PLEASE READ ALL THE INFORMATION BELOW PRIOR TO STARTING THE REGISTRATION PROCESS

Parents of first time athletes: you will probably feel overwhelmed from all of the information outlined below.   We want you to have as much information as possible so that you understand the commitment involved. 

We highly encourage new and returning familes to carefully consider the commitment required prior to registering.   

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When you sign up to be a Nipmuc Youth Cheerleader, you will find yourself immersed in the world of cheer with trained and certified cheer coaches who are former cheerleaders. Our coaches put their hearts and enthusiasm into teaching your athlete the skills they need to become successful and competitive cheerleaders.

PRACTICE INFO

• Our season begins the first week of August  @ Miscoe Middle School in the upper gym. All practices are closed (meaning just cheerleaders and coaches). Our reason for having closed practices is first and foremost for the safety of the cheerleaders as they are the priority.  In the past, we have had issues with people walking in and out of the gym which is very distracting to the girls while they are trying to learn, as well as a safey concern.
• Each team will have one Choreography day (4 hours) with our professional choreographer for the dance portion of our routine. All Cheerleaders are REQUIRED to attend this choreography practice. As soon as choreography dates are available, they will be sent out. Typically, Choreography dates are in early August.
• Other choreography days will be noted in your team schedules. The other choreography days will be with coaches to learn the rest of the routine. Please make sure your cheerleader attends all practice days marked "Choreography" this will be their competition routine.

SUMMER PRACTICE DAYS (Before Labor Day)

• Cheer practices for D6 (ages 4,5,6) and D8E exhibition team (ages 6,7,8) will be held 3 nights a week until Labor Day 

• Practices for our competitive teams D10, D12 & D14 will practice 3  nights a week until Labor Day.

PRACTICE DAYS (After Labor Day)

• Cheer Practices for D6 (ages 4,5,6) and D8E exhibition team (ages 6,7,8) will be 2 nights a week. Additional practices may be added week of Competition.
• Cheer Practices for our competitive teams D10, D12 & D14 will practice 3  nights a week. Additional practices could be added as teams get closer to competition events. 

PRACTICE DRESS CODE

• Nipmuc Cheer Practice T-Shirt/Tank Top
• Shorts – Green practice shorts or Black Nike-Pro style
• Cheer sneakers (all-white sneakers)
• No Show Socks
• Hair in a high ponytail
• No jewelry 
• Don’t forget to bring water!

SEASONAL EQUIPMENT/ATTIRE

Issued for season use and must be returned:

• Pom Poms
• Uniforms- owned by NYFC-  Uniforms will be loaned to cheerleaders and will need to be returned at the end of the season in good condition. A care form will need to be signed with the understanding that if a uniform is damaged and becomes unusable that it is the responsibility of the family to replace it. 

 You will need to purchase the following personal items:

• Cheer Shoes (white) link to order - https://www.omnicheer.com/shop/cheerleading-shoes/chasse-apex_s1702#color=180     
• Solid Black Nike PRO or similar style shorts     
• Practice Tank and shorts- this is considered our practice uniform and should be worn each practice. The set is $45 and the link to order will open on June 1st and close on June 15th(no exceptions as we are ordering these from a company that hand makes them as a bulk order)

 ATTENDANCE POLICY:  

Cheerleading is an interdependent sport. It is CRUCIAL that cheerleaders not miss practices unless absolutely necessary. If one cheerleader is out, it means an entire stunt group can not practice or an entire pyramid can not go up. This is extremely disruptive to our progress towards a complete and most importantly a safe routine for competition.

• Three (3) unexcused absences (at games, practices, and competitions) result in a cheerleader being ineligible for competition.  All practices during the week of competitions and for choreography (usually a week/weekend in August) are MANDATORY. The cheerleader’s parent(s) will be informed when their daughter incurs an unexcused absence. 

An absence is considered unexcused when no one (Head Coach or Cheer Director) is informed of the absence.  A cheerleader is considered to have an unexcused absence if she does not have a medical reason; a family emergency (which will be at the Cheer Directors’ discretion) or prior arrangements are made with the Head Coach.  

An absence is considered excused if the cheerleader informs her coach or the cheer director (prior to the absence) of the impending absence and it is determined that the absence is acceptable.

Examples of Excused Absences:

• Religious Event
• School Event
• Injury (Where attendance is prohibitive)
• Illness (If extended or repetitive due to ongoing medical issue, a doctor's note will be required)
• Serious illness or death in the family
• Other reasons determined excused after discussion with the Head Coach

Examples of Unexcused Absences:

• Planned vacations after August, or vacations longer than one week (4 practices) in August
• Conflict with another sport
• Playdates and sleepovers
• Birthdays

CHEER COMPETITIONS

Competitions are mandatory. Our routines are based around each specific girl, if for some reason your cheerleader cannot attend, please notify your Head Coach or Cheer Directors' immediately.

All ages compete at the following competitions:

• Fun Competition- Saturday, September 21 hosted by Northborough/Southboro - exact location TBD
• Locals- Saturday, October 19th Lowell Memorial Auditorium

The following Competitions are for teams that qualify at each previous competition:

• States- November 2nd Saugus Arena
• Regionals- November 16th Saugus Arena
• Nationals (in Florida)- (location & date TBD)

• Top 3 Teams at Locals move on to States
• Top 3 Teams at States move on to Regionals
• 1st Place and/or 2nd Place within 5 points of 1st place move on to Nationals

GAMES

Jamboree Game: Saturday, August 17, 2024. We are so excited to be hosting this year! Games will be held at Nipmuc and BVT. 

• All cheerleaders are required to cheer our football players on at games. Typically games are on Sunday mornings/afternoons.
• Our cheerleaders will cheer at HOME games (If we have an away game that is relatively close- we will cheer at those as well).

We understand this is a LOT of information. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to either Cheer Director

Cheers *\o/*
→Heather Zawatski hmzawatski@gmail.com

→ Jessica Palumbo     Jessica.NipmucCheer@gmail.com