Rensselaer Pop Warner provides opportunities for children from age 5 to 15 to participate in our cheerleading program. As an RPW Cheerleader your child will learn lifelong skills such as commitment, dedication, and responsibility. These character traits become part of each of our competitive cheerleaders as they advance through our program.
Our coaching staff receives bi-annual training in instruction and are all certified in safety and background checked from the head coach right down to our youth coaches for your child’s safety. This ensures your child is taught proper technique, and performs skills that are specifically geared towards their age group. We do not advance skills before previous skills are perfected at any level.
Our fall season begins on August 1st. Our Flag and Mitey Mite teams (ages 5-9) will typically practice 3 nights a week on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, from 6pm - 7:30pm during the month of August. Once school begins, practice usually drops to 2 nights per week. Our older squads will practice Monday - Thursday in August, from 6pm - 8pm, and drop to 3 days a week once school begins. All practices are determined by the Head Coach. We are regulated by National Pop Warner with the amount of time we spend practicing each week. In August, practice will be held outside on the track at RMHS, once school begins, practice will be moved indoors. Games start the weekend after Labor Day. All cheer squads are required to cheer for a football team. Games are a mandatory part of cheerleading. The games are held on either Saturday or Sunday. The game schedule is released by Capital District Pop Warner at the end of August. There will be 6 - 8 games depending on the football team your child is cheering for. For the older football teams, there is the possibility of post-season play, which cheerleaders are required to attend.
Competition is held mid-October. All cheer squads will participate. Flag and Mitey Mite squads are considered exhibition per National Pop Warner and will not advance to Regional Competition. The older squads, if they place at our local competition will advance to Regionals, which is held in Trenton, NJ the beginning of November. If the squad places at Regionals, they will be invited to attend the National Pop Warner Cheerleading Championship at Walt Disney World, Florida the first week of December.
RPW has had great success over the past five years in our cheerleading program. Our hope is to continue that trend. Even when they are cheering in the Flag Division, they are learning important basic skills that are added on to as they progress through the program.
We hope to see you August 1st!