The 2016 Season has arrived and we are looking forward to putting together the 2016 NJAYF Division 14 Elite Cheer Team! Below is some important information for cheerleaders interested in trying out for this years team.
About D14 Elite
The NJAYF D14 Elite team is the cheerleading equivalent of the NJAYF 8th Grade Unlimited All-Star football team. It is a competitive team made up of the top cheerleaders from across our league to compete at the AYC National Cheer Championships against D14 Elite teams from other leagues around the country.
The team consists of between eighteen to thirty-six cheerleaders split between one or two squads of eighteen: one all-music Blue Division squad and possibly one cheer/dance Red Division squad. The team practices once a week (on either Saturday morning or Sunday night) beginning September 17, 2016 until the Big East Region Competition on November 19, 2016. After that we will practice twice a week (dates and times TBD) until the AYC National Cheer Championships December 8-11, 2016.
D14 Elite cheerleaders will still compete with their home associations throughout the season. And if her home association qualifies for the National Championships, the D14 Elite cheerleader will compete with both teams at Nationals. If her home team does not qualify for National, the D14 Elite cheerleader will still travel to national and compete with the NJAYF D14 Elite team.
The Selection Process
To be considered for the Elite Team, a cheerleader must be between the ages of 11 and 14 (as of July 31, 2016) and must be on either a D12, D14 or D18 team in their home town. All 8th Grade cheerleaders (with in the permitted ages) are invited to tryout without needing a nomination from their home town. All other cheerleaders within the permitted ages, who are not in the 8th Grade, must obtain a nomination from their team’s Head Coach in order to tryout. There is no limit to how many cheerleaders may tryout from each town. Everyone trying out is to complete the online D14 Elite Tryout Form and submit it by Friday, August 12, 2016. You can access the form by clicking the link below.
THE TRYOUT FORM CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE!
The D14 Elite Selection Camp will then take place on August 26th and 27th. The locations and times are below:
- Friday, August 26, 2016: 9:00am to 1:00pm at the Jackson Field House, 133 Manhattan St., Jackson, NJ 08527
- Saturday, August 27, 2016: 9:00am to 1:00pm at the Jackson Field House, 133 Manhattan St., Jackson, NJ 08527
There is a $25 camp fee, which covers the gym rental fees. All Nominees will also receive a t-shirt commemorating their participation in the D14 Elite Selection Camp.
One week prior to camp, cheerleaders will be emailed a video containing the tryout routine consisting of a cheer, dance and jumps, to learn before they come to camp. On the first day of camp, cheerleaders will review the tryout routine. They will also work in groups on various stunts and have some time to warm up their standing and running tumbling. On the second day of camp, cheerleaders will perform the tryout routine and show off their stunting and tumbling skills for final evaluation.
Nominees will be assigned numbers on the first day of camp, and throughout the duration they will be evaluated by a panel of high school cheerleading coaches.
The team will be selected using the information on the Tryout Forms and the Evaluation Sheets. Team selections will be made by September 3, 2016.
Making the Team
If you make the team, there are several administrative tasks that must be completed by September 14, 2016.
- Registration fee of $190.00 payable to NJAYF is due by September 12th.
- The registration fee covers the following costs: competition registration fee, music fee, choreography fee, competition uniform, practice outfit, competition bow, practice bow, and some gym rental fees.
- The registration fee does not cover travel expenses. It also might not cover all gym rental fees.
- Copies of cheerleader paperwork is due by September 12th – (player track card, emergency contact info, birth certificate, medical release, etc.) We only need copies of these documents.
- Email cheer@njayf.com with a list of any conflicts for all Saturdays from 8am to 12pm and Sundays from 6pm to 9pm by September 14th. The list should cover all weekends from September 17th through December 6th.
Practices will begin the weekend of September 17th. Practices will be either Saturday mornings or Sunday nights so that they do not conflict with football games or other cheer practices. Practice locations will alternate between the Jackson Field House in Jackson and the Keyport Tee Pee in Keyport from week to week based on mat availability and so that cheerleaders coming from the north do not always have to go south for practice or vice versa.
The team will perform a portion of their competition routine at the Big East Cheer Championships on November 19, 2016. And after the region competition, the team will practice twice a week prior to leaving for Nationals.
AYC National Championships
The AYC National Championships is December 8-11, 2016 in Orlando and Lakeland, Florida. Cheerleaders are expected to arrive in Orlando no later than noon on Thursday, December 8th. Team check-in is at 2pm on December 8th at the Omni Champions Gate Hotel.
Cheerleaders whose home teams qualify for Nationals will travel and stay with their home teams throughout the duration. Cheerleaders whose home teams don not qualify for Nationals will stay with the NJAYF D14 Elite team.
The AYC National Competition will be held at the Lakeland Center in Lakeland, FL on December 11th.
More information about AYC Nationals, such as hotel information, practice information and travel, will be handed out at a later date.
There will be a fundraising opportunity in October or November to help defer some travel expenses. Information about that fundraiser will be handed out at a later date
If you have any questions regarding the NJAYF Division 14 Elite Team, please feel free to contact our Spirit Commissioner, Nicole Carrara, at cheer@njayf.com.
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