July Updates - The News you Need

Uniform order Update:

Quilted jackets ordred at uniform fitting will be distributed

during camp.

If you missed uniform pick up please contact Erin Jurick to arrange for pick up  412-498-9214.

COACHING - Anyone interested in coaching a squad should send an email to Judy Volpatti at jmurt58@verizon.net .  You are not required to have prior cheerleading experience to coach.  We are looking for those who enjoy the spirit of cheering, can commit to the time requirements, can insure the girls follow our safety guidelines and most important, have fun interacting with your squad. 

STUDENT COACHING - Please send an email to bpjrcheer@live.comif you are interested in Student Coaching.  Judy and Sandy will coordinate the student coaches again this year.  If you have already expressed interest verbally - please also submit an email.  Things get a little hectic and we'd rather have two requests from you than miss getting your name on the list.  You need to be available the month of August for Summer Camp and then Saturdays through early November. 

 Surviving Game Day

• Feed your cheerleader before arriving for any event, practice or game. Cheerleaders are not permitted to leave pre game practice, events like a parade, or their games to eat. Only exceptions are pre discussed and documented medical conditions. Arrival time is when the squad starts practicing.
• Send your cheerleader to pre game practice and games with a water bottle with water or clear sports drinks. Sugary drinks attract the bees so keep them with you in the stand for after the game. If you need to bring a water bottle - or anything - to the sidelines or practice, please give it to a coach or student coach to give to your cheerleader rather than call her over to you and out of the squad.
• Prepare your cheerleader that weather conditions this time of year can go from steaming hot to freezing cold. You may want to sunscreen your cheerleader on sunny days - there is not shade for us on the sidelines. You may want to apply bug repelent if you have a later game.
• Remind your cheerleader, that we are there to cheer on the football team for every play of every game. If they are hot, we all are hot and the football players in their equipment are just as hot. If it is raining, we are all wet ..... the scenarios go on and on. We are asking for 3 hours on game day for practice and the game - yes the weather plays a factor and we all get tired, but all cheerleaders must participate for the entire game. This is polite way of saying we receive a lot of reports of excessive whining during events. If we could control the weather, game times, and everyone else's activities, we truely would - for the girls, for the coaches, and the parents. Whining spreads like a disease on the sidelines and can quickly deflate an entire squad.
• Discuss with your cheerleader that they are not to leave the sidelines during a game or a practice to visit with you. Parents are not permitted on the sidelines unless invited down by a coach or business manager. At both of our home fields parents/visitors are not permitted on the track area where the girls are. At the High School we ask that parents/visitors not stand down at the fence but remain in the bleachers. This also applies if you or your cheerleader visit another game. Extra people, whether grown ups or children easily distract the girls and the coaches.
• Check your cheerleader -- Are her no show socks white? If you see her socks in her shoes, they aren't no shows. Have her remove her jewelry and nail polish. If she needs to wear a cami under her vest - it needs to be BLACK ONLY. Is her hair out of her face? If it is past her shoulders, is it pulled up? We will be assisting those girls with getting their hair out of their face or pulled up if they don't arrive as expected. They can style their hair as they like at home, or get stuck with what we have available to us to fix their hair for them. Keep all other uniform pieces in the bag and have it for games. You never know what the weather holds here in Western PA in the fall. Remember the little things like gloves, jackets with hoods for rain, or a rain poncho (ponchos are optional).
• Communicate with your Coaches and Business Managers -- If you have an idea that you think might work for your squad, please bring it up. Have an issue you need to discuss, please do so. We do request that you hold any discussions with your Coaches at times other than the pregame practice or during the game unless the coach asks to talk with your during that time. Getting the girls ready for the game, and keeping the squad safe and busy during the game needs to be first priority for the coaches.