High School Captain Requirements

[gi_cheer]

Hey ladies!
I'm a high school coach and we're getting ready for tryouts!! We will be holding captain tryouts at the same time as regular tryouts. Please help me with ideas of requirements: what questions would you ask in an interview? what skills would you require?

Any ideas help!!

Thanks!

 

[MissBee]

I don't look for more skills wise. I look for leadership ability, responsibility, reliability. Anyone interested in being captain has to get a teacher recommendation letter, write a letter to the coaching staff telling why they want to be (and deserve to be) captain. The team does vote, but their vote is weighted at 25%, the teacher rec is 25%, their letter is 25% and coach's choices are 25%.

 

[12mowerd]

I would ask them situation questions, such as: What would you do if you knew a fellow teammate was using illegal substances? or if an underclassmen was being bullied by the older athletes. Put them on the spot and see if they can handle the responsibility of having such a high role.

 

[LoveOnTop]

When I coached high school, we looked for someone who seems to naturally help the other girls. Someone who we can trust to go over chants while the coaches do other stuff, or someone who will kinda take responsibility for getting things prepared for games and stuff. I don't look for skill. Obviously they shouldn't be a terrible cheerleader, but my captain last year...well her jumps were gross :p but that didn't matter because she was an amazing captain. Also try to pick someone who's an upperclassman and everyone gets along with.

 

[cheerforeverever]

I look for key qualities that I believe my captains need such as:
Leadership (who can motivate the team, have a great attitude and be a role model....in school AND outside school)
Responsibility (are they on time with what they need to have/where they need to be, can I count on them to get tasks done)
Communication Skills (can they keep the peace, keep every teammate in the loop, not too shy for confrontation/decision making skills)
Work Ethic (always giving 110%, never giving up)

and then take those in to account when deciding between candidates. The girls have to fill out a packet that is somewhat like a job application, requiring a letter of rec from a teacher, their GPA, grade, cheerleading experience, and then some short answers about themselves such as : why do you want to be captain, what do you think are the captain's responsibilities, what are some ideas you have for next year, etc............. Then there is also an interview with each candidate done similar to a job interview ( I think the more practice they get with interviewing/applications, the better prepared they will be for college and beyond).

For the interview, we ask questions more geared towards how they would handle situations and also include a fun one that throws some of them off guard. Examples:
-If you were an appliance/color/animal/season, what would you be and why (requires creative thinking and the kids never expect the question).
-What is your definition of leadership?
-What do you think your biggest challenge would be as captain? How would you overcome it?
-How can cheerleaders’ best represent their school and student body?
-How would you handle a situation such as (pick one or two):
1.) A teammate tells you to shut up, or rolls her eyes at you during a practice.
2.) Two members get into an argument in front of the team.
3.) A squad member is acting innappropriately at a game.
4.) Several girls are talking excessively during practice and it is disruptive.
5.) The Coach makes an unpopular decision even you disagree with.
6.) A teammate is calling chants when they aren't supposed to be.

 

[gi_cheer]

Thanks guys! Great ideas! Keep them comin!

 

[Goosepatrick]

Upperclassman, experienced with the program...no first years!!! Even if they came from other school, knowledge of basketball and football rules so they can appropriately call the right cheers ( ask questions like how do uou know what down it is? Or what is the signal for a 30 second vs 60 second timeout in basketball) respected by the other girls and teachers