High School School Tryout Attire?

[DonnaM]

CP has tryouts for school cheer Monday. It’s a game day team. For clinics, the new kids have just worn assorted t-shirts and shorts. Should CP match the team colors? Bow or not? She’s excited about the team, but a little nervous since the tryout is focusing on cheers, jumps and dance over tumbling and stunting. She’s never had to do a tryout before-our All Star gym does evaluations as a private lesson followed by a month of age-grouped practices.

 

[coacha]

It’s hard to tell you exactly because it is often based on team culture, but my kids are told to wear white shirts, green shorts (our school colors) and a bow. But I mostly do it to see how they listen/follow directions.

That said, team colors and a bow is a safe bet.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I always asked for:



White tee/tank/polo.
School color short (Soffe style/cut)
Hair in pony with bow.
Makeup style is what I call "game day pretty" (think collegiate style: red lip, simple everything else, but enough to look presentable under the lights on a Friday. )

I rarely commented on it in feedback unless someone's attire clearly showed that they could not follow directions. Ex: wearing a school colored sports bra when that was not what I asked for.)

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

If you got skills, you can come into my tryouts dressed like the homeless guy on the corner.

 

[coacha]

If you got skills, you can come into my tryouts dressed like the homeless guy on the corner.

While I understand the sentiment, if I tell candidates to wear white shirts and you show up in a neon pink shirt (and everyone else managed to listen) I know it’s going to be a long year with you. Will you make the team? If your skills are there, yes. If you’re on the bubble, it’s likely that I’m going to take a different bubble kid who can follow directions over you.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I don't know that appearance was ever the reason a kid did not make my team (when dealing with the natural score break, usually not), but they literally were/are (my replacement still uses it) the EASIEST 5 POINTS YOU COULD GET.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WEAR A WHITE TOP AND A NAVY OR GOLD SHORT. BOW.

If you did not have any (they were $5 each at a JCPenney near us at one point but you never know who can't afford what) or yours got stained, or you forgot to read the directions, a graduating senior would usually be nice enough to hook you up with some of hers.

I don't feel silly for ever requiring it because colleges do it all the time. Ex: Try showing up to (example) UK with a teased Posh and a sports bra when they said leotard. I'm sure it will go super well because it shows that you literally cannot follow basic directions.

I also was really weird about all star gym or rec/whatever specific clothing at clinics. I allowed pretty much anything as long as it wasn't jeans, jewelry, or something specific to another team you are/were on. Of course we already knew (as coaches/judges) who cheers or tumbles elsewhere, but I did not want it to somehow intimidate other candidates.

 

[DonnaM]

I wish they had been more specific about attire. So far, it has been t-shirt and shorts, and some of the shirts that kids have had on are ones that I really don’t think were a good choice (Ex-political attire)

CP hasn’t used anything with her cheer team or from an All Star comp (like Nationals t-shirts) because she was warned by kids at her gym not to (not to mention coaches here :)) . She’s also tried to match team colors. And, to be honest, most of the clinics have focused on crowd leading, and they are using her as a flyer, when she’s been a base/backspot previously, so her All Star skills aren’t all that useful, and good jumps are a lot harder on a gym floor than on a Spring floor. Coming in as super cheerleader probably would have been embarrassing.

We’ll go with red soffe shorts, a white top, white cheer shoes with no-show socks, and a black/red ribbon bow.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I wish they had been more specific about attire. So far, it has been t-shirt and shorts, and some of the shirts that kids have had on are ones that I really don’t think were a good choice (Ex-political attire)

CP hasn’t used anything with her cheer team or from an All Star comp (like Nationals t-shirts) because she was warned by kids at her gym not to (not to mention coaches here :)) . She’s also tried to match team colors. And, to be honest, most of the clinics have focused on crowd leading, and they are using her as a flyer, when she’s been a base/backspot previously, so her All Star skills aren’t all that useful, and good jumps are a lot harder on a gym floor than on a Spring floor. Coming in as super cheerleader probably would have been embarrassing.

We’ll go with red soffe shorts, a white top, white cheer shoes with no-show socks, and a black/red ribbon bow.

Dead mat is incredibly humbling. I call it the great equalizer. Especially for those who come in like Super Cheerleader but have no dead mat experience before that week.

Spring Floor Only Cheerleader: "My highest pass is a round off backhandspring 3 to full."
The Dead Mat: "Surprise! Your highest pass is actually a tuck!"

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

Dead mat is incredibly humbling. I call it the great equalizer. Especially for those who come in like Super Cheerleader but have no dead mat experience before that week.

Spring Floor Only Cheerleader: "My highest pass is a round off backhandspring 3 to full."
The Dead Mat: "Surprise! Your highest pass is actually a tuck!"

For kids with great tumbling technique, it’s really not that big of a difference. I had a kid tryout for me a couple years ago who just surprised everyone by throwing a ROBHS double full on the gym floor. Of course I had to tell her how great her illegal skill was. For kids who don’t have great tumbling technique and get away with their flaws because of the spring floor: hello BHS class.

 

[DonnaM]

CP hasn’t found tumbling to be as big of a difference, since that is on a mat (her tumbling coach has them train skills on both a Spring floor and a dead mat, since there are people in each class who do school cheer), but has found that the bouncing and jumping for cheers is a lot harder than it looks-especially on a gym floor. There is simply more downtime in All Star :).

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

CP hasn’t found tumbling to be as big of a difference, since that is on a mat (her tumbling coach has them train skills on both a Spring floor and a dead mat, since there are people in each class who do school cheer), but has found that the bouncing and jumping for cheers is a lot harder than it looks-especially on a gym floor. There is simply more downtime in All Star :).

*In all star it's a lot faster paced and intense because the skills are different, but once you compete, you are done for the day. School cheer is maintaining energy to intermittently cheer/jump/stunt for a whole game. There's no sit down time.
*All star has a count. School has a count and also words. People don't realize how tiring it is to stunt while also cheering loud enough to be heard.
*School cheer also requires you to be responsive to the game situations even if tired. Oh, you just got done with a timeout stunt in 4th quarter and you're tired? How about a touch down and an extra point in case you weren't tired enough. YAY fight song!
*THE JUMPS. All star is what, a max of 3 in 2:30? Even if you hate them, once they're done, no more. You may do a good number of them if you're in practice and the coaches notice that they need work, but no more than 3 in a performance. In a game, you might average 20+. When coaching I felt like the crowd reacted more to jumps than any almost elite stunt.

 

[DonnaM]

After all that, she didn’t get in :(. They only took 12, and 9 were coming back from last season. I’m guessing they just filled stunt group spots, and since there were no flyers leaving, that meant no spot for her. Now to decide if we can possibly make another season of All Star work :(.

 

[retiredl5cheer]

After all that, she didn’t get in :(. They only took 12, and 9 were coming back from last season. I’m guessing they just filled stunt group spots, and since there were no flyers leaving, that meant no spot for her. Now to decide if we can possibly make another season of All Star work :(.

Oh no. :( I'm sorry to hear that!

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

After all that, she didn’t get in :(. They only took 12, and 9 were coming back from last season. I’m guessing they just filled stunt group spots, and since there were no flyers leaving, that meant no spot for her. Now to decide if we can possibly make another season of All Star work :(.

That's tough!