EDWARDSBURG ROCKET CHEER

We had an amazing afternoon walking in the Edwardsburg Memorial Day Parade! Nearly 50 cheerleaders joined us this year, making it our largest parade group yet.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated candy for the girls to pass out — you helped make the day extra special!

Special thanks to Martin’s – Granger, Rural King, Cass County Friend of the Court, Terri Harris, Justina Stinnett, Nicole Linton, and multiple anonymous donors for helping make this such a memorable experience.

Throughout February and March, Edwardsburg Rocket Cheer held our very first Shoe Drive, and

WOW — our community showed up in a huge way!

This fundraiser had multiple goals. Not only did it help us raise funds for new poms, but it also aligned with ERC’s mission of being good stewards in our community by keeping shoes out of landfills and giving them a second life through micro-enterprise opportunities in developing countries.

Thanks to the generosity of our cheer families, local businesses, and community supporters, we collected 3,250 pairs of shoes! Because of this incredible effort, ERC was able to purchase 80+ sets of new blue and orange sparkly poms and 20 sets of new pink sparkly poms for our cheerleaders.

We are so grateful to every person and business who partnered with us in any way. This would not have been possible without our amazing board, the outstanding 22 cheerleaders who helped collect shoes, and the many businesses and organizations who supported this fundraiser.

A heartfelt thank you to: The Chapel, Our Lady of the Lake in Edwardsburg, Dollar General – US 12 Edwardsburg, Duo Form, Edwardsburg Fitness Co., Garver’s Grooming, Welch Packaging, Cressy & Everett – Edwardsburg, Eddie’s Key Lock Storage, Brittany Bailey – B100, MNC 95.3, ABC57, South Bend Transit Federal Credit Union, HomeTown Living, Crocker’s Hauling, Angel Central Academy, Starz Academy, and Funds2Orgs.

Thank you for helping us turn old shoes into new sparkle for our cheerleaders!

Join us on Tuesday, July 28th from 6:00–8:00 PM for our 2026 Season Kickoff & Family Fun Night!

We’ll begin the evening with a mandatory parent and cheerleader meeting to go over important season information. After that, the fun begins! Families can enjoy games, cheer stations, vendors, food trucks, karaoke, and more.

We also have some amazing prizes to give away throughout the evening — trust us, you won’t want to miss it! An email will go out in June with more details!

We can’t wait to kick off the 2026 season together! 💙🧡

Mark your calendars for these important 2026 season dates!

July 28 – Season Kickoff & Family Fun Night, including mandatory parent meeting
August 4 – First Practice
August 5 – Willowbrook Farms Community Give Back Night
September 11 – Rocket Night at the High School

All dates are subject to change.

Dates still to be announced: Jamboree, games, Homecoming, uniform turn-in, and End-of-Year Awards.

At the end of last season, the ERC Board made the decision to increase our open spots from 72 to 80 cheerleaders. After having a waitlist last year, we felt increasing team sizes from 18 to 20 would allow more girls the opportunity to cheer.

What we never expected was how quickly registration would fill this year

— or how fast our waitlist would grow!

Our final team numbers are directly connected to Rocket Football registration and how many football teams they are able to form. If Rocket Football has enough players for 5 teams, ERC may be able to add another cheer team and pull girls from our waitlist.

Please help us spread the word: Rocket Football registration is still open!

WHERE: Edwardsburg Sports Complex - Back Pavilion

WHEN: Tuesdays and Thursdays

*Wednesdays will be used as rain make-up days when needed.

August 4 until school starts: 6:00–7:30 PM
After school starts: 6:00–7:00 PM

*NO practice on the first day of school.

If your cheerleader is currently registered for the 2026 season, now is a great time to start purchasing her required items.

Please keep in mind that Varsity can be slow to ship, so we recommend ordering early.

You can find the current list of required items in your Welcome Email or under the Uniform section of our website.

*PLEASE BE AWARE: The midriffs run SMALL! It's best to size up!

If you were with us last year, you may remember that many of our cheerleaders got permanent jewelry bracelets through a local vendor we promoted.

As ERC works toward becoming USA Cheer certified, we have made the difficult decision to require all permanent jewelry to be removed before the season begins.

For the safety of all cheerleaders, ERC will continue to follow a no jewelry policy during practices, games, and events. This includes, but is not limited to, permanent jewelry, earrings of any kind, bracelets, and necklaces.

We appreciate everyone’s understanding as we continue to put athlete safety first.

New this year, the ERC Board of Directors is working toward becoming

USA Cheer Certified Coaches

What does this mean for your cheerleader? It means ERC will have certified coaches on site at practices who are trained in proper cheer techniques, skill progression, safety, and age-appropriate instruction.

This certification helps ensure our cheerleaders are learning the right skills in the right order, while building confidence in a fun, positive, and safe environment.

We are excited to continue growing our program and giving our cheerleaders the best experience possible!

New this season, ERC will be collecting pop tabs to support the Ronald McDonald House of Michiana! 💙🧡

This is a simple and meaningful way for our cheerleaders to give back while learning the importance of helping others in our community. Families are encouraged to save pop tabs from cans and send them in throughout the season.

We will collect pop tabs from the start of the season through the end of October. More details will be shared soon, including collection dates, team incentives, and fun ways for the girls to get involved.

Start saving those tabs — every little bit helps make a big difference! 💙🧡

ERC is 100% volunteer-run, and we need amazing volunteers to help make our season a success! We are looking for adult and high school volunteer coaches to join us this year.

New this season, we will offer a Coaches Training Day to go over cheers, rules, techniques, and everything you need to feel prepared.

No experience? No problem! If you have a heart for helping kids, we would love to talk with you.

High school and college students may be eligible for scholarship money for every hour volunteered!

A huge thank you to the amazing businesses and organizations that have already committed to sponsoring our 2026 season! Your support helps us create a fun, memorable, and successful season for our cheerleaders.

Brother’s Baking Co., SAMS Heating & Air Conditioning, Chatterbox Kids, Eddie’s Key Lock Storage, Edward Jones – Shane Shidler, Lowe’s – Niles, Walmart #2768 – Mishawaka, Scapino Steel Erectors, The Chapel, Kirk Kendall Photography, Sacred Space Midwifery, Casey’s General Store – Berrien Springs & Elkhart, and GW Jones Bank.

We are so grateful for your support of Edwardsburg Rocket Cheer!

Edwardsburg Rocket Cheer is currently seeking community partners to sponsor our 2026 Season. With 80 young athletes in our program, we are proud to provide a positive, structured environment where cheerleaders build confidence, teamwork, and school spirit while representing our community throughout the fall season. As a small, community-based program, we rely on the support of local businesses and organizations to help offset the costs associated with uniforms, equipment, facility use, and team activities. Sponsorships allow us to keep our program accessible to all families while continuing to grow and enhance the experience for our athletes. By becoming a 2026 season sponsor, you are not only supporting youth athletics, but also investing in the development of leadership, dedication, and community pride in the next generation.