High School High School Tryouts

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Wow, that's terrible! Why so many? Is it parents? Administration?
Not as bad as it sounded, two were middle school. One was former high school. But, this will be the (hopefully) third year cheering and the fourth coach.

Coach A quit mid-football season. Coach B and C took over. Coach C and D were last year. Coach D is alone this year. She didn't do as much last year, more of an assistant. Coach C is also a cheer mom and will probably have a senior (probable captain) and a freshman on the team.

Our school cheer experience has been very interesting.
 
Our mandatory pre-tryout meeting is tonight. Another new coach--she helped out last year and cheered in elementary, middle, and some high school. She is the most experience coach we will have had. Seven coaches between my two cps in going into the fifth year of school cheer.
So happy for you guys! I'm hoping for happier stories from you this year.
 
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?



She made Varsity as an incoming Freshman. Pretty darn great.
 
She made Varsity as an incoming Freshman. Pretty darn great.
That is a huge accomplishment for her. Congrats! What is the makeup of the rest of the squad? i.e. How many freshmen, sophomores, etc? I ask this because our school is the only school left in our district that only allows juniors and seniors to make Varsity. The other 3 schools allow every grade but freshman. I was talking to one of the moms from one of the other schools whose daughter made Varsity her sophomore year. She said that if she could make the decision, she would allow only juniors and seniors to make Varsity. In her opinion, there is a large discrepancy in maturity, life experiences, driving privileges, goals,etc.
 
That is a huge accomplishment for her. Congrats! What is the makeup of the rest of the squad? i.e. How many freshmen, sophomores, etc? I ask this because our school is the only school left in our district that only allows juniors and seniors to make Varsity. The other 3 schools allow every grade but freshman. I was talking to one of the moms from one of the other schools whose daughter made Varsity her sophomore year. She said that if she could make the decision, she would allow only juniors and seniors to make Varsity. In her opinion, there is a large discrepancy in maturity, life experiences, driving privileges, goals,etc.

I can totally understand that. I know it will be something we have to be careful of. But I do have an older daughter who will be a senior next year as well so I think it will be ok. I know that she won't be doing some of the "outside" of cheer stuff that the others will be she'll be ok with that.

As far as the total makeup, I'm not 100% sure. I know there are only 3 freshman on a 24 member squad. All of her other friends coming in as freshman made the JV squad.
 
We delineate JV and Varsity on skills here because Varsity is the competitive squad.

They are two separate tryouts as well. So really, you have to decide which you'd like to be considered for.

I have had freshmen on my Varsity squad before, because they had the skills and scored well in the tryout.

We've also had Seniors on JV due to being new to cheer or things like tumbling block issues (tumbling is bonus/optional on the JV scoresheet.) Most upperclassmen who have cheered Varsity and don't make the squad as a returner (rarely) choose not to tryout for JV and just don't cheer, because they find it embarrassing.
 
We have a different team structure every year.

As a high school coach, I have to form my team based around what shows up to tryouts. If I coached college or all stars in a town big enough, I would recruit to the needs of the team.
 
Initial parent/candidate meeting this afternoon. Nice turnout (looking at 45ish but had a couple who couldn't attend tonight plan to attend a make up meeting I hold briefly on Friday.)

I can tell you that it boggles my mind how many people (adults) will re-ask things I have already said. Or ask for exceptions to things when it has already been stated that we won't make exceptions.

Ex: "Your initial fees for camp and uniform deposit are due May 20th."

Parent: "When are those inital fees due? Is there flexibility on that? We have a summer softball payment due that week."

Ex: "I know they have to tumble to make Varsity but how firm are you on that? She cheered JV last year with a BHS but now she won't throw it."

Come on folks.
 
Last year we had two competitive teams that had an obvious talent gradient. This year I've had several parents tell me that I should just do one team. Every one of the ones who have told me that have kids who would have gotten cut last year if we hadn't done the second team.
 
Last year we had two competitive teams that had an obvious talent gradient. This year I've had several parents tell me that I should just do one team. Every one of the ones who have told me that have kids who would have gotten cut last year if we hadn't done the second team.

Funny how that works.

I also noticed the following but didn't say anything:

The parents who are most vocal about certain JV kids not being "ready to try out for Varsity" have kids who were not the highest scorers at their Varsity tryout last year. Interesting.
 
Last year we had two competitive teams that had an obvious talent gradient. This year I've had several parents tell me that I should just do one team. Every one of the ones who have told me that have kids who would have gotten cut last year if we hadn't done the second team.
And if you were to give them what they want, they'd complain... sigh.
 
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