College Question About Tryouts And Selecting Colleges

[mygirlkristi]

Let's say your cp is determined to cheer in college - maybe it's a huge goal/dream. I'm wondering how they would make a choice on what college to attend when they may not yet know if they will make cheer there. Of course, the main goal of college is education - but cheer is a definite consideration too. Are most of the tryouts at the same time? How do kids attend more than one? We are several years off from this process - but I've been thinking about it and wondering how people manage this process. Would really appreciate anyone who would be kind enough to offer insight.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Let's say your cp is determined to cheer in college - maybe it's a huge goal/dream. I'm wondering how they would make a choice on what college to attend when they may not yet know if they will make cheer there. Of course, the main goal of college is education - but cheer is a definite consideration too. Are most of the tryouts at the same time? How do kids attend more than one? We are several years off from this process - but I've been thinking about it and wondering how people manage this process. Would really appreciate anyone who would be kind enough to offer insight.

Some coaches will allow you to try out by video if you can't be there due to some sort of conflict. Some won't.

 

[mygirlkristi]

Let's say your cp picks 2-3 schools and all are great choices - and the deciding factor comes down to cheer. Would it be common to attend all 3 tryouts and then see where the chips fall for cheer before fully deciding? Or do kids mostly just pick a school and hope for the best with cheer?

 

[cheermomforever]

I hope kids do not pick a school only because of cheer!

 

[MissCongeniality]

Let's say your cp picks 2-3 schools and all are great choices - and the deciding factor comes down to cheer. Would it be common to attend all 3 tryouts and then see where the chips fall for cheer before fully deciding? Or do kids mostly just pick a school and hope for the best with cheer?

CP had a high school teammate who did this.

 

[MOPSMommy1]

I think it is much more common than you may want to believe.

At our gym it seems that kids choose where they want to cheer and then see if what they want to study is available there. Let's be honest, there are some majors that it doesn't matter where you get your degree, so why not choose a college for cheer first? Now, if you have a specific degree you are trying to obtain or you know that a certain college has the best biology or whatever program, then you should most definitely choose the college over cheer.

We aren't at this phase of life quite yet, but I honestly think that several kids choose their college for cheer first.

 

[ScottyB]

Often times there may be a tryout or two that conflict but it is rare, but it does help make the athlete really decide on which they want. Some coaches do allow a video tryout but it is also rare. If someone told me they coldn't come to my tryout because they were at another tryout I wouldn't accept a video from them.

The key to any tryout is to make sure you have gotten accepted into each school and can know for certain that it can be paid for or completed by scholarship. I've seen many a kid have to unaccept their position on a team because they didn't actually get in or couldn't afford it. Which is a huge bummer either way.

Many schools will post the tryout results and say you have until X day to accept your position on the team. This would be the most helpful for you and your cp if they made two schools they liked. Important thing is to be honest with the coaches so they don't feel like they are being swindled or scammed for taking the time to inform you about their program. They understand that athletes want an assortment of things too.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I talk to kids about college regularly, though they are typically considering schools not for cheer, but other sports at which they've been very successful (baseball/soccer/basketball/etc.)

The biggest thing I tell kids is that your college of choice is not only where you will play football/basketball/soccer/whatever. It is where you will practically LIVE for four years of your life.

This is what they need to ask once they've visited:

"If I blew out my knee/arm/whatever and could no longer play football/baseball/soccer, would I still want to spend every single day here? Or would I immediately want to transfer?"

Especially true if you're thinking of going a significant distance to wrestle/cheer/play baseball/whatever.

So many times, kids didn't really want to LIVE at XYZ U that's five states away. They wanted to (using a random sport for example) WRESTLE at XYZ U. So once something happened (grades, injury, etc.) that took wrestling out of the equation, they transferred to another school 30 minutes away from home almost immediately.

So consider your sport, by all means. But make sure you consider other factors as well.

 

[Ems]

I talk to kids about college regularly, though they are typically considering schools not for cheer, but other sports at which they've been very successful (baseball/soccer/basketball/etc.)

The biggest thing I tell kids is that your college of choice is not only where you will play football/basketball/soccer/whatever. It is where you will practically LIVE for four years of your life.

This is what they need to ask once they've visited:

"If I blew out my knee/arm/whatever and could no longer play football/baseball/soccer, would I still want to spend every single day here? Or would I immediately want to transfer?"

Especially true if you're thinking of going a significant distance to wrestle/cheer/play baseball/whatever.

So many times, kids didn't really want to LIVE at XYZ U that's five states away. They wanted to (using a random sport for example) WRESTLE at XYZ U. So once something happened (grades, injury, etc.) that took wrestling out of the equation, they transferred to another school 30 minutes away from home almost immediately.

So consider your sport, by all means. But make sure you consider other factors as well.

This is a super good point, and I'll admit I was one of those kids. I went to a community college because I wanted to cheer there and get GE done (I had no idea what I wanted to major in at that point). And during my second year I got injured. I finished out the season, but my injury meant no more tumbling for me, so there goes my competitive cheer career. I definitely DID NOT want to stay in that area if it meant not cheering there, and I transferred somewhere closer to home. I enjoyed my two years there and I made some life-long friends.
What I'm trying to say is, it isn't always a bad thing to choose a place based on sports, but just have a plan about it, because like onecoolcoach said, there are many other factors when choosing a school. It worked out for me because I got a lot of GE done, it helped me choose my major, I could afford it, and luckily the timing worked out in my favor. If your daughter does pick a school based on cheer, just be aware of the things that could happen and have a plan for it in case it does.

 

[Michael White]

I'm going to highjack this thread, sorry!

So.. say theoretically, I know this person who has some really good skills, but he's already completed his major in college. He's only used two years of his college eligibility for cheering.

Where would he apply in the hopes of getting a scholarship for cheering so that he can keep cheering for as long as possible?

Some more information about him is he has a two to full and and an arabian through to full on dead, and he can toss hands, press to one leg. He's a little shorter though, only 5'9".

 

[quitthedrama]

Trying to cover some points without multiple postings since we just went through the tryout process. Scholarships rarely exist in college cheer, no matter how good the athlete is. I know there was an article somewhere that listed schools that offered some type of scholarship. UK gives some money but I'm not sure how much. I think Memphis was on that list as well, but most colleges limit the scholarship to in-state tuition and/or $500-$1k per semester.
The top schools will not allow video submissions, but sending a video prior to tryouts may be helpful. You have to attend at least part of the tryout (the college my CP is cheering for required a minimum of attending 1 of the 3 tryout days, but I think there is a huge advantage if you attend the entire tryout period). For the 3 schools my CP was interested in/accepted to, one had tryouts the 3rd weekend in April and the other 2 had tryouts the first weekend in May. I believe each college required a deposit to secure enrollment prior to these dates, so at most you would lose a few hundred dollars if you were still undecided prior to tryouts, and I would recommend this if you are truly undecided.
My CP initially had her heart set on a college from the time she was in middle school until her sophomore year in college. She visited the school and attended a practice and got all of the details of their commitment, practice schedule, etc. She ended up not even applying because she decided she wanted a different college experience. I would recommend getting the details of the commitment and expectations of every school you/CP is interest in. It is easy to say you want to cheer for the NCA/UCA champion school, but if you want to participate in other activities or have an intensive major that it may not be possible to balance the schedules.
My CP did choose her college around cheer, but that wasn't her only criteria. She found a college that had her major, was in an area that she wanted to live, and had a good balance of academics, cheer and social/campus life.
@mygirlkristi feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

 

[Ems]

I'm going to highjack this thread, sorry!

So.. say theoretically, I know this person who has some really good skills, but he's already completed his major in college. He's only used two years of his college eligibility for cheering.

Where would he apply in the hopes of getting a scholarship for cheering so that he can keep cheering for as long as possible?

Some more information about him is he has a two to full and and an arabian through to full on dead, and he can toss hands, press to one leg. He's a little shorter though, only 5'9".

Would this person be wanting to achieve a graduate degree or another bachelors degree? Or just take random classes to stay academically eligible to cheer? Like the above poster said, there aren't too many scholarships to cheer, and I don't know any that are full ride... Paying for more years of school just to cheer is a very expensive way to keep cheering, and it's time consuming. Is this person wanting the game day experience too or just the competitive? Has he looked into all star?

 

[Michael White]

Would this person be wanting to achieve a graduate degree or another bachelors degree? Or just take random classes to stay academically eligible to cheer? Like the above poster said, there aren't too many scholarships to cheer, and I don't know any that are full ride... Paying for more years of school just to cheer is a very expensive way to keep cheering, and it's time consuming. Is this person wanting the game day experience too or just the competitive? Has he looked into all star?

It's actually about me.. :shaka: I already have my Mechanical Engineering Degree. A double major or an MBA might look nice. I just want a chance at a ring, sidelines are fun, but not really where my heart is set. Where I'm located isn't feasible for either (All Star only has Open 4, small gym with not a lot of fulls, College is all girl). I've spent too much time in my opinion to give up now. I'm also a tumbling instructor and coach so I can maybe work my way through school?

 

[Ems]

It's actually about me.. :shaka: I already have my Mechanical Engineering Degree. A double major or an MBA might look nice. I just want a chance at a ring, sidelines are fun, but not really where my heart is set. Where I'm located isn't feasible for either (All Star only has Open 4, small gym with not a lot of fulls, College is all girl). I've spent too much time in my opinion to give up now. I'm also a tumbling instructor and coach so I can maybe work my way through school?

If you want a ring, the competitive programs are going to require a lot of time, plus you're going to be in school. And if you think school cheer is your only option, then prepare to be on the sidelines too. I don't know how feasible it would be to work your through school unless you can make super good money as a tumbling instructor.
But if you want to cheer I would start emailing coaches of teams you think you can make (and cheer competitively on, just because you make the team doesn't mean you'll make it to the competition mat) and see what scholarship opportunities they have. And since you could be moving cross country, look for places where you could teach tumbling.
Though since you're willing to move for school, why not do the same for all star? Unless you're dead set on a UCA/NCA collegiate ring, it just seems like it would be easier to get on an international team and work as an engineer. Less time commitment (no classes and sideline) but still get to compete and probably make more money. That's just my opinion though...

 

[retiredl5cheer]

If you want a ring, the competitive programs are going to require a lot of time, plus you're going to be in school. And if you think school cheer is your only option, then prepare to be on the sidelines too. I don't know how feasible it would be to work your through school unless you can make super good money as a tumbling instructor.
But if you want to cheer I would start emailing coaches of teams you think you can make (and cheer competitively on, just because you make the team doesn't mean you'll make it to the competition mat) and see what scholarship opportunities they have. And since you could be moving cross country, look for places where you could teach tumbling.
Though since you're willing to move for school, why not do the same for all star? Unless you're dead set on a UCA/NCA collegiate ring, it just seems like it would be easier to get on an international team and work as an engineer. Less time commitment (no classes and sideline) but still get to compete and probably make more money. That's just my opinion though...

I agree with all of this. Also, most schools that are in contention for a ring will want you to have stronger stunting skills. At least, that's been my experience.