Douglas Pop Warner welcomes a new spring football & cheerleading program to Carson Valley, Excel Athletics. The Board of Directors of both organizations met recently to discuss their approach to youth football and cheerleading. Pop Warner president, Jim Valentine, said “With similar core values and coaching philosophies, the two organizations easily recognized the benefits of working together to assure consistency and quality for our youth participants.”

The two programs will share coaching training, administrative systems, equipment, and knowledge so the athletes get a better experience, learn a love of the game, and have a lot of fun. Valentine was excited about the possibilities for both organizations by this cooperative venture, “The athletes will benefit greatly by the similarities and, paradoxically, the differences in the programs. The opportunity to play more than one season of football in a year is special. In each of our lives there is a finite number of football games one gets to play … and we never know that number until it’s over. Our kids can now play more games while they are young and having fun.”

Excel offers the youth the opportunity to play and cheer in the spring in a less competitive, highly educational environment than the fall Pop Warner program. It will help some prepare for Pop Warner while helping others to stay in football shape. Excel football is 8-man with small rosters for maximum participation. Excel is for those players that have chosen not to play Little League, not in lieu of the wonderful Carson Valley Little League program.

Excel starts this Saturday, March 15, at Jacks Valley Elementary, and runs to May 31st. Excel has two practices a week and a game on the weekend – all in Douglas County. To sign up call 690-3663 or 315-4749.