St. Dunstan Catholic School

Program: Cheerleading is all about fun. There are two squads at St. Dunstan, the Junior Varsity (JV) squad for 7th graders and a Varsity squad for 8th graders. There are no try-outs for Cheerleading and it’s open to all eligible students of St. Dunstan Catholic School and the St. Dunstan Religious Education Program (CCD). As with any sport, the academic requirements of the St. Dunstan Athletic Program must be met to participate in Cheerleading.

Practices and Performances: Sign-up sheets for Cheerleading are sent out in early June. The season begins in late September and runs through May. Both squads will practice after 6:00 pm in the Parish Center. The Varsity will typically practice twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 1.5 hours. The JV squad will typically practice once a week on Tuesdays for 1.5 hours. These practice days are designed to not conflict with any other St. Dunstan sport.

Cheerleaders cheer at all St. Dunstan 7th and 8th grade boys’ basketball games. These games take place on Sundays at various gyms in the area. Half of the games will be at Burlingame High School, our home court. Games last about an hour, and there could be as many as three games on a Sunday depending on how many teams we have in that grade. Basketball season begins in January and ends in mid-March.

The Varsity squad participates in spirit competitions in the spring. These competitions require additional practices after basketball season ends.

There are also some school functions in which the cheerleaders are asked to perform such as the Parish Fall Festival, Sports Awards Nights, and the International Food Festival.

Coaches and Parental Participation: High school girls, usually St. Dunstan graduates, typically coach the cheerleading squads. Parents, on a rotating basis, are required at practices and Sunday games for supervision. All coaches are required to attend a Positive Coaching Alliance workshop.

Uniforms and Cost: Uniform fittings take place in September. There is a $100 deposit due at the time of the fitting. The remaining financial obligation will be no more than $200. This total of $300 includes shoes, socks, cheerleading uniform, pom poms, jacket, bag, and hair bow. There may be some fundraising opportunities throughout the year that will reduce the financial obligations of Cheerleading.