cheerleading competition at Hollywood Studios

[beckylovestink]

Hello everyone! I have been reading many posts for the past several years and have decided to join the fun:)
On another site...I read that there will be a cheerleading competition at Disney studios on Feb 9 Sat at the Indiana Jones auditorium. I already have my week at WDW planned and this was the day I reserved for the studios...we already have ADR's etc. Has anyone been there during this time? Should I try to rearrange my schedule and ADR's this late??? I was really happy with the schedule, but I don't want to be mobbed by teenages either. ANy ideas or suggestions??
THANKS!!

****37 days til I leave!!!!:confused:

[Goofeygal]

The other thing to keep in mind is that around the times of the competition the Indiana Jones show will not go on.

[Cinderella's mom]

I am a high school cheer coach and although I have never been to a cheer competition at WDW, MOST of the other competitions I have been to allow the cheerleaders to watch the other groups. Therefore, the girls watch the competition to see how they think they will compare... This may be different since this will be at WDW, but I kinda doubt that it will affect the Studios very much. Although, the girls will have to eat at some point... Good luck!!!! But I wouldn't change my plans because of the competition.

[SpaceMtn101]

Be prepared for annoying spoiled brats that weekend. I used to work space mtn and litterally in line all they do is cheer yell and think they run disney world and not listen to you when you would say get on numbers 1 through 6 (my favorite is when they try to jump into a moving train)... and sometimes the moms are worse than the kids. so just have LOTS of patience with them.

[ChrisF]

So glad I caught this thread! I'll be staying away from Studios that day. Going to put note in guide book right now! I believe Disney is a fun place, but you should be respectful of others in the park. "annoying spoiled brats":ack:
I'll keep my day happy in another park.

[Magic Smiles]

We just had the very unpleasant experience of cheerleaders during POP WARNER at WDW. Others had mentioned on intercot that you hardly even notice them. Well, I have to say the cheerleaders that we crossed paths with were some of the - can't even think of a word to describe them, but I guess a start would be "annoying spoilt brats" we have ever run across. Unfortunately their chaperones fell into that description also. Just as SpaceMtn101writes also much worse.
Between what I witnessed myself and what the CMs told us about, I am surprised that Disney even allows them there anymore.

[SpaceMtn101]

Yes unfortuantely there are even days when the cheerleaders have the park after it closes and i will say i had to scream when my shift was over.
When competition is over they seem to go to mk and even epcot more than hang out at MGM.
The problem is they think they are special because they are cheerlearders. There are a few parents who will apologize for their behavior. There are times those team do get kicked out of the park for what they do. Some parents will yell at you if you yell at their group or tell them how to line up or what to do.

But just try to have patience. There are usually about a month or 2 of cheer events. If you know an event is happening at the one go to a different park. and when the event is over stay away from the places where the majority of them will be.

i hope though u can still have a good time despite the cheerleaders.

[Here we go again...]

This is what makes me happy we have dancers. We gofor the dance competition and the dancers are much calmer than the cheerleaders.
Of course our school makes it very clear that if any of the girls do anything to embarass the school they are off the team. Since our school is going back to defend their title of National Champions No One wants to take a chance of getting kicked off the team.

I also do not understand where the cheerleaders find the extra time during the day. Our teachers kep our girls so busy that they have no play time. We have to stay 3 extra days just so we can have some fun!

[Cinderella's mom]

Of course our school makes it very clear that if any of the girls do anything to embarass the school they are off the team. Since our school is going back to defend their title of National Champions No One wants to take a chance of getting kicked off the team.

I also do not understand where the cheerleaders find the extra time during the day. Our teachers kep our girls so busy that they have no play time. We have to stay 3 extra days just so we can have some fun!

That is the thing! Our school will not put up with any of our students acting badly. They are all told that before they go. Maybe our students are the exception to the rule, but we have never had any problems with them acting disrespectful to anyone or anywhere. I have been off with them to several places and would not hesitiate to do it again! It is the parents, teachers and students responsibility equally to make sure all act respectful and act like they have been raised that way!

[MOJoe]

It is hard to think of anything more annoying than hordes of unsupervised teens running wild at WDW. Unless it is hordes of rowdy teens crowding the same restaurant you are dining in. So you may want to change your plans.
My only question to you would be; Which restaurants are you planning on? If your ADR's include the Brown Derby, and Mama Melrose, you may be O.K. But the lower tier table service and all the counter service places will be a zoo. There are always lines for the attractions, you can't escape that. But having an ADR at a nice table service restaurant, should give you a break from the noisy teens.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I am all for teenage exuberance.
2) After all, I was somewhat exuberant in my youth.
3) But, the parents and chaperons allow the kids to run too wild.
4) Or maybe, just don't teach the kids manners.
5) In either case, try to avoid their parks and their hotels.

[goofyluva9293]

I'm not trying to defend the cheerleaders or condone any bad behavior but I'd say that the "spoiled brat" thing applies to most large groups of teenagers at WDW. We've encounterd many school tour groups who's behavior was appalling. And maybe the worst of all is the year that my family happened to be there when huge groups of girls from Brazil were there to celebrate their Quinceaneras. They were all loud, rude and armed with Mommy & Daddy's credit cards. They thought they ran the place. Unfotunately for us they were staying at the same hotel as well and were always loud into the middle of the night. I'm a mom of 2 teenage daughters myself (ages 14 & 16) and if I ever caught them acting the way some teenagers act at WDW, they would be in major trouble. I myself went to WDW for a cheerleading competition in 1986 and times were different then, but we were not allowed to do anything that could embarrass the squad. Most teams were just excited and happy to be there but sadly, there were plenty of teams who embarrassed cheerleaders as whole when we were there, so people just lumped us all together as loud, rude troublemakers. That definitely wasn't the case for my team but what can you do? The parents and chaperones who let their kids behave badly in any group (or even just with your family) should be ashamed! Just my thoughts...

[SpaceMtn101]

School groups and brazilians YES and GRAD Night is HORRIBLE!!!
but when there is cheerleaders there are so many there are every where u turn.

[Magic Smiles]

School groups and brazilians YES and GRAD Night is HORRIBLE!!!
but when there is cheerleaders there are so many there are every where u turn.

We have been there during Grad Nights and never really noticed the kids, but the cheerleaders...............never ever again during POP WARNER or any other cheerleading event!
Apparently - heard it from a CM - that some individuals wanted adjoining rooms at the All Star Resorts. There were not any, so these individuals made their own adjoining rooms by cutting holes in the walls. This was only one of the stories told to us during our past visit and not the worst event. As mentioned before after what we witnessed, I can't believe the Disney even lets the POP WARNER be held there. But I guess money does have its influence...........

[crazeedizneefinatic]

I must agree, change your plans and definately check with your hotel to see if they are staying there. No attack on anyone but they are there to have fun and be a tiny bit rowdy, not disrespectful. Let's face it we were all young and silly at one time. If a peaceful vacation is what you want than definately change plans. Chanting, clapping and yelling is something I do not call relaxing except at a Friday night football game. That is what you will experience everywhere, parks, lines, food courts, and oh the buses, it was so noisy beyound belief. Some are respectful but most we have run into were not. We were shoved, cut in front of and had to call the front desk for the excessive noise at the hotel. Again, all to be somewhat expected with such a large group, just PLAN not to be part of it at all costs.

[TiggeRia]

I'm going to be there that weekend, too, but we won't be at any of the Disney parks until EMH at MK that Sunday night. Do you think they'll still be around then, or will most of them be gone on Sunday?

[TheRustyScupper]

As mentioned before after what we witnessed, I can't believe the Disney even lets the POP WARNER be held there. But I guess money does have its influence...........

1) You betchya.
2) The Pop kids caused over $25,000 in damage last year at All Stars.
3) At POFQ, they had to close the pool due to rowdiness.
4) As for money, Pop Warner
. . . pays for the WWoS venue
. . . all contestants MUST stay on-site
. . . the packages automatically include park tickets
. . . food coupons sold to contestants are big bucks

[SpaceMtn101]

I'm going to be there that weekend, too, but we won't be at any of the Disney parks until EMH at MK that Sunday night. Do you think they'll still be around then, or will most of them be gone on Sunday?



No they will still be there for EMH if they are still there on sunday. They dop have tickets staying on disney property that does allow them to be at EMH

[4ubie1]

Does anyone know when POP Warner happens usually? or know where to look to find out??

I went in early Feb one year and every thing was perfect except..the cheerleaders. Some were courteous and very nice but many were...just plain annoying. They would cheer wherever they went..always go in a herd..and when they would be in line :faint: I am not trying to attack cheerleaders..i have known plenty who were super nice people but...get some in a mob and it is a nightmare. :mad: Just a bit of advice: I noticed it the worst..i mean most in MK :blush:

[mjaclyn]

DH and I went one year during the cheerleading competition and we will NEVER do that again. The girls were rude, loud and very roudy. In my experience, large groups of unsupervised teenagers ALWAYS spells trouble. Even if the kids are usually well behaved they seem to lose their inhibitions when they're in a large group. And I do agree that it's not just large groups of cheerleaders - it's large groups of kids in general that act this way. DH and I were at the movies last week and there was a group of at least 20 13-14 year olds who were HORRIBLE throughout the entire movie. They were yelling, cursing and throwing popcorn all over the place. A couple of them were kicked out of the theater but it didn't really make a difference. IMO parents need to watch their children and not treat public places like WDW and the movie theater like a babysitter.

[Mrs.Mya]

Does anyone know when the competetions are held each year? I will be going in Feb. of next year and would want to avoid competition time.

[Jobasha3000]

I feel like I should throw my 2 cents in here. I'm 17 and I have been on our school's band/chorus/cheerleading trips here before. While I would be offended if someone not of the age group called these groups bad in general due to generalizing, I can feel free to call them godawful.

I specifically remember the 2005 trip and let me say that if being in the same hotel as one of these groups seems tough, try being in the epicenter of one. I distinctly remember lots of arriving at the hotels from the parks and dropping my stuff off in the room and immediately leaving and hanging out outside alone. This specific group caused me to do a solo tour of Epcot, and I dont even want to think about the toga parties they attempted at the hotel :ack::ack::ack:.

These kinds of groups can only serve to undermine the overall Disney experience even if they try to add to it. Never forget, however, that there are us peaceful few there to take in the park and not take it down.
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Now Playing: The Misfits - Astro Zombies

[Figgyluv03]

Not all the POP Warner kids are spoiled brats, and you obviously don't know them to say that. I'm sorry to hear if you had a bad experience from them, but one of the managers at work's daughter's team took 2nd in their division and I don't think her daughter is the type to step out of line and act like a spoiled brat. I know this manager does not tolerate that behavior, nor do most of the parents of that team.

[garymacd]

I don't really care about cheerleading. (In Canada it just isn't a big deal. Ever see cheeleaders at a hockey game?)

I just wanted to say WELCOME TO INTERCOT!

[SpaceMtn101]

Not all the POP Warner kids are spoiled brats, and you obviously don't know them to say that. I'm sorry to hear if you had a bad experience from them, but one of the managers at work's daughter's team took 2nd in their division and I don't think her daughter is the type to step out of line and act like a spoiled brat. I know this manager does not tolerate that behavior, nor do most of the parents of that team.



Im not saying that ALL are but the majority of them are. I worked every cheerleader event and the majority of them were nasty to us as cms. Yes there are those few polite ones and few polite parents who do apologize to u ... but those are few and far between in a group that big.

[Here we go again...]

I feel like I should throw my 2 cents in here. I'm 17 and I have been on our school's band/chorus/cheerleading trips here before. While I would be offended if someone not of the age group called these groups bad in general due to generalizing, I can feel free to call them godawful.

I specifically remember the 2005 trip and let me say that if being in the same hotel as one of these groups seems tough, try being in the epicenter of one. I distinctly remember lots of arriving at the hotels from the parks and dropping my stuff off in the room and immediately leaving and hanging out outside alone. This specific group caused me to do a solo tour of Epcot, and I dont even want to think about the toga parties they attempted at the hotel :ack::ack::ack:.

These kinds of groups can only serve to undermine the overall Disney experience even if they try to add to it. Never forget, however, that there are us peaceful few there to take in the park and not take it down.
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Now Playing: The Misfits - Astro Zombies

There are always some great kids that get pulled into the group whether or not they want to. I am glad that you stayed true to yourself (you parents should be very proud of you) and did what you know was right.
I know that if my DD was with a group of friends and we were not there they might get a little giggly and goofy... but she would never disrespect anyone. And, if she did I would just SgtTigger to take care of her :spy: :hide:

[Jobasha3000]

Thank you! :) We're not the in-crowd, but I guess thats not what matters :confused: Disneys a paradise for all ages but it is expected that you leave the impressing your friends and acting like a punk self behind and just be at peace. Oh well!


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Now Playing: V.A.S.T. - Pretty When You Cry

[TinkRocks]

Like others, I will avoid going to WDW when there are cheerleading competitions going on.

Although I realize the smaller groups of cheerleaders walking round the parks with their chaperones are ok, the larger unsupervised groups are just too much. As much as I love going to WDW, I would rather not go than deal with the large cheerleading groups.

For those who have been asking when the events are, events can be found on Intercot's 'Info Central' page.

Click here to be taken to Info Central's Event Page! (http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/calendar/events.asp)

[*tinker_belle*]

Ahh just 6 years ago, I was one of the annoying cheerleaders at WDW. Cheering in line, doing stunts outside of the castle and just being crazy! It was so much fun but we never took into consideration that other people might be bothered by it. I can only imagine how visitors at the hotels and parks must have felt and how they still feel every time a cheer event happens at WDW.
We took over the All Star Resorts and invaded MGM for competition. Free days were spent at MK and Epcot. It's really cheer-nation, we were everywhere! I remember when we used to have competitions inside Disneyland. Thats just one park and the whole place was wall to wall cheerleaders. We'd cheer on rides, in line, passing other teams...etc. It was a pride thing. Looking back it was all a blast but i feel bad about how people feel towards this. I assure you i was never the rude or destructive type and none of my friends were thank goodness, i have heard so many bad stories!

[firefan43]

Ive made the mistake ONE time of going to WDW when the cheerleading competition is going on. Those girls were HORRIBLE, and the parents were NOT keeping them in line. They are rude, obnoxious, spoiled brats who care little for Disney.

We also had the misfortune of staying at the all star hotels at that time. the hotel was 90% full with teenagers. they were constantly cutting in lines, running around the hotel at night, misbehaving in the pool...we even saw one group of girls flashing a group of college age boys to persuade the boys to buy beer for them. Luckily the boys werent that stupid...which was very suprising.

on big thunder mountain they were climbing over the rails to cut in front of other people. when someone said something to them, they all turned and started saying things like "disney is for kids, why dont you go somewhere else"

i would avoid it at all costs. move your trip to november or something. :)

[MNNHFLTX]

Does anyone know when POP Warner happens usually? or know where to look to find out??The Pop Warner Cheerleaders and football players have their competitions at Disney World in the first couple of weeks of December. There are other cheerleading competitions (not Pop Warner), usually in February and March. As mentioned in a previous post, check out INTERCOT"s Info Central page to find the dates of upcoming events.

[*tinker_belle*]

Starting January 18, there will be College Cheerleading Nationals at WDW. Maybe college aged kids are not as bad or maybe they are...
Starting February 18 its High School Nationals.
And starting March 7, is the All Star Nationals which is little kids all the way up to high school aged.
These are the 3 biggest cheer competitions in Orlando that i know of. Plan your trip accordingly.

[lwhan4]

Does anyone know what resort the cheerleaders are staying at? Also, how many days does the competition last? Our trip is Feb.8th - Feb. 15th
so I'm wondering if they tend to stay the whole week or just Sat. 9th & 10th.

[*tinker_belle*]

From experience, i know that most teams stay at the All Star Resorts and typically arrive on a Thursday night and leave the following Monday.

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

The cheerleaders also invade POR, POFQ and some of the other Moderates depending on the packages offered. Also, you have Twirlmania with the baton twirlers in February.

We made the mistake of staying at POR during a cheerleading competition & never, never again. It was miserable.They were everywhere at POR cheering on the buses, the food court, the bar, the boat to DTD and standing in line for rides. The constant cheering was unbearable! :mad:

[Here we go again...]

Does anyone know what resort the cheerleaders are staying at? Also, how many days does the competition last? Our trip is Feb.8th - Feb. 15th
so I'm wondering if they tend to stay the whole week or just Sat. 9th & 10th.

From info central:

The National Dance Team Championship
February 1-3, 2008

The National High School Cheerleading Championship
February 8-10, 2008

Keep in mind that the participants arrive at least 1 day before and stay a day after to gets some park time in.
We are going with the dancers... we are much more mellow... and, I would KILL my kid if she acted up. ;)

[Magic Smiles]

Does anyone know what resort the cheerleaders are staying at? Also, how many days does the competition last? Our trip is Feb.8th - Feb. 15th
so I'm wondering if they tend to stay the whole week or just Sat. 9th & 10th.

We had been under the impression that the Pop Warner group did not stay at the POFQ, but after speaking to a CM working at the POFQ, there are so many kids attending these events these days that they are overflowing into many of the resorts now. Not only do the cheerleaders come, many siblings seem to be there as well. I know that during Pop Warner there were still groups around after the weekend that it had ended. We arrived on 5 Dec and too many cheerleaders were still there 9 Dec and still some groups even the following week.
We never encountered them cheering, just their rude and unruly behaviour. As mentioned previous, I did not once see a chaperone say anything to any of the cheerleaders, even when they were STANDING on the seats of the bus and doing pull ups on the bus bars. Yes standing on the seats, goofing off while many other paying guests were standing at the front of the bus as there were no seats available.

[lwhan4]

Does anyone else have information on this event :
National High School Cheerleading Championship
February 8-10, 2008

Does the competition take place in Hollywood Studios or at the Wide World of Sports complex? Does anyone know where they are staying? I'm really hoping to avoid this event , but we arriving on the 8th. I'm trying to gauge the impact on the crowds, etc.

Thank You!

[ljv1975]

It looks like we will just miss the cheerleading competition at the begining of March. It begins the day we leave, so hopefully we won't have any bad experiences. :fingers:
When I was in high school I was in the band and we went to places like Busch Cardens and Six Flags. I guess it must be something about cheerleaders because I know our particular band director never would have tolerated behavior like some have described. Or maybe I'm just getting old and kids have changed. :(

[Bri]

i didn't read the rest of the posts so i don't know if someone already mentioned this. you can always go to epcot on your original mgm day and still keep your adr's at mgm cause they are so close to each other. just go into mgm for your adr's, by that time, the competition might be over anyway, if you have dinner resies. then go to mgm on your epcot day.

[vamaggie]

Or maybe I'm just getting old and kids have changed. :(

IMHO it is not kids who have changed (kids will be kids) but it's the PARENTS who have changed. Too many parents these days abdicate parenting and kids get away with too much unsupervised time. No one seems to hold them accountable so they go wild (as kids do). Even though teens CAN be left unsupervised does not mean they SHOULD be (especially in a large, excited group) Ok, off the :soapbox: now.

[Hair_Razor]

I am a little concerned now too. Where did you find out about this event and when is it over? Do you think they will be there the whole week, I guess probably not since they are with a school group. I might plan to do Universal on the 9th instead.

[beckylovestink]

Hi! I found on the events pages that the main competition is Saturday the 9th at Hollywood studios. We picked this week 2/5-2/10 because my parents went at this time last year and it was dead...now I am concerned...Mardi Gras is the tuesday we arrive and I would imagine most of the cheerleaders arrive on Friday?
Oh well, It still can't (i hope) be as crowded as it was during my last visit 11/06 during Thanksgiving week!!!
Just relax and enjoy...we are afterall, going to WDW!!!:mickey:

[beckylovestink]

That is exactly what we decided to do. I think it will be fine...I was just hoping for less crowds:)
Either way we leave in 10 days and I can't wait!!!!!!:thumbsup:

[Here we go again...]

Hi! I found on the events pages that the main competition is Saturday the 9th at Hollywood studios. We picked this week 2/5-2/10 because my parents went at this time last year and it was dead...now I am concerned...Mardi Gras is the tuesday we arrive and I would imagine most of the cheerleaders arrive on Friday?
Oh well, It still can't (i hope) be as crowded as it was during my last visit 11/06 during Thanksgiving week!!!
Just relax and enjoy...we are afterall, going to WDW!!!:mickey:

You will have a pretty big crowd due to Mardi Gras, but we run away from Louisiana to get away from the cray people... we are the mellow bunch. So you will have big crowds but it will not be too bad.
The good thing is that you will be there with the dancers, not the cheerleaders. Dancers are are not as loud. They show off their talents by shaking their booties, not seeing who can yell the loudest.

We will be there at the same time. Most of the dancers from across the nation will be gone by Monday since they do not get to celebrate Mardi Gras. Maybe you will see us. And hopefully my DD will be wearing a National Dance Champion jacket. ;)

[RoosMomKanga]

Does anyone know what resort the cheerleaders are staying at? Also, how many days does the competition last? Our trip is Feb.8th - Feb. 15th
so I'm wondering if they tend to stay the whole week or just Sat. 9th & 10th.

No one really answered this and I'm interested also. The Intercot info. says the event is the 8-10th. Does anyone know what days/hours the actual events are held and are all these at MGM? Will most of them leave on Monday or stay longer? Someone mentioned they have "off days" to visit parks, but with only a 3 day event does that happen? Hmm...I'll be there 9th-12th and want to plan to avoid crowds if possible...I'm assuming MGM after Sunday should be OK?

[divinedi]

Does anyone know when Pop Warner is in December 2008? It's not on the list on the info page. I would like to go and see the Christmas decorations this year, and would like to be there on my birthday, December 11, but I don't want to be there when Pop Warner is there if at all possible. Thanks!

[Here we go again...]

No one really answered this and I'm interested also. The Intercot info. says the event is the 8-10th. Does anyone know what days/hours the actual events are held and are all these at MGM? Will most of them leave on Monday or stay longer? Someone mentioned they have "off days" to visit parks, but with only a 3 day event does that happen? Hmm...I'll be there 9th-12th and want to plan to avoid crowds if possible...I'm assuming MGM after Sunday should be OK?

This is how the dancing schedule works:
Teams arrive on Thursday, staying at the All Star resorts with overflow going to CBR.
Most teams practice at the resorts on Thursday and compete on Friday. We will be at Wide World of Sports all day Friday. If any of our teams take first place, they spend Sunday back at Wide World of Sports taping for ESPN.
So, arrival Thursday with practice all day, performance all day Friday, off Saturday, performance all day Sunday if there is a win.

So, as you can see, a 4 day trip (Most teams book a 3 or 4 day trip) will be very busy.

The schedule I gave you is for the dance teams only, cheer and college will be different days but work the same way.

The parks should not have much of an impact.
And just for the record, we were told last year that if we placed first we would be performing at MGM. After taking a first place finish in our division the girls were crushed to find out they would not be able to perform in the park.
They did the ESPN taping, but not the performance.

Please don't let this worry you. The kids you will come in contact with will not be on the level with Pop Warner. These girls (and boys) are much more respectable.

You will be more disappointed in the size of the crowds for Mardi Gras.
But remember, a bad day in Disney is better than a good day at home!! :cloud9:

Less than 24 hours to go!!!!

[honeebee86]

According to the events page in the info central section, the championship is Feb. 8-10. I will be going to DHS on Feb.10 (i assume that the championship will be held here?) Does anyone know where it will be held and how bad it will affect the crowds. Also, how long does it last (is it just a few hours or the whole day?) Thank so much!

[bouncer]

National High School Cheerleading Compeition Feb 8-12 per the "Varsity" website tentative schedule

2/8 Teams arrive (tho some may opt to add a day to arrive earlier) 11pm to 1am "UCA Night at Magic Kingdom" wristband event.

2/9 Competition events at both WWoS and DHS (Indiana Jones stage) approx 8am to 10:15pm both places

2/10 WWoS: Semi-Finals & Finals 8am-10:30pm
DHS: Finals & Awards 8am-2:30 pm
Celebration Party @ Animal Kingdom 10pm-1am

2/11 Teams may visit park of their choice

2/12 Teams depart

*note teams may opt to purchase an additional day on either end of the competition schedule. Teams can choose to stay at an All-Star resort or at CBR
Hope this helps your planning.;)

[beckylovestink]

thanks so much for the schedule! It will help me when I am planning!

7 days to go until:cloud9: