High School High School Tryouts

[Gsquared]

Thanks to all for the feedback input etc! I have actually survived my tryout and am up to my neck in the FALLOUT!!! Hopefully I can respond to many of you personally soon!

 

[Livvyxoxo]

I have tryouts tomorrow!:cheering:

 

[gymcatmomx2]

I have tryouts tomorrow!:cheering:

Good luck!

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

My first parent meeting is Monday.

In order to avoid having two separate meetings, I have kids and parents attend, then split into two groups. I take the parents and my assistant coach takes the kids, then we switch (I talk about the scoresheet and process with the kids, then my assistant takes them to talk about the calendar/oblgations/season. We flip flop and I talk about the same things with the parents, with the parent side including more about financials, etc.)

Tryouts themselves are in April with 4 days of clinics prior to the tryout itself.

We do not meet until Monday and I already have an email from a JV parent asking if "camp is mandatory for Varsity."

 

[gymcatmomx2]

My first parent meeting is Monday.

In order to avoid having two separate meetings, I have kids and parents attend, then split into two groups. I take the parents and my assistant coach takes the kids, then we switch (I talk about the scoresheet and process with the kids, then my assistant takes them to talk about the calendar/oblgations/season. We flip flop and I talk about the same things with the parents, with the parent side including more about financials, etc.)

Tryouts themselves are in April with 4 days of clinics prior to the tryout itself.

We do not meet until Monday and I already have an email from a JV parent asking if "camp is mandatory for Varsity."

I am curious why you have separate meetings.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I do bring both together at the end to answer questions in the same room. Kids tend to have different questions about the process than their parents have, though. That was my only reasoning.

Oh and parents get copies of everything their kids get.

 

[SmileCat]

I am curious why you have separate meetings.

Not trying to answer for her, but at my high school, we had separate meetings also. Main reason was to save time and drama. The kids got information on whats expected of them, team information, senior night, homecoming, etc., while the parents received important dates, fundraising, payment dates, ect. The team meeting was usually the day of the first practice and the parents was usually the following week or so.
We had a few medaling parents so this gave the team space while they discussed team bondings, homecoming tag night ideas, pre-game meal plans and other team info.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^Yes, that.

 

[acecheermom]

Thanks to all for the feedback input etc! I have actually survived my tryout and am up to my neck in the FALLOUT!!! Hopefully I can respond to many of you personally soon!

The Fallout? HOpe it isn't serious.

My oldest CP has done cheer basically her whole life. She did 6 years of Rec, we are on season 5 of Allstar, she did 3 years of middle school, and now is dead in the middle of tryout for high school cheer.

At our school they are handing out envelopes at the end of the last day telling them their results. That's all the paper said. I just 'assumed' that meant she'd know which team but now this thread has me wondering. They didn't mention any further camps. Just said results, then gave date for uniform fittings, and parent meeting to get schedules, etc. Our school has 3 teams; Freshman, JV, and Varsity.

This process seems so different than what she's done before. Nervous about the fallout here as well.

Any words of advice from experience?

 

[AScheer]

I have to share this with all of you.

Held our pre-tryout parent meeting last night.

Had a confrontational parent on DAY ZERO! We haven't done anything yet, but she chose to go off about fundraising of all things. We didn't even really discuss fundraising in detail, I always wait until I know who's on the team to go into detail about that. My coaching staff and I sat around for about 30 minutes after the meeting laughing at the audacity of someone who would go off with such an attitude before tryouts even started.

In her defense, she later apologized, but still

That woman would have just ruined any chance of her daughter making my team. I would have that name written down so I wouldn't forget who it was. I have gone into a tryout before knowing I wouldn't take a certain kid based on parent actions at the meeting. If they'll act like that now, just imagine after they're on the team. We don't get paid enough to deal with parents that act like this. I don't want parents like that representing our team in public, not to mention the effect parents like that have on the whole atmosphere of the team.

Good luck with tryouts! Did you have a good turnout to the meeting?

 

[Official OWECheer]

I don't want parents like that representing our team in public, not to mention the effect parents like that have on the whole atmosphere of the team.

Good luck with tryouts! Did you have a good turnout to the meeting?

This. Not just that, but if the parent feels entitled enough to have an outburst like that, imagine what the kid's behavior might be like.

 

[gymcatmomx2]

Not trying to answer for her, but at my high school, we had separate meetings also. Main reason was to save time and drama. The kids got information on whats expected of them, team information, senior night, homecoming, etc., while the parents received important dates, fundraising, payment dates, ect. The team meeting was usually the day of the first practice and the parents was usually the following week or so.
We had a few medaling parents so this gave the team space while they discussed team bondings, homecoming tag night ideas, pre-game meal plans and other team info.

I can totally relate to the parent issues. My biggest grief with school cheer is the mama drama. There's always that one mom that just can't keep herself from getting involved with the cheer program - and unabashedly thinks she could be a better coach.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

That woman would have just ruined any chance of her daughter making my team. I would have that name written down so I wouldn't forget who it was. I have gone into a tryout before knowing I wouldn't take a certain kid based on parent actions at the meeting. If they'll act like that now, just imagine after they're on the team. We don't get paid enough to deal with parents that act like this. I don't want parents like that representing our team in public, not to mention the effect parents like that have on the whole atmosphere of the team.

Good luck with tryouts! Did you have a good turnout to the meeting?

We had 36 present and accounted for. Added a couple more returnees who I knew were going to be missing. Yesterday, picked up one more who had sat out her freshman year, but I remember from her middle school days, and has a lot of talent. Last year we had 49 at the parent meeting, but we had a HUGE senior class and a huge freshman class. This year, we are back to more normal numbers. There's still a lot of talent in the pool: 12 with standing tucks (one of those with standing full), 8 with running layouts (2 of those with solid fulls and about 3 more who are on the twisting bubble). Best thing about the program right now, is that I have a wide variety of sizes. I don't have to be creative to make stunt groups with that tumbling. Last year, I didn't have a great mix of sizes for stunt groups. Still not 100% sure what my makeup is going to be. We always treat them as one big team, but sometimes it's necessary to compete two groups of them in different divisions.

I wish KHSAA would align their divisions with Varsity. It would make my decision easy if I could compete 30 kids in super on each, I'd just run with it. As it stands, I can only compete 24 with KHSAA, but max at Varsity is 30. Also complicating matters is the presence of 3 boys. Although, I don't think I'm going to compete them. First year coed is too big of a learning curve to throw them to the wolves at nationals.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

This. Not just that, but if the parent feels entitled enough to have an outburst like that, imagine what the kid's behavior might be like.

I had to contact the middle school coach from where she came to find out if this was normal or she was just having a bad day. I figure we're all entitled to that every now and then. Apparently, it's "normal, but harmless." I am not sure what that means. It seems to me as if it would be "normal, and a headache" at least.

 

[cheer25mom]

I had to contact the middle school coach from where she came to find out if this was normal or she was just having a bad day. I figure we're all entitled to that every now and then. Apparently, it's "normal, but harmless." I am not sure what that means. It seems to me as if it would be "normal, and a headache" at least.

Maybe she is all talk?? We have one of those in our all star gym. Complains about EVERY decision, but all she does is talk to other parents about it unless its in a meeting like your situation. Then she will give her opinion, but she doesn't act on any of it.