Pop Warner thoughts... should you cancel?

[Planogirl]

Won't it be nice if Disney had an all adults resort!

Don't go there!

Seriously this has been a hot topic in the past and I'm sure that it will be again. And by the way, I agree.

 

[lilpapsgirl]

Oh yea in Pop Warner everyone makes it to Nationals or mostly everyone that is.

Very Untrue. Only two teams per division make it in cheerleading. It took me several years to make it to nationals when I cheered years ago. It takes a lot of hard work and dedications and some of these comments on these boards about Pop warner are very rude. Some people on here make it seem like an annoyance to them to see these kids or here them cheering in line. Granted I know some kids can be rude, but all of Pop Warner shouldn't be placed in a category like what they have been placed in. For some of these children, this is the best it will get and to come on here and read some of these comments....is just plain absurd. I know that no one wants their vacations ruined or the magic to be taken away but some people act like Pop Warner week is filled with aliens and no one wants to be around them. I have heard on here that Pop Warner s*cks and it isn't real cheerleading or football anyway. Those kind comments, I kind of take personally and I think people should be a little nicer when talking about these kids. IMHO.

 

[koolaidmoms]

We also just returned from that time period. We had stopped going a few years ago because of some issues with the hotels (we tend to stay at the values) but went to POP this year and had no problems.

The crowds were actually worse for us on the weekend after they left than while they were there. We had tons of tour groups on Sat. 12th and Sun. 13th that we kept running into. We would just look to see where they were going and head in the opposite direction.

 

[sharadoc]

I've always wondered why they don't just close All Star Sports to the public and put all of the sports teams there. Has anyone ever heard anything about that? Then Disney could have complete control over the groups, not just Pop Warner, but the cheerleaders, dancers, etc. etc.

 

[Pecobill]

Very Untrue. Only two teams per division make it in cheerleading. It took me several years to make it to nationals when I cheered years ago. It takes a lot of hard work and dedications and some of these comments on these boards about Pop warner are very rude. Some people on here make it seem like an annoyance to them to see these kids or here them cheering in line. Granted I know some kids can be rude, but all of Pop Warner shouldn't be placed in a category like what they have been placed in. For some of these children, this is the best it will get and to come on here and read some of these comments....is just plain absurd. I know that no one wants their vacations ruined or the magic to be taken away but some people act like Pop Warner week is filled with aliens and no one wants to be around them. I have heard on here that Pop Warner s*cks and it isn't real cheerleading or football anyway. Those kind comments, I kind of take personally and I think people should be a little nicer when talking about these kids. IMHO.

Things have changed since you cheered.Your now grouped into age and advanced groups.So with these new ones almost everyone gets to go.They really make it easy on these people.


Btw it's not real cheerleading and football.That's reserved for schools and professionals.You know the teams you actually have to be good to make it onto not just pay out a couple hundred dollars.

 

[Disneydad66]

Just got a code for next year. Will be staying at a deluxe. Was a bit worried about all the talk about PW but think we'll just bite the bullet and go. Looking at 11/30/10-12/6/10. Will be our first time seeing the holiday decor.

 

[Darcy03231]

I stayed at ASMu the first week of December and some of the Pop Warner kids started arriving on Friday, 12/4 with more arriving on Saturday 12/5. Other than the food court being a bit busier, I really didn't notice any difference at the resort or in the parks. We did see several small groups of cheerleaders, but they were very well behaved and it looked to me like they were well chaperoned (about 6-8 girls and 2-3 chaperones).

 

[khertz]

Reading the boards before our trip had me concerned, but I guess we got lucky! We were there Dec 4th-14th, and didn't have any problems with PW kids, though we saw many groups of them. Every once in awhile a small group would get rowdy or loud in a ride line, but nothing that seemed to be infringing on anyone else's good time (cheering, cursing, etc). I would go back during PW week in a heartbeat! We had an awesome time!!

 

[disrev]

Reading the boards before our trip had me concerned, but I guess we got lucky! We were there Dec 4th-14th, and didn't have any problems with PW kids, though we saw many groups of them. Every once in awhile a small group would get rowdy or loud in a ride line, but nothing that seemed to be infringing on anyone else's good time (cheering, cursing, etc). I would go back during PW week in a heartbeat! We had an awesome time!!

I don't believe you got lucky. I believe you experienced the norm of those who go during PW week. Like I said in a PP, people will be much quicker to post about negative experiences with PW (or any other group of people) on these boards (or any other website that allows for reviews for that matter) than they would positive or neutral. That's why this thread is so refreshing to read. There seem to be a large amount of people who saw the PW groups have little to no effect on their trip, which was very much our experience in 2008.

I'm not trying to belittle those who had bad experiences with PW Week. In fact, I'm really sorry for those who did. I do, however, think that the majority of those going (especially those not staying at the POP resorts or POR) have little to nothing to worry about.

 

[Mysteria]

I've been twice during PW week, staying at ASMu and never had a problem. Like a pp stated the food court was a bit chaotic at cetain times but it wasn't due to out of control teens. Just a lot of people.

If you love to sleep late you may hear a few teams practicing cheers early. It didn't bother me. My thinking was more power to them for getting up, organized and practicing.

 

[phisigprincess]

I thought the exact same thing! We ran in to absolutely no problems whatsoever. I was really nervous after reading the boards, but it wasn't a concern at all.

 

[trac96]

we just got back from the all star music and our trip overlapped pw for a few of those days and we had no trouble what so ever. we heard one group cheering once but it was short and not loud at all. the food court and the main meal times were crowded but that was about it. this is our second time being there during pw week and have never had any trouble. go and have fun.

 

[lilpapsgirl]

Things have changed since you cheered.Your now grouped into age and advanced groups.So with these new ones almost everyone gets to go.They really make it easy on these people.


Btw it's not real cheerleading and football.That's reserved for schools and professionals.You know the teams you actually have to be good to make it onto not just pay out a couple hundred dollars.

Pure ignorance..that's all I have to say. I could argue with you all day, but I know it wouldn't get anywhere and I know you have no idea what your talking about.

 

[Momof3Gr8kids]

Things have changed since you cheered.Your now grouped into age and advanced groups.So with these new ones almost everyone gets to go.They really make it easy on these people.


Btw it's not real cheerleading and football.That's reserved for schools and professionals.You know the teams you actually have to be good to make it onto not just pay out a couple hundred dollars.

We have been involved with Pop Warner for the last 8 years. My son began by playing flag football when he was in 1st grade and played up until this year. The area we are in did not have enough boys to participate at the older levels as middle school football is available at the schools. He could not do that though because he does not attend a public middle school and his school does not offer a football program. He was able to play football through another league here which consisted of boys in 7th through 12th grade. He was their starting JV Quarterback and even played in some of the Varsity games. He is only 13 and was able to hold his own with many boys who were 16 and older. All this would not have been possible had he not be given the chance to participate in Pop Warner football or some other youth football league when he was younger. My daughters are 9 & 7 and participate through the cheer program. The Pop Warner division we are part of is offered as a ministry through our church.

To say that all the teams go to Nationals is completely WRONG. There is a playoff system in place. His team the last year he played made it to the 1st level of the playoffs. The cheerleaders also have a cheer competition which begins at the local level to determine if they first have the opportunity to compete at the Regional level and then only the top TWO squads for each division (divisions are broken down by squad size) get to go to Nationals. One of the squads that was part of our division did go to Nationals 2 years in a row. These girls were phenomenal and put so much hard work into their routines. Their dedication and the dedication of the parents (these children do not drive so, someone has to get them to the practices, games and competitions) is what led them to have a fantastic season. Oh and this was the only time (so far) that anyone from our division has made it to Disney World to participate in the Pop Warner Week. It happened 2 & 3 years ago. Our Pop Warner team had been in existence years before then and still exists today. In fact the girls who were able to be part of the competition made it to Regionals, but did not place high enough to go to Disney this year.

Also we do not pay Hundreds of Dollars for are children to participate. In fact the cost is very reasonable. Flag football cost $90, Tackle Football $130and cheerleading $70. Granted we do have to buy the girls cheer uniforms, but we get to keep them and if we want can resell when they grow out of them.

I agree with those who say that the generalizations being made about Pop Warner teams are unfounded. It is stereotyping and something that I have made a point to teach my children is wrong.

 

[mickeyfan1973]

We stayed at Music during our time and our friends were at Sports. We didn't really feel an impact of PW kids at the parks during the day. We had the cheerleading groups at our resort, and I gotta say...they were loud!! They would carry on in the pool and in the food court like they owned the place. They were very obnoxious and as a previous poster said the parents (mom's in general) were even more so. My DH said he will never stay during PW time again.

Our friends didn't seem to have any concerns about the PW kids at their resort, only how busy the foodcourt was.

Also, our last couple of days, we seen some of the chearleading groups heading out to the parks and we tried to avoid the parks they were going to as there would be easily 100 - 150 people waiting for a bus.

Not really a bad experience overall, just a little annoying. Now I know what to expect in future...stay at Movies

 

[Pecobill]

We have been involved with Pop Warner for the last 8 years. My son began by playing flag football when he was in 1st grade and played up until this year. The area we are in did not have enough boys to participate at the older levels as middle school football is available at the schools. He could not do that though because he does not attend a public middle school and his school does not offer a football program. He was able to play football through another league here which consisted of boys in 7th through 12th grade. He was their starting JV Quarterback and even played in some of the Varsity games. He is only 13 and was able to hold his own with many boys who were 16 and older. All this would not have been possible had he not be given the chance to participate in Pop Warner football or some other youth football league when he was younger. My daughters are 9 & 7 and participate through the cheer program. The Pop Warner division we are part of is offered as a ministry through our church.

To say that all the teams go to Nationals is completely WRONG. There is a playoff system in place. His team the last year he played made it to the 1st level of the playoffs. The cheerleaders also have a cheer competition which begins at the local level to determine if they first have the opportunity to compete at the Regional level and then only the top TWO squads for each division (divisions are broken down by squad size) get to go to Nationals. One of the squads that was part of our division did go to Nationals 2 years in a row. These girls were phenomenal and put so much hard work into their routines. Their dedication and the dedication of the parents (these children do not drive so, someone has to get them to the practices, games and competitions) is what led them to have a fantastic season. Oh and this was the only time (so far) that anyone from our division has made it to Disney World to participate in the Pop Warner Week. It happened 2 & 3 years ago. Our Pop Warner team had been in existence years before then and still exists today. In fact the girls who were able to be part of the competition made it to Regionals, but did not place high enough to go to Disney this year.

Also we do not pay Hundreds of Dollars for are children to participate. In fact the cost is very reasonable. Flag football cost $90, Tackle Football $130and cheerleading $70. Granted we do have to buy the girls cheer uniforms, but we get to keep them and if we want can resell when they grow out of them.

I agree with those who say that the generalizations being made about Pop Warner teams are unfounded. It is stereotyping and something that I have made a point to teach my children is wrong.

Interesting logic there but I noticed a few flaws.

First off the top TWO squads don't go.At least FOUR go.Thats 2 from each squad size and 2 more because advanced teams and regular teams don't compete against each other.Now maybe it's just down here that all our teams go because most people want to be either associated with All Star or school teams.Because well to be honest those are the only ones that really matter.

Second I'm glad it's so cheap up there but my family has spent over $800 on Pop Warner this year so my sister can cheer.That's a combination of program fees,all the different uniforms we had to buy,and of course the money for the competitions.

Third these aren't generalizations.I was at the competition this year and I can honestly say they could not even dream of competing against schools or All Star with they're "talent".

 

[Pecobill]

Pure ignorance..that's all I have to say. I could argue with you all day, but I know it wouldn't get anywhere and I know you have no idea what your talking about.

Actually I do.Read my last post.

Oh and for the record I played football in high school.So I know what I'm talking about

 

[LUVMICKEY]

We saw a few football teams and cheerleaders throughout the parks all week but they were not a problem. There was a large tour group of girls (I'm not sure where they were from... maybe Brazil) who were in DHS on Tuesday, December 8th that were kind of annoying... Lots of singing and shouting as they toured the park and at LMA and Fantasmic... But overall there seemed to be very few large groups this trip

We had this same expierience that week, but it was more than one large group, we saw at least 5 different ones. I have to agree, their singing, shouting and chanting did become pretty annoying. We even heard a CM complaining at one point about it. We had never heard that happen before. The funny thing was, it only happened that one day. As far as Pop Warner, we saw plenty of them in the parks, but never had a problem at all.

 

[RMulieri]

Until you stay in the same resort as them...well it is a different story. I know it is unfair to paint all Pop Warner kids with the same brush so to speak, but after a few hellish trips with them , I know longer am up to paying $$$$ to find out how behaved they will or won't be.I schedule around them

 

[sue1013]

Actually I do.Read my last post.

Oh and for the record I played football in high school.So I know what I'm talking about

Just because you played High School Football does not mean you know what you're talking about with Pop Warner. My DS played Pop Warner from 3rd grade until High School that's all there is around here there are no middle school teams. How many elementary schools in Bradenton have football teams? That's the starting ages of Pop Warner. The kids here play Pop Warner until they start High School that is 9th grade.