YOUR FUTURE BEGINS HERE!

Phone

(574) 276-7833

Mailing Address

424 South Michigan street South Bend, IN 46634

Greater South Bend Area Pop Warner Association

CHEER/DANCE

Greater South Bend area Pop Warner

Loud and Proud.

Cheer & Dance Overview

Pop Warner Spirit teams have participated for several decades on the football sidelines (Pep Squads, Majorettes, etc.); however, cheerleading was not officially introduced until the 1970’s.

Today, thousands of youth participate in Pop Warner Cheerleading and Dance teams around the United States.

The Cheer and Dance Program offers teams a wide range of opportunity for young athletes at all skill levels: Novice, Intermediate and Advanced.

Pop Warner has established one set of spirit rules along with JAMZ, the Pop Warner Education Development Partner and the original developer of the Youth Cheer and Dance Alliance (YCADA).

Together with YCADA, Pop Warner is able to provide online educational courses for its coaches, administrators and judges on team skill levels for Cheer Teams (Core Cheer, Show Cheer PW 1-4) and for Dance Teams (Pom Performance, Theme Dance & Hip Hop).

Pop Warner also offers additional competition opportunities in Sideline Performance Cheer.

With continued education, the Pop Warner Coaching Staff provides basic instruction, training and conditioning for both football games and competition.Teams participate on the sidelines at football games for home and most away games through to the Pop Warner Super Bowl. In addition to Game Day, teams participate in qualifying spirit events (League and Region) through to a Pop Warner National  Championship.

The Pop Warner National Cheer and Dance Championships (started in 1988) are now held in December located in ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.

South Bend Bulldogs

Cheerleading Safety

safety first!

Safety First! Is the latest of a number of safety initiatives that Cheerleading’s governing bodies have implemented in past years.

The results show, among other things, that cheer’s total catastrophic injuries were cut in half from 2005 to 2006*, and that cheerleading’s injuries per 100,000 participants is only 2.0, significantly less than the figures for popular women’s sports such as gymnastics.

Below are some tips compiled by the National Athletic Trainers’Association that help reduce cheerleader injuries at all levels:

1. Proper Conditioning: Physically prepare and maintain your body’s strength, flexibility, and stamina for stunting and tumbling. Strengthen your core muscles (abdominal and lower back muscles) along with the upper and lower body and include aerobic (running, jogging, cycling, swimming) and anaerobic (wind sprints, circuit training) activities.

2. Exercise Reminders: Warm up, stretch and cool down for every practice or competition and be sure to rest.
3. Proper Equipment: Practice on mats or padded flooring until your routines are perfected. Make sure the mats are adequately sized and sufficient for the activities you’re performing.

4. Spotting: Have trained spotters present and engaged at all times.

5. Knowledgeable Coaches: Make sure your coaches are certified in safety, first aid, CPR and AED use.

6. No Horseplay: Focus at all times during stunting and tumbling activities.

7. Communication: Request that your coaches review safety precautions, rules and regulations with the squad on a regular basis, and that they establish and implement an emergency action plan.

8. Read Safety Guidelines: Ask your coaches to be familiar with the latest Pop Warner Rules Book, YCADA (Youth Cheer and Dance Alliance) safety guidelines and participate in the ASEP (American Sport Education Program) Coaches Online Education Training for basics in cheerleading principles;

9. Know Your Limits: Be aware of your ability level and do not attempt advanced level gymnastic or stunting skills before mastering less advanced skills. Always have a supervisor present.

10. Treatment of Injuries: Promptly attend to any injuries you sustain. Your school or organization’s athletic trainer can assist in the proper treatment and prevention of such injuries. He or she can also offer an injury prevention education seminar and assist in creating the conditioning routine.

Pop warner South Bend

safety first!

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works. Concussions can also occur from a fall or a blow to the body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth.

Health care professionals may describe a concussion as a “mild” brain injury because concussions are usually not life-threatening. Even so, their effects can be serious.

Red Cross CPR and First Aid Certification:

Pop Warner rules require that “All practices must be attended by one person holding a Red Cross Community CPR and a First Aid certification OR National Center for Sports Safety PREPARE Certificate of Completion, or equivalent, if not by an EMT or volunteer physician.”

Scholars

Scholastics Overview

Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. (PWLS) is the only national youth sports organization in America that requires its participants to perform adequately in the classroom before permitting them to play.

We believe that the standards we have set give these children a sense of responsibility and an appreciation for academics and athletics that will help them develop later on in life.

Like such organizations as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Federation of High Schools (NFHS), PWLS has academic guidelines and criteria that need to be met in order for a child to participate.

Pop warner South Bend

South Bend Bulldogs

SCHOLASTIC FITNESS: NATIONAL POLICY

Proof of satisfactory progress in school is required. A 2.0/70% or the equivalent shall be the minimum grade point average acceptable to participate. In cases of doubt, conflict of opinion, or if a valid report card is not submitted, the nationally published scholastic eligibility form shall be used and deemed final.

NOTE: This rule as it relates to scholastic grades may not be made more stringent by any team, association, or league, as other rules may be. No local team/squad may be allowed to participate in Regional/National sponsored championships or bowl games if it has not met the nationally published scholastic requirements.

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A 2.0/70% GRADE POINT AVERAGE?

We understand that not all student-athletes are able to meet our scholastic requirements. If a child does not meet the requirements of scholastic fitness, he/she may fill out and submit a Scholastic Eligibility Form. This form is to be completed by those participants in the Pop Warner program that have not met the National Scholastic Requirement of 70 percent and/or 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) at the time of certification.

This form must be accompanied by a progressing progress report or report card to be eligible for play after the deadline. If no progressing progress report or report card is given in this window, then the player shall be found ineligible for the rest of the year.
Download the Scholastic Eligibility Form.

POP WARNER ALL-AMERICAN SCHOLAR PROGRAM:

Each year, the most academically accomplished Pop Warner kids compete for Academic All-American status. This process begins at the association level and up through each of the eight Pop Warner regions to the national level.

The Pop Warner All-American Program requires a minimum 96% grade point average to apply. After the applications have been processed, Pop Warner determines National First Team All-Americans (35 football, 35 cheer per grade), National Second Team All-Americans and National Honorable Mention Scholars.

Greater South Bend area Pop Warner

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