Montclair Cobras Chosen As Grand Marshal For 2019 July 4th Parade

MONTCLAIR, NJ — While many people see wins and losses as the barometers of success, the Montclair Cobras Junior Football and Cheerleading Program prides itself on instilling the values of “teamwork, discipline and education.”

This is one of several reasons the nonprofit organization has been chosen as the grand marshal of the 2019 July 4th Parade in Montclair, town officials announced Sunday.

In honor of the Montclair Cobras’ 50th anniversary, the young athletes – and their mentors – will take the spotlight at this year’s annual parade. The event begins at 11 a.m. along a 1.6-mile route traveling west on Bloomfield Avenue, north on Midland Avenue, continuing to Watchung Avenue, west to Valley Road and ending at Edgemont Memorial Park, the site of the town picnic (see map).

The parade will also feature performances by the Fralinger String Band of the Philadelphia Mummers fame, the Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps, St. Columcille United Gaelic Pipe Band, Weequaic High School Marching Band and the Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps.

>> READ MORE: Montclair 4th Of July Fireworks (Parade, Family Picnic)

According to a municipal news release, the Cobras program is a nonprofit, private organization that provides opportunities for boys and girls ages 7-13 to compete at the highest level of in both full contact football and cheerleading in North Jersey.

The program was started 50 years ago by local football icon Howard Finney III.

“Now in our 50th season, we've grown from a few dads coaching football to a professional association of trained coaches focused on safety first,” said Cobras president Wil Young, who is also a Montclair deputy chief of police. “All coaches go through multiple certifications to include concussion prevention, recognition and response, heat and hydration, sudden cardiac arrest, practice planning, CPR and more.”

The Cobras play in the Garden State American Youth Football (AYF) Conference, New Jersey’s first unlimited weight junior football league. AYF competes on a national platform where teams annually vie for the national championship.

Players are taught “discipline and accountability” on the field and in the classroom; disregard for these principles could result in disqualification, according to the Cobras.

“Football and cheerleading are team activities that require a commitment to one’s teammates and to oneself,” said Young. “The mission of the Cobras program is to increase participants’ physical and mental abilities, motivation and, above all, the capacity to learn to put team and community first.”

Registration for the Cobras’ 2019 season is open. Register online at MontclairCobras.com. Full practice begins on July 22. Practices take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Glenfield Park. Registration is required to participate.

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