COOKEVILLE — Cookeville Youth Football & Cheer (CYFC) will be hosting a two-week free Football and Cheerleading Camp on June 16, 17, 19 and 20, and June 23, 24, 26 and 27. The camp will be held each night from 5:45-7:45 p.m. at the Putnam County Sports Complex located at 2341 Whiteaker Springs Rd., next to Cookeville High School on the old airport strip. The complex’s name, formerly the Upper Cumberland Soccer Complex, was recently changed by the Putnam County Commission to include other sports, as football and lacrosse teams have joined as participants and users of the fields in recent years.
The CYFC Board of Directors is excited to announce that the Putnam County Sports Complex will be their new site for ball games in addition to practices for the 2014 season. The league is working with Parks and Recreation to begin making improvements at the complex so it can become CYFC’s “home” for the future, a goal that CYFC has had for many years. The league is also investing in lots of equipment upgrades to maximize player/cheerleader safety for the upcoming season, and all coaches and assistant coaches will go through a league certification and criminal background checks. In addition, all football coaches will be Heads Up certified through USA Football’s “national initiative to make football better and safer.” This certification includes education on equipment fitting, concussion recognition and awareness, heat and hydration, and heads-up tackling.
The two-week free camp is a kickoff to the 2014 Cavalier season, which officially begins July 14. Players and cheerleaders may attend any number of nights (during the first week, second week, or both) free of charge. All children ages 5-12 (by Aug. 1) are welcome, regardless if they will be playing for CYFC during the regular season.
In years past, some children had to miss the camp because of vacations, church activities, baseball tournaments or other summer events. So the CYFC Board decided to change the camp this year to two weeks to make sure that all children have an opportunity to participate.
Football players can expect to learn basic fundamentals of football as well as advanced training skills, while cheerleaders will be learning motions, cheers, basic stunts, jumps, and a fun camp dance.This year, the camp will be the only opportunity for coaches to observe players/cheerleaders before the 2014 draft date, so it is important that your child attends if they will be playing/cheering this season, but it is not mandatory.
Parents must register and sign a waiver for camp even if their children are not registering for the season. Tables for camp registration will be set up at CYFC’s red equipment building at the sports complex each night of camp.
The camp is also a great way for children to try out the league to see if they want to sign up for the season. CYFC is part of Southern Middle TN Youth Football Association (SMTYFA), which includes teams from White, Warren, Coffee, Franklin and Bledsoe Counties. Practice begins July 14, and the season consists of a pre-season bowl game and jamboree, 6-8 regular season games, playoff/championship games, and 2-3 recreational league cheer competitions.
Anyone interested in registering for the 2014 season may do so any night of the camp in front of CYFC’s red equipment building.The registration cost for the season is $110 per child, but anyone who registers and pays in full by the last day of camp, June 27, will receive an early bird special rate of $90 per child.
The league also offers payment plans, sibling discounts and scholarships. Parents may request more information on financial assistance at registration. Parents may also pre-register at Sports House or print forms online at www.cavalieryouthfootball.com.