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

[FatCow]

There are exceptions to every rule, and from my personal experience during my 12-day stay, the nice groups are the exception.

 

[disneyfreakjackie]

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.

I have been attending Pop Warner Nationals since 2000 and PARTICIPANTS are REQUIRED to purchase the Disney/Pop Warner package in order to compete.

 

[KevinM]

To disneyfreakjackie;

I started the thread and I stand by it. Obviously by the huge number of replies this thread received it was not only a "couple of kids". I also stated clearly that I could not speak for all of the cheerleaders, only the few HUNDRED that were so painfully obnoxious.

People who spend this kind of money for a vacation should be aware of the POTENTIAL for the kind of disruptions I and, apparently alot of people, encountered that week. My purpose was not to "whine" about them after the fact.

As far as addressing the issue with Disney employees at the time, well, you might as well be talking to the nicely shaped shrubs that dot the parks. CMs have very little control over the activities of guests and are essentially powerless when it comes to these types of situations.

So I will say it again - MANY, and I mean MANY, of the Pop Warner Cheerleaders that I observed were the most rude, obnoxious, and ill behaved "children" that I have ever encountered in my life. As far as the chaperones, well, I see where the kids get it from.

Anyone who plans to travel to WDW in the early part of December should be made aware of this.

"Not my child!" Yeah, right.

 

[DebbieB]

I have been attending Pop Warner Nationals since 2000 and PARTICIPANTS are REQUIRED to purchase the Disney/Pop Warner package in order to compete.

According to posts on pop warner's board, several groups stayed offsite, they were not happy about it (a LaQuinta was mentioned). Apparently they added more cheerleader groups this year and Disney did not have enough rooms available for all of them. All the available rooms at the values and moderates were taken, they thought Disney should have accomodated them elsewhere on property .

I e-mailed disney over a week ago asking them if the dates for next year's pop warner were scheduled, I did not get a response. I also e-mailed Pop Warner, they said Dec 4 to 10 but it may be moved back a week. I'm planning Nov 26 to Dec 2 (because our AP's expire Dec 4) so we should avoid it next year.

 

[FatCow]

To disneyfreakjackie;

...I also stated clearly that I could not speak for all of the cheerleaders, only the few HUNDRED that were so painfully obnoxious.

As far as addressing the issue with Disney employees at the time, well, you might as well be talking to the nicely shaped shrubs that dot the parks.

So I will say it again - MANY, and I mean MANY, of the Pop Warner Cheerleaders that I observed were the most rude, obnoxious, and ill behaved "children" that I have ever encountered in my life. As far as the chaperones, well, I see where the kids get it from.

"Not my child!" Yeah, right.

HEAR HEAR!!!! (no, I'm NOT being sarcastic)

 

[FatCow]

Forgot to 'correct' you, Sir. It wasn't "a few hundred", but it was "a few hundred GROUPS including the chaperones"

 

[Rafikifan]

Forgot to 'correct' you, Sir. It wasn't "a few hundred", but it was "a few hundred GROUPS including the chaperones"

And if there was a convention of 13 year old duck callers at WDW there would be troubles if there were hundreds of groups of them. The Pop Warner group is a large one and that's why they get noticed so much. I'm not associated with PW btw but would hate my kid's groups (football, baseball, basketball, dance) to be judged by the behavior of others who are associated with those sports/groups. I think most reasonable adults wouldn't feel that way. It would be like saying that you ran into rude stroller people - it doesn't mean every parent with a stroller in WDW is rude. If there are real issues, speak to management no matter who they are or what group they are from. If the prospect of running into these groups would affect your vacation then by all means go at another time. But let's stop the cheerleader/football player stereotyping.

 

[disneyfreakjackie]

To disneyfreakjackie;

I started the thread and I stand by it. Obviously by the huge number of replies this thread received it was not only a "couple of kids". I also stated clearly that I could not speak for all of the cheerleaders, only the few HUNDRED that were so painfully obnoxious.

People who spend this kind of money for a vacation should be aware of the POTENTIAL for the kind of disruptions I and, apparently alot of people, encountered that week. My purpose was not to "whine" about them after the fact.

As far as addressing the issue with Disney employees at the time, well, you might as well be talking to the nicely shaped shrubs that dot the parks. CMs have very little control over the activities of guests and are essentially powerless when it comes to these types of situations.

So I will say it again - MANY, and I mean MANY, of the Pop Warner Cheerleaders that I observed were the most rude, obnoxious, and ill behaved "children" that I have ever encountered in my life. As far as the chaperones, well, I see where the kids get it from.

Anyone who plans to travel to WDW in the early part of December should be made aware of this.

"Not my child!" Yeah, right.

You can bet your sweet butt not my children!! My DH and I would never allow it. You don't know me, my husband or my children. So how can you make a "rude and obnoxious" comment like that?!?

I see the IGNORANT Pennsy coming out in you.

FYI: I can GUARANTEE you that my children were not the RUDE (blah, blah, blah . . . ) children you have encountered. Sorry, just letting you know the facts as they are!

If you read EVERY reply, you will also notice that MANY didn't even notice Pop Warner participants . . .

I also agree that people should be aware that Pop Warner Football AND Cheer will be staying at certain resorts during the first full week of December. I, myself, have previously stated that if my children were not competing I would choose to vacation during a different week. Only because I know that there will be MANYchildren with many irresponsible parents/coaches neglecting these children!! I've whitnessed it myself, although they were the football players!! Those are the individuals you should be mad at, not responsible parents, like myself and DH, who (as I said) take full responsiblity for their children and under no circumstances let them "run wild" ANYWHERE.

Sorry if you don't like it, but I'm just stating the facts. It seems you are also upset with the CM's for not taking responsibility for these children. Maybe WDW is not the place for you.

Bye now!


These are my four girls cheering happily in Walt Disney World!

 

[disneyfreakjackie]

HEAR HEAR!!!! (no, I'm NOT being sarcastic)

JUST NOT WORTH ANY MORE OF MY PRECIOUS TIME!!!

AGAIN . . .

These are my four girls cheering happily in Walt Disney World!

 

[crazee4mickey]

Wow, some of the comments are really getting personal!
This started as a thread to be able to voice our opinion and to see if others had the same kind of experiences-good or bad.
Great to post but remember that one word everyone demands but sometimes forget to give in return---RESPECT

 

[Rafikifan]

Wow, some of the comments are really getting personal!
This started as a thread to be able to voice our opinion and to see if others had the same kind of experiences-good or bad.
Great to post but remember that one word everyone demands but sometimes forget to give in return---RESPECT

Actually this thread started to become personal a few pages ago when someone made comments such as just being a cheerleader should be enough of an insult, "cheerleader mentality" and about chaperones IQ's. Those seem like personal attacks. Sounds like some baggage left from high school or something.

 

[Uncleromulus]

It appears as tho the bottom line from all of this is: Think very carefully if you are planning a trip to WDW during the Warner/Cheerleader events, and think extra ,extra carefully if you are planning to stay at a value or moderate resort.
Even throwing out the "all cheerleaders are great" and "all the cheerleaders are obnoxious" posts, it seems abundently clear that there have been problems and therefore, there will be additional problems. There are just too many "independent" posts dealing with this matter to suggest that this is a minor or hardly worth noticing issue.
And previous posters are quite right-Disney will do little or nothing to control things. So the only solution is for folks to evaluate things on their own--and if they do go during Warner-time, hope for the best!!
IF I were reading all this "cold" and had been planning a trip to WDW during Warner-time I probably would change my dates---.

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

It appears as tho the bottom line from all of this is: Think very carefully if you are planning a trip to WDW during the Warner/Cheerleader events, and think extra ,extra carefully if you are planning to stay at a value or moderate resort.
Even throwing out the "all cheerleaders are great" and "all the cheerleaders are obnoxious" posts, it seems abundently clear that there have been problems and therefore, there will be additional problems. There are just too many "independent" posts dealing with this matter to suggest that this is a minor or hardly worth noticing issue.
And previous posters are quite right-Disney will do little or nothing to control things. So the only solution is for folks to evaluate things on their own--and if they do go during Warner-time, hope for the best!!
IF I were reading all this "cold" and had been planning a trip to WDW during Warner-time I probably would change my dates---.

Very well said.

 

[musicmom3]

DisneyfreakJackie--thanks for sharing the other side of the story. It's easy to tar any group with a single brush. Pop Warner is a big organization and gives lots of kids great opportunities. When any big group is amassed at one place, well...the "forest" becomes a lot more visibile than the "trees." Heck, even my daugher (one of the competitiors at Nationals) was complaining about some of the girls on the early-morning-practice teams that woke us up! Would I choose to stay at a resort during a week that was scheduled to be full of cheerleaders? No, but then I would not choose to stay at a resort during a week that was scheduled to be chock full of baton twirlers, choral groups, or boy scouts. I don't think it is Pop Warner necessarily, but a factor of critical mass.

 

[FatCow]

The Pop Warner group is a large one and that's why they get noticed so much...But let's stop the cheerleader/football player stereotyping.

Funny I don't recall that there were more PW group than regular guests, yet every single rude group I encountered was from PW instead of the regular guests.

Therefore, statistically there are much higher percentage of rude PW groups than rude regular non-PW groups.

Hence the tendency of stereotyping.

Just like when people say that Chinese people can't drive... I don't get offended, there are high enough percentage of bad Chinese drivers being noticed (albeit still a minority amongst Chinese drivers) that creates that allusion. It's a fact of life. Face it.

Not all Iraqis are terrorists, but enough terrorists are coming from that area which made certain countries generalize Iraqis = terrorists.

It's also a fact of life. Face it.

Last but not least, NEVER anyone said that ALL cheerleaders are bad. We have established that point from the get go. That's also a fact of this thread. Face it.

People have spent thousands of dollars and their vacation time to be RELAXED and NOT to be abused by several hundred groups (albeit a minority) of cheerleaders. How would anybody expect them to still be "la la la, I've just wasted two weeks of my vacation, several thousand dollars, wrecked by a group or two of cheerleaders, therefore it's okay"

 

[LibertyLover]

Magickndm - off topic, but just had to say that your grey is just greyt. I have two myself.

Back to WDW - January 14, 2005 - can't wait.

 

[eeyore0062]

Yes, the cheerleaders are an interesting bunch. I hope my DD never gets the idea to be a cheerleader.

 

[musicmom3]

I'm delighted my daughter is a cheerleader. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[crazee4mickey]

Actually this thread started to become personal a few pages ago when someone made comments such as just being a cheerleader should be enough of an insult, "cheerleader mentality" and about chaperones IQ's. Those seem like personal attacks. Sounds like some baggage left from high school or something.

My response about some of the comments getting too personal was made after reading disneyfreakjackie's resonse to other members on the Dis board late last night--the comments have since been edited.
Some people are plainly upset as Disney vacations are not cheap--they feel that the magic of their holiday may have been somewhat "tarnished" by the actions and non-action of others.
Can we not be adult and quit with the "mud slinging"--it is evident that Pop/Warner's presence did create problems--as some have said if you are representing an organization then your behaviour does come back and reflect on the entire group as a whole--yes, this isn't fair but it happens all of the time.
My personal experience at WDW did not involve just one group, it involved many---but I'm not going to let those groups behaviour ruin what was otherwise a wonderful holiday!

 

[MyGoofy26]

Those PW Cheerleaders aren't even around and they're still causing trouble, huh? (joke people! laugh with me! hehe)

I think things are getting so personal because people were taking things personal that weren't meant to be. I don't recall anyone saying that every cheerleader, every football player, and every chaperone was a problem. They may make up a small percentage of all those involved with Pop Warner, but that small percentage is enough to make a noticable impact. Instead of being angry at those who found their vacations suffering due to this select group from PW, why not be angry at that select group for representing the organization in such a poor manner?

I know I can't speak for everyone here and shouldn't try to infuse meaning into their words, but I can at least give my "interpretation" and hope I'm close. The use of the description "cheerleader mentality" I read as a description of those girls that live up to every stereotype. Not all cheerleaders are carbon copies of "Bring It On" but even cheerleaders and cheer moms and dads have to admit that there are quite a few that DO embody that stereotype. I know that I myself saw quite a few of them while I was in Disney. Does that mean every cheerleader? No, not at all. When I read posts using those sorts of descriptions, I knew that those people were talking about that select group of girls - apart from PW cheerleaders as a whole.

And perhaps the generalizations got confusing, therefore easy to be offended by. I don't think anyone meant to imply that every person involved with Pop Warner was rude and obnoxious. It's just that in the context of the thread it's easier to write when you simplify how you refer to the people you're discussing. It's easier to write "cheerleaders" or "chaperones" or "football players" when you're telling your story instead of writing, "the bad cheerleaders from Pop Warner that in no way make up the whole group" or "the nasty chaperones that in no way make up the whole group" or "the rude footbal players that in no way make up the whole group." It was *supposed* to be understood by the context of the thread that the cheerleaders, chaperone, and football players in question ARE that group that in no way makes up the whole. So while yes, the phrasing was generalized - I don't think it was an actual generalization on ALL involved with Pop Warner.

So while there are well mannered cheerleaders, attentative chaperones, and well behaved football players - there are enough of the ones that AREN'T to make someone really think about whether or not to spend their time and money on a trip during these competitions.