Mission Statement

The mission of Junior Charger Cheer Program is to offer grade school athletes an athletic, no-cut sport which develops safe cheerleading skills for the purposes of performing in local competitions, and ultimately developing their athletic cheer ability. Through Christian guidance, we will strive to teach our athletes the value of commitment, hard work, integrity, leadership, self-confidence, a positive attitude, and a love for the sport.  Most importantly, we will use our athletic gifts and personal spirit to honor Jesus in all we do.

Philosophy

We ask that each athlete and parent who wishes to undertake the privilege and responsibility of being a Junior Charger Cheerleader make a serious commitment to the program and subscribe to the philosophy outlined below. 
 
The Junior Charger Cheer Program will be designed to:

1.    Develop the strength, technique, and confidence of all team members through regularly scheduled practices. Because there is risk of injury, safety is of utmost concern.  Coaches will provide appropriate instruction and encourage athletes to maximize their abilities.  However, no participant will be required or coerced to perform an activity or stunt with which they are not comfortable.
2.    Provide choreography and instruction so that the team can perform a clean, well-executed, high-energy routine, with the ultimate goal of “leaving the mat proud”.  The difficulty of the skills performed and the final placing of the performance is secondary to this primary performance goal.
3. Develop and instill in the athletes the joy of their salvation so they can humbly provide positive, encouraging attitudes and leadership.
4.    Bond into a cohesive team of young Christians well prepared to glorify God at cheer competitions.

To accomplish the goals of the Junior Charger Cheer Program, commitment is required of all involved.

Athletes need to be committed to:
1.    Upholding the rules and policies of the Junior Charger Cheer Program.
2.    Working diligently to maximize their God-given abilities in striving for excellence.
3.    Contributing positively to the overall success of the team by accepting the decisions of the coaches.
4.    Investing practice time to strengthen the team.
5.    Communicating appropriately with the coaches whenever necessary.
6.    Practicing safely.
7.    Having fun.

Coaches are committed to:
1.    Nurturing the faith of those entrusted to their care.
2.    Being Christian role models.
3.    Encouraging the team members to glorify God with their greatest efforts.
4.    Fostering a positive spirit by example and in dealing fairly with all squad members.
5.    Upholding the dignity of the athletes, especially if their efforts have been unsuccessful.
6.    Providing for the safety of their athletes.
7.    Communicating tactfully with parents in a spirit of cooperation, nurture, and mutual respect.

Parents need to be committed to:
1.    Supporting the rules and policies of the Junior Charger Cheer Program.
2.    Supporting the efforts of their children in positive, yet realistic ways.
3.    Communicating tactfully with coaches as necessary.
4.    Praying for the coaches and the members of the squad.
5.    Being Christian role models for the athletes.

Team Details

Our program is open to all athletes in 1st-8th grade. 

Registration is limited, and on a first come basis.  Registration will close July 25th or when we have reached our per team maximum.

Our goal is to provide the opportunity to participate in our program to as many athletes as possible, while still having teams of manageable and successful size.  This DOES mean that some of our 1st-4th grade teams will likely be in the same divisions at competitions, and hence be competing head-to-head.  Since our focus is sharing our gifts for God's glory and providing an environment to share our love for cheer and grow our faith, the end results at competitions is not a program priority.  It is however, something to consider as a parent and an athlete dealing with results they may feel disappointed by. Our 5-6th and 7-8th grade teams will not compete against each other.

Athletes will be split into five (5) or six (6) teams, depending on the number registered.  We will communicate the team breakdown to parents when registration is closed. 

  • 1st, 2nd, or 1st-2nd grade team(s) will compete in the TRADITIONAL division at competitions. These routines contain an opening set to music which usually contains tumbling and stunting skills, a cheer in which we try to elicit crowd participation, and then an ending set to music which contains a dance and more stunts.

  • 3rd, 4th, or 3rd-4th grade team(s) may compete in the TRADITIONAL division OR in the GAME DAY division.  This division focuses on the basics of crowd leading and contains elements that would be used while cheering in a basketball or football game. The teams perform four different portions including a Band Chant, Sideline, Timeout Cheer, and School Song.  We hope to eliminate some of the head-to-head competition within our program by having one team compete in the Game Day division.  Again, this decision will be made once registration closes and we have split athletes into teams.

  • 5-6th grades (Radiance) competing in the GAME DAY division. This division focuses on the basics of crowd leading and contains elements that would be used while cheering in a basketball or football game.  The teams perform four different portions including a Band Chant, Sideline, Timeout Cheer, and School Song.  The Game Day division is scored based on technique, crowd leading and performance, and NOT in any way on difficulty.  The Game Day division is the primary focus of the KML Cheer program, so this will give the athletes exposure to this division. 

  • 7-8th grades (Dazzle) competing in the TRADITIONAL division. These routines contain an opening set to music, which usually contains tumbling and stunting skills, a cheer in which we try to elicit crowd participation, and then an ending set to music which contains a dance and more skills. The Traditional division routines are scored on difficulty of tumbling, jumps, and stunts based on a rubric, however execution weighs more heavily overall.

We would like ALL athletes to please attend our Choreography Practice on August 7th. Please reach out to us, however, if you have a conflict with this date as we do have options for those with summer vacation plans. 

We encourage our Junior Charger athletes to participate in the athletic programs our KML Schools have to offer.  It is important that our athletes support the schools they attend.  We highly recommend that if your school offers a viable cheer program, that you focus your efforts to support your school.  Game cheering should be a primary focus for athletes.  We DISCOURAGE participation in only our program.  We hope our program will be an opportunity for those who do not have cheer/dance offered at their school or, to supplement participation in KML Schools’ athletics.

The intent of the Junior Charger Program is NOT to replace KML Schools’ athletic participation.

Communication

All communication is done via email and text alerts.  It is each family’s responsibility to check their email or website at least once per week to keep on top of that week’s activities.  Program rules, upcoming events, and our master calendar are all included on our website.  At any time, you can email questions or concerns to the Administrator at jrchargercheer@gmail.com. Text will be used for more time sensitive details or if we haven’t received a necessary response via email.

Parent Participation

Parent participation is a must in order to have the program run smoothly.  Parent responsibilities include: encouraging and supporting your athlete in meeting team responsibilities (attending practice and arriving on time), attending parent meetings, communicating with the program staff if any problems arise, fulfilling all volunteer duties, and supporting the mission and commitment of the program with your athlete. 

volunteer requirement

Each Junior Charger family is required to assist at the KMLHS Cheer Competition (see season calendar for date), by helping in a volunteer position before or after your athlete performs.  A sign-up will be sent by the end of December.  Parents are also required to help with a volunteer opportunity throughout the season (September-January) OR the Awards Celebration at the end of the season (February or March).  Sign-up link will be sent before the start of the season.