What safety measures do we employ within our organization to ensure our athletes are safe?
Reconditioning helmets every year, the league standard is every 2 years. We instituted a bar coding system so we can track the lifecycle of every asset, i.e., pads, helmets, etc. to ensure items are replaced or reconditioned regularly.
Cheer mats for practices.
Trained professional medical staff attends every single game.
‘Heads up safety program’ (all Head Coaches are trained/certified).
All Coaches are CPR and First Aid Certified.
All Coaches Must pass a background check.
What is the minimum entry age of athletes?
The youngest age division is Jr. Pee Wee.
Football minimum age grade is 2nd grade. ORJT also has weight requirements for each level of play, see the age/weight chart in Registration info for details.
Cheer minimum age 7 by August 1st.
Cheer also has an additional division 'Mascots' (less commitment and age flexible) for our younger cheerleaders.
Do registration payments have to be made all at once?
No, we offer payment options or of course you’re welcome to pay all fees at once. An initial payment requirements will differ depending on what squad/team you are registering for.
All registration fees must be paid in full by Jamboree (Date TBD)
When does football and cheer begin?
Cheer clinic and tryouts are generally in the spring, April or early May. Must attend a clinic to try out and be considered for team placement.
Football conditioning generally begins the week before July 4th and runs for approximately 3 weeks at ORHS, this is a ‘no strings attached’ conditioning camp held during the evenings This is free of charge to anyone who may or may not already be an ORJT member. This is followed by a 3 week tryout period, Monday through Friday and it is mandatory attendance.
When does the season begin/end?
The ORJT season game schedule typically runs from August through October and possibly into November. This is just the game schedule, the seasons in their entirety run from April through November for cheer and July through November for football.
How many games are there in a season?
The league teams are always changing but ORJT will have at least 8 games in a regular season with one bye weekend. Post season can run up to three additional games.
Cheer will also participate in Cheer Competitions towards the end of and sometime after the end of the season. These competitions will vary from year to year. Usually two competitions per season.
What are the required volunteer hours? Why are we required to volunteer?
Each participant’s family is committed to 12 hours of volunteer work or a maximum of 16 if one family has more than 1 participant. There is only 1 exception: cheer mascot families only owe 8 due to them only cheering at home games.
If you’ve never been to an ORJT game, you can only imagine the amount of work and labor it takes to make the entire day run smoothly. Since we have no paid staff, we are entirely dependent on volunteers . Our first shift of volunteers arrive at the field at 7:00 am and the last shift leaves around 7:00 pm and can sign up in 2 hour increments. We have 5 games to play, concessions run all day, and our team store to run, all of which takes a small army to accomplish.
How much does it cost to play football and to cheer and how is the money spent?
Registration fees for cheer are approximately $700 per season and football about $450, we say approximate’ due to the many factors that affect the final cost/budget.
ORJT offers a scholarship program for those that demonstrate a financial need, please email the Executive Vice President for more details. Our budget items include annual helmet certification, sock and belt purchases for football, facility rental from El Dorado Unified School District, cheer mat, equipment replacement, etc.
To apply for Financial Assistance, please follow the instructions in the: Cheer Financial Aid or Football Financial Aid
What is the tryout and practice schedule?
Football: Tryouts are 3 weeks long, 5 nights a week, 2 hours a day and are generally the last two weeks of July and the first week of August. Don’t forget the 3 weeks leading up to tryouts is the free conditioning camp! Following the 2 week mandatory tryout period practices are 5 days a week, 2 hours a day for the next 2 weeks, then drop to practice 4 nights a week, 2 hours a day.
Cheer: Tryouts follow the mandatory Cheer Clinic in April or May. Practices will consist of 3 to 4 days per week. Practices hours are usually 4 days per week in the beginning and near the end of the season (preparing for competition).
Bottom line, want to know how to plan your summer? Get everything done in June.
What if my child has no cheer or football experience?
No problem! We have rookie players and cheerleaders on every team every season.
Per our Mission Statement '....The objective of ORJT is to teach and develop all participants equally in football and cheerleading skills....' This applies to all ages and no positions on teams set prior to the season starting.
What are football camps?
Whether an experienced junior football player or just curious about the sport, we highly recommend attending one (or more) of these local camps or clinics.
Conditioning - As we all know, ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it’. These camps offer an opportunity to dust off the old cleats and begin the process getting back into “Football Shape”. Simple conditioning drills and teaching football fundamentals help to provide kids a competitive advantage moving forward towards the upcoming season.
Testing the Waters - If new to the sport or just considering tackle football, these camps offer an opportunity evaluate your interest. A brief exposure to this type activity will help provide some clarity as to what this sport is all about.
Improving skills or learning a new position - Some of these programs offer camps that are specific to a position. This will provide an opportunity to learn or improve on a specific position such as quarterback, wide-receiver, etc.
Equipment - Most camps do not issue football gear such as jerseys, pads, etc.. But don’t fret, equipment can be rented. The Oak Ridge Junior Trojans offer equipment to be rented if necessary. Dates and cost to be announced soon.
Cost/Commitment - Prices for these camps vary depending on the type and length of camp.
What if I have more questions?
Feel free to contact any coach or board member. We are happy to answer any questions not addressed in the FAQs. Contact information can be found under Football or Cheer Coaches as well as our Board of Directors tab.