Register on the Raiders Website at www.bartlettraiders.org – By clicking on the “Register” link in the upper right corner, you will be signing up to be a registered user of the Raiders’ website, including access to special pages regular emails with newsletters. The Raiders will continue to use emails and the website as the primary means of communicating with parents, as it saves everyone time and money. If don’t have access to the Internet or Email, please find a fellow Raider parent, coach, or team mom who can help keep you informed. The Raiders an also be reached by phone at 630-674-8999

Volunteering – The Bartlett Raiders is a non-profit organization run by volunteers. Every person in the organization is a parent, or other non-paid volunteer. The only way that the Raiders can have a successful organization is if everyone helps by volunteering, and any help you can give will be greatly appreciated.   

 

Equipment Pick Up on June 7^th, and July 12^th - Attendance with your child is mandatory for accurate sizing. Any balance due must be paid in full. A $200 per child security deposit is required that will be returned to you when you return the equipment after the end of the season.  A deposit check (or credit card sales slip) should be dated Dec 1^st of this year. If you do not return your equipment, your check WILL be cashed (or credit card charged). Additional apparel and other items will be available for sale at equipment pickup.

 

·         Football
What you are provided - The equipment provided by the Raiders for tackle football includes a helmet, shoulder pads, rib guard, practice pants, game pants, belts, a girdle with hip and tail pads, knee pads, and thigh pads. For Flag Football, the following equipment is provided; a helmet (non-faceguard type is used), game pants, practice pants, knee pads, and belts. All Raider supplied gear MUST be returned at the end of the season or the $200 deposit check will be cashed. A game jersey with your child’s name on it and be handed out by the team mom/coach after the season starts, in time for pictures.
What you will need to buy - Each player will also need to buy their own football shoes (spikes), black game socks, hard cup supporter, a large insulated water jug, and non-clear attachable mouth guard. A practice jersey is your own responsibility. A popular choice is to buy a white mesh jersey which the Raiders will have for sale at equipment pickup which helps keep the kids cool in hot weather at the start of the season. The Raiders will have other items available for sale, except for the football spikes, which can be purchased at major sporting goods stores. More details regarding special discounts for Raiders parents will be available at Equipment Pickup.

 

·         Cheerleading
What you are provided - The full uniform (top shell and skirt) is included for each cheerleader, fit to their size, which must be returned at the end of the season, or the deposit check will be cashed. Each girl will receive a Raiders Warm-Up. If they are a returning cheerleader, and their previous warm-up still fits, they may elect to receive the required cheer shoes instead of the warm-up at no additional charge. 
What you will need to buy - The cheer shoes MUST be purchased from the Raiders at Equipment Pickup because the brand & style must be exactly the same for all girls in a squad for competitions. Each girl must also buy their own athletic brief (spankie) which is worn under the skirt, but over their underwear. Each girl must also own a leotard that will be worn at certain times. Coaches will decide what to wear for each event. Additional information and purchase options will be available at equipment pickups.

 

How Teams are picked each year
Cheer – Generally teams stay together for cheerleaders from year to year, based on their grade in school, however this is subject to change because each year new girls join, some girls don’t return, and there can be coaching changes and squad size requirements that need to be met.
Flag Football and 70lb Instructional Tackle – The goal each year is to have balanced teams and the focus at this level is to TEACH the kids football. This means that returning players should NOT expect to be on a team that includes all of the same players or coaches as their prior year. There are no GOLD teams, and the coaches and Raiders will NOT take special requests to play on a particular team or with a particular coach. During the first few days, the players’ abilities will be assessed, and the coaches will agree to split up the kids attempting to have equally talented teams.
Tackle Football – 80lb and up levels – Each level must first pick a GOLD team. This is done by assessing the players the first few days, while the GOLD coach for that weight level runs the practice as a combined practice. The GOLD team first picks the players based on what is needed to make a well rounded team that can be competitive with other GOLD Teams at that level across the other towns in the BGYFL. Remaining players are chosen for the Silver Team(s). If there are enough players for two Silver teams, then the two Head coaches pick kids one at a time to each team until finished.

 

Practices – Practice starts on Monday July 28^th. During the first few weeks, the practices will be every night for tackle and flag football, and will focus on a variety of fundamentals, conditioning, drills, teamwork, and learning offense and defense. Cheer generally practices three nights per week all year, and tackle and flag football moves to three nights per week after Labor Day. The practices will be hard work, and are designed to get the players ready for playing games. Tackle football is a TEAM sport that requires a lot of practice with TEAM mates. It’s extremely important that all players get to practice on time, each and every night.   After school starts, the practices will only meet three nights a week. If your child is going to miss practice for any reason, inform the coach as soon as you know.   Flag football isn’t as rigorous, and 70lb tackle is considered “instructional tackle” with the rules adjusted all levels. Cheerleading follows a different practice schedule than football, and is based on the level they are in. Cheerleading practice includes learning cheers, and learning a routine that will be performed at halftime, and at two competitions, and a showcase event during the year. Because the routine is also heavily dependant on every member learning and performing their part, it is equally important that cheerleaders attend every practice.

Practice times are generally: Flag Football and Cheer: 5:30-7:00pm, Tackle Football and Cheer: 5:30-7:30pm. Please be prompt at both drop-off and pick-ups for all practices and events, as the coaches and team mom’s are not there to baby sit the kids. At some point in September, the cheer squads will move to indoor locations, and the football teams will run split shifts to practice under lights. Additional information regarding practice times, locations, and all other information is updated daily on the Raiders website at www.bartlettraiders.org.

 

Games – Generally preseason scrimmages (2 or 3 of them, often called Bowl games) are held before the first real game of the season. Football players are expected to get to the games at least one hour before game time to warm up and run drills, and practice plays. Cheerleaders are generally required to be at the games 30-45 minutes before each game. The games usually run about two hours. Each game, parents from each team will be assigned to bring snacks and drinks for halftime and after the game to share with the entire team. Parents from the home team are also needed to hold the sideline down markers. The full schedule of games for all football teams and cheer squads will be posted on the Raiders website as soon as it is finalized.

 

Cheer Competitions, Homecoming, Bowl Games, Playoff Games, etc – As the season gets underway, each team will have a Team Mom or two, that will communicate individual team information regarding all events, but again, this information is updated regularly on the website.

 

Additional Costs – At the start of the season, one (or more) of the parents will volunteer to be the Team Mom. It’s customary for the team to collect money for a team gift for the Team Mom, and for the Head Coach for gifts to be purchased and given out at the year end party. It’s up to each team to decide what they want to do for these things.

 

Other Events – During the season there will be other events to attend. These include the Bartlett July 4^th Parade, a Pool Party, a Pep Rally, a Homecoming game and festivities, and possibly playoff games.  At the end of the year party, every football player and cheerleader will get an individual trophy. Most teams arrange a team party at the end of the year. The location and cost of the party is up to each team to decide on their own.

 

Safety and Injuries – Safety is a primary concern of the Bartlett Raiders and injuries sometimes occur in both football and cheerleading. Practices and games will be held weather permitting, however it is not uncommon for last minute weather changes to result in cancellations.   Again, we highly recommend that everyone visit the website, and check their email if they have any concerns over weather conditions. To help prevent injuries the Raiders buy high quality protective equipment for football, and each team is supplied with a safety gear bag that includes a variety of medical supplies.  Coaches are NOT medical professionals, and will do their best. It is always best if a parent is present at practices and games. If your child has any type of injury, you should contact the coach immediately to let them know. If you child sustains an injury that prevents him/her from practicing or competing, they must provide a release from a doctor verifying they are healthy enough to participate again. We strongly encourage all parents to seek qualified medical treatment if they feel their child is injured in any way. In addition to any family doctors you may choose, the Raiders have also accepted sponsorships from two medical professionals that are near by and provide a variety of qualified services.

 

 

·         Team Physicians for Bartlett, Streamwood, Elk Grove, Addison Trail, and Conant High Schools

·         Board Certified and Fellowship Trained in Sports Medicine

·         Arthroscopic Surgery for ALL joints including knee, shoulder, wrist, hip, and ankle

·         Saturday Appointments Available

·         On-Site X-ray and Physical Therapy

·         Convenient Bartlett, Hoffman Estates and New Elk Grove Office

·         On staff at St. Alexius, Alexian Brothers, Sherman Hospitals, and Central DuPage Hospital

·         Chiropractic care and Physical Therapy on site

·         Target Correction, Corrective Care, Subluxation, Relief Care, Function, and Health assessments

·         Treatments for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Disc Problems, Extremities, Children, Headaches, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, Pregnancy, Sciatica, Scoliosis, Sports Injuries, Stress and Whiplash