COMPETE, ACHIEVE AND HAVE FUN!
Competitive Cheer Program Overview & Highlights
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Our mission is to provide a fun, safe, encouraging environment, while teaching our athletes to develop a positive attitude, leadership attributes, teamwork mentality, and qualities such as determination and perseverance.
Park Ridge Competitive Cheer, often known as PRC, is managed mainly by parents and volunteers. We have both professional coaches and volunteer coaches, including previous Park Ridge Falcons Competitive cheerleaders who cheer for Maine South. We pride ourselves on fostering leadership. In fact, year after year, PRC is thrilled to welcome back former Falcons cheerleaders who become Junior Coaches to our athletes. These alumni are typically very passionate about our program, are eager to be involved, and have a strong desire to give back the same wonderful experience with PRC that they have enjoyed in years-past.
Park Ridge Competitive Cheer follows the American Recreational Cheerleading (ARC) rules and regulations for recreational competitive cheerleading. We are a member of the Illinois Cheer Association (ICA), where all teams are classified by the grade-level of the athlete and compete at ICA Cheer Competitions within Illinois.
Since 2016, nearly every PRC team has qualified for the ICA State Cheerleading Championship.
Park Ridge Falcons Competitive Cheer 2025 Season
2025 Evaluations/Tryouts
PRC will host one evaluation for both our Junior and Senior team levels on Sunday, January 26th, 2025 (timing TBD). Registration for the 2025 PRC Season Evaluations is required and will open to all athletes who will be entering 4th, 5th, 6th**, and 7th and 8th grade in the Fall of 2025.
Registration will open Tuesday, January 7th, 2025 on our website via TeamSnap and it will close on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, in which you will NOT be permitted to try out after registration closes. Evaluation/tryout fees are $20 per athlete (non-refundable).
** Please note, starting with the 2026 season, PRC anticipates grade level shifts for all teams based on space availability. The program may be restructured during the 2026 season and the Senior Team will likely be 7th and 8th grade Athletes only for the 2026 season. Fall 2026 6th Grade Athletes will compete at the 6th grade level on a different squad. This is not applicable for this upcoming season, however, we wanted to give ample notice that the cheer committee and larger board will be working to implement this change to encourage more hands-on instruction and smaller team sizes. Athletes entering their 6th grade year in the Fall of 2025 will be allowed to try out for the Senior Team, however, please note prior experience on either Junior Team or another ICA competitive program will be preferred for all senior team athletes whether new or returning.
Informational Parent Meeting
We will be hosting an informational Parent Meeting on Thursday, January 9th, 2025 via Zoom. Links for the Zoom meeting will be sent to past participants from 7:30pm-8:15pm to answer any questions parents may have regarding the upcoming season format.
If you need the Zoom link, please email [email protected]
Team Levels
Team levels for tryouts are below. Please note, all PRC 2025 Season teams will be composed of the 2025-26 grade levels, in preparation for fall competition season.
● The Junior Team will consist of athletes currently in 3rd/4th grade (4th/5th grade for Fall 2025);
● The Senior Team will consist of athletes currently in 5th/6th/7th grade. (6th/7th/8th grade for Fall 2025);
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Park Ridge Falcons Junior Prep Cheer 2025 Season
Welcome to the Park Ridge Cheer Junior Prep Team (PRJP) 2025 Season! Our mission is to provide a fun, safe, encouraging environment, while teaching our Junior Prep Team (“JP”) Athletes the foundations needed to become a Park Ridge Competitive Cheerleader and compete at the Junior and Senior team levels. This program is intended to be a bridge program between our Spirit Cheer program and our competitive program to give the JP athletes a competitive experience without as intensive of a time commitment. Our focus at this level is to develop a positive attitude, leadership attributes, teamwork mentality, and qualities such as determination and perseverance. PRJP is a full season cheer program with all of our JP Athletes competing in three (3) ICA competitions in the one spring competition and two fall competitions (FALL DATES TBD) and ending the season with a parent showcase. All of our Park Ridge Competitive (PRC) Cheer Athletes compete in the Super Rec division for Illinois Cheer Association (ICA).
2025 Evaluations/Tryouts
PRJP will host one evaluation/tryout the Junior Prep team level on Sunday, January 26, 2025 (timing TBD). Registration for the 2025 PRCP Season Tryouts is required and will open to all athletes who will be entering 3rd grade in the Fall of 2025. Registration for tryouts will be on Tuesday, January 7th, 2025 on our website via TeamSnap and it will close on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, in which you will NOT be permitted to try out after registration closes. Evaluation/tryout fees are $20 per athlete (non-refundable).
Informational Parent Meeting- please email Pantr afor the Zoom link at [email protected]
We will be hosting an informational Parent Meeting on Thursday, January 9th, 2025 via Zoom. Links for the Zoom meeting will be sent to past participants from 7:00pm-8:15pm to answer any questions parents may have regarding the upcoming season format.
If you need the Zoom link, please email [email protected]
If you have any questions, please email Program Director Pantra Hoeft at [email protected]
What We Teach Student-Athletes
Competitive Cheer Program Structure
Participants must be entering the 1st grade (up to 8th grade) at the time of registration. It is preferred that the participants have a previous cheer or tumbling experience, but not mandatory.
The level of commitment and competition may be higher depending on the skill levels of each team, but most importantly we want everyone to have fun!
Program
Senior Team
Junior Team
Mini Team
School Grade
6th – 7th – 8th
4th – 5th
2nd/3rd
Sideline Cheer
Falcons Football
Falcons Football
Flag Football
Stunting
Yes
Yes
Yes
Competitions
4+ State
4+ State
4+ State
Competitive Cheer Program Details
Park Ridge Competitive Cheer squads generally practice twice a week. Practices will begin in July. All practices will be held at Maine Park Leisure Center, 2701 W Sibley St, Park Ridge, IL or Prospect Park- O’Connor Room, 733 N Prospect ave, Park Ridge, IL.
Squads cannot have effective practices or perform successfully with absent participants. Due to the nature of the sport, a practice missed by one cheerleader has a significant impact on the squad; particularly on that cheerleader’s stunt group, who are unable to stunt without every member present. In addition, when the coach must re-teach material to those who have been absent, the whole squad’s practice time suffers. As a result, attendance at all practices & games is a must.
Practice Attendance Policy: Cheerleaders will be allowed to miss up to three (3) practices from the start of the season through August. The cheerleaders will be allowed to miss up to three (3) additional practices from August until the end of the season in early December. If a participant misses more than the allotted amount of practices, their continued participation in the program will be reviewed and decided upon by their Head Coach and the Director of Cheer. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our Practice Attendance Policy please contact the Director of Cheer.
Practice Attire is as follows: Black t-shirt or tank-top, black shorts, cheer or gym shoes, and hair pulled back. No jewelry, no candy, no gum. All cheerleaders should bring a water bottle to practice.
Park Ridge Competitive Cheerleaders will excite the fans at our home Park Ridge Falcons Football games through sideline cheers and half-time performances.
The cheerleaders will participate in the homecoming festivities, including a half-time rose ceremony and an after-the-game party.
Attendance at all home games is mandatory.
Competitions
Park Ridge Competitive Cheerleaders will learn and perfect a routine that they will use to compete in local competitions against other cheerleading teams. There will be four season competitions- attendance is mandatory for all competitions. Competition entry fees are included in the PRCC program cost. Competition dates will be announced as soon as Park Ridge Cheer is registered and confirmed in July.
If any of the squads place 1st in any one of their competitions, they will compete in the ICA State Competition at NIU Convocation Center- DeKalb, IL in early December. The state competition entry fee for cheerleaders to compete varies annually and is NOT included in the Park Ridge Competitive Cheer fees for the season.
Scoring Criteria
| Scoring Item: | Points |
| Voice/Expression/Projection | 10 |
| Motions | 10 |
| Jumps | 10 |
| Tumbling | 10 |
| Stunts | 10 |
| Pyramids/Basket Tosses | 10 |
| Formation & Transitions | 10 |
| Synchronization | 10 |
| Degree of Difficulty | 10 |
| Perfection of Routine | 10 |
| Total | 100 |
In late August, all teams will learn their entire choreographed routine for the fall season at the Maine Park gym. This clinic is extremely important whereupon cheerleaders will learn their entire competition routine. Dates will be given to parents in mid-June and attendance to this 2-day weekend clinic is MANDATORY.
Participants should plan to bring a small snack, along with a water bottle.
Uniforms
All Park Ridge Competitive Cheerleaders purchase their own uniform. The uniform amount is due during the custom uniform fitting, which will be held in July.
Park Ridge Competitive Cheerleading has an established uniform program whereupon we make a two (2) year commitment to a particular style of uniform.
At the end of the season, we encourage cheerleaders who will not be returning for the following season to participate in our consignment program where Park Ridge Competitive Cheerleading connects gently-used uniforms to new cheerleaders for a fee, benefiting both departing and incoming participants.
Dress Code
The Dress Code for the season is as follows:
Cheerleaders shall wear their full competition uniform to all competitions. It is the responsibility of the cheerleader to ensure that the uniform is kept clean.
Hair should be up, with our cheer bow, and to coach’s specifications, prior to arriving at all competitions.
Cheer shoes and NO SHOW white ankle socks will be worn during competitions. Please do not wear your cheer shoes outside or to any other events in an effort to keep them perfectly white and clean.
No jewelry, nail polish, or glitter is permitted for competitions due to the chance of disqualification. Fingernails should be kept short for a safety precaution as well.
All squad members are required to maintain and uphold the reputation of the Park Ridge Competitive Cheerleaders through their own conduct and squad spirit. Our participants are required to be courteous, polite, friendly, and try to have a smile for everybody. All cheers and chants shall be of a positive and sportsmanlike manner. Bullying is never tolerated.
It is our core belief that participation in competitive cheerleading provides a wealth of opportunities and experiences that assist participants in personal and athletic growth. All Park Ridge Competitive Cheerleaders are encouraged, and expected, to exhibit good sportsmanship by demonstrating positive support for all participants and coaches.
As parents of student-athletes, you also have committed yourselves to certain responsibilities and obligations. These responsibilities and obligations will be outlined in further detail at our Parent Meeting at the beginning of the season in June, which we expect all parents to attend.
Volunteers
We cannot be successful without the support and involvement of our parents. Please consider joining our Team Mom Committee ~ each team has its own committee of 2-3 moms who help with a variety of aspects of the program including fundraising, communication, pictures, social media, and apparel.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the Director of Competitive Cheer:
Pantra Hoeft at [email protected]
