All-Star How Competetive Are College Cheer Try Outs Getting?

[gymcatmomx2]

So how early is to early to attend college clinics? Cp wants to go to UNT's clinic this upcoming year and she will be in 7th grade. Her reasoning is she needs to start coed stunting now.
I've also seen people start as early as 8th grade but I don't want to be "that mom".


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Most college clinics are limited to high school students. My oldest CP has been to 6 at different colleges and universities and most of the athletes that attended were Sophomores or older. Anyone younger than that would most definitely feel out of place. And most of them are closed to non-cheerleaders so parents have to wait outside. The one clinic that they allowed parents to stay they did mention that they would "prefer" that they wait outside.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Most college clinics are limited to high school students. My oldest CP has been to 6 at different colleges and universities and most of the athletes that attended were Sophomores or older. Anyone younger than that would most definitely feel out of place. And most of them are closed to non-cheerleaders so parents have to wait outside. The one clinic that they allowed parents to stay they did mention that they would "prefer" that they wait outside.

Yes. It's usually 9th grade and up. I've seen a couple of INCOMING 9th graders (meaning that they were just coming out of 8th and would be in 9th the next school year) at summer ones but believe me, that's not typical.

And yes to no parents. That is one shift in the college environment that can be hard to get used to and is best learned now. If you show up to a college clinic and expect to be able to watch, you are going to be a very sad mama.

Some programs DO have an "open to the public" tryout, though. So clinics are closed but anyone can come watch the tryout. If you are the type of mom who can BEAR to watch her kid try out for anything.

My friend's daughter's college dance team had an open tryout (parents, students, etc. could come watch.) I asked if she was going to watch it and her answer was "NO WAY! Are you crazy? I'd probably throw up!" She waited outside.

 

[Ashley]

So you guys are making me feel a lot better about my tryout on Sunday.
-I both fly and base
-I have tons of gameday experience
-I know how to look the part (my school recently switched to UCA style)
-I'm always early & never talk back to a coach

The only thing I'm worried will hold me back is tumbling. It's been hard to regain my skills after an injury and I'm gonna keep working through the summer. But thanks for all the advice guys and you're probably all sick of me posting 104995940 times how nervous I am haha but I want this so badly


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You're a level 4 athlete right? I think you'll be fine, honestly. I graduated 5 years ago so I'm not super familiar with the team anymore (and it's a new coach) but from what I know of the them you should be okay.

 

[stuntjumptumble]

ooh dang! regardless of how tryouts go you're going to have a great four years!

Thank you!


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[stuntjumptumble]

You're a level 4 athlete right? I think you'll be fine, honestly. I graduated 5 years ago so I'm not super familiar with the team anymore (and it's a new coach) but from what I know of the them you should be okay.

I was on a level 3 team an had level 4 tumbling until I got hurt. I can definitely stunt higher than I can tumble. But thank you so much!


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[CheerExtra]

Being a Junior going on Senior, this thread is officially freaking me out! Last Friday my coach started questioning me about if I want to cheer in college, then I get on the fierceboard Saturday and see this thread...Oh goodness. If 7th graders are going to college cheer clinics then I am WAY behind because I have yet to even narrow down what I might major in or even begin to think what college I might attend, my last thought is if I'm going to be cheering. :help:

Good luck girl! I wish you the best on your new endeavors and I'm sure you'll kill it at try outs!

 

[cheermommaRN]

Oh no! Your not behind my kid is just OCD planner child! She wants us to take her on college tours this summer and she's just starting middle school!
Her plan is to have early admission as a junior so she can spend senior year in pajama pants and no stress.

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[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Definitely not too late. You do need to start really thinking about where you are planning to attend school so you can plan visits this summer before it's time to start submitting application materials. You can also strategically combine those visits to include cheer clinics and/or sitting in on a practice if you're proactive enough in your scheduling.

 

[CheerExtra]

Hah well luckily shes using those OCD planning skills to good use, that sounds like a plan to me!

I don't really think it is too late for me, it's always better late than never. It's just the thought of college and everything that it comes with, what you need to even start thinking about it. Basically as a whole it's extremely intimidating and overwhelming. Especially when you don't have allot of supporters and zero idea where to even start, it's like okay I am way over my head! I think I need to sit down and become best friends with Google and a calender and get this mess sorted out. This thread didn't help me with the headache that college is, but it's also helpful if I do decide on cheering! Time to get out the mirror and work on those motions!

 

[King]

I am not a huge fan of college cheer clinics. Is there any skill for your allstar team can you actually learn in a day? Then suddenly a college can actually teach you? Go to learn the motions and fight song (read earlier how those are important). If you are a potential college flyer make friends with the boys and go stunt with them. Don't be annoying to the coach but show genuine interest and start a dialogue early. If you are a true base and do not have the potential to be a coed flyer make sure you manage your expectations and are looking at programs that can use your skills. I have seen so many amazing bases who can't coed well and are very defeated. Remember that every coach will be nice and sunshine at a clinic. Go to a practice to see how it is actually run. I am not a fan of closed things personally so there is not anything we close off (wanna come watch a slow summer practice where most people are out of town? come on down!). Clinics help colleges make money but if an athlete comes in who is more talented at every category than you and didnt go to the clinic they will probably chose the more talented athlete. Hanging out with a program on non-clinic days is more effective than going to their clinics.

Know that for an extremely top level program, ex UK, these suggestions don't necessarily apply.

 

[Deleted member 25054]

Umass Amherst!


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Excellent school choice. Goodluck!!!

 

[cheermommaRN]

For perspective from another sport...
Our 10 year old is headed to her first college diving camp in a few weeks at UT Austin. They stay in the dorms and dive from sun up to sun down. It's led by the actual coaching staff and they take notes on the kids which they then compare each year the kid is there. It's like the longest tryout of your life.
They also pull up each kids Divemeets.com record (a database of every meet and score you diver has gotten) and keep track.


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[gymcatmomx2]

I am not a huge fan of college cheer clinics. Is there any skill for your allstar team can you actually learn in a day? Then suddenly a college can actually teach you? Go to learn the motions and fight song (read earlier how those are important). If you are a potential college flyer make friends with the boys and go stunt with them. Don't be annoying to the coach but show genuine interest and start a dialogue early. If you are a true base and do not have the potential to be a coed flyer make sure you manage your expectations and are looking at programs that can use your skills. I have seen so many amazing bases who can't coed well and are very defeated. Remember that every coach will be nice and sunshine at a clinic. Go to a practice to see how it is actually run. I am not a fan of closed things personally so there is not anything we close off (wanna come watch a slow summer practice where most people are out of town? come on down!). Clinics help colleges make money but if an athlete comes in who is more talented at every category than you and didnt go to the clinic they will probably chose the more talented athlete. Hanging out with a program on non-clinic days is more effective than going to their clinics.

Know that for an extremely top level program, ex UK, these suggestions don't necessarily apply.

Most of the colleges that my CP is interested require you to attend at least one of the cheer clinics before you can tryout. The clinics are the time that they teach the material for try outs. In addition, that is where you can meet your tryout partner if you are interested in coed squads.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I am not a huge fan of college cheer clinics. Is there any skill for your allstar team can you actually learn in a day? Then suddenly a college can actually teach you? Go to learn the motions and fight song (read earlier how those are important). If you are a potential college flyer make friends with the boys and go stunt with them. Don't be annoying to the coach but show genuine interest and start a dialogue early. If you are a true base and do not have the potential to be a coed flyer make sure you manage your expectations and are looking at programs that can use your skills. I have seen so many amazing bases who can't coed well and are very defeated. Remember that every coach will be nice and sunshine at a clinic. Go to a practice to see how it is actually run. I am not a fan of closed things personally so there is not anything we close off (wanna come watch a slow summer practice where most people are out of town? come on down!). Clinics help colleges make money but if an athlete comes in who is more talented at every category than you and didnt go to the clinic they will probably chose the more talented athlete. Hanging out with a program on non-clinic days is more effective than going to their clinics.

Know that for an extremely top level program, ex UK, these suggestions don't necessarily apply.

I will add re: college clinics:

If you have NEVER coed stunted before, a clinic weekend is not going to miraculously make you NCA Partner Stunt winner material.

You. will. not. learn to partner stunt in one weekend.

If your only flying experience is all girl and you know you're interested in a coed program, start EARLY with TAKING PRIVATES, stunting with boys at your gym, taking a coed flying class, whatever.

The girls from all girl all star teams who make co-ed college squads are the ones who have probably been working on their partner stunt skills since they applied to those schools back in October/November (if not before.)

 

[gofriars610]

Her plan is to have early admission as a junior so she can spend senior year in pajama pants and no stress.

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I...wouldn't do that. I got in to Tulane in mid-October (they had a wicked easy application and a two-week notification period so I figured why not) and UMaine on Halloween. I promptly then shut down academically (I mean, why not?! I had college options) and due to a variety of factors barely ended up passing calc.

Part of me wishes I had just only applied regular early action rather than super-duper-early action.