College Skill Clinics To Prepare For College Try Outs

[Keep_Believing]

At what age/grade should you start looking into skill clinics to prepare for college cheer? How do you find out about them? About how much do thy cost? Is it possible to get enough experience from the flyer cheer clinics to be prepared for try outs for a flyer position?
Thanks

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Pre-tryout clinics are NOT enough in my eyes to to be ready to co-ed fly if you have NEVER done it. Ex: You cannot just go to University of NCA Jacket's spring clinic and think "I got this!" I would highly suggest stunting privates to get ready. A few clinics are not going to do it. If your gym has a flyer class, take it! But I'd make sure you're getting privates as well.

 

[Keep_Believing]

Thanks, our gym is small. We live in a small town. They have a flyer class, but it is basically stretching and pulling positions on a gymnastics beam. At this time we don't have coaches to do true flyer classes. I could drive once a week for flyer privates to a big gym. It would be an hour and a half drive one way. So, a big time and money investment. How early would you recommend starting these?
Thanks

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

As far as when, if you KNOW you want to attend a school with strong coed partner stunting (i.e. a D1 or D1A program) I'd start much sooner than senior year, as you're up against girls who have likely been coed stunting since at least 9th grade. Once you have narrowed down schools, attended some of THEIR clinics or skills camps in like 9th/10th grade, get to know their tryout requirements and get to work I'd say around spring of 10th grade, if not sooner. It's all up to you as far as WHEN to start, but the WORST thing to do would be to wait until Spring of Senior year to start co-ed stunting classes. You are not going to be ready.

 

[Keep_Believing]

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice and feedback. My oldest Cp will be in 8th grade next year. She wants an opportunity to try and be a flyer in College. If reasonable, I will wait and get her involved in flyer privates when she starts 9th grade. We live in Texas. She is interested in Sam
houston state university and Blinn junior college because of their strong nursing programs.

 

[vannahlexis]

Some clinics require you to be at least a junior in high school. I would call the coaches and ask about it though! You might even be able to arrange a day to practice with them. But definitely show interest in the college's program before/very early senior year in case they are looking to recruit at your competitions. :)

 

[jcheermom]

My CP started attending college clinics when she was a freshman.
I think it's very important to attend college clinics frequently throughout high school because the skills that college cheerleaders perform are more intense and require more instruction for their stunts. So even with flying privates or classes, a CP may not be able to get hands on skills unless they have a varied group that is able to accommodate beginners thru advanced (you never know who you will be required to stunt with, so to learn to stunt with a variety of skill levels is a good idea).
I also think that all positions should attend clinics and not just the flyers, because many cheerleaders aren't proficient at basing or backing college level stunts neither and it will give you great insight and experience into what is required to cheer at a college level.
Attending college clinics will help you 'get the feel' of the college if you also arrange a tour, view the campus, and even meet with admissions counselors. Some college cheerleaders love cheering, but find they dislike the college once they are there because they haven't looked at the full package of the college, but if you can get a realistic impression of the college beforehand then the experience of choosing your college will be much easier and a positive one.


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[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Attending college clinics will help you 'get the feel' of the college if you also arrange a tour, view the campus, and even meet with admissions counselors. Some college cheerleaders love cheering, but find they dislike the college once they are there because they haven't looked at the full package of the college, but if you can get a realistic impression of the college beforehand then the experience of choosing your college will be much easier and a positive one.


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YES.

If I had a dollar for every kid I know who went away to Super Awesome Cheer University and was back home next year because they "hated the school", I'd be a very rich woman.

Your school is not only the place you will cheer.

I tell kids all the time that it's not just a place to cheer, it's the place you WILL PRACTICALLY LIVE for 4 years.

Choose wisely.

Also, college is a place to get an EDUCATION.

Be aware of the college's reputation in terms of your intended field. Some schools are VERY good cheer schools, but if you're looking to be (for example) a nurse, have a nursing program that is like, ranked last out of every school in the state.

Just some things to think about.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I also think that all positions should attend clinics and not just the flyers, because many cheerleaders aren't proficient at basing or backing college level stunts neither and it will give you great insight and experience into what is required to cheer at a college level.

I'm double posting, but I wanted to address this as well with a YES.

Everyone assumes "Oh I'm going to fly, I need to go to flyer classes."

Learn how to BASE too. You never know. You may end up considering a small coed or all girl team.

Nothing worse than the Always Flyer who shows up to the Small or Medium Co-ed College Tryout like "Oh I don't base."

Seeing as everyone can't be a flyer, you need to be able to show coaches that you're VERSATILE.

 

[Keep_Believing]

Thanks, All good advice. She would like to work for an opportunity to fly and see if it is a possibility, but if it doesn't work out she will understand. She likes those two specific schools because of their reputation for their nursing programs and locations. They are both smaller college towns and not too far from where we live. If she was looking strictly at cheer it would be SFA or Navvarro. Although, I am sure those are extremely competeive in the cheer area.

 

[gymcatmomx2]

My oldest CP attended a college clinic yesterday. At this university they use a stunt called the "Purdue" (I am assuming that is how they spell it). She has been taking partner stunt classes now for a couple of years and has gone to approximately 5 different college clinics and has never heard of it. It's a skill where the flyer transitions onto the guy's shoulders. She attempted it twice and said she was semi-successful the second time. She said it was the strangest transition in coed stunting that she has experienced to date. Is anyone familiar with it and if so, is there a video of it?

 

[GForce]

My oldest CP attended a college clinic yesterday. At this university they use a stunt called the "Purdue" (I am assuming that is how they spell it). She has been taking partner stunt classes now for a couple of years and has gone to approximately 5 different college clinics and has never heard of it. It's a skill where the flyer transitions onto the guy's shoulders. She attempted it twice and said she was semi-successful the second time. She said it was the strangest transition in coed stunting that she has experienced to date. Is anyone familiar with it and if so, is there a video of it?

My team does Purdue ups to shoulder stands. I'll see if I can find video of one somewhere.



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[BuegeSmalls]

My oldest CP attended a college clinic yesterday. At this university they use a stunt called the "Purdue" (I am assuming that is how they spell it). She has been taking partner stunt classes now for a couple of years and has gone to approximately 5 different college clinics and has never heard of it. It's a skill where the flyer transitions onto the guy's shoulders. She attempted it twice and said she was semi-successful the second time. She said it was the strangest transition in coed stunting that she has experienced to date. Is anyone familiar with it and if so, is there a video of it?

Lol purdues, I call them purdonts. They get easier but are strange. Here's the only video I can find:




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[gymcatmomx2]

Lol purdues, I call them purdonts. They get easier but are strange. Here's the only video I can find:




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Thank you so much!

 

[retiredl5cheer]

My oldest CP attended a college clinic yesterday. At this university they use a stunt called the "Purdue" (I am assuming that is how they spell it). She has been taking partner stunt classes now for a couple of years and has gone to approximately 5 different college clinics and has never heard of it. It's a skill where the flyer transitions onto the guy's shoulders. She attempted it twice and said she was semi-successful the second time. She said it was the strangest transition in coed stunting that she has experienced to date. Is anyone familiar with it and if so, is there a video of it?

It's a common way to get to shoulder stands for pyramids.