2024 Brooks Cheer FAQ's


What cheerleading opportunities will the Brooks Bears offer this season?  
We will be offering Sideline ONLY and Competition Cheer/Sideline teams this season!  

How much is the registration for Brooks Bears Cheerleading?  
Registration opens on Feb 15th at a $325 base rate for previous year returning Bears ONLY, until Feb 29, 2024. Please don’t miss these dates, as they are a one time offer.  Registration then opens to the public on March 1st-April 30th at a base rate of $350, and May 1st- May 31st  the base rate will rise to $400.  If you choose to select the Competition option, additional fees will apply after evaluations.  The total price for Competition Cheerleading is $750.00 for previous year returning Bears and $800 for new Bears.  The base rate you pay to register will be deducted from the Competition total. 

⭐Previous year returning Bears are given a reduced sign up fee from 2/15 to 2/29 due to them utilizing the same backpack, water bottle and raincoat from the previous season.  

What is included with the cost of registration? 

After I have paid my registration for the season or for camp, can I get a refund?
 Unfortunately, we do not offer refunds.  

How many teams will there be?  
The number of teams will be determined by the number of athletes we have signed up.  

Sideline Teams:  Tiny Bears (Pee Wee), Junior Bears, Senior Bears

Competition Teams:  Elite I, Elite II, Elite III

These are subject to change depending on the numbers of athletes after registration.

Who is eligible for what teams?

Sideline ONLY:  These squads are open to everyone, ages 5(by Aug 31, 2024)-13.  Sideline teams will be put together by age. 

Competition/Sideline: These squads are open to athletes ages 7-13 and will be placed on competition squads following evaluations.  Competition teams will be put together by age and skill. 

When you register, the programs you are eligible for will auto populate.  

Will there be tryouts for placement on a competition squad? 
We will not have tryouts, but we will hold an evaluation for competition team placement.  This evaluation will be held on Wednesday, May 7, 2024.  More details to come regarding the preferred athletic skills, the process of the evaluation and the location.

Do I have to pay all of the registration fee up front?
The base rate for Sideline ONLY and Comp/sideline must be paid upfront. For Competition, once your athlete is placed on a Competition team, a fee schedule to cover the remaining balance will be offered.  There are two different ways these fees can be covered. You can pay out of pocket or you can fundraise for additional fees. All fees will be due by the first week of practice, which is Aug 5, 2024.  ALL teams will be presented with OPTIONAL team fundraiser opportunities. You can expect additional costs such as fundraisers to cover team specific spirit wear, gifts and needs.

Does Brooks have league wide fundraisers and what causes or activities do the funds go towards?
We are currently planning our league wide MANDATORY fundraisers.  More info to come.  

When is camp and what will the girls learn?
Camp is Monday and Tuesday, May 6th and 7th, 6-8 pm.  Camp will be instructed by our local HS cheerleaders from SMHS, WHS and ECHS!  Your cheerleader will learn a cheer, a short dance, and cheer basics (Jumps, stunts, motions).  Camp is $50 and includes a camp bow and a custom Brooks camp shirt. You will be able to register starting on February 15th if you are a returning Bear and on March 1st if you are a new Bear.  

When will our first parents meeting be?  
The parents will meet during the first few minutes of camp on May 6th.  Exact time TBA.  

When will teams be put together?
The teams will be put together by early June.

When are uniform fittings? 
Uniform fittings will be in early June.  Your athlete will be fitted for their uniform and warm up suit.  If you are participating on a competition team, you will also be fitted for cheer shoes or informed where to order them from, depending on what style and brand we go with.  

When does the season start?
The season starts in June and July with OPTIONAL summer clinics ($10 each).

Please be prepared for a MANDATORY competition choreography clinic the 2nd weekend of August.   The first week of MANDATORY sideline cheer practices start the 2nd week of August.  

What days will we have practices?
Practices are 2-3 nights/week and the days for practice will be determined by your coach.  An occasional extra practice will be added for competition squads. Practices are mandatory due to the nature of competition and cheerleaders don’t have subs like other sports.  Close to a competition, we may have a Friday practice for dress rehearsal. 

Do we practice and cheer at games in the rain?
Yes, we practice and cheer at games where it may be raining.  We modify activities for safety, of course.  Anytime the boys are playing football, the girls will be cheering.  We will always monitor for rapidly changing weather and thunder and lightning. 

Are cheer practices and games mandatory?
Yes, cheer practices and games are mandatory.  Missing practices and games hurts you and your team.   As parents, coaches and directors, we are human and do understand illnesses and deaths, weddings, but "I didn't do my homework and I'm running late" are not excused absences.  All schedules will be given as soon as we have them so that you are able to plan accordingly.  

When do games start?
Games usually start the weekend after Labor Day.  THE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE IS THE LAST THING TO COME OUT, so hang in there!!!!  The schedule is put together by the conference we are in, not the Brooks Director Board.  

Is my daughter able to cheer for my son's football team? 
This may happen occasionally, but will be completely random.  We have less cheer teams than football teams and we do our best to have all the home games covered.  

Do we cheer at away games?
Sideline ONLY teams will participate in home games and select away games during the season, as well as championship games at the end of the season.  Competition teams will participate in home games only and competitions in the Atlanta area.

Do you have a timeline of the season?
March and April- Optional Clinics  TBA
May- Camp and Evaluations
June and July- Optional Clinics TBA
August- Weekend of 10th and 11th- Competition Choreography clinics-MANDATORY
August- 2nd week of school is when mandatory practices begin
Sept- games start the weekend after Labor Day
October and November-bulk of competitions and games
November and December- football playoffs
December- Individual Team End of Season Parties

*League Party-TBD

*Mixed in to all of that, we participate in our feeder school Youth Night High School Football events and other community outreach events.  All dates are in the process of being finalized. 

*We will be generating a calendar for you once we have all of the dates confirmed.  

Who is in charge of the maintenance and cleaning of the Brooks Field and Fieldhouse?
Brooks Bears Football and Cheerleading is a private league.  This means that it is 100% volunteer run. Everyone, from coaches to directors are 100% volunteers.  Football is typically in charge of grounds maintenance and Cheer is in charge of trash and keeping our restrooms (boys and girls)  clean and stocked.  We will be calling on our parents to help us take care of these duties.  We thank you in advance for helping out to keep all of our duties to a minimum. 

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email us at [email protected].  All information/dates are subject to change. 

Thanks so much!

See you on the field!! 

Mandy and Megan, Cheer Directors and Coaches