Preparing for Tryouts the Right Way

Getting ready for tryouts can be a very hectic and stressful time of the year. Usually, they are right in the middle of the spring, when you are supposed to be relaxing and recovering from your season. Well, it is also the best time to get back out there and start thinking about next year, and most importantly, keep you in shape for next season. Whether it’s your first time trying out, or your senior year and you want to go out with a bang‚ either way, there are always those nerves that you won’t make it. But, there are actually just a few things coaches and judges are looking for to have you get that perfect score and a spot on the team. Make sure your motions are perfect. Motions are everything‚ they are the bread and butter of cheerleading. They help your cheers, dances, and jumps. Make sure your wrists are straight, and your arms are in the perfect positions. The best way to ensure your motions are absolutely perfect, do them in a mirror‚ over and over again. If your arms are not hurting, you’re not doing them right. Improve your jumps. Jumps are hard to improve and they take time, but if you don’t have the fundamentals down, you can say goodbye to your spot on the team. Just like your motions, you want to start in a nice clean High-V and swing your arms to a perfect T. Now, to work on the height of your jumps; you aren’t going to have the highest jumps if this is your first time trying out. Work on stretching both your straddles and your splits. Lean forward in your straddles, but keep your head up and your back flat. This will make sure you are stretching yourself out to the fullest potential. Once you’ve stretched out, sit in a straddle, and do a few leg circles on each side. Don’t forget to point your toes! Use your cheer voice. Yelling and cheering are two totally different things, and the judges can tell the difference. Make sure you are cheering from your diaphragm, and not your throat. If you yell from your throat, you can guarantee you won’t be able to cheer for too long. Cheer from the bottom of your belly, and your voice will travel much further than a normal yell. Dress the part. Many times, coaches set a specific dress code for tryout day. Make sure you follow it! If the coach wants you to wear a red shirt and navy shorts, make sure you don’t come in with royal blue shorts‚ or worse‚ denim. Not following dress code before you make the team means you won’t follow directions once you are on the team either. Show confidence. Coaches love to see that you are confident and know what you are doing. Cheerleaders need to perform in front of the entire school for pep rallies, and at football games, double that audience to include the parents and visiting team. Your performance in front of your coach and judges is the smallest group of people you will have to impress all season. Be confident! You’ve got this! What else did you do in preparing for tryouts? Let us know how you made the team in the comments!