Pop Warner Week - NEVER AGAIN. Anyone Feel The Same???

[MagicKingdom05]

I know what you are all saying. Who wants to have the problems that you guys had with the popwarner crowd when you were there. This is why I am planning around the popwarner National Championship in Dec 2005. All I was trying to point out is that you can't blame all of the popwarner participants regardless of how many groups are causing problems. I am sure a good number of them probably are to blame, but there are those who I am sure did nothing wrong.

 

[goofyernmost]

I have been there a couple of times when the cheerleading competition was going on. I cannot say that I ever encountered any really awful behavior that wasn't directly connected to the immaturity and obsessiveness of the kids.

All special interests groups think that everyone shares thier particular interest and can't wait to share it with you. If it is cheerleading then they will break out in a cheer because they are just so sure that everyone within hearing distance will be thrilled that they were able to be a part of the experience.

I was in the Barbershoppers (singers) for a number of years and whenever we had a convention in a hotel we sang in the elevators, hallways, restaurants, street corners and wherever. We were absolutely sure that everyone was just plain enthrolled by our musical displays. We were sure that they all appreciated our unlimited talent and abilities. Sadly, that was not the case many times but our intentions were innocent enough just not really based on reality. The cheers are probably that same mentality. The other behavior is a group of teenagers, separated from the family and showing thier youth.

I do agree that Disney needs to protect the rights of thier bread and butter guests and police the activities, especially in common areas, more closely. There is no excuse for allowing dangerous and offensive behavior from anyone at any age.

 

[thepianoman]

I would just like to thank you for being an active parent and chaperone for your choir.

I wouldn't dream of taking my students to perform if I wasn't willing to shoulder the burden of supervision. When expectations are made clear, most of the hard work is already done. My students often surprise me by not only meeting but exceeding my expectations for them, which is exceptionally gratifying for me. It almost makes the meager salary worth it!

 

[Luigi's Girl]

WOW! some other posts are a little rough.

Dear Luigi''s girl:

What part of the cheerleaders were "a sub human, pain in the axx" do you have trouble comprehending. With your attitude its fairly easy to see why the offspring don't seem to have a clue about responsibile behavior...JMHO

EXCUSE ME jctwizzer! I do not have an attitude! Well maybe I do now after you were so rude to me in your post. My offspring are just fine thank you very much. That includes my 13 year old former Pop Warner Cheerleader, strait A student, polite, respectful, RESPONSIBLE, 7 dance classes a week daughter. She has danced at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden and too many other places to mention. Oh but I will mention THE MAGIC KINGDOM in Disney World where she also behaved quite well if I do say so myself.
All I was trying to say in my previous post was while I was not condoning rude & obnoxious behavoir I just felt the posts were a little harsh on the KIDS! In return for my thoughts and opinion you proved my point by being just as harsh and judgemental towards me and my offspring by assuming what kind of people we might be. Remember what happens when you ASSUME!

 

[MagicKingdom05]

I think we are all getting away from what this post was started for. It was just to let people like myself who have never traveled to WDW during this time that we might want to rethink our plans on going the same time as when popwarner is there.

 

[John Dobbertin]

I think we are all getting away from what this post was started for. It was just to let people like myself who have never traveled to WDW during this time that we might want to rethink our plans on going the same time as when popwarner is there.

MagicKingdom05: You're correct. Hope this wide-ranging thread has you thinking hard about being at WDW with PopWarner! Avoid the experience if at all possible!! At the moment it appears difficult to establish exactly when they'll be there in '05.

 

[Rafikifan]

If you think that running into these groups would be upsetting to you I would suggest that it would be best to pick another time to go. Lots of complaints to Disney will hopefully bring more security during that time, but it sure won't make Disney stop encouraging these large groups to stay there. A lot of these families wouldn't normally spend the $$ to go to WDW but do when their child's group is invited. Take the number of participants, chaperones, and coach(es) and add family members who generally have a package arranged so they aren't getting discounts, codes, like you and I would, and with dining, shopping, etc. it means big bucks to WDW. "Bread and Butter Customers" as one mentioned, love WDW and they bank on the fact they'll come back even if at another time of year. Disney won't turn down these large groups. Also, for those going soon there will be cheerleaders, bands, football players etc. there from 12/28/04 - 1/2/-5 for the bowl games in Orlando.

 

[chesirekate]

I have mentioned this in a few other threads but feel like I should reiterate it here. Absolutely my only complaint about where we stayed (Pop Century) was that there were annoying Pop Warner kids there. One of the only problems I had with our entire stay was the behavior of the Pop Warner kids. I can't imagine I will ever go back to WDW at the same time they are there, and if I have to go then, I'll be popping for a resort the Pop kids are guaranteed to not be at. If that's possible. If anyone has an address for someone at WDW who might actually listen to our concerns, I would be grateful for a PM so I can write a letter.

 

[John Dobbertin]

If you think that running into these groups would be upsetting to you I would suggest that it would be best to pick another time to go. Lots of complaints to Disney will hopefully bring more security during that time, but it sure won't make Disney stop encouraging these large groups to stay there. A lot of these families wouldn't normally spend the $$ to go to WDW but do when their child's group is invited. Take the number of participants, chaperones, and coach(es) and add family members who generally have a package arranged so they aren't getting discounts, codes, like you and I would, and with dining, shopping, etc. it means big bucks to WDW. "Bread and Butter Customers" as one mentioned, love WDW and they bank on the fact they'll come back even if at another time of year. Disney won't turn down these large groups. Also, for those going soon there will be cheerleaders, bands, football players etc. there from 12/28/04 - 1/2/-5 for the bowl games in Orlando.

Vote-with-your-feet & stay away from WDW when The Groups are there! Let WDW take in the bucks from these footballers-cheerleaders-dancers-SAmericans-&-their-big-spending-fans. But don't go when they're there! Hey, the cheerleaders, bands, footballers during Christmas-New Year's won't even be noticed. If they don't appear at MK before 9:00 a.m. they won't get in!!!

 

[Rafikifan]

It's very sad that you have no tolerance for teens, groups, or South Americans - how in the world did THEY get brought into this?? It's also sad that you let anyone upset you on vacation like they obviously did. Perhaps a different, more adult vacation destination would be better for you.

 

[crazee4mickey]

Instead of just "stewing" about PopWarner here I also sent emails to the President and Public relations coordinator letting them know how disappointed we were in some of the behaviour but mostly in the adults who were to be chaperoning. It was more to let them be aware that with an organization that is doing something so positive for kids, that behaviour like we saw at WDW from Pop Warner kind of makes the entire group look bad. The addresses are on this web page: (address has been edited to the national address-thanks DebbieB)
superbowl@popwarner.com
I realize from one of the posts that these kids have to pay $750 each but that doesn't give them the right to make other's holiday experience miserable.
We are a family of 6 who saved for a very,very long time to go on this holiday-it cost over $10,000-not once because we had paid a lot of money to be there did we think of being rude or obnoxious!
It saddens me to think that just because they are a bunch of kids that some think they should be excused for rude and obnoxious behaviour! I have 4 kids and never once did they feel it was there right to infringe on someone else's holiday and they certainly would never have made a "farting" noise while spitting on a person like I experienced with Pop Warner!
I also work in a school where we go on field trips with 50-75 kids at a time-never would the adults chaperoning allow this kind of behaviour--so there really are no excuses for the rudeness that people experienced, I just feel really bad that so many people had experiences such as ours--we were in a way hoping it was isolated and just a couple of "bad apples" in the bunch!

 

[DebbieB]

Instead of just "stewing" about PopWarner here I also sent emails to the President and Public relations coordinator letting them know how disappointed we were in some of the behaviour but mostly in the adults who were to be chaperoning. It was more to let them be aware that with an organization that is doing something so positive for kids, that behaviour like we saw at WDW from Pop Warner kind of makes the entire group look bad. The addresses are on this web page:
http://www.vanceboropopwarner.com/page6.html

That e-mail is for a local group. The e-mail for the national pop warner is:

superbowl@popwarner.com

 

[John Dobbertin]

It's very sad that you have no tolerance for teens, groups, or South Americans - how in the world did THEY get brought into this?? It's also sad that you let anyone upset you on vacation like they obviously did. Perhaps a different, more adult vacation destination would be better for you.

Sorry Rafikifan -- Not intending to demean any geographical area. However, ask the CMs about South American Youth Days at WDW. We were quite amazed by what we heard. These youths come to WDW in enormous numbers. Not enountered them personally, so don't know the time-of-year. Someone on this thread will know.

 

[TammiMcMan]

I'm not sure if this is true, but we had a local cheer group competing at WDW this year. Someone from the group reported that Disney was requiring them to stay at a WDW resort. I guess when they competed there a few years ago, they were free to stay anywhere in Orlando. If it's true, maybe that's why it seemed to be much worse this year and a letter to WDW would be in order.

 

[4greatboys]

This was my 3rd Dec to go to Disney and though I had heard rumors of the cheerleaders I had not see any of them. Well that came to an end this year. They were even on the plane with us. They werent to bad on the plane, though we did get the talkers on the row right in front of us. I dont really mind talking when its at a normal level. Yelling to the person seating next to you, unless its your deaf granny, is just not necessary.
Sadly we did see cheers break out in places they didnt need to. I love the parks too, but Im not about to break out in cheer because Im going to ride ToT.
We stayed at CR so no cheerleaders there, thank goodness. Over all it would be my choice to avoid them if possible. I dont have anything against cheerleaders but I do have something against kids acting obnoxious with no or very little supervision.

 

[musicmom3]

A big thank you to the cheerleaders and cheer moms from Medford, Mass. Remember every time a group travels in public they are representatives of their town, school, whatever. This group made everyone in Medford look like morons. Congratulations.

An excellent point. My daughters and I had the "pleasure" of meeting this team after they won a competition. We attempted to congratulate them, but were shoved out of the bus line for our pains. The adult entourage was worse, in a way, than the girls. I shoved myself back in the line, rendering them speechless at our nerve, no doubt, so there was no problem, really, except that the team made not only their town but the sport of cheerleading look bad. Making the sport look bad is what really hurts me from reading all these posts.

 

[Mary Ellen]

We've been to WDW many times in December (our favorite time to go). Though I'd read about PW in past years, we'd never encountered any problems. Then there was this year.

 

[Minky]

We were there 11/28 - 12/10 had a WONDERFUL time at the CR concierge and Poly Concierge, such a great time I wasnt ready to go home, so we added a few nights...I wasnt thinking, I knew the Pop Warner people were staying at POR, but where did I add our xtra nites??? YOU GUESSED IT!!!! And I will never go again when they are there....it was just too much... I should have known when checking in, the cm must have said 20 times, if you have ANY problems please call Disney security, I asked if they had been having disturbances, and they said yes. We took the boat to DTD from POR, there were just a few couples on the boat as we were taking off, 30 cheerleaders come running down the dock..so they were let on. And they are screaming and cackling, but then one of the CHAPERONES (and I use the term loosely) gets them to all start cheering and chanting(I was ready to jump off the boat and swim back to the hotel). THEN while were there I was in a store...standing next to an older lady and charging in comes this group of sugared up, hyped out, cheer-monsters, they walk up and STOMP on this little old ladies feet...the lady almost passed out from pain, she was literally speechless....I said something to the girl and she just looked at me with this deer caught in the headlights look licking on this giant lollipop, then a mom or something came in and dragged her away. No apologies or anything....I know its not all the girls that act like this, but I cant believe how some of them are behaved.

 

[okapi]

We just got back and yes, the Pop Warner kids were there, but I must say they appeared very well behaved.
My DH only had one bad experience some years back when we went to MGM one evening to see the Osbourne lights and Disney had closed it for Pop Warner's private use because on their original night for Pop Warner it had rained.
I understood they had opened Pop Century so that it would house most of them and guests in the moderates would not be as "overrun."
It's unfortunate that PO is the one of choice for them when they run out of room, because we generally love staying at this resort in Dec. especially for the boat ride to DD.
I'd still select Pop Warner young over big crowds.

 

[disneyfreakjackie]

Very well said! I'm sure there were some annoying individuals as there are with any group but I don't think it's fair to label the entire group.

Thanks Rafikifan. I've posted on other "Pop Warner Bashing" threads. There were MANY more cheerleaders attending Nationals this year (don't even get me started on that mess).

I coach and my teams have been lucky enough to qualifiy for Nationals. IT'S NOT ALL OF THE GIRLS WHO ARE OUT OF CONTROL. I'm really tired of people "clumping" everyone in an organization together and bashing the entire group!! If you had a complaint with a certain girl or group of girls you should have brought it up IMMEDIATELY WHILE IT WAS HAPPENING. Complaining about it now is not going to change anything about your trip, you needed to complain about the specific offenders. I have heard that some coaches "take responsibilty" for entire teams for the entire stay (their parents are no where to be found during during the days of games/competition). I am sure that doesn't work out very well. We had football players hitting on our girls relentlessly, actually following them back to their rooms (the girls went to the food court to get their mugs refilled)! It was brought to a CMs attention and taken care of with their chaperones. If the chaperones were really taking responsibility, this would never have happened!

NOT ALL POP WARNER CHEERLEADERS ARE DISRESPECTFUL, RUDE LOUD . . . ETC. I know, I live with four of them and mine have NEVER acted the way I hear described on these threads.

BTW the following organizations will be around during my May 2005 stay:

Disney's Ice & Sun Hockey Classic
May 5 - 8, 2005

2005 World Target Championships Team Trials
May 10 - 15, 2005

Seems like there might be a bunch of loud and obnoxious boys around during my stay . . . if there are, I will be sure to ADDRESS IT THEN AND THERE. I won't come back and whine about it after the fact when it's too late to do anything about it. I also won't "bash" an entire organization on account of a couple of kids.

Thanks for letting me get that out . . . AGAIN!