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Light-Up LED Pom Poms
Metallic streamers with LEDs built into the pom, a rechargeable pack, and one remote that changes the whole team’s color at once.
$145 USD per pair
Military appreciation night ideas for high school cheer and dance teams: line the entrance for veterans, hold the poms still through the anthem, then switch to red and blue split pairs for the halftime salute. Light-up poms make the honor visible from every seat. Team pricing is $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs.
Planning a military appreciation night with your athletic director
If your school holds one salute game a season, the home game nearest Veterans Day is the natural pick. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs notes that Veterans Day is observed on November 11 whatever day of the week it falls on, as a day to honor America’s veterans (source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs). In 2027 that is a Thursday, so the Friday game that week works, and so does a home basketball game later in the season.
The athletic director owns the night. The squad’s job is the honor itself: the welcome, the anthem, the halftime salute and the thank-you. Bring your plan to the AD with the band director and the announcer in the room, and invite local veterans’ groups and, if your school has one, the JROTC unit. For other kinds of teams, see light-up pom poms for every kind of team.
A run of show for the night
| Moment | What the squad does | Poms |
|---|---|---|
| Gates open | Lines the entrance and thanks veterans as they arrive | White (W) |
| Pregame recognition | Forms two lines on the field for veterans and their families | Red and blue split pairs |
| National anthem | Faces the flag at attention | Held still; no color changes |
| Kickoff | Leads the crowd as usual | Team colors |
| Halftime salute | The salute with the band; the dance team’s pom feature | Red, white and blue by rows |
| Postgame | A thank-you line at the exit | White |
Share the run of show with the announcer and the band director at least a week out, so every cue lands on the right line of the script.
What should the squad do during the national anthem?
The anthem is not a performance moment. Federal law asks everyone present to face the flag and stand at attention with the right hand over the heart, while members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute (36 U.S.C. § 301; source: 36 U.S.C. § 301 (Cornell LII)). For the squad that means both poms held still in the left hand, right hand over the heart, no color changes, and nobody touching the remote until the last note. Agree on that at practice so a nervous captain does not press a button mid-anthem.
Ask your announcer to invite veterans in the stands to salute during the anthem. It is their moment, and the squad frames it.
Red, white and blue with split pairs
Each pair can be set to two colors: the raised pom one color, the low pom another. For a salute night, set every pair to red and blue, then press W on the remote when you want the whole squad on white. A second look for the halftime salute: the front row on red, the middle row on white, the back row on blue, so the squad reads as a flag from the stands.
Set the split pairs and the rows before the squad takes the field, the same way the setup videos show for a split pair, because the remote switches every pom in range together. Press it only when you want everyone on one color. For the streamers themselves, the team order comes in red, white or silver, and blue, or keep your school’s streamer color and set red, white and blue with the remote. Our guides to white pom poms, red and white pom sets and blue pom poms help you choose.
How do you build the halftime salute?
Keep it simple and keep the veterans at the center.
- Wait for full dark, or ask whether the stadium lights can dip for two minutes.
- The announcer reads the branches, or the names of veterans in attendance, while the squad holds red and blue.
- Each branch stands as it is called, and the squad raises its poms toward that section of the stands.
- All on white on the announcer’s last line, for the final thank-you.
- The dance team’s pom feature follows, in the same colors, before the teams return.
Rehearse once with the announcer’s script read aloud at practice. The timing is the whole effect.
Can you hold the salute at a basketball game?
A gym makes the salute easier: the athletic director can drop the lights, and the veterans sit a few rows from the floor. Invite them to center court at halftime, line the squad along the baseline in red and blue, and switch to white as the last name is read. The same set carries the rest of the winter; see our basketball cheer season guide. For the football version inside a full season of theme nights, see Friday night lights cheer ideas.
Military-connected schools and squads
At schools near a base, or with many military families, the night carries more weight, and the squad may include athletes whose parents serve. Coaches there can see how youth cheer programs on military installations share gear across families who move, how service academy spirit teams run their game days, and our rivalry week spirit ideas for military-connected schools.
Ordering for the night
One pair per athlete at $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs; an 18-member squad is $2,160. The set does not retire after the salute: it switches back to school colors for every other game. Apply on our team pricing page with the salute game date.
Apply with your school, your squad size, your colors and the date of your military appreciation game. We make the poms ourselves and will tell you plainly what fits your date. Team pricing is $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs.
Frequently asked questions
When should we hold military appreciation night?
The home game nearest Veterans Day, November 11, is the natural pick. In 2027 that is a Thursday, so the Friday game that week works, and so does a home basketball game.
Can we get red, white and blue on the same poms?
Yes. One pair can be set to two colors, raised pom one and low pom the other, and W on the remote puts every pom on white. The rest of the season the same poms run your team colors.
What is your team pricing?
$120 a pair on 10 or more pairs, one pair per athlete. An 18-member squad is $2,160.
Can we get them in time for our military appreciation game?
Put the salute game date on your application and we will tell you plainly what fits.
How do they work?
The diodes are built into each pom. The battery pack charges by USB-C and runs 3 to 4 hours per charge, and one remote with W (white), MODE and AUTO buttons switches every pom in range together.
What should the squad do during the national anthem?
Face the flag at attention with the right hand over the heart, poms held still in the left hand, and no color changes until the last note.
See also: light-up pom poms for every team and student section themes.
Sources: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 36 U.S.C. § 301 (Cornell LII).
Questions: info@neoncowboys.com.
