My first tryout was probably the most nerve wracking experience of my life. I was so confident that I wasn't going to make the squad because I had zero experience, couldn't tumble, didn't know the school song, I didn't know a left punch from buckets. I was a complete MESS. But I tried so hard to learn the sidelines and the dance that the coach noticed. I impressed her with my hard work even though I didn't know what I was doing. That is what I tell girls who have never cheered before who want to tryout. Try your absolute hardest and even if you don't do perfectly the coach will probably notice that you are putting forth more effort than probably half of the girls that are returning to the squad from last year. Making the squad makes you complacent about working to keep your spot, and their complacency gives you a boost over them.
I absolutely love encouraging new girls to tryout for cheer. I think it is the best sport to do if you don't have any previous experience. We can teach someone how to be a good cheerleader and put her on a squad or a division that will match her skill level. I kind of like new cheerleaders more than someone who has cheered before because they are a completely blank slate. You can mold them into the right cheerleader for your squad. That is why I don't understand why some squads don't want to bother with a brand new cheerleader. She could be your best cheerleader once she knows what she is doing.
When I tried out I didn't know any of the girls on the squad because I had just moved into a new school. I had one friend that was a cheerleader and she encouraged me to tryout. If you move to a new school find out who the cheerleaders are and talk to them. See what their squad is like.
Some squads focus on stunts, some on tumbling, some on dances, and some on actually cheering. If your new school focuses on tumbling for example and your old squad focused on stunting and you don't know how to tumble, you have the choice between giving up before you even start or talking to the coach about how you don't tumble but you can bring some killer stunt skills to the squad and she will probably understand. You can always learn how to tumble enough to keep up once you have made the squad. You just have to be able to prove that just because you are lacking in one area doesn't mean you are any less of a cheerleader.
But there will always be those bitchy coaches and cheerleaders who will think that and they may pom block you. If you get cut from your squad and you really wanted to cheer you can see if one of the cheerleaders that did make the squad are willing to work with you. If you don't know how to tumble I would definitely recommend going to a gym to learn. Learning from someone who isn't certified to teach tumbling can kill you or seriously injure you. It's just a bad idea. Don't do it.
You could choose though that you don't want to waste your time with a coach like that but that would mean giving up cheer. Another option you have is to look into trying out for a competition team (or if you got cut from a competition team, you could try out for your high school). Competitive cheer and high school cheer are really different though. High school cheerleaders have to have the stamina to cheer for hours on end and competitive cheerleaders have to be able to squeeze all of that into a few minutes. It depends on you what kind of squad you feel most comfortable with.
I started college last year and I knew that I couldn't make the squad because they do some crazy tumbling and I can barely do a forward roll. I didn't want to waste their time or mine trying out for a squad that was more advanced that I could ever dream of being. I looked into joining club cheerleading. Then I learned that they compete level 5 but they let everyone on the squad. I don't know how on earth they do that. They either don't have level 5 skills like they say or they bully anyone who doesn't have the right skills off the squad. Then I checked out youtube to see what they were like and they SUCKED. It was almost unbearable to watch for two and a half minutes. I decided that it wasn't for me. I don't have the skills to be on that kind of squad and I don't want them to bully me off the squad. I can live without cheering in college. I will just blog, get my ideas in order, and coach after I graduate. Its the choice I made, and you have to make your own.
I absolutely love encouraging new girls to tryout for cheer. I think it is the best sport to do if you don't have any previous experience. We can teach someone how to be a good cheerleader and put her on a squad or a division that will match her skill level. I kind of like new cheerleaders more than someone who has cheered before because they are a completely blank slate. You can mold them into the right cheerleader for your squad. That is why I don't understand why some squads don't want to bother with a brand new cheerleader. She could be your best cheerleader once she knows what she is doing.
When I tried out I didn't know any of the girls on the squad because I had just moved into a new school. I had one friend that was a cheerleader and she encouraged me to tryout. If you move to a new school find out who the cheerleaders are and talk to them. See what their squad is like.
Some squads focus on stunts, some on tumbling, some on dances, and some on actually cheering. If your new school focuses on tumbling for example and your old squad focused on stunting and you don't know how to tumble, you have the choice between giving up before you even start or talking to the coach about how you don't tumble but you can bring some killer stunt skills to the squad and she will probably understand. You can always learn how to tumble enough to keep up once you have made the squad. You just have to be able to prove that just because you are lacking in one area doesn't mean you are any less of a cheerleader.
But there will always be those bitchy coaches and cheerleaders who will think that and they may pom block you. If you get cut from your squad and you really wanted to cheer you can see if one of the cheerleaders that did make the squad are willing to work with you. If you don't know how to tumble I would definitely recommend going to a gym to learn. Learning from someone who isn't certified to teach tumbling can kill you or seriously injure you. It's just a bad idea. Don't do it.
You could choose though that you don't want to waste your time with a coach like that but that would mean giving up cheer. Another option you have is to look into trying out for a competition team (or if you got cut from a competition team, you could try out for your high school). Competitive cheer and high school cheer are really different though. High school cheerleaders have to have the stamina to cheer for hours on end and competitive cheerleaders have to be able to squeeze all of that into a few minutes. It depends on you what kind of squad you feel most comfortable with.
I started college last year and I knew that I couldn't make the squad because they do some crazy tumbling and I can barely do a forward roll. I didn't want to waste their time or mine trying out for a squad that was more advanced that I could ever dream of being. I looked into joining club cheerleading. Then I learned that they compete level 5 but they let everyone on the squad. I don't know how on earth they do that. They either don't have level 5 skills like they say or they bully anyone who doesn't have the right skills off the squad. Then I checked out youtube to see what they were like and they SUCKED. It was almost unbearable to watch for two and a half minutes. I decided that it wasn't for me. I don't have the skills to be on that kind of squad and I don't want them to bully me off the squad. I can live without cheering in college. I will just blog, get my ideas in order, and coach after I graduate. Its the choice I made, and you have to make your own.
