Welcome to Hanover Jr. Wildcats Cheer!
Hanover Jr. Wildcats is a Pop Warner local association in the Northern Indiana League within the Mid-America Region. HJW Cheer is a Youth Rec Cheer program that performs at both Sideline and at all League and Regional Competitions.
Our teams will travel within the Northern Indiana League area. Many games are with teams that are within an hour drive from Hanover Township. With the growth of the League, some games may be over an hour of travel.
SIBLING AWAY GAMES offers flexibility for families with children in both cheer and football programs to have cheerleaders follow their siblings to their away game location. Home games are played at Hanover Central fields.
Fall ProgramsPractices will follow the same number of days and hours as football. Cheer programs begin outdoors and move to indoor practices Mid to Late September. The schedule will be set prior to the start of the season and will have minimal changes.
First 2 weeks - Conditioning 4 days/week
Mid Aug - Labor Day 4 days/week
After Labor Day - 3 days/week
Wildcat teams
do participate in League and Regional Playoffs when our teams qualify. These games are typically played in the Chicagoland area. Cheer teams will cheer at Playoff games with the exception of Competition Days.
Spring Programs
Competition Season (Continuation of the Fall Program)
Flag Football Cheer (New and Returning Participants for HJW Cheer)
There are two programs from which to choose.
*The Competition Season is a continuation from the Fall Cheer Program. Practice is only 2 days a week with Tumbling Workshops and Stunt Skill Progression as the focus of skill development. Focus returns to sideline cheer as Flag Football begins.
*Flag Football Cheer is for both New and Returning cheerleaders. Games are within a short season of 5-7 games TBD. Practice is 1 day a week to learn cheers for 2 weeks prior to the start of the games. Once games begin, practice is 1 hour with the game following. This is a great way to see if your child would like sideline cheerleading.
Stay Up-to-Date about Spirit Wear, Events and All Things HJW by connecting to the HJW Facebook Page.
Choosing a Team for Your ChildThere are NO TRYOUTS. Jr. Wildcat Cheer teams follow age grouped categories. Your child's team assignment
may change due to a number of considerations including (though not limited to) if they are NEW or RETURNING to Cheer, if there is a known skills progression and their current skill level, team size, and ages of others registered. Buddy and Coach Requests are not available.
Register for your child's current age AS OF AUGUST 1.
Example 1: Addie will be 7 on July 10... Addie is has been in Cheer for 2 yrs. As a parent, I will sign her up sign up for Mitey Mites.
Example 2: Chase will be 11 on August 5... Chase is new to cheer. Chase will sign up for Jr. PeeWee.
Don't worry so much about this. You are offered to register for the age groups for your child. Additionally, HJW holds the responsibility to match teams appropriately and will adjust team levels accordingly as teams are created. Past season teams are kept together as much as possible.
Teams are outlined at follows:
Tiny Mites - Ages 5-7
Mitey Mites - Ages 7-9
Jr. PeeWee - Ages 8-11
PeeWee - Ages 9-12
Jr. Varsity - Ages 10-13
Online Registration Process
Give yourself
approximately 5-10 minutes to complete the online registration.
FALL PROGRAMS
Items REQUIRED to be uploaded to COMPLETE Registration
- A clear photo of your child's head and shoulders
- Visit popwarner.sportsaffinity.coom to sign your child's registration paperwork after you have completed payment.
- Your child's birth certificate will need to be uploaded (returning participants may have it already entered.)
Be sure to attend an In-Person Registration for SIZING. Orders for uniforms will be placed no later than May 31.
Other REQUIRED documents hand in - DUE DATE: JUNE 15
- Your child's sports physical
- Your child's 2023-20234 Full Report Card (ask your school for a copy before the end of the school year)
SPRING PROGRAMS
You will have all items loaded from the Fall. Add Year Round Cheer to the registration. Limited opportunity will become available near the end of the Tackle Season if situations change and your cheerleader would like to participate.
PARENT PARTICIPATION The entire HJW program runs on Volunteers, including the Board Members. At least 1 adult in the family is required to volunteer for the family. This may be as a coach. It's not limited to that... It may be on the Chain Gang on any given Sunday or in the concessions. Options are provided within the online registration process. If you do not choose an area you prefer, HJW will follow up with you to schedule you.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Occasional misses happen. If your child must miss a practice, they may need to sit out during a cheer, timeout cheer or half time routine due to their not knowing- this is for your child's confidence to know all skills asked of them, in some cases the safety of the team if your child is not ready to perform a stunt, and it allows other children to continue to display the skills they continue to acquire.
4 unexcused practices and/or 2 unexcused games will result in your child not performing at competitions. Vacations are unexcused absences. Please communicate your vacation plans as soon as possible with your coach when your team is determined.
Excused absences include:
- Illness with a Dr. Note
- School Event such as an academic event, music concert
- Boy or Girl Scouts
- Religious Education or Observances