All-Star What Means The Most To Allstar Cheerleaders Who Want To Cheer In College

[CAmamakat]

LSU is a MUST to at least visit. It's only 7 hrs away and you can't beat the game day atmosphere. If you contact the coach, they'll let you get in free to a game on the sidelines as a "recruit" haha. So worth it!

Thank you!! She has mentioned LSU... But do they compete at all??

 

[CAmamakat]

Great question Kingston! I know for my daughter she really wasn't interested in competing in college at all. She had a clear vision of what she wanted out of her college experience and part of that was going to a BIG FOOTBALL SCHOOL. She would have loved to have just done football side line cheer and not compete at all but she chose to go to a school that had an incredibly competitive football and cheer program. She knew her chances of making the team were slim. She could have gone to many other schools and gotten on the team easily but she wanted BIG Football and she got it!

I guess my point is that some girls are done with competing by the time they get to college. For my girl it really was about spirit and being part of something big, not about competition.

Who is she cheering for?

 

[Cheer_Explosion_Coach]

Thank you!! She has mentioned LSU... But do they compete at all??

Usually top 5 at UCA nationals. I'm THE most competitive person and in my 3 years cheering there, I'd say competing at nationals probably ranks 3rd on coolest things about cheering LSU...

 

[CoachMandiCF]

Wow, I straight up wouldn't have been able to do my major if we couldn't take classes before 10. Generally evening classes were off-limits, that's when we practiced, but sometimes exceptions had to be made.

Yes it was really intense. We practiced 3 mornings a week from 7-9:30 and on the off mornings we did media things and recruiting meets for the football team. During football season, practice was every night as well and then we'd leave on Thursdays for away games or have all weekend for home games. During basketballl season it was worse because we'd do every morning 7:00-9:30 and then usually a game would start at 7:00 so you'd have to be there at 5:15 for pre-game warm ups and meet-n-greets 2-3 times per week men's and women's games. If we didn't have games we had 5:30-10:30 practice for NCA Nationals or if we had a game we'd practice after the game until 11 or 12 depending on what time we were done. It was crazy, but no one really understands the hectic lifestyle unless they live it.

 

[Ashley]

Yes it was really intense. We practiced 3 mornings a week from 7-9:30 and on the off mornings we did media things and recruiting meets for the football team. During football season, practice was every night as well and then we'd leave on Thursdays for away games or have all weekend for home games. During basketballl season it was worse because we'd do every morning 7:00-9:30 and then usually a game would start at 7:00 so you'd have to be there at 5:15 for pre-game warm ups and meet-n-greets 2-3 times per week men's and women's games. If we didn't have games we had 5:30-10:30 practice for NCA Nationals or if we had a game we'd practice after the game until 11 or 12 depending on what time we were done. It was crazy, but no one really understands the hectic lifestyle unless they live it.

Yeah, I mean, we were hectic, but not that crazy. When we cut our coed team, the AG team was now responsible for both men's and women's basketball so we never had a full team at the games, because it made more sense to split it up. They also stopped letting us travel to away games after my sophomore year to save money, so ones that were close enough we would drive to Saturday morning.

We also didn't have the responsibilities of all that media/marketing stuff. Some of it, yes, but clearly not to the extreme that you did. Woof.

Computer Science professor's don't really get it when you say you need to miss class for cheering.We were a 1-AA school and made it to the championship one year so I had to miss a final to travel with the football team. I got one of the athletic academic advisers to proctor it for me at the hotel, but I had to keep explaining to my physics professor, that yes, I know the marching band students don't have to miss the final, but no, I can't travel with them, we're traveling with the football team... no professor, we're flying down with the football team... no I'm a cheerleader, I'm not in the color guard.... no, we're flying down a day before the band is leaving.. but don't worry, I've already talked to this adviser who is willing to proctor the exam for me.

 

[KU Cheer Coach]

At KU, we get a mix off all-star cheerleaders, school cheerleaders, people who did both, and of course some guys who've never cheered at all. Their enjoyment of sideline seems to vary just based on the person (though it's pretty hard to not enjoy our basketball games!).

For our hard-core all-star kids, I think they miss the rush of competing so often (we compete UCA Large Coed every year), but I think they enjoy working and hitting difficult stunts, pyramids, and baskets, at practices. And most of them with their achy knees don't mind that we don't tumble much at practice LOL.

But people are definitely correct that the game-day atmosphere varies a ton at both high schools and college, and some colleges focus more on competition than games and vice-versa, so I'd definitely recommend that prospective cheerleaders have a candid conversation with their possible college coaches, and attend a game if possible.

And on that note, a shameless plug about KU's Spirit Day on Sept. 8, which is a 1-hour clinic, lunch, optional walking tour of campus, and football game entry for only $50! (and you can buy extra football tickets for $15). Details at Cheerleading Camps and Clinics from the KU Cheerleaders [END SHAMELESS PLUG ;]

 

[em's mom]

My daughter does not want to compete college because she hates the hard floor with a passion that is only rivaled by her hatred of spiders. However she would have given her right arm to cheer football at the university. She loved sidelines so much in HS. The school she is at now has a basketball spirit squad (which I'm thinking she is regretting not trying out for, but she's never been a huge bball fan) and a highly competive club team ( but there's that hard floor again!) so she's biding her time until the promised football team shows up. I'm hoping it happens while she is there, because I miss seeing her in a uniform!

 

[mcmc0809]

My daughter cheered all star for over 10 years. Never cheered for high school. The all star team / gym she cheered for was too demanding and a bit of a commute. So she did not have the time to give to HS. She is now living her dream at a big southern college where football/basketball is life. She will also be able to use those hard earned tumble skills as her college team is highly competitive. We visited colleges during game days and she was hooked. So it is yet to be seen whether she will enjoy sideline as much as she anticipates. Another part of the draw was to do something completely different than she did as an all star cheerleader. She is loving her new life on campus representing a great school. I will check back in and let you know if she finds sideline as fulfilling as hitting the mat a comp every weekend. So far so good!

 

[Daniellerae]

Personally, I love sideline. My school's student section loves the cheerleaders. We don't have a great football team, but students shout out cheers they want us to do, and ask girls to do their tucks. Maybe I would feel differently if I had done Allstar. I really wish I could have, but there are no gyms in my area. But I do think the school student section really decides if sideline is enjoyable.

 

[Deleted member 8658]

I will always have cheerleading in my life some how/ some way. I want to continue cheering after I graduate this year and the best way to do that is college cheer. I have never been a huge fan of high school cheer and I am currently not on my highschool cheer team, but the feeling of cheering at Camp Randall Stadium (University of Wisconsin) is something i have always wanted to experience.