2025 Cherokee Bluff Jr. Bears Cheerleading
Rules and Guidelines

Eligibility

• Age Requirements: Cheerleaders must register using their birthdate to participate in the Jr. Bears Cheerleading Program. The cutoff for each age group is August 1st. This rule is followed in both our sideline and competition programs.

Practice Attendance

• Attendance Policy: Cheerleaders must attend all scheduled practices. If unable to attend, a parent or guardian must notify the coach 24 hours in advance.
  
  

Behavioral Expectations

• Respect: Cheerleaders and parents are expected to exhibit respect and good sportsmanship towards their coaches, teammates and opponents.
  
  
• Bullying and Harassment: Any form of bullying, harassment, or inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated and will result in the immediate dismissal from our program.

Uniform

• Uniforms: Cheerleaders must wear the official Jr. Bears uniform to all games, performances, and competitions. This includes the shell, skirt, liner (competitions only), bow, shoes and pom poms. Please ensure the correct bow is worn; nothing from previous seasons. Additional bows can be purchased for $20.

- Please note that for sideline only, there will be no liner purchase. Liners are for competition only.

- There will be an option for 6U to purchase pom poms during registration. If your daughter needs hers replaced, there is an option to purchase another set as well. These are used for sideline only.

• Proper Footwear: Cheerleaders are required to wear appropriate cheer shoes during practices and performances. Tennis shoes, sandals or platform footwear are not permitted.

• Practice Wear: During practices, cheerleaders should wear appropriate practice gear (e.g., t-shirt, shorts, cheer shoes, hair up, and NO jewelry).

Games and Competitions

• Season length: The cheerleading season runs from August to late October, with playoff games and competitions in November. Please understand that the season is long, but attendance is still expected. Head coaches will determine practice dates as they are volunteering their time.

• Sideline Cheerleading: Sideline runs from August to November. There are 6 regular season games, and up to 4 playoff games. Cheerleaders doing sideline only will attend practices until all cheers are known. Two practice days will be chosen by your coaches and practices will be mandatory. Games are on Saturdays and are mandatory.
  
  
• Competition Cheerleading: Must do sideline to participate in competition. This season will parallel sideline cheer and also runs from August to November. There are 6 regular season games, and up to 4 playoff games. In addition to that, we add on 3-4 competitions at the end of the season. Competitions begin in late October and run into November. Two practice days will be chosen by your coaches and practices will be mandatory. Games are on Saturdays, where halftime is used as an additional practice to showcase the routine. Games are mandatory.
  
  
• Competition Squad: We try our best to get the competition dates out to you as soon as possible, but if you feel like for any reason you will not be available on Sundays in October and November, then you should select sideline only.

Injury

• Injury Protocol: In the event of an injury during the season, any cheerleader with an injury needs a medical release form signed by a parent/guardian before participating in practices.
  
  

Parent and Guardian Involvement

• Parent Support: Parents are encouraged to attend games to support the squad. Volunteering for events (ex. gate duty) is also appreciated.
  
  
• Communication: Facebook is our program’s communication platform. This is where coaches post important information throughout the season. Parents should be a part of their designated squad’s Facebook page. This ensures everyone sees information in a timely manner. Once rosters are finalized, the coach will email the registrants email address with their information and a Facebook group link. If there are any issues involving your child, please speak directly to your head coach. We would like to address questions or concerns immediately to ensure the season runs smoothly.

• Parent Code of Conduct: Parents are expected to model respectful behavior at all events. This includes no negative interference with coaches and maintaining a positive attitude.

Financial Obligations

• Fees: All cheerleaders are responsible for paying the registration fee of $425. There is also a spirit fee due when the season begins in August. Spirit fees are $75 per child.

- Registration Fee: $425

- Spirit Fee: $75.00. The Spirit Fee is used at the discretion of the coach for team specific decisions.

  Commitment

• Cheerleaders should be fully committed to their role on the team, striving to give their best effort in all practices and events. We want to emphasize the importance of making cheer a priority, especially for athletes who participate in multiple sports. Cheer routines are highly group-oriented, and each member plays a crucial role in the overall success of the team. When even one athlete is unable to attend due to other practices/games it affects the entire squad. We ask that your child commits to prioritizing cheer to respect the hard work and dedication of the entire team. We need every girl there to ensure our practices run smoothly, stunt groups can work together, and athletes are prepared for the games and competitions.

CBJB Important Dates:

• March 17^th: CBJB Cheerleading Registration
  
  
• May 8^th: Uniform Fittings: CBMS Cafeteria- 4:00-7:00pm
  
  
• May 15^th: Registration closes
  
  
• July: Mandatory Choreography Camp (competition only) at Revolution Athletics

-9U, 10U, 11U: July 7-10th

-6U, 7U, 8U: July 21-24th

• July 28-30^th: CBHS Jr. Bears Summer Camp
  
  
• August 4^th-8^th: First week of Jr. Bears practices begin

Dear Junior Bear Cheer Families,

We hope this message finds you well! We’re excited to share that our cheerleading program has seen tremendous growth over the past few years. We’re so grateful for the energy, commitment, and spirit your athletes bring to the program. It’s been truly exciting to see the incredible participation and support from our community.

As our program continues to grow, we’ve been evaluating ways to ensure the safety and success of all of our athletes. After careful consideration, we’ve made the decision to cap the rosters for our competition teams to 28 athletes. This change is being implemented to ensure that each athlete receives the attention and development they need, while also prioritizing their safety during practices and performances.

We want to reassure you that the sideline teams will remain unaffected by this change, and we’re excited for all the opportunities ahead for everyone in our program.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
We’re looking forward to another amazing season!

Go Bears!