High School Captain Question!! Any Advice?

[Cheerxoxo]

So i am cheering for my first ever year on my middle school cheer team and im in 8th grade. Do u think there is any way that i can be captain for JV or Varsity for High school or will the girls who have been cheering for a longer time get the spot??


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[jacqui_perez]

It really depends on the other people on the team and the coach. I made varsity captain with much less experience than other people on the team because my coach felt that I had better leadership qualities. Most coaches look for that over experience. Of course it helps to have the skills to go with it, but experience doesn't always equate to ability and skill. I think that as long as you work hard and show that you're dedicated you'll have a chance


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[cheerforeverever]

There is a lot that factors in to a coach choosing a captain.

-Role model behavior : Are they on-time to practice? Are they responsible? Are they always encouraging their teammates and leading by example? Are they a leader at practice as well as outside of practice, i.e. grades,etc?
-Leadership abilities: Can they inspire their teammates? Do their teammates respect them? (otherwise girls will not listen to the captain) Can they handle high pressure situations?
-Communication skills: Will they keep their teammates informed about practices/reminders/what to wear and bring for games and pep rallies, etc.? Will they be able to communicate ideas/thoughts/feelings between the squad and the coach? Will they be able to speak up when needed? How will they deal with a teammate that is having a bad attitude?
-Experience: Have they shown that they earned the spot through hard work in the past? Have they done the extra tumbling lessons/other allstar or school cheer teams in the past? (you don't have to be the most skilled, but teammates have a hard time respecting someone that is the weakest on their team typically. Therefore it helps to have above average skills or at least a solid, dependable average of skills). Age will play a factor as well.... If two candidates are exactly even on their potential, the older one will probably get chosen (Senior over a Junior or Sophomore for Varsity Captain- Junior or Sophomore over a Freshmen for JV). If they are not even though on their skills/behavior/abilities/personality, then a younger candidate could win out.

Just keep working hard and showing that you have the leadership potential, and eventually you could earn yourself a captain position, whether it be as an 8th grader or a 12th grader.