- Nov 11, 2011
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I don't know how you structure your actual tryout, but I have become a firm believer that having kids SEE who they are trying out against goes a long way towards cutting out tryout drama based on team selections. We let them watch each other do their skills and their cheer/fight song. Once people can see that they are outmatched by some of their peers, they sometimes remove themselves from the tryout, or they at least know going in that they are a long shot.
I had a few that didn't "get it". One year I had a kid who was on JV (in a place where we took almost all - not ALL) if there was potential on JV.. after 2 years of being on JV, she was not lunging into a cartwheel and stepping overherself. I tried to use an analogy of a gymnast.. It was last year, an olympic year... I said do you see what gymnasts do when they are lunging into their roundoff, especially pomininent on the balance beam.. kid looks me dead in the face and says I have never watched gymnastics... Same issues with motions, she would "mirror" someone, and then we as coaches would correct, and then explain, and then try again.. and still nothing. Suzie, please be sure you match Jenny... I do (meanwhile arm is completely turned a different way)... some just don't get it!