College Tryout Tips

[ErinS]

Last year when my sister was getting ready for college try outs I had her go to YouTube and find videos of the squad doing side line cheers/fight song/band dances and learn them.

1. To learn their style and see their performance style.

2. In the event they taught the same cheer or fight song dance at the try out.




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[retiredl5cheer]

@HeresAThought Very good idea!

 

[ScottyB]

Jumping on this thread late, but be coachable and show that you can be coached.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Jumping on this thread late, but be coachable and show that you can be coached.

New here (well, new-ish. Was on the older fierce board) But if I may...

SHIMMY x 1000.

From a coaching perspective, if two candidates are equal, THIS has always put girls over in my eyes in ANY sort of tryout situation.

Example: If one of the coaches says "Great form on your triple toe back but you need more height next time" the correct response is "Ok. Thank you. Did you have any other suggestions?"

It is NOT:
*insert dead floor excuse here.*
*sucks teeth*
*eye rolls when you think she's not looking.*
*"omg she's so anal" when you think she can't hear you*
*CONTINUING TO DO THE SAME THING SHE JUST SUGGESTED YOU FIX*

Cuts have been made based on a coach/assistant coach saying "I was telling her to __________ and she seriously just rolled her eyes at me. Can you believe that?" Think about it, if you're rude to people you just met during a tryout, you're probably not going to turn into Little Miss Sunshine once the season starts and for some, it's not worth taking on.

If it comes down to Snotty Girl with arabian whip whip to punch front to arabian to double and Coachable Girl with 2 whips to a single full, you'd be surprised how many people are going with the more coachable kid.

Something I have also noticed in tryouts I have attended:


BE HUMBLE.

You might have been on the winningest World's team at your gym. You may have been point flyer, last pass, etc. But when you walk into your college tryout (especially at your competitive programs) the girl next to you probably is, too! So please recognize that and go in humbly. Be encouraging. Be personable. Be happy with what you get. Ex: So you are going to be basing this year instead of being point like you were in Small World All Stars in Iowa. Be grateful for your opportunity to cheer in college.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Wanted to add:

In a tryout situation, the words "I DON'T" should never come out of your mouth.

Example:

Coach: Tumbling time!
Bratty McBratterson: I don't tumble on dead floor.

Not acceptable. You need to have gotten your dead floor life together before that.

Coach: Switch positions because I want to see everyone try basing (at an all girl tryout.)
Bratty McBratterson: Oh I don't base.

She's not saying you need to one-man your nearest flyer, but you need to be willing to learn something if asked.

Coach: Time for jumps!
Bratty McBratterson: Oh I don't do jumps. I was point flyer and last pass so my coach always let me sit out for jumps. Can I just watch?

Dorothy, this is not Kansas. Hit hit pull honey bunch.

Other thing. Do not show up to a tryout with a laundry list of dates of things you can't participate in.

Bratty McBratterson: Hey coach, my school cheer coach always let me miss for all star stuff. I really want to cheer at Always Winning University but like, I have Super Awesome All Star camp from *insert every single date of summer camp here* then my family always goes to Fiji from *insert every date of choreography week here* then I compete in Miss Teen Small Town *insert every date of nationals practice here* right before my dad and I go to Paris for *insert three days before nationals here*, is that okay?

Coach: Blank stare.

 

[Ems]

Not acceptable. You need to have gotten your dead floor life together before that.

Dorothy, this is not Kansas. Hit hit pull honey bunch.

These two quotes. I'm dying.
But really, I've also seen a girl get cut because she thought she was hot shizz and noooo one else trying out, including returning team members, liked her. She pulled a 1 1/2 down (attempted double down) without even warning her bases (and nearly took them out) when they were being evaluated in front of the judges when the coach specifically asked for a clean heel stretch full down.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Also, folks, get your everlasting GAME DAY life before tryouts.

Unless you live under a rock, you know that part of college cheer is game day.

I get it, you've only ever done all stars. Guess what? You're not above or exempt from the game day portion.

Your prospective coach is not going to be like "oh hey, I know this is University of NCA Jackets but you can just sit your pretty little butt on that bench for games and we'll call you when it's time for you to throw that awesome 2 whips to arabian to full at nationals."

If you have only ever done all stars and do not know the first thing about game day cheer, JESUS BE A CLINIC OR A YOUTUBE VIDEO.

There's no "only ever did all stars" check box on the forms that allow you to sit out of the fight song portion. Again, this is not Kansas. Grab your poms and yell from your diaphragm, Dorothy!

(This is one of the reasons why I highly recommend anyone planning to tryout at any sort of big D1 program get like, a year or 2 of school experience under their belt in addition to all stars. Yes, I know your school is not throwing fulls, but at least you've been exposed to sideline cheer and it won't be totally foreign. Most girls pick up on it really easily even though they've never done it, but for some, it can be a hard transition.)

 

[ScottyB]

There's no "only ever did all stars" check box on the forms that allow you to sit out of the fight song portion. Again, this is not Kansas. Grab your poms and yell from your diaphragm, Dorothy!

Lol when I coached, I couldn't quite use the phrase this isn't Kansas ha

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

That's funny. Nice little day off from work with no kids, so I've had the opportunity to really think about what benefits kids planning to do college cheer, and the ideas keep coming.

Last one:

Eliminate this phrase from your vocabulary staring now: "In my gym..."

Coach: "When you jump, you need to ______."
Girl: "Oh well, in gym we always ______."

Coach: Hey, what's going on with your neon green sports bra and pouf? The paperwork clearly says solid blue sports bras and half up curls.
Girl: "Oh, in my gym we always dress like this for tryouts."

Secret: They really don't care if you've been at Top Gun since you were a fetus and Victor himself teased your pouf that morning. This is not your previous program.

 

[BuegeSmalls]

How you perform at tryouts will be (in most cases) the standard they hold you at all year. So if you throw a standing tuck at tryouts they will expect you to have it all year. Don't throw a skill just to get on the team if you have no intentions of keeping the skill. Don't be a tryout champion.

Personal pet peeve, it just makes me so mad when I see people just tumble at tryouts but never again.


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[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^^^Those are the girls who get asked to leave by January!

Most likely, the skill they threw at tryouts was something they had really only had for like, a week. Then they made the team and figured it wasn't important to keep it. Then they got lazy.

Many schools have guidelines about maintaining your skills and do not HAVE to keep you on just because you made the team in April.

I have college coach friends who have had to make the terrible decision to release someone during the season because their skills had declined. Ex: Fierce flyer pulling all kinds of ball up 360s, crazy rewinds, etc. at tryouts. By December, she's barely getting up on simple toss to hands, twist up libs, etc. Coach released her in January.

 

[stuntjumptumble]

Wanted to add:

In a tryout situation, the words "I DON'T" should never come out of your mouth.

Example:

Coach: Tumbling time!
Bratty McBratterson: I don't tumble on dead floor.

Not acceptable. You need to have gotten your dead floor life together before that.

Coach: Switch positions because I want to see everyone try basing (at an all girl tryout.)
Bratty McBratterson: Oh I don't base.

She's not saying you need to one-man your nearest flyer, but you need to be willing to learn something if asked.

Coach: Time for jumps!
Bratty McBratterson: Oh I don't do jumps. I was point flyer and last pass so my coach always let me sit out for jumps. Can I just watch?

Dorothy, this is not Kansas. Hit hit pull honey bunch.

Other thing. Do not show up to a tryout with a laundry list of dates of things you can't participate in.

Bratty McBratterson: Hey coach, my school cheer coach always let me miss for all star stuff. I really want to cheer at Always Winning University but like, I have Super Awesome All Star camp from *insert every single date of summer camp here* then my family always goes to Fiji from *insert every date of choreography week here* then I compete in Miss Teen Small Town *insert every date of nationals practice here* right before my dad and I go to Paris for *insert three days before nationals here*, is that okay?

Coach: Blank stare.

Bratty mcbratterson that's perfect hahahaha


The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android

 

[stuntjumptumble]

Also, folks, get your everlasting GAME DAY life before tryouts.

Unless you live under a rock, you know that part of college cheer is game day.

I get it, you've only ever done all stars. Guess what? You're not above or exempt from the game day portion.

Your prospective coach is not going to be like "oh hey, I know this is University of NCA Jackets but you can just sit your pretty little butt on that bench for games and we'll call you when it's time for you to throw that awesome 2 whips to arabian to full at nationals."

If you have only ever done all stars and do not know the first thing about game day cheer, JESUS BE A CLINIC OR A YOUTUBE VIDEO.

There's no "only ever did all stars" check box on the forms that allow you to sit out of the fight song portion. Again, this is not Kansas. Grab your poms and yell from your diaphragm, Dorothy!

(This is one of the reasons why I highly recommend anyone planning to tryout at any sort of big D1 program get like, a year or 2 of school experience under their belt in addition to all stars. Yes, I know your school is not throwing fulls, but at least you've been exposed to sideline cheer and it won't be totally foreign. Most girls pick up on it really easily even though they've never done it, but for some, it can be a hard transition.)

I'm hoping this will be to my advantage...while I am and all star cheerleader I did high school all four years. Tumbling is my weakest spot so I'm hoping being strong in all other aspects will help me


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[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I'm hoping this will be to my advantage...while I am and all star cheerleader I did high school all four years. Tumbling is my weakest spot so I'm hoping being strong in all other aspects will help me


The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android

Tumbling-wise, throw the skill you can HIT CLEAN.

Depending on where you're trying out, you will feel like you are in a room full of Kiara Knowlins. Everyone around you will be whipping and pulling arabians through to more whips and more craziness to double.

Do not attempt. I repeat, do not.

If all you've got is 3 BHS to a layout, you throw that 3 to a layout like it's the fiercest Olympic level tumble that the world has ever seen.

Tryouts are not the time to whip whip double if you've never done it. Or just started doing it last week in privates.

You will eat mat. I repeat. You will eat mat. Then you have zero points instead of the points you'd get for having a layout.

Do not attempt anything you can't hit clean. Unless you do not like having an ACL that works.

 

[retiredl5cheer]

@oncecoolcoachnowmom You have turned into one of my favorite posters very quickly!