Pirates Football

Parental Volunteering is important to the success of our program. We have several important positions that must be covered at our home games if we are to have smooth-running games for our players, fans and visiting teams. All parents are required to volunteer for three home game volunteer slots for each child participating in the program. Game-day assignments will be made by the volunteer coordinator. Please click here to visit the Volunteers Page.

If you are interested in becoming a team volunteer coordinator please e-mail Lucy Colman at volunteers@piratesfootball.com.

We would love to have your daughter on one of our award-winning Cheer or Pom Teams. At the 2012 LCACC Cheer/Pom Festival, HPYFA Teams won the following awards:

GOLD: 6	SILVER: 2	BRONZE: 3
Instructional Black Instructional Red Freshman Pom JV Cheer JV Dual Pom JV POM	Freshman Dual Cheer Freshman Dual Pom	Freshman Cheer JV Dual Cheer Varsity Cheer

We are happy to announce that in addition to the Cheer and Pom programs, we will once again offer the combined Cheer/Pom option. If your daughter would like to participate in both programs, there is no additional fee. Please select the “Cheer and Pom” option during online registration.

Cheer Practice Schedule:
Practice days will be Wednesday and Thursday for the month of August from 6-9 p.m. Practice times will change to 6-8 p.m. with the start of school in September. Instructional level practice times will be designed in an age appropriate time frame with consideration for their attention spans. Your coach will be informing you of your adjusted practice schedule. Practices are held at Merrill Field.

Pom Practice Schedule:
Practice days will be Monday and Tuesday for the month of August from 6-9 p.m. Practice times will change to 6-8 p.m. with the start of school in September. Instructional level practice times will be designed in an age appropriate time frame with consideration for their attention spans. Your coach will be informing you of your adjusted practice schedule. There will be no practice on Labor Day. Practices are held at Merrill Field.

Cheer/Pom Practice Schedule (for dual participants):
Practice days will be Monday through Thursday for the month of August from 6-9 p.m. Practice times will change to 6-8 p.m. with the start of school in September. Instructional level practice times will be designed in an age appropriate time frame with consideration for their attention spans. Your coach will be informing you of your adjusted practice schedule.

The HPYFA Coaches are responsible for watching over your child during the practices and games and we want to make sure that your child is safe while at practice. Please help us out by observing the following rules:

Please remember that attendance for practice is extremely important and required. Cheer and Pom participants wishing to perform at the Invitational in late October must attend all practices October 7th through October 18th or they may jeopardize their ability to perform at the Invitational. This is a team sport and we cannot move forward as a TEAM if we do not have everyone present at practice. Your coach must be notified of your absence by either phone or email. Each team is given a routine to learn for Invitational, which is held on Sunday, October 20th this season at (TBD). Each week we learn a new segment of our routine. We have very little time to learn our routine for Invitational and game days. Participants will be allowed so many excused absences. At the coaches’ discretion, participants may be sidelined for a specified quarter for absences.

Attire for practice and games will be strictly enforced this season. Participants must have the appropriate shoes. No flip flops, clogs, barefoot, and/or loafers. For practices tennis shoes must be worn, please save your cheer/pom shoes for games and Invitational. Hair must be pulled back into a pony tail and away from your face. Absolutely no earrings, necklaces, or bracelets. Shorts, sweats, tank tops or comfortable clothing may be worn. Skirts are not allowed unless you have shorts on underneath. If participants show up not in the appropriate attire, you will not be allowed to practice. This is for the safety of your child and also the safety of the other participants. Coaches will notify you of your attire (the bodysuit or sweats that were purchased through Blue Ribbon Embroidery) prior to your scheduled game. It is our goal to have a unified team.

Game Day – Participants must be in the appropriate attire, which includes: shell, skirt, white ankle socks, cheer/pom shoes, and designated cheer/pom bow. On chillier days you may wear your body suit and sweats. Please make sure your child has had the appropriate meal before your schedule game, as there is no eating during the game or during half time. Participants must stay with the coaches the entire game. If your child is eating during half time, they will be asked to sit the remainder of the game out. Water will be allowed during the games and is encouraged. Please remember to have a label with your name on your water. Juice, pop, or any other type of drink is not allowed during the game. Participants are expected to act appropriately during the game, this means no going back and forth from the court to the stands, no running around on the court, and cheerleaders and pommers are expected to be courteous to other team mates and the opposing teams. Any cheerleader/pommer not displaying appropriate behavior will be made to sit out for one quarter. HPFYA is about promoting teamwork and sportsmanship.

Please remember that your coach is a volunteer, he/she is not paid by HPYFA. If you have a concern please approach your coach either before or after practice. Game day is not the appropriate time to bring up any concerns you may have. Coaches are focused on the game and the team on game day. Also, please do not address our High School Coaches at practice or during game day. If you have a concern that you would like addressed, please speak with your head coach or assistant coach. Our high school coaches are not getting paid for their time. They are involved as mentors and are given direction from the head coaches and assistant coaches of HPYFA.

Uniform Handout:
Participants must be present at uniform handout in order to be sized for a uniform. Uniform Hand-out will be held on (TBD) at the Hamburg Senior Center.

Shoes:
For your convenience, MC Sports will be at Uniform handout for sizing and ordering of shoes. All teams must have a white cheer/pom shoe, however, they do not have to be the same cheer/pom shoe. The program is currently investigating shoe options and negotiating with area vendors to secure the best possible discount for our participants. Please check back for updates in the future.

Cheer and Pom Coaches – We are still in need of coaches for for the various Cheer and Pom Programs.. Please submit a letter of interest to Phyllis Bennett at: . You will be contacted via email for an interview. Coaches are expected to follow HPYFA (Hamburg Pirate Youth Football Association) and LCACC (Livingston County Area Cheer Commissioners) rules/regulations. Coaches will be given a guideline that you will be expected to follow.

If you have any questions regarding Cheer/Pom, please contact Phyllis Bennett via email at . Thank you for your support!!