Young students will have the chance to get a start in the Bulldog athletic tradition at Bridgeport Exempted Village School District, when Bridgeport Youth Sports football and cheerleading sign ups open at the beginning of May.
Second-through-fourth graders interested in football may sign up at 5-7 p.m. Monday, May 6 and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, May 12 in the Moran center, 68583 Scott St., at Lansing. There are limited positions of 25 per team and students must weigh at least 55 pounds. The cost is $110 per child.
Cheering sign-ups will also be held for second-through-sixth graders at a cost of $100 per child, and pep squad cheering for preschool-through-first graders for $50 per child.
Uniforms and insurance fees are included in the cost to play and cheer.
Bridgeport Youth Sports Football Commissioner Bailey Sieber said students are welcome on both sign-up days. He said third and fourth graders interesting in signing up for football must be younger than 10 years old before Sept. 1, and fifth and sixth graders must be younger than 13 before Sept. 1. They will be fitted for jerseys and uniforms.
“The only thing kids will need to sign up is themselves,” he said. “The rest of the stuff will be handed out during the summer.”
Sieber said youth football has proven popular in the district.
“We’ve had some really good years in the past, good turnouts. We’ve been averaging about 20-30 kids per team, so we’re hoping to keep those numbers active and keep those kids involved,” he said, adding there were spots open.
“We’re really in need of third and fourth graders, but we really are taking anybody. We lost a lot of sixth graders last year. I think we had 16 come through the program,” he said.
Sieber spoke about the benefits of early experience in sports.
“Especially if you’re a new kid coming up and getting involved,” he said.
Sieber said youth sports are a good way for young students to learn habits that will benefit them through their school careers and possibly later in life.
“It’s a great way for you to make friends with some of your classmates and create kind of a deeper bond with them. Also I think team sports in general helps to keep kids accountable for their schoolwork and things like that. It gives them something to work toward, teaches them a little bit of a work ethic,” Sieber said.
“From an athletic standpoint, they’ll learn all the basics of football and a general understanding, so when they get to middle school and high school they’ll at least have a good grounding in the sport,” he said. “As well as having fun.”
He said the Bridgeport community is enthusiastic in support of athletics.
“Our games get very big. We have a lot of people that usually show up. They’re a lot of fun. They’re full four-quarter games, eight minutes a piece, and every kid gets a chance to play. We do our best to keep everybody working. As long as they’re having fun and learning that’s really all we care about. Of course winning is wonderful, but for that age having fun and learning the game is the priority.”
The games are at noon on Sundays. They will kick off the last week of August and will continue until mid-October.
Anyone with questions should call Sieber at 740-359-5800, cheering coach Alexis Bell at 740-340-8007, or Abbey Roberts Salm at 304-281-0477. Bridgeport Youth Sports is not affiliated with the school district, so do not call the district for information.
