Let's Kick Off This Season Right!!
 As we approach our first practice, we want to ensure everyone has all the information they need to have a safe, fun, and successful season.

2024 Young Bucs Cheer Coaching Staff

We are excited to welcome back a handful of our seasoned coaches and introduce 2 new additions to our coaching family.

·         K/1^st Grade – Coach Rosita

·         2^nd Grade – Coach Reyna

·         3^rd Grade – Coach Lowynn

·         4^th Grade – Coach Kaila

·         5^th/6^th Grade - Coach Jennie

Get to know your coach during the parents’ meeting (see info below). If you have matters you would like to discuss with your coach, we ask that you please be mindful of their practice/game time and either talk to them prior to a practice/game or afterwards.

You are always welcome to send them a message via email: [email protected]

** Coaches are not available to communicate via phone, text, and/or email during a YB Event. If immediate attention is needed, please contact a board member.

Schedules/ Practice Locations/ Attendance (See attached calendar)

** We are awaiting the arrival of the K-4 Flag Football Game Schedule & 5/6 Tackle (Travel) Football Game Schedule. As soon as it is received, it will be distributed.

First Practice Uniform Pick Up Process – Tuesday, August 20th

·         The Cheer Board Members will have tents and tables set up as you arrive to drop off your daughter(s) for their first practice. Tables will be organized by grade. Upon pick up, you will be asked to review the items in your bag and sign a form confirming you have received your items. We will have a full staff on duty and ask for your patience as we meet and greet all our cheer families.

o   Pick up will be available for K-4^th grade teams at GHHS from 5:15pm – 6:30pm

o   Pick up will be available for the 5^th/6^th grade team at LMS from 4:15pm – 5:00pm

·         In addition to uniform pick up, we will have the following items available for sale:

o   Used K/1 Poms - $15/pair

o   Grand Haven Cheer Yard Sign Orders will be taken - $25

o   Vinyl GH Cheer Stickers - $5

o   Pom Tag Orders - $10/pair

 (Cash, Checks made payable to Grand Haven Young Bucs Athletics, Inc, or Venmo accepted)

Practice Schedules & Locations

·         All K-4^th Grade Teams will practice at the GHHS Youth Practice Field (behind the high school) from 5:30-6:30pm.

o   Parent Meetings will be held in your child’s designated practice space on the field, starting at 6:30pm. Cheerleaders will remain in the center of the field with our Varsity Cheerleader Volunteers until the end of the meeting. Parents can collect their children and depart as soon as the meeting is over.

·         The 5^th/6^th Grade Team will practice on the south field at Lakeshore Middle School

o   First week of practice 4:30-5:30pm

§  Parent Meeting 5:00pm Tuesday, August 20^th (during practice) in the football stands on the south end of the field.

o   All practices thereafter will be 6:30-7:30pm

All practices will be ”closed” to parents. We will have designated marked off areas of the field where parents may sit. Creating physical distance between our young cheerleaders and parents will allow for our coaches to limit distractions and aid in keeping their entire team as focused on team tasks as possible. Should your cheerleader require assistance and/or an escort to the porta potty, a volunteer will bring your cheerleader to you. Coaches/Volunteers will not be responsible for taking cheerleaders to the porta potty.

* Practice in only an hour, please ensure your athlete has used the restroom prior to practice/games.

All teams will start on Tuesday, August 20^th and will practice twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, for the first 3 weeks. Attendance for these practices is important, as teams begin to bond, form stunting groups, work on skills, and learn most of the material in preparation for the first football game.

After the first 3 weeks, K-4^th grade teams will drop down to Thursday practices only. The 5^th & 6^th grade team will stay practicing twice a week.

Should your cheerleader fall ill or have a scheduling conflict and not be able to attend practice or a game, please email: [email protected] to notify of the absence. Having a heads up on attendance allows coaches to adjust formations, stunt groups, practice plans, etc.

Picture Day - Tuesday, August 27th – GHHS Football Stadium Entrance

Picture Day will replace practice time. There will be NO PRACTICE on this date.

Cheerleaders will be expected to show up by their assigned arrival time, in full uniform, hair done, bow in, with poms.

Full Uniform for pictures includes shell, skirt, white long sleeve bodysuit, briefs, no show white socks, all white cheer shoes, team bow(s) and poms. For pictures, cheerleaders may wear their hair in a high ponytail or half up (all hair away from face), but they MUST have their bow in. K/1are highly encouraged to wear their hair in pigtails, with both bows. Pictures will be provided to show how the bow/s must be worn.

·         We understand it may be hot, we will work as fast as we can to push the tempo of the photo sessions. Please bring water for your cheerleader.

·         Should we have inclement weather, the plan will be to pivot to the GHHS cafeteria. A photo station will be set up within the school. Stay tuned as we get closer.

·         Parents are required to stay at the high school during their cheerleaders’ photo session and are permitted to leave as soon as their session is done.

·         Upon arrival, parents must check in with their coach. Cheerleaders will then be arranged into a team photo formation while they await their turn with the photographer.

·         Team Photos will be taken first during a grade’s assigned time. Should your cheerleader arrive too late, the picture WILL NOT be retaken.

·         SIBLING PHOTOS – there will be a designated time slot for our families who have more than one cheerleader. This photo opportunity is offered to SIBLINGS ONLY.

·         Photo pricing will be available prior to picture day. Please watch for it on Facebook, Band, and to be delivered to your email.

Assigned Photo Day time slots, Tuesday, August 27th

K/1^st Grade

o   5:45pm arrival - K/1 & Coach Rosita

o   6:00pm – 6:20pm - Photographer session

§  Team Photo

§  Individual Photos

Sibling Photos

o   6:00pm arrival - Sibling Photos (SIBLINGS ONLY)

o   6:20pm – 6:30pm - Photographer session

2^nd Grade

o   6:10pm arrival – 2^nd Grade & Coach Reyna

o   6:30pm – 6:50pm - Photographer session

§  Team Photo

§  Individual Photos

3^rd Grade

o   6:30pm arrival – 3^rd Grade & Coach Lowynn

o   6:50pm – 7:15pm – Photographer session

§  Team Photo

§  Individual Photos

4^th Grade

o   7:00pm arrival – 4^th Grade & Coach Kaila

o   7:15pm – 7:35pm – Photographer session

§  Team Photo

§  Individual Photos

5^th/6^th Grade

o   7:15pm arrival – 5^th/6^th Grade, Coach Madison, Coach Jennie, Jr. Coaches

o   7:35pm – 8:00pm

§  5/6 Team Photo

§  6^th Grade Only Photo

§  Individual Photos

Board & Coaches Picture

o   8:00pm - Board, Coaches, & Jr. Coaches

GHHS Varsity Football Game Youth Night & Homecoming

Details for these two Friday night varsity games are currently in the works. As more information becomes available on how our YB Cheerleaders will be involved, we will keep you posted.

Please mark your calendars:

Friday, Sept 13^th – Youth Night

Friday, October 11^th – Homecoming

End of the Season Banquet

                Our Banquet Committee has begun planning for the end of the year team awards banquet. Please stay tuned for more information.  It’s bound to be a grand celebration for all the work our young athletes are getting ready to put into the 2024 sideline season. We hope you will join us!

Uniforms

                Team t-shirts, sweatshirts, and bows will be delivered to you on the first day of practice. If you ordered uniform pieces and/or spirit wear items and selected “Pick up at TH Brands”, participated in the group pom order, and/or ordered pom tags, all items will be included in your cheerleader’s uniform bags.

Items to have ready to go:

·         Uniform Shell

·         Uniform Skirt

·         Long Sleeve All White Bodysuit (Zips in the back)

·         Navy Briefs

·         No Show All White Socks

·         All Navy Leggings/Stretch Pants/Uniform Pants

·         All White Cheer Shoes

·         All Navy Gloves

·         All Navy Headband

·         Clear Rain Poncho

·         Water Bottle

When the weather gets cold, to be in uniform, the girls must wear either the Medalist Jacket or team sweatshirt and either the Medalist Pant or ALL NAVY leggings (to be worn underneath their skirt). Girls may choose to layer with as many layers needed to stay warm UNDER the uniform Medalist Jacket or team sweatshirt but must be in full uniform to be on the field.

Practice Attire – Michigan weather is sure to give us a wide variety of forecasts. We ask that you make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the temperature. Please send them to EVERY PRACTICE AND GAME with a full water bottle. We will not have access to water. In addition, while practicing in the late afternoon/early evenings in the field, we ask that you take care of all sunblock and bug spray applications prior to sending them out on the field. Coaches and Team Moms will not be responsible for assisting cheerleaders with these items.

Speaking of Weather…

With the unpredictability of our weather, it’s important to be able to reach our parents at a moment’s notice. As we have learned in the past, in the event of extreme heat, the administrators and coaches test the field’s heat index every 20 minutes. We may be given the green light to hold practice and then during the next test, be required to exit the field. 

In the event of an incoming rain/thunderstorm, we will work side by side with the administrators and the YB football coaches to determine if practice/games will be cancelled.

Your athletes’ safety is our primary concern. When working through weather issues, we ask that you stay connected and ensure your child is dressed and appropriately prepared for the elements.

Pom Tags Fundraiser

If you were not able to make it to one of our Uniform Fitting Nights and missed out on ordering in the first round of Pom Tags orders for your cheerleader, we will be placing another order during the first week of practice. Please sign up at the welcome table during the first practice. The cost is $10/set. Payment is required at the time the order is placed. 100% of the profits from our Pom Tag Fundraiser will go toward the 2024-25 GHHS Senior Varsity Cheerleader Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will recognize the outstanding academic, athletic, and community efforts displayed by one or more of our very own GHHS Cheerleaders.

What’s New This Season

While you may enjoy a few new chants out on the football field, our cheer program will be focused on encouraging good character on and off the field. Fun new additions to jazz up the season and acknowledge our amazing athletes will include:

Practice “Bow for It” Awards – each week a new character motivation word will be selected and discussed during practice. Coaches will then seek out an athlete who displays a stellar example of these characteristics. At the end of practice, Coaches will award the recipient with a very special bow that will be theirs to keep.

Game “Buried Treasure” Awards – at each game, a coach, volunteer, or board member will select a few “secret” parents, sitting in the stands. They will be provided with a card that will list a few different skills/behaviors/characteristics that we would like to highlight for that game. It will be the responsibility of the card holder to watch the entire team for prime examples of the categories listed on the card. Toward the end of the game, the cards will be collected, and those cheerleaders will be acknowledged in the team huddle before they are dismissed for the day. We hope you will offer to be a part of the fun!

Game Captains – Each week a selected group of girls will be highlighted as “Game Captains”. They will be offered the opportunity to step forward in leadership roles for that game; leading warm up, calling cheers, and additional tasks as assigned by the coach. These captains will be easily identifiable by the captain’s badge they will wear throughout the game. Make sure to catch pictures of these special moments and share with us, as we celebrate every athlete in our cheer program. Captains will change each week. Girls will be allowed to keep their captain’s badge. (The badge will ONLY be worn at their designated game)

6^th Grade Event – As the most senior athletes of the program, we would like to set aside a special time for our “graduating” cheerleaders to spend one last time together. This event is currently in the planning stages, but it’s most definitely guaranteed to be an amazing send-off.

Jr. Coaches – This season we welcome 4 Jr. Coaches to our coaching staff, Olivia H., Brynn V., Skylar D., and Ryleigh Z. These middle school cheerleaders will be assisting the 5^th/6^th Grade Team as they prepare for their transition from the Young Bucs Program to our Middle School Cheer Teams. They will assist with demos, warmups, and be delegated leadership roles within the team. We are excited to have them and hope you join us in thanking them for their time and dedication to building the program.

Cheer Concession Stand – On Saturday mornings, the Young Bucs Cheer Program will be hosting a concession stand, offering drinks, snacks, sweet treats, ponchos, hand warmers, etc. As the season changes, we plan on offering different items. We hope you will stop by and check us out! Would you like to volunteer to set up, work an hour or two, or help tear down, please email: [email protected].

How We Communicate

·         Weekly Program Email- A weekly email, “YB Cheer Week at a Glance”, will be sent out, highlighting that week’s events and offering friendly reminders. These emails will begin the week of August 19^th. If you would like to add an additional email to our distribution list, please contact us at [email protected].

·         Social Media Platforms – we push out abbreviated messages and reminders through all our social media platforms. We hope you will join us on the following:

o   Band: GH Young Buc Cheer

o   Facebook: Young Bucs Cheerleading

o   Facebook: Young Bucs Cheer Uniform Swap/Sale

o   Instagram: grandhaven_ybcheer

o   5^th/6^th Grade Parents Band: 5-6 YB Cheer

o   Website: www.ghyoungbucs.org

·         Email – we ask that all communications be directed to our email address at [email protected]. A board member will reach out to you as soon as possible, should assistance be requested.

We are thrilled at the excitement surrounding our program and what this means to our cheer community!

Thanks for joining our mission to BUILD THE BLUE!

Let’s do this!

Kyle Alvord

Grand Haven Young Bucs Cheer Board President

[email protected]

Meet Our 2024 Grand Haven Young Bucs Cheer Board

Kyle Alvord, Amanda Hamm, Jonelle Zavesky, Alison Parla, Shannon Ginther, Jennie Winicki,

Korey Penna, Katie Guldesky, Madison Kintigh, Delaney Nielsen, Ashley Borta

GHHS Varsity Summer Camp
Registration is OPEN!

Let's Build the Blue!
Have you been trying to figure out how to get involved, but don’t know where or how to start?
We have been looking for YOU!
Interested in being a head coach, volunteer assistant coach, team parent, or joining a committee?
Please reach out via email: [email protected] or talk to us at the uniform fitting.
We would love to have you join our crew!