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

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

that's even stranger to me. is that common to just try out somewhere else if you don't make a team? like this isn't just an all star gym down the street... this is COLLEGE and your entire future. i get being sad that you didn't make it and really wanting to cheer... but that is just wild to me. and it's May. so you've more than likely paid nonrefundable tuition and housing deposits to the original school. possibly even attended orientations and made your schedule, depending on the school. you go to college for an education, not cheerleading. cheerleading is an added bonus.

hate to break it to everyone, but cheerleading isn't everything. there is, in fact, a world out there beyond it.

Oh, I'd tend to agree with you (guidance counselor here!) College is most definitely for an education first.

But many higher level athletes are defined by cheer and not making a cheer team is a huge dealbreaker for them in terms of attending that school.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

We are having a D1A small coed advanced and an intermediate coed. I have 16 fulls on the small coed and the intermediate is a lot of handsprings. Just look up the intermediate division from NCA and find a college you might like.



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I forgot about intermediate! There are some great schools with intermediate level cheer teams who do amazingly well at NCA. They aren't throwing fulls by any means but are really clean/solid programs!

Sidenote: Currently awaiting a text from a private kiddo re: tryout results. The wait is killing me! She has applied to other schools, but this one is the only where she is trying out for cheer.

 

[Keep_Believing]

Oh, I'd tend to agree with you (guidance counselor here!) College is most definitely for an education first.

But many higher level athletes are defined by cheer and not making a cheer team is a huge dealbreaker for them in terms of attending that school.

I think that is true of many higher level athletes.

Example: But many higher level athletes are defined by (insert sport) and not making a (insert sport) team is a huge dealbreaker for them in terms of attending that school.

 

[kristenthegreat]

I'm an acting major. Seeing as some people consider this a hobby and not a job, I'm sure my experience was similar.

Certain schools you apply to and audition, some were just apply (depending on if it was a BFA in Acting or just Theatre). Often finding out you may have been accepted to the school, but not the program, or even a different degree level within the program. Of the 6 schools I applied to, I got into both program and school at 3. The other 3 I didn't get into were more conservatory style (NYU, Emerson, and SUNY Purchase- Emerson essentially told me that if I'd auditioned in person I would have been accepted). I know plenty of people who auditioned in AFTER a year. Anything's possible.

 

[Helen uk uni cheer]

I think cheering in college sounds like a lot of fun and a great experience! Sadly i probably wouldn't even qualify to be a Mascot haha
It still sounds great and i wish we had something similar here

The UK (the country) has university cheer teams and are mostly competitive teams that go to comps linked to allstar with open sections but they are extra curriculum and most people have not much experiance and cheer at open level 2 is the most common. I cheer at university but would I make a choice of where to study based on cheer? No cheer is my sport and hobby which I take seriously but my degree come first

 

[BowsnBling]

In reference to the post about a girl with level 4 skills making it over girls with level 5 skills, Is it wrong to assume that worlds level 5 cheerleaders coming from top gyms like Cheer Ahletics, Top Gun, CEA, etc. have strong motions or the potential to easily get strong motions?

Yes and no. The look and 'swag' that allstar cheer portrays is very different then what some colleges want. Now if you are trying out for and NCA based college team they take the sassy attitude but expect solid motions. If it is a UCA based program they want the down home, solid skill, great sign workers, sweet as pie look. Not to say this girl you speak of is not nice or sweet as pie, but it may of not translated to the tryout.

 

[cheerisloving]

I almost didn't pick my school based off of cheer. I'm so glad that I didn't do it. The school is one of the best in the region for my major. And I had already accepted that my cheer career could end at a high school state basketball game. But I still went out and tried my best. And was succesfull.

It is really the grace of God that got me into my college cheer program. I was told straight up that standing tucks are kind of the baseline for the program (I have mine but out of pure fear didn't throw it at tryouts). I have a strong running layout, jumps and game day presence. I have the ability to do L5 stunts but I'm only the smaller end of bases so I may have to fly.

My teammate on the other hand, made a cheer squad at a school she didn't want to go to but at the time was her only choice. She ended getting in to her first choice the next weekend, and I had to beg her to withdraw her deposit so she wouldn't regret missing out on a quality college education to cheer. She had a chance to make the new schools team, but we shall see. I just think school then cheer, unless you are tied between two schools that you like and cheer is the icing on the cake.

 

[Ashley]

We do, actually. Our school is incredibly hard to a level I cannot describe. So keeping everyone full time and not failing out is hard. Our honor roll is just keeping a 3.0 and only 10% of the school has that.

And the level of raw brain power on my team is scary. I have quite a few that will be doctors, a few that intern at the FBI, one at NASA, and tons around Atlanta at Blue Chip companies (Delta, Coke, Home Depot, Chik Fil A). One guy had a 250k job lined up at Delta for him the day he graduated because he interned while at Tech. It is nerd heaven. @Ashley and @BlueCat would love it.

I actually chose to not go to a technical college. Not enough girls :P

Reading all this makes me think cheering in college is a really difficult thing to accomplish . Do people with non level 5 skills even get a chance to cheer in college in the US? May sound silly but i have no clue since we don't have college cheer over here

I did. I never cheered all-star before college. I was a flyer, but I didn't double down and I didn't even have a backhandspring. I tried out for my college team during winter tryouts and was fortunate enough to be super tiny and placed on coed. I learned a double down, level 6 baskets, and got a backhandspring for about a month, but I still don't have a tuck. There are lots of skill levels across schools and NCA offers the intermediate decision. We were D1 Coed (not 1A). But I don't know that I would have made the team during the spring tryouts. I just got lucky I guess - and fortunate that they still had a coed team ha. We cut it the next year and I transitioned back to all-girl, but I still think I only made it because of how small I was originally. Probably wouldn't have happened on an all girl team.

 

[HeatUniqueJ]

The UK (the country) has university cheer teams and are mostly competitive teams that go to comps linked to allstar with open sections but they are extra curriculum and most people have not much experiance and cheer at open level 2 is the most common. I cheer at university but would I make a choice of where to study based on cheer? No cheer is my sport and hobby which I take seriously but my degree come first

I've studied in Birmingham last year and i was thinking about doing Uni Cheer there but ended up only doing Allstar. Looking back i kinda regret it a little bit. I totally agree though, you should never choose cheer over education

 

[NCCheerMama]

My daughter just made the team of her dream college-and the toughest part was actually getting into the college! Their game day squads also compete and do well at NCA (4th this year). She did not come from the biggest, most well known All-Star program in the area, but is a solid athlete on our Worlds team. What helped was that she could tumble on a dead floor-which some All-Star kids have never done. She had great game day experience, and like she said-she can talk and smile at the same time (which is kinda hard). The progam looked for the all around athlete with a good attitude. They were more interested in that, than who was the fiercest.

 

[Keep_Believing]

I actually chose to not go to a technical college. Not enough girls :p



I did. I never cheered all-star before college. I was a flyer, but I didn't double down and I didn't even have a backhandspring. I tried out for my college team during winter tryouts and was fortunate enough to be super tiny and placed on coed. I learned a double down, level 6 baskets, and got a backhandspring for about a month, but I still don't have a tuck. There are lots of skill levels across schools and NCA offers the intermediate decision. We were D1 Coed (not 1A). But I don't know that I would have made the team during the spring tryouts. I just got lucky I guess - and fortunate that they still had a coed team ha. We cut it the next year and I transitioned back to all-girl, but I still think I only made it because of how small I was originally. Probably wouldn't have happened on an all girl team.

If you are comfortable sharing how tall are you? I am curious what Co Ed teams consider tiny. My youngest daughter dreams of being a flyer on college Co Ed team one day. Thanks!

 

[Keep_Believing]

My daughter just made the team of her dream college-and the toughest part was actually getting into the college! Their game day squads also compete and do well at NCA (4th this year). She did not come from the biggest, most well known All-Star program in the area, but is a solid athlete on our Worlds team. What helped was that she could tumble on a dead floor-which some All-Star kids have never done. She had great game day experience, and like she said-she can talk and smile at the same time (which is kinda hard). The progam looked for the all around athlete with a good attitude. They were more interested in that, than who was the fiercest.

I am curious about that, how do girls transition to tumbling on dead floor?

 

[NCCheerMama]

I am curious about that, how do girls transition to tumbling on dead floor?

She started before she was a freshman throwing tucks on a dead floor (had to do it for sideline-both football and basketball at school). At our gym she practices on a mat like they do at college and then they also work at a gymnastics gym with a dead floor. She threw a RHBS to full on dead floor at tryouts and that helped, but she has to get 2 to full this summer. Tumbling is not her strong suit, so she has to take extra time this summer to get those skills. Nothing is guaranteed at college-they have tryouts again in August for placement between Large and small coed.

 

[HeatUniqueJ]

another stupid question, do athletes on college teams have to try out again every year ?

 

[Keep_Believing]

She started before she was a freshman throwing tucks on a dead floor (had to do it for sideline-both football and basketball at school). At our gym she practices on a mat like they do at college and then they also work at a gymnastics gym with a dead floor. She threw a RHBS to full on dead floor at tryouts and that helped, but she has to get 2 to full this summer. Tumbling is not her strong suit, so she has to take extra time this summer to get those skills. Nothing is guaranteed at college-they have tryouts again in August for placement between Large and small coed.

Obviously I am not a Coach or anything like that, but a RHBS to full on dead floor is impressive to me!