Cheerleading

Program Overview

High School Cheerleading is an important part of the school and community culture. Cheerleaders create and boost school unity, morale and spirit, support athletic and co‐curricular programs, along with competing locally, regionally, and nationally. Our school and community appreciate the cheerleader's leadership and performance at athletic events, rallies, and other spirit activities. It is our pledge to our students, teachers, parents, and community to continue to organize, conduct, and maintain a high quality cheer program at James Irwin Charter High School. The cheerleading program is one of the most successful at James Irwin, with numerous first place wins at competitions and boasts Runner –Up State Champions for the year 2008. Our program is co-ed and we support all of our athletes, both male and female.

Cheer Season

Cheerleading requires a huge time commitment. The season usually runs from June through March of the following year. While summer commitments are not mandatory, it is an important time for the team to develop fundamental skills, conduct fund raising, and bond as a team. The first competition is usually in early September, so the team has to be ready when school starts.

  • Summer: The summer schedule will likely include optional weight lifting classes, gymnastics classes, and team practices. Generally this will be 2 days a week, with an additional day for tumbling. It will also include 3 or 4 fundraising activities such as car washes, mini‐camp, and other functions. We will not schedule anything significant from July 1st-10th, that is our designated cheer break.
  • Fall & Winter: Once school starts, practices are usually twice a week for 2 hours. The actual practice times will depend on the team and coaching schedules.
  • Games/Performances: Cheerleaders support Boys and girls varsity Basketball. There are usually 1 or 2 games per week in addition to team practices. Also, we will compete between 1 and 4 times throughout the year.

Roster Limit/Nationals (Varsity Only)

For all Varsity cheer teams in Colorado, there is a maximum of 25 cheerleaders allowed to compete and cheer on the sidelines at any given time. This roster limit is only in place for Varsity teams; JV teams are not restricted by a roster limit. The Coach always reserves the right to chose who will compete and how many members will compete. It is possible, and likely, that we will take 25 members on the team, but not all members would compete at every competition.

2011/2012 Important Dates

Here are the competition dates that we know about or can anticipate at this time. It is mandatory for ALL cheerleaders to attend the following activities. If you know about a conflict, the sooner you tell us, the better.

  • Battle at the Capital competition October 22, 2011
  • UCA Competition (at Denver Convention Center): November 13th or 20th
  • Varsity State Competition: December 3rd or 10th (location TBD)
  • OTHER MANDATORY DATES: TBD