ages 7-15). Tiny-Mite and Mitey Mite cheerleaders (ages 5-9) do not participate in competitions but do have an exhibition with other cheer squads in the Consolidated Football Federation (CFF).

Cheerleaders in the Junior Pee Wee division and up will compete at the local CFF level for the opportunity to advance to regional and national competition.

The cheerleading squads are assigned to football teams and accompany them to all their home and away games, including post-season play at invitational bowls and regional/national competitions. The cheerleaders cheer during the games and also perform at halftime.

 What to Wear to Practice

Wear shorts, t-shirt and athletic shoes. Bring a towel to sit on if you don't want to sit on the grass. No make-up, nail polish or jewelry allowed. Bring a water bottle.

All regular-season games are scheduled to be played on Saturdays. Generally, the first regular-season game is on the last Saturday of August.  There are games Labor Day weekend. The associations usually do not receive the game schedules until a couple of days before the first scheduled game, and there are frequently changes made to the schedule immediately after that. We do not have any control over the schedule or when it is posted. The regular season usually runs through the first weekend in November for all tackle teams except those in the Tiny Mite & Mitey Mite divisions. Their season usually concludes a week earlier with the Tiny Mite & Mitey Mite Bowl.

Teams in the Junior Pee Wee division and older are eligible to compete in post-season competition. This may include playoffs, regional and national championships and/or invitational bowls which can run through Thanksgiving or into December, if a team goes on to nationals.

Before the first regular-season game, there will be jamborees for flag and tackle football teams in a location TBA. The jamborees are usually held the weekend before the first regular-season game. Cheerleaders do not accompany their teams to the jamborees.

Competitions

The CFF cheerleading competition (Junior Pee Wee and above) is usually held on a Sunday in mid October. Winning teams advance to Mid-South regional competition to compete for an opportunity to go to the national competition at Disney World.

There are exhibitions for the Flag and Mitey Mite cheerleaders to participate in.

Uniforms are provided to cheerleaders. Cheerleaders are responsible for paying for their shoes, briefs, socks and any undershirts. All uniforms must be returned clean at the end of the season.

All cheerleaders and their parents must read and sign a copy of the South Johnston Pop Warner Cheerleader Rules & Regulations before participating. These rules are designed to ensure the safety and fair treatment of all cheer participants.

Each cheer squad has a head coach, up to 4 assistant coaches and up to 2 trainers. In addition, the staff includes a team parent, for a total of 7 rostered staff. The Commissioner of South Johnston Pop Warner must approve all coach and trainer selections. The head coach must be 21 years of age or older as of August 1. The head coach has final responsibility for all assistant coaches, participants and parents.

The head coaches are selected by the commissioner. The head coaches then select their assistant coaches from the pool of applications approved by the commissioner. Because of the limited number of rostered coaching positions, not everyone who submits a coach application gets to coach.

All rostered staff must pass a criminal background check. All rostered coaches must hold current NYSCA cheer certification. Certification sessions are provided for those coaches who do not already have NYSCA cheer certification. Renewals can be done online. Each staff must also have someone with current first aid and CPR certification.

A trainer for a cheer squad must be at least 16 years old. They may only work with squads that are younger than their current age. The oldest girl on the squad that the trainer is assisting must be at least two years younger.

To be considered for a coaching position, you must:

Complete the South Johnston Pop Warner Coach Application
Sign the South Johnston Pop Warner Code of Ethics
Complete the Pop Warner Little Scholars Volunteer Application
Submit a copy of your driver's license

South Johnston Pop Warner will conduct a criminal background check on all applicants. 

Withdrawals