The sport of Cheer provides athletes of all ages and abilities with the opportunity to learn cheers, chants, and routines that develop skills in proper pace, volume, motions, tumbling, stunting, jumps, and choreography. SOMO’s Cheerleading program, JOY Cheer, is typically composed of multiple squads. JOY Cheer coaches assign cheerleaders to squads based on their skills and abilities.
Each season begins with a Mandatory Parent/Athlete Meeting where JOY Coaches explain the requirements, schedule, and athlete expectations for the upcoming season.
| Coaches | Head Coach – Sandra Toledo Sport Director – Rachel Maryn |
| Season Dates & Times | Mandatory Parent/Athlete Meeting – March 7, 2026 at 9:30 AM Practices: Saturdays, Starting March 7, 2026 Qualifiers: State Games: SOMD Summer Games, Friday, June 12, 2026 at Towson University Signup Begins: Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 6 PM |
| Athlete & Volunteer Registration Expiration Date | Sport’s State Games competition date: June 12, 2026 All Forms must be up to date before the signup date (last Sunday in January). The expiration date on an Athlete’s Registration form, or a Volunteer’s certification, must be after the above State Games competition date to participate in the upcoming season. |
You can find the official Special Olympics Rules, Fact Sheet, Coaching Guide, and other resources at this link: Special Olympics Cheerleading.
SOMO provides cheerleaders with Poms.
SOMO will provide athletes with the cheer uniform. All uniforms must be returned after competition at Summer Games. All athletes will need white cheer shoes (tennis shoes) that are not worn outside, white no-show socks, and navy shorts to wear under their uniform.
Location: Maryland Twisters Montgomery County, 8345 Beechcraft Ave, suite i, Gaithersburg, MD 20879
*All athletes will be required to complete gym waivers prior to the first practice.*
Timing: Cheer practice occurs on Saturdays. The first Cheer practice is Mandatory Tryouts where coaches assess athlete skills and abilities to determine squad placement. Be sure to show up – athletes who miss Tryouts are not eligible for placement on a competition team for SOMD’s Summer Games. After Tryouts, regular Cheer Practice occurs on Saturday mornings.
Activities: Practice starts with warmups…..then moves to working on routines.
All JOY Cheerleaders must participate in at least one Qualifier in order to be eligible for Summer Games. The Head Coach will announce full details after season start.
Special Olympics Maryland Summer Games are held at Towson University in mid-June. The Cheer competition is a full-day event on a Friday which requires volunteers, cheerleaders, and their parent or chaperone to miss school or work. It is an excused absence for MCPS.
Since Cheer is a team sport, it is important that all athletes commit to attending all practices, and participate in the Mandatory Qualifier, in order to be eligible for State Competition. Tryout attendance at the season’s start counts as practice attendance for State Competition eligibility. Athletes who make this commitment and do not follow through will need to sit out the next season.
Athletes participating in Cheer may also participate in other sports as long they can fully participate in each sport. See Guidelines for Managing Participation in Multiple Sport Policy. Athletes should seek Head Coach approval from both sports if they want to participate in more than one sport. Participation in the Cheer and Hip Hop programs concurrently do not need approval.
Parents/Guardians and athletes will need to sign an agreement at the beginning of the season committing to JOY Cheer.
