These cheer leaders take part in conditioning drills as they ready for the upcoming season. Photos submitted by Amy Watts
It might only be July, but the Kern Valley Youth Football and Cheer program is getting a jump on the season.
This past week players and coaches gathered on the fields below the Kern Valley High School football field to start their conditioning. In order to proceed, all football players and cheerleaders must reach a certain number of hours in conditioning to move on to the next level of what is considered safety protocol. This is why the powers that be encourage early sign ups so they can get the conditioning out of the way and move on to the actual learning the game of football and producing routines in cheer.
For the football players, an athlete must collect 10 hours of conditioning with no gear. Then it is eight hours more with just their helmets to reach the goal of fully padded practices. For the cheer leaders program they need 10 hours of conditioning before they can start practicing their tumbling and stunt routines. In both cases it is a strict rule that the athletes reach this initial goal of 10 hours for safety reasons.
Once all these conditions have been met, the players may start having live contact. For the younger athletes, this starts with learning the fundamentals and gaining valuable experience to learn the game of football. This is accomplished through the dedication of those coaches that have signed up to teach them.
The KV Football and Cheer Athletic Director, Amy Watts said, “The conditioning hours are highly important for safety reasons and must be completed to participate in games.”
Using different techniques, the cheer leaders start their 10-hour conditioning process with strengthening their arms and legs. They do this so they can incorporate their routines and be ready to perform them at football games. During the past week, with the extreme heat, the KV Youth Football and Cheer program had to take this into consideration. If needed they will modify practice times to when it is cooler and the sun is setting.
This season the football program is headed by Levi Watts who is the President. Jordan Lawson comes in as the Vice President. The cheer program is led by Heather Beam and Hannah Register.
This week practice went to three days started on Monday. They will practice tonight and then again on Thursday. The Thursday practice is also the Annual Bronc-A-Thon. According to Amy Watts it is a family-oriented event held at the Wallace Middle School field. Players and families are invited to come attend, enjoy a freshly cooked meal and participate alongside their players. This will start at 5:30 p.m.
Currently, the schedule has not been completed. It is scheduled to come out mid August. The program is also looking for food vendors to attend home this year. According to Amy Watts, “They will have some requirements to qualify, but I’m trying to take the snack bar off my shoulders this year. So having a vendor would be a huge help.”
With the season right around the corner, the football players and cheer leaders are working hard to bring about the best season they can accomplish, without any conditions.
