The Parkland Rangers Youth Tackle Football and Cheer Program is a staple in our local Athletic community, but is also making its mark nationwide. Part of the national Pop Warner Football Conference, athletes are recognized, not only for their physical abilities, but for their academic achievements. Rangers President Ed Hoffman says, “Athletes have to maintain a certain grade point average to participate in the program. Parkland has done an outstanding job and we currently have 12 National Academic All Americans.”
The Rangers oversee 6 Football Team Divisions and 5 Cheerleading Squads. Previously holding practices at Terramar and Quigley Parks, Ed tells us, “We’re so excited that the City of Parkland is building fields just for our program. We used to play all of our games at local high schools, but now we’ll have dedicated fields of our own for both practices and games at Pine Trails Park.”
Another recent and exciting development in the growing league’s story is that they have moved into the Greater Miami South Florida Pop Warner Conference which encompasses both Dade and Broward Counties. Ed says this was done more so because their previous conference’s closest games were in the farthest reaches of northern Palm Beach county, making it a veritable travel league. “This way,” says Ed, “We keep games closer and spend less time on the road….and the competition is actually better. Some of the best football in the country is played down there.” Despite playing opponents who were more skilled than others in previous seasons, the Rangers fared very well against the teams further south. Ed adds, “We were excited this year because four of our five squads went on to qualify for and play in the Championship game in their divisions. For our first year in this conference, that’s pretty impressive!”
Ed also stresses that the board and league’s goal is to promote and grow Pop Warner throughout Broward County. To date, there are now 8 Broward County Pop Warner programs who have joined the same Conference.
One of the things that make the Rangers different from most Youth Football clubs is their “Must Play” rule. This rule outlines that, in order to effectively teach discipline, dedication and teamwork to each child involved in the program, each player must take the field for a minimum number of plays in every game. The Mandatory Play Rule is what Ed feels makes Pop Warner such an effective and powerful program. “We don’t have situations where kids practice all week and don’t get the opportunity to play in the game. We strive to make sure that every kid has the chance to succeed in games for all of the hard work they put in during the practice week.” The focus, in this case, is for the boys and girls of Parkland to develop the skills necessary to succeed in many areas of life, not solely team athletics.
Not to be overshadowed by the brute force on the gridiron, the squads of young ladies on the sidelines have some serious athletic prowess, too. Girls from 5 to 12 years old stay sharp practicing programs that are full of excitement, tumbling, competition and fun. Every game is made more engaging because of the “wow” and entertainment factor demonstrated by these accomplished athletes, who are instructed by coaches with National Championship experience. “We’re focused on putting a stellar girls cheer leading squad together that will be competing this year at the National Championships in Orlando,” Ed says assuredly.
To get your child involved in a terrific program that stresses academic and athletic success, consider the Parkland Rangers. Families who would like to know more about the league are encouraged to see www.ParklandRangers.com to find out more about each division/age/weight class. Football players range in age from 6-15 as of July 31, 2015. Cheer division guidelines are slightly different.
For more info call 954-892-4244 or visit the website, www.ParklandRangers.com
