Even though Pop Warner is a national endeavor, the West Windsor-Plainsboro equivalent is home-grown. West Windsor Plainsboro Wildcats Football and Cheer, founded in 1995, offers boys and girls ages 5 to 14 a chance to hone their football and cheerleading skills while also fostering a spirit of community and academic excellence. The WW-P program, connected to Pop Warner, a non-profit that operates 42 states and several countries, is run by volunteer coaches required to attend coaching clinics and follow safety guidelines. No experience is needed, and there are no tryouts. There is a wide variety of skill levels, and Wildcats gives opportunities for everyone to play.
“As much as West Windsor has changed, the community feeling of the Wildcats has remained constant,” says Libby Vinson, a West Windsor resident and executive vice president of the chapter. “It’s a tremendous organization that provides our youth with so many wonderful learning experiences. I’m a huge fan.”
Vinson was born in Westchester County along the Long Island Sound. The family owned a boat and was active at Larchmont Yacht Club. When they relocated to West Windsor in 1978, she says, “We fell in love with the area but felt landlocked and put a pool in the backyard.”
Her father was with INA Insurance and worked in both New York and Philadelphia. “WW-P had wonderful schools and access to both cities,” says Vinson. “We fell in love with the area.”
Vinson and her siblings have returned to the West Windsor area and all are involved with the Wildcats. Her sister, Vicky Franklin, along with her husband and two daughters, ages 1 and 4, live in West Windsor. Their older daughter will begin cheerleading this year.
Her brother, Chris, his wife, and sons, ages 9 and 13, and daughter, age 9, live in Princeton. Her brother played with the Wildcats and now his sons play. Princeton is geographically assigned to the WW-P group.
Vinson attended Princeton Day School, where her mother worked in the registrar’s office, but entered West Windsor-Plainsboro High School as a freshman. She played varsity field hockey and lacrosse in high school and was captain of the field hockey team. She also played soccer with the West Windsor Plainsboro Soccer Association.
Always interested in politics, Vinson attended Lehigh University and spent her junior year of college at American University. She earned her master’s degree in politics and public affairs from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
She worked at Deloitte and New Jersey Business and Industry but decided that “it would be nice to come back to New Jersey.” Vinson joined Association Business Solutions in Trenton in 2006 and is the vice president specializing in government affairs, public relations, and communications. “Working full time is a commitment but it’s nice to get back to it,” says Vinson. “The job is flexible.”
Active in local politics and community initiatives, Vinson is a graduate of the Christine Todd Whitman Series, a leadership program for women in New Jersey. She has served on several local boards including the Mercer County Community College Board of Trustees.
Her husband, Dennis, has been the principal at Hightstown High School since July. He was previously the principal of Pennsauken High School and the assistant principal at Hopewell Valley High School.
Their three sons are James, 11; Grant, 9; and Cole, 7, are all involved with the Wildcats. “It’s fun to watch them grow as they move through the program,” say Vinson.
Vinson’s oldest son loved football and was interested in joining Wildcats. But Vinson needed convincing as she was very concerned about head injuries. “Football is a sport that people are concerned about, and safety is the number one priority,” says Vinson. “The main issue is to reduce the possibility of injury with safety measures. Nobody returns to a sport before they are ready.”
The football program begins with three years of flag football. “There is a focus on the group and the team,” says Vinson. “They learn to run plays. There is no real star.”
Wildcats wear their football jerseys to school every Friday. When James moved from Hawk to Millstone school he felt as if he did not know anyone — until the first Friday when Wildcats identify themselves. “Parents value the connection the kids make on the field,” says Vinson. A kindergartener feels great when a third grade students shares a fist bump.
“There is wonderful community involvement, and football players from both North and South coach the boys,” says Vinson. “We go to all North and South football games. It’s nice to get the word out there and enjoy the new turf fields with lights.”
Wildcats activities begin in August with practice Monday to Thursday and games and scrimmages on Saturdays. “We go to the shore in the summer but come back for football,” says Vinson. “August is their camp.”
“Kids are sad that the regular season is so short,” says Vinson. “Spring flag football is new this year. There will be pickup games to keep the momentum going.” It is open to students in grades 2 to 8 with practice on Wednesday evenings and games on Sunday afternoons. The season runs from April 23 to June 22. Players will be grouped by grade level.
“It’s important that kids come up from school,” says Vinson. “It’s an opportunity to make real connections with people instead of video games and texting. There is a community component and connections with the families in the organization. A lot of parents sit on the sidelines and catch up. It’s really fun.”
Cheerleading squads begin with Flag and Mitey Mite for kindergarten to third grade. They learn sideline cheers, jumps, basic tumbling, partner stunts, and pyramids. Competitive levels are for grades 4 to 9. They learn more advanced routines.
“Seeing what they do is amazing, and their season runs longer than the boys’,” says Vinson. “It is very dance-oriented, and this year they had obstacles and had to change the routine quickly.” Students from High Schools North and South choreograph the shows.
“They have to really be physically fit to do the dance and gymnastic work,” says Vinson. “They spend so much time practicing. It is also very safety-focused with practice inside on mats.”
The junior midget team recently achieved fourth place in the national competition at Disney World in Florida. Most of the 23 girls have been cheering together since they were six. “They really worked hard to qualify for Disney,” says Vinson. “Every girl had the opportunity to go, and they held fundraisers.”
The girls took first place in Central Jersey and second place at the Eastern Region qualifier in Albany, New York. The top two teams from each of eight regions in the U.S. advance to Disney.
But Wildcats is not all about team-building and sports. “Wildcats is the only athletic organization that has academic standards for participation,” says Vinson. All of the football players and cheerleaders must submit report cards. They must maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average. “It’s an important message from parents and coaches to the kids to maintain your academic standing,” she says.
Two Wildcats cheerleaders, Natalia Thomas and Kyra Musmanno, were chosen for the Little Scholars Eastern Region Team. To qualify, both girls had to have at least a 94 grade average and submit an essay detailing how participation in Pop Warner has benefited them academically. They were selected from a large pool of applicants and will be honored at a national Little Scholars reception this spring.
“I am an enthusiastic supporter of this program,” says Vinson. “The connections my sons’ have made through the Wildcats have helped them feel more connected in this large school district. It’s so much more than just football and cheer.”
WWP Wildcats Football & Cheer, Box 102, West Windsor 08550. www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=wwpwildcats.
