Spring is almost around the corner, which means it’s nearly time to pick your new team and uniforms. You may know what your team’s objectives are, but how can you choose the proper cheerleaders to help you achieve them? Have you examined the characteristics that cheer coaches want in their athletes?
Coaches at cheer tryouts look for a confident and compliant attitude; applicants should be people unlikely to cause drama. Moreover, coaches also ensure that the applicant is physically capable of performing cheers. Ideally, the same applicant will be intelligent enough to learn new skills.
If you’re feeling anxious about the months ahead, here are some things to watch for during tryouts to ensure you’re on the right track for a great season.
What do cheer coaches look for in tryouts?
Create A Positive First Impression
According to an ancient proverb, “you never get a second opportunity to create a first impression.”
How do you portray yourself on a daily basis while you go about your business? How do you walk, speak, and act?
All of these factors contribute to your overall character, which is the primary factor assessed during tryouts. The judges will reserve judgment on your particular abilities and experience until you begin your audition, but they will assess you immediately to get a sense of the kind of person you are.
According to psychologist Alex Todorov, individuals form hasty judgements about others before they can express their true feelings. He asserts that “we make snap judgments about a person’s possession of many of the qualities we value, such as likeability and competence, even without exchanging a single word with them.” It seems as if we are hardwired to make these conclusions quickly and without reflection. “
What, precisely, does this have to do with cheer tryouts? Given that judges will develop an opinion about you even before you go onto the stage, you may begin planning how you will portray yourself during tryouts. What kind of person do you want to be recognized as? Or, more precisely, what kind of cheerleader do you want to portray yourself as?
Attitude Is Critical
I just came across a picture of two children standing on stage with their medals after winning a tournament or event of some kind. The child holding the third-place medal was ecstatic. As you can see from the picture, he was ecstatic and beaming from ear to ear. The other child, who had really won first place, was gazing at the third-place finisher and seemed genuinely disappointed.
As you can see, things are as they are-we have no control over that reality. The only thing we can alter is our perception of these occurrences and our response to them. This leads us to point number two: attitude is important.
You might be a rockstar cheerleader with flawless stunts and show up to tryouts with a nasty attitude. Alternatively, you might be a new cheerleader with no prior experience or technical abilities but a positive attitude and a desire to learn. Which of these is the superior option?
The second cheerleader, in my view, has an edge over the first. While the first cheerleader with technical expertise may have an easier time adapting to the routines, she will be a pain to work with. Have you ever been around someone who seems to go about all day with a dark cloud over their head? I have, and I can tell you one thing: it is not a pleasant experience.
In comparison, the second cheerleader may need more teaching and hands-on experience, but she is open-minded, has a positive attitude, and is a pleasure to be around. That is precisely what coaches are for: to assist players in developing their physical talents and skills. It’s far simpler to teach an athlete how to do a cheer than it is to completely rewire an athlete’s attitude and mentality!
Smiling Large
Do you have any pals that appear to be enjoying the time of their lives and are always smiling and laughing? If this is the case, have you ever noticed how good you feel when you’re around this specific set of friends? This is due to the fact that energy is infectious. When you spread happiness and kindness across the globe, you will get it back. This leads us to tip # 3: grin broadly.
If you’re serious about making the cheer squad and really interested in participating, why wouldn’t you express your enthusiasm with a wide smile? That is, if you are thankful for the chance to audition in the first place, a pleasant grin seems quite appropriate for the occasion.
I realize that some people may be apprehensive about their first tryout. If that is the case, I suggest reading this article in which I explain five things you should know before attending your first cheering audition. By reading that article (and this one), you’ll get a sense of familiarity with the whole audition process, which should help alleviate any worry or uneasiness you’re feeling.
If you’re having difficulty cracking a grin and saying “cheese,” I suggest mentally rehearsing three things for which you’re thankful. It is well accepted in neuroscience that the brain can not be in both a fearful and appreciative state at the same time. You may be in any of these categories, but not both. Therefore, keep that in mind the next time you begin to feel anxious, and in the meanwhile, show off those pearly teeth!
Put a Spring in Your Step
The sixth tip is to infuse your stride with vitality.
In other words, be passionate about your work and take pleasure in it.
This tip is somewhat related to the preceding ones. If you really want to be a member of the cheer squad and are passionate about joining, demonstrate this. The judges find it tedious when a cheerleader just runs through the routines without passion. After all, the cheerleaders’ job is to harness crowd energy and encourage their team to victory! I can’t picture a cheerleader muttering their chants or wandering about aimlessly throughout their routines.
By the way you show yourself, the judges can detect immediately if you want to be at tryouts. Therefore, keep this in mind as you prepare for tryouts!
Possess Some Drive
Cheerleading is a physically demanding sport that combines elements of dance and gymnastics. It takes a great deal of practice and repetition to truly get the hang of things and make progress. As a cheerleader, you will be expected to constantly develop and become a better athlete-there is no way around it. If you lack the motivation or desire to improve, cheering will become an extremely difficult endeavor.
Not to add, you’ll be collaborating closely with your cheer squad colleagues to practice and perfect routines for both contests and cheering at sports events. If you are not engaged with your teammates and are not putting your best foot forward each day in practice, your whole team will suffer. Having said that, having a desire and continuously developing yourself will help both your audition experience and your cheering career as a whole.
Your Skills Will Not Determine the Success or Failure of Everything
Each cheerleader must be skilled in a variety of abilities. While these abilities are critical to your entire cheering experience, they will not ultimately determine your audition outcomes. Demonstrate your abilities to the best of your ability with confidence and passion – and ignore the rest (for now). That is unless the judges request that you do a feat that you have never attempted before. In that scenario, I would advise you to go for it, since it will show confidence and a desire to learn, both of which are desirable characteristics of any cheer squad member.
Put Your Best Face Forward!
During your tryouts, judges will be assessing your facial expressions and everything in between, so it helps to understand how they will do so. As mentioned in tip # 3, judges will be on the lookout for a beautiful, broad grin. They want to see someone who is ecstatic and delighted to be there, as well as someone who exudes vitality and enthusiasm. Eye contact is one factor that contributes to the appearance of confidence in facial expressions. Maintaining eye contact with the judges – not necessarily to gazing directly into their eyes – but looking ahead and not down while talking with them can assist show confidence.
How do you stand out at cheer tryouts?
As clichéd as it may seem, you are really unique and special. Indeed, we are all!
Each of us has a variety of little characteristics that contribute to who we are. Each of us has unique wants, likes, preferences, viewpoints, and lifestyles. This, in my opinion, is what makes life so fascinating. Now consider what would happen if you suppressed all of your thoughts and feelings and attempted to fit in with everyone else. True, you would certainly stand out less, but is this a good thing?
At cheering tryouts, you’ll go up against competitors that are just as talented, if not more so. What distinguishes you? In other words, what defines you as an individual?
If you selected a dozen cheerleaders with similar skill levels and had them do the same stunts and chants for tryouts, how would you choose which athletes to retain and which to eliminate? Again, assuming that all of these cheerleaders were technically proficient. That would be a difficult task.
However, what if you had a single cheerleader with a glint in their eye or a little more swagger in their performance? Do you believe this would stick out to the judges when they go through the performances, deciding who to retain and who to let go? Without a doubt!
Now, I’m not suggesting that you should change yourself entirely for cheer tryouts. However, I am stating that you should place a high premium on the qualities and characteristics that you possess and are proud of during cheer tryouts. This demonstrates confidence and will undoubtedly help you stand out in a positive manner.
What do you look for in cheerleading tryouts?
Competence and technique.
During tryouts, the first things to assess are ability and technique. Naturally, not everyone is an accomplished cheerleader, and some of your new recruits may need more effort than others. However, the overall talent level of your squad will have a significant impact on your performance over the year.
If you’re not comfortable with totally eliminating someone due to their talent level, try forming a JV team to assist some of your lesser players acquire the abilities necessary to compete on the varsity squad. This is an excellent concept for teams with a high percentage of upperclassmen.
If you’re concerned about the path your program will go after the graduation of your seniors, a JV team may help alleviate some of your worries.
Sharpness
Sharpness is one of those characteristics that is hard to teach yet very simple to detect. Utilize a cheerleader who has precise, clean movements, even if she/he needs some assistance with stunting. You’ll find that as the year progresses, polishing your cheerleaders’ other abilities will be a lot simpler if they already have the fundamentals down.
Jumps
When I judge a tryout, I look for more than just jump height. I look for extension, which is not the height of the cheerleader’s leap, but the elevation of her/his legs. Additionally, I am always on the lookout for pointed toes. The most difficult habit to overcome during a leap is flexed toes, which may make a high jump with excellent extension seem sloppy.
Enthusiasm
Even the most athletic cheerleaders with the most perfect technique may be a drag on the competition mat or on the sidelines without passion. Assure that everyone understands your expectations for cheering for the school’s sports teams and that their spirit will play a significant role in their tryout score. A column on the score sheet devoted to the cheerleader’s passion and excitement is a wonderful idea.
Confidence
Confidence is critical for a cheering team’s success. Even without the most daring feats or the deftest movements, your team may shine with the appropriate amount of confidence. Remind your prospective cheerleaders that a missing or improper move during their audition does not automatically exclude them from the squad.
Assure them that it is more essential to pick themselves up as quickly as possible and to do it with a smile. Confidence in one’s ability to recover from a mistake is just as critical as understanding the proper movements and counts.
What qualities should a cheerleader have?
Cheerleading is about who you are as much as it is about what you do. A cheerleader is a role model, a buddy, and an athlete all rolled into one. They alternate between being a teacher and a pupil. They may be classified as a sports participant or a spectator, depending on their location and activity. They are admired by some and scorned by others. Being a cheerleader is not always simple, but the benefits are many. Not only will the talents you acquire last a lifetime, but they will also help form who you are or what you become.
Cheerleaders are, by definition, optimistic individuals. Additionally, they are:
– Physically robust and energizing (it takes a lot of hard physical work to become a cheerleader)
– Assured (cheerleaders are in front of crowds all the time, and need confidence in themselves and their team)
– Excellent team players (cheerleading is all about working together)
– Disciplined (you’ll be memorizing and practicing routines)
– Diligent (you will be training for lengthy, arduous hours)
– Determined to obey the rules (cheerleading competitions are all about following very specific rules to the letter)
– Capable of accepting constructive criticism (you can only develop if you can react positively to coach feedback)
– Keen to acquire new knowledge (you’ll always be learning new movements and cheers)
Additionally, a competent cheerleader must possess the following characteristics:
– A good, powerful cheering voice
– A healthy way of life (eating and sleeping right and avoiding drugs and alcohol are key to being a strong athlete)
– The capacity to manage several demands concurrently
Conclusion
Both the coach and the cheerleaders find tryouts difficult. However, if you are aware of the top qualities that cheer coaches seek, selecting a new squad may be as simple as 5,6,7,8!
