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We have put together a list of questions we predict families/athletes may have about our cheer program.  If however you cannot find your answers here, please contact our cheer directors at cheer@bellinghamayfc.org and they will get back to you!

How do I register my athlete?

Registration for Spring Cheer and Pom seasons will open in Jan/Feb. Spring Cheer and Pom is a great way to dip your toes in and see if Bellingham Falcons Cheer and Pom are for you and your athlete. 

Registration for our Fall seasons will open March/April. Registering early is a great way to take advantage of our payment plans. You will register your athlete by their school grade.  Once all registrations are in, we will allocate them onto their respective teams and levels.

You will need to fill out a Player Pack and provide an original birth certificate (with raised seal) for inspection, as well as a copy of your athlete’s birth certificate.  Also a copy of their most recent report card (fall season only) and physical or medical clearance dated in the year of play. We will have several “Paperwork Turn In” dates posted on our website and social media. 

When are practices?

Practices start at the end of July/first week of August. Exact dates and times are determined by each team’s coaches. All athletes, cheer, pom and football, are required to participate in ten (10) hours of conditioning to start the season. Tentatively, practices are scheduled Monday-Thursday evenings for the month of August. Our younger teams (non Nationally tracked) practice 3-4 times a week during the summer and then drop down to 2-3 practices a week with the start of the school year.

Our competitive/nationally tracked teams practice 3-4 times a week during the summer and then drop down to 3 times a week with the start of the school year. We will also hold a separate longer Choreography practice near the beginning of the season, exact date/s will be communicated via your Head Coach.  Based on competition and Football schedules, the season usually lasts until the end of October but can continue until mid December if the team advances. 

The first half of the season is mostly practice and sideline cheering. Our competition season ramps up in October and can go as far as the AYC Nationals which is typically held in Orlando, FL the first or second week of December. 

Attendance is extremely important - cheer is the ultimate team sport, 1 athlete missing could mean their stunt group cannot practice. Nationally tracked competition teams do have an attendance requirement, and attendance and tardiness has to be registered. A doctor’s note is required for any missed practices, this policy is in place to ensure illness does not spread throughout the teams. 

It should be noted that if an athlete cannot attend the final practice(s) before a competition (for any reason: travel, illness, etc.) they will be unable to compete. This is for safety reasons. 

Where is practice?

Practices through the month of August are held outside on the fields at Bellingham Memorial School. Once school starts, our practices move indoors at either Keogh Memorial Academy (KMA) on Harpin Street or New England Cheer and Tumble at 89 Hartford Ave East, Mendon. 

How old does my child have to be to join cheer/pom?

We have teams for athletes from Kindergarten through 7th grade. Your child needs to be 5 years old by July 31 to participate on our cheer teams. Our Pom Dance team is declared as 12U, meaning your athlete must be nine (9) years old by July 31. 

How are teams divided?

Bellingham Youth Cheer divides teams as below. We expect to have at least four (4) cheer teams each year but this is subject to change based on registration numbers. In the past, we had the following teams:

  • 6U - (non-nationally tracked, exhibition team. Attend 2-3 competitions);
  • 8U -  (non-nationally tracked team competing at 2-3 competitions);
  • 10U -(Nationally tracked team, competing at 3-6 competitions from October through December Travel may be required);
  • 12U- (Nationally tracked team, competing at 3-6 competitions from October through December). Travel may be required;
  • 14U -(Nationally tracked team, competing at 3-6 competitions from October through December). Travel may be required;
  • 12U - Pom Dance: (Nationally tracked team, competing at 3-6 competitions from October through December). Athletes must be 9 years old by 07/31 to join this team. Travel may be required. 
  • Our 2024 12U Pom Dance team became AYC Pom National Champions.

Team levels are 1, 2 & 3.  Once all athletes have registered our cheer directors and head coaches will decide on the team level based on the majority of athletes skills.  Our main goal is to provide a fun and competitive experience for all athletes.

Should my athlete choose Sideline Cheer or Competitive Cheer?

Both sideline and competitive cheer is a commitment of both the athlete and family/guardians. Sideline and competitive cheer athletes will attend the same practice throughout the month of August. Once we move to indoor practice with the start of the school year, if your athlete has not already registered as a Game Day Cheerleader, your athlete must declare if they wish to participate in SIDELINE ONLY or COMPETITION cheer. 

We will hold an informational meeting around the end of August to go over details of the commitment of all teams. Choosing to participate on a Bellingham Falcons Competition team is a serious commitment. 

If you and your athlete chose to participate on a Nationally tracked cheer team, there may be travel and financial obligations. It is estimated that each athlete on a team that goes all the way to Nationals in December will need to be available to travel to Florida on a Tuesday and book accommodations at a “Stay to Play” approved hotel until at least Saturday. While we do our very best to fundraise throughout the season, a Nationals trip has specific requirements about when we are allowed to start fundraising. As such, it is a very short turnaround time from when a team qualifies at Regionals until they arrive in Florida to compete at AYC Nationals - about 3-4 weeks. All athletes and parents are required to participate in fundraising in the form of soliciting sponsor donations, canning at local stores/restaurants, participating in our Double Good Popcorn fundraiser, attending our annual Dinner with Santa, etc. The financial obligation of a team attending AYC Nationals in Florida is approximately $1,500 out of pocket. 

In years past, we have met our fundraising goals for Nationals meaning that your athletes plane ticket is reimbursed to you up to $450* and 25% of the cost of accommodations is reimbursed (rooms hold 4 - your athlete is 1 of 4). You may be interested in sharing a room with another athlete/parent to keep costs as affordable as possible. Please note parents/guardians are expected to purchase their athletes plane ticket and book hotel accommodations as soon as possible once we confirm attendance at AYC Nationals. Please note that all athletes should plan to have a parent/guardian to fly and stay with them in Florida. In addition to reimbursement of a portion of your athletes airline travel and hotel costs, it is expected that your athletes meals will be covered at 100% for the days they are at AYC Nationals. Further, each athlete will receive BAYFC Nationals practice gear, a t- shirt and an AYC hoodie sweatshirt covered through our fundraising efforts at no additional cost to parents/guardians. If your athletes team places at Regionals we will hold another parent meeting where all of this information will be talked about in more detail.

*based on previous years funds - all prices are approximate.

What is Pom?

Cheer Pom is a dance genre that focuses on lines, formations, cheerleading jumps, sharp staccato arm movements and form. Athletes dance with Poms in hand and it is an extremely fast paced 2:30mins routine. We highly recommend trying Pom in the Spring season to try this discipline out.

If your athlete registers for Pom, after July/August they will practice 1-3 times a week (including weekends). You be expected to purchase jazz dance shoes (approx $20-30) and their Pom costume (approx $150). As well as warm up jacket, competition jersey, power in pink tshirt and phony pony as listed below.

What does my athlete wear? What gear do I have to buy?

Athletes should wear athletic gear to practice. Typically shorts and tank or t-shirt, preferably fitted, not baggy and athletic sneakers or preferably cheer shoes. No jewelry is allowed. Hair should be pulled back off the face. Fingernails should be cut short and no fake nails/tips. No nail polish is allowed on competition days. 

The uniform and competitions bows worn for competitions are provided by the league. The athlete’s parent/guardian must sign a Uniform Contract understanding the uniform is on loan from BAYFC and must be returned in good condition. Bellingham Falcons uniforms should not be worn for any reason besides sideline cheering or competition. Competitions bows are for cheerleaders to keep. You are responsible to purchase the following mandatory items:

- a warm up jacket for approximately $40-50

- Competition jersey for approximately $40-50 (only mandatory for Nationally Tracked athlete)

- black cheer sneakers, approximately $50-$130+. There are multiple options for cheer shoes at several price points.

- phony pony hair piece, approximately $50

- power in pink competition t-shirt, approximately $15

- Gold & Pink bow set, approximately $5 (Pink is worn September in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month and Gold is worn in October in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness month)

Your coach will advise you when we open orders for warm up jackets and cheer shoes, as we order in bulk for the team. We will have events for uniform and cheer shoes to be tried on for size prior to placing your order. Your athlete will also need black spandex/bike shorts, black crew socks and black leggings, any brand is acceptable. 

Our cheer athletes also will wear make up for competitions and while we do have “team make up” available (with single use applicators), you may be interested in purchasing specific make up items for your athlete. Your coach will advise specifically what items can be purchased and where to purchase them. 

An additional expense for parents/guardians should be aware of is competition tickets. Local and invitational tickets can be approximately $15 per person. State, Regional and Nationals tickets can cost between $30-$50+ per day. 

When are games?

Football games are typically on Sundays. We try to have at least one (1) Saturday night game during the season. BAYFC Cheer athletes sideline cheer at both HOME and AWAY games. Your athlete is expected to attend all football games to cheer on the sideline. Please note - exact football schedule may not be released until around mid August. We also have the option for your athlete to participate in Sideline Cheer only (no competitions).

What can I expect on Game Day?

We ask that you arrive one (1) hour before your game is scheduled to meet up with your team and coaches to warm up. Games will be played in accordance with the rules of AYF with a minimum of two (2) referees and an EMT on site, provided by our league. Concessions and restrooms are generally available at each field. 

When are the cheer competitions?

Competitions are mandatory if you elect to participate on a competition team. Cheer is a synchronized sport and our routines are based around our specific team. If for some reason your athlete cannot attend a competition, let your coach know immediately. 

Teams compete at:

  • Power in Pink- October, most recently at Norton High School;
  • Invitationals - Fall, this has been held in Lynn, MA or New Hampshire in the past;
  • Locals - mid October, most recently at Waltham Middle School); If Nationally tracked team advances they will compete at:
  • States - beginning of November, most recently at Tsongas Arena, has also been held at Lowell Memorial Auditorium; (Only Nationally tracked teams). If team advances they will compete at:
  • Regionals - mid November.  Location varies depending on the designated NE state running that year's competition - it could be MA, RI, NH, CT - please note if location is a distance away, you may be required to stay in a hotel the night before.(Only Nationally tracked teams). If team advances they will compete at:
  • Nationals - Kissimmee, FL - beginning of December (Only Nationally tracked teams)

There may be additional competitions added to this schedule. Date and time to be determined. Exact competition times are usually not available until the week prior to the competition. 

What does a cheer competition day look like?

Your coach will advise you as soon as possible what the day will look like; we get an Order of Appearance (OOA) from the competition’s organizers sometimes only days before the competition. You may not have detailed information and times until late in the week for a Saturday competition. This is very typical. Your coach will send a Google Doc with detailed information, instructions and the day’s timeline in advance of the competition.

Please make sure your athlete eats on competition days. The days can be very long and we can’t always guarantee that there is time for lunch, etc. Our team gets ready together. Last season we used the old Bellingham Town Hall - yellow building on Route 126. Some athletes show up ready to go, in uniform with hair and make up done. Others show up in uniform without hair or make up done if they need assistance. We appreciate parents/guardians who are willing to jump in and help with hair and make up. Once the team is done getting ready, oftentimes we’ll carpool multiple athletes together in an attempt to keep the team together and arrival times on track. Parking can be challenging and it's easiest to drop athletes off in a group as Check In time is very important. Once your child is dropped off with their team/coaches, they are with them until the end of competition. After your athlete competes, they will stay with their team and sometimes get concessions, when time allows. We ask that you send your athlete with cash in a zip lock bag, marked with their name which will be collected at town hall. One coach will be responsible to hand out each athlete's money for concessions. Once the awards ceremony is over, our team will meet for a photo op (hopefully with a trophy!) and then your athlete is free to go with you for the remainder of the day. 

What is the parent/guardian commitment?

Fundraising: Parents/guardians are required to participate in fundraising throughout the season. Some of our fundraisers include selling DoubleGood Popcorn through an online store. We also hope to hold several event fundraisers - some adults only and some for all ages. Attending a fundraising event is a great way to get involved, meet other people involved in our program and raise money for our league without soliciting donations. 

Volunteering: Our organization is entirely run by volunteers. Volunteers are needed throughout the season for game day needs, events, team mom, etc. While we do offer a “Volunteer Buyout” as part of your registration fees, we’re hoping you’d be willing to donate your time by holding chains at a football game, working for an hour or two in our concession stand, volunteering at cheer competitions, etc. Please note that we are required to send a specific number of volunteers to certain local competitions as they are collaboratively run. Our league does receive monetary reimbursement for all volunteers we send to these competitions and it’s a great way to raise funds for the league without asking friends/family/coworkers for a donation. If you choose to volunteer at a cheer competition, do not volunteer during the session that your athlete is competing in as you will not be able to leave your position to watch your athlete compete. 

Equipment: In season care and cleaning, prompt return of equipment once the season has completed. 

Paperwork: Player Packet, payment, original birth certificate for inspection (+ a copy for our records), most recent report card and physical dated during the calendar year. Example: athlete’s physical is dated September 2024 is not valid for the 2025 season. The physical must be dated in 2025. If your child’s physical schedule does not fall during the calendar year, there is a medical clearance form in the Player Packet that your athlete’s physician can sign in lieu of a physical. 

Communication: please speak with your athletes Head Coach or Cheer Directors if you have any questions throughout the season. We are here to help.

What is the attendance policy for cheer and pom athletes?

Attendance is crucial to the success of any team. Cheer is a synchronized sport and we do not have substitutes to back fill for missing athletes. Missing one athlete will impact the entire team with regard to practice and competitions. BAYFC has a very strict attendance policy including all athletes being on time. 15 minutes late is considered tardy. 3 tardies will be counted as an absence. Any cheer athlete that has two (2) unexcused absences can be moved to a Sideline Only cheer athlete and will not be allowed to compete with the team. Cheer athletes and parents will be required to sign a detailed attendance policy after registration is completed.

Excused absences are : School graded events, family emergencies

Please note - conflicts with another sport will NOT be deemed as an excused absence. School dances/socials will NOT be deemed excused.

It should be noted that if an athlete cannot attend the final practice(s) before a competition (for any reason: travel, illness, etc.) they will be unable to compete. This is for safety reasons. 

Are scholarships available?

Yes! - scholarships will be available for families needing financial assistance. Please visit the Forms & Downloads page of our website to obtain a Scholarship Application. *Please note scholarships are NOT available for Nationally tracked cheer and pom athletes. 

Please email us if you have any questions surrounding scholarships/financial assistance. 

How do I stay informed?

BAYFC will use a combination of email, the GroupMe app and social media (Facebook/Instagram) to communicate with parents. General announcements will be posted on social media and sent via email. More detailed, time sensitive and team-specific information will be shared via GroupMe app which is exclusive to your team. You will be able to participate in a group messaging with other parents/guardians and coaches to discuss practice, upcoming events, competitions, etc. This is a good way to coordinate rides or carpooling, when necessary. 

Please follow the Bellingham American Youth Football and Cheer Facebook and/or Instagram (@bellinghamAYFC) to keep up with general announcements and upcoming events. We share pictures, videos, etc. of games, competitions, practice, etc. on social media. 

What is Falcon Friday?

Falcon Friday is how we show our team spirit and represent our league. We ask all athletes to wear Falcons gear to school on Friday’s before a game to show their pride and team spirit in an effort to be visible in our schools and across town. While this isn’t mandatory, we hope you’ll all participate and show everyone what being part of the “Falcons Fam” is all about! If you can catch a picture of your Falcon athlete in their gear, send it along to your team’s GroupMe and they’ll make the weekly social media feed. We’ve found it’s something the kids really enjoy participating in and helps bring awareness to our league!

We know this is alot of information and it can seem daunting!  However we want to ensure families are fully informed before signing up.  We are extremely passionate Board Members and Coaches and we believe in this sport and our athletes and cannot wait to have you join our Falcon Family!