Becoming A Cheerleader

[cheerbailey]

Hi, guys. I guess a little about me.

I am 14, turning 15 in July. I have been going to private school every year. Next year, I will be starting public school. I've mainly played field hockey and soccer in school. But over the last few years, I've been watching various cheer competitions and I've been intrigued. I've been wanting to start my journey into becoming a cheerleader. The thing is… I have no experience in the sport. I've never done any stunting or tumbling. I have no idea where to start. Signups and tryouts are in May. What would be the best team for me to tryout for? All star or high school? What can I do to get ready for tryouts? Where can I find an instructor to help me get ready? Thanks.

 

[purplecheer]

It depends on the school. Some schools are more sideline based and some are more competitive. Some schools may have tumbling requirements while others may not. I suggest taking tumbling at an all star gym before you start a squad to get used to tumbling.

 

[Quotation]

I've only ever done all-star cheer, so I don't know much about school cheer, but the main difference is that there is no sideline cheer involved in all-star, it is a strictly competitive sport. That could be a good or bad thing, that all depends on if you want to cheer for another sports team at the school.

heres a list of the pros and cons of both, hopefully this helps you make your choice!

All-Star Cheer
Pros

• more competitions
• everyone makes a team (at most gyms)
• senior 1 teams will have people your age with a similar skill level
• no experience needed
• better gyms with better equipment (sprung floors, tumble tracks, ect.)
• there will likely be multiple all-star gyms in your area

Cons

• More expensive
• more of a time commitment
• lots of travel, which likely means missing school

School Cheer
Pros

• involvement with school activities
• will better accommodate school schedule
• not as expensive as all-star

Cons

• often schools have inadequate practice space
• you might need previous experience to make the team

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

As a school cheer coach, I wanted to throw in there that school cheer is not always less expensive than all star.

It usually is if it is just sideline, but I have seen some noncompeting sideline teams with fees comparable to non-Worlds all star teams.