Wow I haven't been on here in a long time. I lost me password and couldn't figure out Tapatalk at the time so I wasn't able to get back on. Most of you probably don't know me or remember me, but I was around when we all got into arguments about state shapes and I went through the 1 AM baseball field debacle at Worlds a couple of years ago.
This got really long-I'm so sorry.
Anyway, I'm graduated now (I can't believe it) and I have some insight to how my team does tryouts.
We have 3-4 days of clinics starting in Monday and then on Friday or Saturday tryouts happen. Day 1 is working jumps and learning first the cheer and then the dance from graduating seniors (this year we also had an alumnus who graduated last year but has stayed really involved with the program and now coaches the middle school who was a major help to everyone). Then we split girls by where we think they should go (base, backspot, flyer) and then put some girls together to get an idea of some stunting. This part is where veterans and rookies are specifically intermingled. Unfortunately, my area does not have tumbling resources so the most required is an attempted cartwheel or roundoff, which is scored on technique. Girls are given their own copy of the scoresheet on the first day so that they understand what is expected of them on tryout day. Then on day 2, candidates draw numbers. This is the order they try out in, and this is how groups are given. So 1-4 are a group and they have to figure out how they work as a stunt group. So for example, 1-4 this year were 2 sisters who are the tallest on the team, a flyer, and another girl who is significantly shorter than the sisters and doesn't like basing. They had to figure out how they would stunt together as a group. All you have to do is a prep so it's nothing too much, but you can't be scored as a backspot so you have to figure out two ways to make it work so that each girl who backspots also bases or flies. You get these groups early so that you can start working and figure out how your group is strongest. It also shows flexibility in stunt groups. Each day the dance and cheer are gone over once or twice at the beginning and then the music is left on through the gym so that anyone who wants to practice the dance can jump in whenever (unless no one is working on it after a while, in which case a coach just turns it off). You also need an "extra"-something to show the judges that isn't used elsewhere on the scoresheet. So you can do an extra stunt (anything from a shoulder sit to a basket), a jump (that you didn't use for the scoresheet), throw any tumbling you have (you can use a forward roll, the cartwheel/roundoff you didn't use on the sheet directly, or a BHS if you have it and there were some girls who did cartwheels into the splits), or anything else cheer related (like a needle if you had it). You work on that throughout clinics, as well.
Come tryout day, all of the candidates have a warmup/quick material review before they are sent out to the hallway and called in one group at a time (1-4, 5-8, etc.). They do the dance and the cheer as a group, and they all do both at least twice-two girls in front the first time, and then the other two the next time. Then they do the "group prep." They do each way at least once. If everyone likes everything they've done, 2-4 are sent out and 1 does her individual stuff. She does her roundoff or cartwheel, and we require a double toe and a jump of their choosing (other than a toe touch). Then for the "extra" she can do whatever she wants, with any group she wants of girls also trying out. If she wants to fly a basket, she can bring in 13, 17, 20 (and 8 if she wants a front spot). So those girls come in, and a coach will ask if anyone else wants this to be their extra as well, so that they don't have to come back in and do it again. They might have the group turn to get a better look at the candidates they are judging. Then 2 comes in and goes through the same process as 1. Then 3 and 4, and 5-8. After anything a candidate does, they are asked if they would like to do it again. This goes for the dance, cheer, or stunt with their groups, or any of their individual stuff. This way each prospect knows that they have done the best they could. They are also asked an interview question (things like leadership and how to get students involved at games) and are evaluated on how eloquently they answer the question.
We bring in (usually 3) coach-picked judges. This year we had 2 local coaches (one that graduated from my school and has worked with the team for longer than I was on it and one that we didn't know) and the third was a friend of a coach who I didn't know, so I don't know her background in cheerleading, but my guess is that she was looking for effort and looking like they knew the material. The judges are given scoresheets to evaluate each candidate's abilities and then that sheet is given to the coaches who are totaling each judge's sheet after each person. The scores are immediately entered into a spreadsheet where the judges scores are totaled along with GPA and teacher recommendations on work ethic, attitude, character, etc. This year, the coaches made the decision that only one coach would be involved with scores at all, because the other coach had a freshman daughter trying out. While anyone that knows this girl knows she is the Kenley Pope of this small town (not nearly as talented skill-wise, but same situation: coach mom, at her first game with her mom when she wasn't even months old), she wouldn't touch scores because she knows some parents would cause issues if she made it over her daughter. After all of the scores have been totaled, we put letters into sealed envelopes by number.
We had a really really talented group of freshmen come up this year, so on a team of 13, there are 6 freshmen, 2 sophomores (1 alternate), 1 junior, and 4 seniors. It's definitely not a rebuilding year, though. Or at least it won't feel like one. The freshmen hit a lib by themselves at tryouts. I'm insanely excited for this team (and slightly envious).
Anyway, that's enough 3 AM rambling from this proud alum :,) goodnight all, even though you'll probably be reading this at a reasonable time
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
