Cheerleading Camp Draws Hundreds to Bollinger Canyon, Sparks Noise Complaints

Girls from 18 different Bay Area cities converged in San Ramon this weekend to take part in the Diablo Valley Youth Football Conference's annual cheerleading camp.

A handful of nearby residents complained to police that the event was too loud, too early in the morning, though it apparently quieted down by the second day, Sunday.

Almost 1,000 youth football cheerleaders, ranging from age 8 to 14, came to Bollinger Canyon Elementary School to learn to safely execute basic cheer techniques, said event coordinator Lynn Peyton.

The camp, lasting from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, was enjoyed by many of the participants, but some nearby residents were bothered by the constant noise coming from the school.

Connie Book, 47, who lives across the street from Bollinger Canyon Elementary, said noise from events at the school usually does not bother her family, but this weekend was different.

"I think the noise level is too loud for a residential area," she said. "I don't mind the event itself, but the noise is a different matter."

According to Peyton, police said there were only four complaints filed against the cheer camp over the course of the two days.

Peyton also said that after objections about the noise from Saturday, the layout of the speakers and stage was adjusted so the sound would point away from nearby houses, a change which Book said cut the noise level down a great deal.

"We moved (the speakers) totally from one day to another. We react to the public's concerns as best we can," he said. "We did the best we could."

Peyton emphasized the significance of the camp to many of the young participants, some of whom live in areas like Pittsburg and West County, and hoped the local community understood the camp's importance in teaching youths how to safely perform cheer stunts.

DVYFC's cheer camp is run by JAMZ Cheer and Dance, an organization which produces cheer camps nationwide.

Julie Grogan, the JAMZ camp director, said the organization has a curriculum for all ages and abilities, but she stressed that the focus is not solely on cheerleading.

"What we're really about is teaching kids how to have leadership," Grogan said. "It's our goal to have each one of these girls walk away knowing they can do anything they want."

Saturday drew about 500 girls, ages 8 to 12, and Sunday brought almost 500 more, ages 12 to 14, said Peyton.

Each day, the girls learned various stunts—a cheerleading term for moves involving one person being lifted or thrown up—and dances, and performed what they learned for their parents at the end of the camp.

Cheerleaders from the San Ramon Valley Thunderbirds and the California Bears of San Ramon, the two local youth football organizations, were also out in full force, with over 70 girls for the Bears attending.

Dana Huettenhain, a seven-year cheer coach for the Bears, said the camp provides the girls strong instruction regarding the fundamentals of cheer.

"Cheerleading has one of the highest injury rates, so it's important they learn how to stunt correctly," said Huettenhain. "This gives them the foundation so they can go on into high school cheerleading if they want."

According to Peyton, the only injury sustained over the weekend was a bloody nose, indicating the camp's success in teaching not only skills, but also safety.

In past years, the DVYFC's cheer camp has been held at Charlotte Wood Middle School in Danville, but because of current construction at the campus, the event was held at Bollinger.

Peyton said this year's camp was a success, and both he and Huettenhain called the new venue ideal, but it is not known if San Ramon will host the camp again next year.