All-Star Team Mom/dad

[acecheermom]

I serve as a team mom this season. I have 2 cheerleaders at our particular gym. I am team mom for my younger one. In our program team parents really help in the communication and answering questions. We pass on fundraiser info, practice info, competition info, meet the team at meet time, get them to coaches in at warm up. We organize team bonding events, and holiday/end of season party. We also run a team FB, twitter, etc. We have an application process that you have to go through to be chosen and they do try to give consideration to parents of multiple cheerleaders as a priority.

I definitely try to keep a low profile and just do my job. I have not done any type of goody bags but I am making ornaments for to give out at the christmas party.

This is my first year in this role and it is a bit overwhelming. But I enjoy helping out the squad and being there for my kids.

 

[mamabear]

This isn't a cheer story but I'm curious as to whether a cheer team parent has ever done anything like this:

So, I'm close with one of my cousins to the point that her kid is actually my god-daughter. Like two seasons ago, I attended a Rec/Youth Football Cheer meeting with her daughter because she was working a twelve hour shift at the hospital and couldn't get off in time. She knows that I know about cheer and that I'd get all the details/paperwork and pass it on.

Anyhow, I'm at this meeting (which is sort of an orientation/meet-the-directors type deal) and it's a joint meeting that covers both cheer AND football. The football director is giving an overview of the football program. He starts talking about team parents and how it works. Then he says something like "Just know that if you're selected to be a team parent, that your job is to support the team. Let the kids play and the coaches coach. It's not your job to call extra practices or anything like that. That's actually against league rules and could cause us to have to forfeit games."

I was really surprised by that comment. I turned to the guy I was sitting by and was like "Wow is it really THAT serious?" The guy told me that it ACTUALLY HAPPENED the year before! The team dad for one of the older teams of like, 5th graders was actually organizing extra practices outside of the official ones and telling parents they were mandatory like he was a coach! Crazy.

The amount of practice time is regulated by orgaizations like AYC and I am assuming Pop Warner too. It is viewed very seriously, because overage in practice hours could be both dangerous to the kids and provide an unfair advantage to those who are following the rules. I have heard stories about teams getting called out for kids running thru a cheer at a team pool party or working stunts at a beach day. So, what sounds like it might be a crazy powerplay , may be people trying to follow the rules and not put their organization at risk of penalties.