and FYI, Mama....you're not alone.....

"Participants are required to provide their own crop tops, lollies, shoes, warm-ups and briefs. The program will provide uniforms, hair ribbons and socks annually. New participants will be given a cheer bag."
This was taken right from the glenellynfootball.com website under the "cheerleading" link.
Try calling Clint Babicz. He is the liaison for the football (but I know they are separate entities.)

Uh . . .WT* is a lolly?

I have no idea what a lolly is, but for the love of God, why do 10 year old cheerleaders need matching $60-90 warm ups? Why must they all wear the exact same shoes? Professional teams don't require the athletes to wear the exact same shoes!

Warm ups are not part of the uniform; they are not even equipment/gear mandatory to safe participation. That's ridiculous. And to be honest - requiring all girls to wear the same shoes sounds like it could be less than optimum as well.

* Just the opinion of an outside observer. I have no skin in this game.

Hi GEMom2:

I feel for you. One of my boys has been playing Golden Eagles for years now, and we always try to find his football cleats on sale. I don't have any experience w/cheer, but I would be irritated if the league tried to dictate that I purchase a "specific" brand of football cleats for him. My boys have all played various sports over the years, and as long as their shoes comformed to the requirements of the sport...the brand/cost was up to us.

You might not be the only one feeling this way. I would contact the park district by email. On the Eagles website it lists Clint Babicz ( cbabicz@gepark.org ) as the Park District Chairman for the Eagles. That might be a place to start. I would probably let them know that this new shoe requirement might pose a hardship to some families and inquire as to why it is necessary. I don't think you are out of line to question this. There is a big difference between telling participants they have to supply their own shoes, etc (I have to laugh, I don't know what a "lolly" is either!)...and telling them they have to buy a specific (more expensive) brand. There are many, many, families in Glen Ellyn who don't want or need to spend an additional $20 on shoes, especially if they have more than one child in the sport. Unless there is a compelling reason for the change, they need to rethink it. At the very least, it should be listed in the program description that shoes need to be purchased from a specific vendor through the cheer program.

Sometimes I think the folks that make these decisions just have no comprehension of what it is like to have to keep to a budget. It is not like you are pushing your kid into some elite cheerleading camp and then complaining about the cost. This is a park district sponsored program for goodness sake. Yes, there are costs involved (and I don't think you were disputing this)...but dictating a more expensive shoe brand? Sounds a little over the top to me.

hg

And after this, I will step down off my soapbox on some youth sports. This was a direct quote taken from the team that my nephew played for all through grammar school (not the Golden Eagles, but they play them). The wording just blew me away - these are CHILDREN!

"Serious Commitment Expected - Football and Cheerleading are not for everyone and being a part of these team sports requires a serious commitment on the part of the children and the parents. If practice time is missed for any reason, it can have a significant effect on your child’s game playing time or cheer competition role. All practice time is critical! Regardless of the reason, missed practices means that your child will not be ready to compete physically or mentally, and this causes both a competitive disadvantage and a potential safety issue for your child and for the rest of the team."

Clint is the liasion for cheer now, too. I found that out when I had to call 2 my daughter's old coach 2 weeks before registration because the website had LAST YEAR's info still on it. She researched her contacts and discovered that Clint was handling it this year. He updated it once he was "made aware of" it. For the record, I'm not saying that extra costs weren't made public knowledge up front, it's the AMOUNT of extra costs that weren't. To shed some light on the insane miscommunication that is our park district....they're paying for the lollies this year (a whopping $5).

For all of you wondering, lollies are the shorts/briefs that go under the skirts to cover the girls undergarments. Clam, that was hilarious, btw....

HG: Clint has nothing to do with these decisions, it's the head of the cheer program. In previous years it's been $20-$35 and Wal-Mart carried them. Last year, they were ordered through a vendor, but still didn't cost as much. I have voiced my opinion on this, but unless you want to be ostracized from the program (or have your child ostracized from it), being as b****y as you might need to be to get it done won't work. I do appreciate your offers, though. Normally, that would be a really good way to handle it. Unfortunately, much like our park district, the Eagles program is all about politics and popularity. Thank you for understanding my point as well. Sometimes I feel like the only one in the program on a budget.

Mama: That doesn't shock me. My friend's niece cheered for a neighboring town of ours known for winning EVERYTHING. She had the opportunity for a meet and greet with Kristin Stewart and Robert Pattinson at the height of the Twilight release. Of COURSE, as an 11-year old girl would do, she took her once in a lifetime opportunity and skipped practice ONCE during competition season. She was kicked off the squad. Eagles aren't THAT bad about it, I will give them that. Most of the volunteer coaches are really great people who work hard to work with a multitude of parents. There are a few I wonder about, though.

Lacrosse seems so warm and lovable after reading this stuff. No cheerleaders, no lollies, very little controversy. And the people running the program are downright brilliant.

Lol, I almost had one of my girls join this year

I agree that youth sports can be out of hand for costs and time/travel expectation.

However, as a volunteer coach I've also seen some parents that are overbooking their kids, maybe even treating the afterschool stuff like a glorified babysitting service. Then if they need the kid for something "more important" (usually without notice), you're stuck w/o a full squad to play the game, scrimmage, etc. That sort of behavior also leads to the statements regarding commitment that mamattorney posted.

NEBF, you're right and it's not easy coaching these things. ESPECIALLY with parents who are like that. But I promise you that most of those who are, are the ones who CAN afford the extra money and extra traveling.

Those of us who allow our children to choose one or two sports per calendar year, and try to be at everything possible to support them....we're the ones who have a difficult time with this stuff.