High School Missng Practices - What Do You Do?

[AScheer]

As for the 90% of those outside judge tryouts being rigged, I am not sure how that would happen. The school contracts with an outside company to hire 3 random judges and the candidates where numbers during tryouts, so I don't know how they could be rigged. Even with this unbiased process there are still grievances that are filed by the parents of the girls that don't make the squad. I am thankful that our school hires outside judges because they are scoring the candidates on skills alone and not whether Susie's mom is best friends with the coach's cousin's sorority sister.

Obviously I have not been a part of every tryout in the world. I will say in my experience, judging many different schools, in many cities, ranging from extremely competitive to not at all, where I have no connections to anyone, every single tryout I have been brought in to judge has been rigged. I was hired by an outside party. I walked in the day of, met the other judges and coaches, and was told how to score, who to score well, and who to score low. Before the group would come in, we were told number 33 blah blah blah, score her really hard. I didn't know the kid or her name, I knew she was number 33 and my employer just told me what to do. Sometimes I even saw the scores I handed over get entered into a computer and then tossed to the wayside, where the coach went in and changed the order. That's not fair, but it's not my place to tell them what I think in that moment. I just hate the false illusion that so many tryouts have, and the fact that the kids and schools are paying money for it. I believe if you want to be the best, you take the best regardless of personal conncections. I believe the coach knows what is best more than a random stranger that just walked in and saw Mary have the worst tumbling day of her life. Even if Mary is a new girl, as I coach I've at least seen her have 3 previous great tumbling days at clinics. I also know that Mary who bombed her tryout is an amazing backspot and the team chosen by random judges only has 1 backspot on it. The whole system of strangers judging strangers for 5 minutes and they'll supposedly pick the most qualified is skewed and old fashioned to me. I know I seem to be in the minority of that mindset.

 

[Dixie]

Oh Texas.

I am not in Texas but have friends who coached there.

I recall hearing that one friend's school had a student body vote in past years to determine the cheer team.

What?

Yep. The entire school loaded up in the gym to watch each candidate tryout individually. Then the students voted. It is a step into the 21st century to bring in a judging panel, but can you imagine if the football team was determined by teacher recs? Lordy, the educational system would implode from the backlash.


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[AScheer]

Oh Texas.

I am not in Texas but have friends who coached there.

I recall hearing that one friend's school had a student body vote in past years to determine the cheer team.

What?

I've heard horror stories from my mom that that is how it was done in the 70's. Insane that it is still happening that way over 40 years later!

 

[Keep_Believing]

Also, in 1987. We tried out in the gym and the student body voted. It was a popularity contest. I am glad it has I proved since then, but am disappointed to hear that many tryouts are rigged.

 

[catlady]

Oh Texas.
I am not in Texas but have friends who coached there.
I recall hearing that one friend's school had a student body vote in past years to determine the cheer team.
What?

1976. St. Louis, Missouri. I was in the gym voting on our cheerleaders, they only did it the one year.

 

[gymcatmomx2]

Obviously I have not been a part of every tryout in the world. I will say in my experience, judging many different schools, in many cities, ranging from extremely competitive to not at all, where I have no connections to anyone, every single tryout I have been brought in to judge has been rigged. I was hired by an outside party. I walked in the day of, met the other judges and coaches, and was told how to score, who to score well, and who to score low. Before the group would come in, we were told number 33 blah blah blah, score her really hard. I didn't know the kid or her name, I knew she was number 33 and my employer just told me what to do. Sometimes I even saw the scores I handed over get entered into a computer and then tossed to the wayside, where the coach went in and changed the order. That's not fair, but it's not my place to tell them what I think in that moment. I just hate the false illusion that so many tryouts have, and the fact that the kids and schools are paying money for it. I believe if you want to be the best, you take the best regardless of personal conncections. I believe the coach knows what is best more than a random stranger that just walked in and saw Mary have the worst tumbling day of her life. Even if Mary is a new girl, as I coach I've at least seen her have 3 previous great tumbling days at clinics. I also know that Mary who bombed her tryout is an amazing backspot and the team chosen by random judges only has 1 backspot on it. The whole system of strangers judging strangers for 5 minutes and they'll supposedly pick the most qualified is skewed and old fashioned to me. I know I seem to be in the minority of that mindset.

Wow, that seriously disappoints me but I can see where this could happen, and it sounds like it did at our school. You made me remember my oldest CP's incoming sophomore year. That was the year that they changed the constitution where if an incoming junior didn't have a high enough score to make Varsity, but it was high enough for JV, then the cheerleader had to accept that assignment or they couldn't try out their senior year. We had one girl that this happened to that year and we had one girl that was on the freshman squad but didn't make the JV squad (which was the only one she was eligible for). At the time, we could ask for copies of the judges score sheets. The girl that didn't make the squad just happened to compare her score to the girl that made the JV squad, and HER SCORES WERE HIGHER! So of course, the coach and administration did the right thing and put her on the squad. They said it was a mistake in entering the numbers. The girl that hadn't truly made the squad at all eventually made captain over my daughter. My daughter was actually okay with that girl making captain and she making co-captain because she had seniority, but I look back at it and realize that something wasn't quite right in that tryout. So now I am really not sure what is the best way...and I have another 3 years of tryouts left since my youngest just made the freshman squad. Lord help me.

 

[notyourcheermom]

CP just tried out and made her middle school team last month, too. We are in the middle of AS tryouts. They let her and a teammate of her AS gym try out the day before, but on that score sheet, which they shared the score sheet with everyone before they tried out there were 10 things each worth 10 points. The required tumbling was a round off for the middle school team.

Facials - 10
Toe Touch - 10
Jump of choice - 10
Cheer - 10
Loudness of voice - 10
Tumbling - 10
Motions - 10

I don't remember what else, but, anyway, CP being a spring floor baby just threw a string of really solid hard and fast ro bhs bhs bhs bhs, but her teammate did her tuck. CP had a fever and did not feel good and burst into tears as we're all walking to car over not throwing her tuck and being level 3 all year. I said, Baby, you just had to do the roundoff. They either want you or they don't, you have Summit practice now. Here is some Motrin. Better knock that off before you get to gym.

First middle school practice Wens. We did talk to the coach before the girls tried out and she said she would work with AS. I hope it works out. I really don't see the kids that cheered middle and did AS last year doing school cheer again at our gym. Seems like they are just sticking with AS. Guess we'll see.

 

[jcheermom]

I hope that if any of you "coaches" ever, EVER in your natural lives try to prevent a child from going to a Beyonce concert because they have "practice", you get taken out by the Beygency.

Now when I coached middle school, I legitimately did not care if they missed. I had 25 girls... replacements were a dime a dozen. Bye Felisha...go home and study... color with your dog... Erin don't care.

CP received Beyonce tix for Xmas last year from a friend, and wouldn't you know, it happened to fall on the night of practice. Now, she wasn't the only one with tickets, and rumor had it that coaches were going to cancel practice, but nope, didn't happen.
Bitterness to the extreme!! Talk about dedication!!


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[cheerforeverever]

Oh Texas.

I am not in Texas but have friends who coached there.

I recall hearing that one friend's school had a student body vote in past years to determine the cheer team.

What?

Texas is a big state.

The majority will just hire NCA or UCA staff to judge their tryout day, because it makes it easier for the school to deal with the parents. "look its an outside judge! no bias"................

That being said, tryouts are quite competitive here. Everyone and their momma wants that uniform! Hence some districts adding teacher recs, tumbling requirements, interviews, further requirements to weed out the herd. It's certainly not the most effective way to put together a team skill wise, but honestly, how many administrations care about that unless the high school competes? They just want the appearance of support for their football team on Friday Night Lights, which is a whole other world in itself in Texas. The HS stadiums can be bigger than some of the College stadiums out of state! Craziness.

For example: High school stadium in TX.................

 

[SparkleSpankies]

My rules are as follows:

Excused Absence: Illness that student was not in school (b/c they can't come if they were not in school), Dr appts that I was told of 2 weeks in advance, unless it is about a recent injury or recent illness, family emergency (death or something of the sorts), any school activity that is for a grade/honor (band concerts, student council items, NHS), family vacation/committment known of at least 2 weeks in advance from parent.

Unecxcused: work, Studying, Don't have a Ride, Headache, Birthday dinner for grandma, anything that sounds like crap.

My schedule is set in the summer for the fall until mid November and again set for the winter by early October. There is no reason unless it is for a grade they can not balance their time. I do understand things come up. Example, a girl was chosen from an essay contest as an outstanding student and was awarded at a Philadelphia 76ers game. She was excused, it was a huge honor. She took her BFF who was also on the team. The BFF was not excused as it was not her event to be honored at.

Or many times if a "huge concert" is coming up and I know like 4 girls have tickets, I just switch the day bc they tell me they have them like the minute the get the tickets!