It's Tryout Time Again

Walk up to any high school gym in the month of April and you will hear the sounds of cheers and chants, music playing, and lots of clapping. No it is not a basketball game. It is cheer squad tryout time. Tryout time is the most stressful time of year for the cheerleader candidate and the sponsor. It causes lots of nervous stomachs for the candidates and headaches for the sponsor. Cheerleading is one of the few sports that have actual tryouts. The cheer sponsor does not get to select the squad like a football or basketball coach does. Instead, the cheer sponsor has to make sure the tryout process is fair for everyone. The sponsor will decide how many cheerleaders will be selected for the next school year and the graduating senior members of the squad are responsible for making up the cheer that will be performed for the tryouts. Cheerleader candidates will attend the clinic and work with the graduating senior members to learn the cheer, the fight song and work on motion technique, jumps, stunts and tumbling. Previous members of the squad who are underclassmen have to go through the same process. They have to tryout again. Just because they made the squad the previous year does not mean they are automatically on the squad for the next year. The sponsor will hand out a packet that includes an application to tryout for the squad. This will require evidence of the candidate's GPA, the medical treatment authorization and liability release that has to be signed by the parent or guardian, and the cheerleader constitution. The constitution informs the parent/guardian and candidate of the purpose of the cheerleader squad, the tryout process, practices and games, safety, summer camp, expected behaviors and standards, school's transportation policy and discipline. Some schools use teacher recommendations as part of the tryout process. The Judges are usually selected from the college squads. Normally there are 3 to 5 judges that judge the cheerleader candidates in several categories: communication skills (voice, projection, enthusiasm, crowd appeal), motion technique (sharpness of arm movements), group technique (how well the candidate works with a group), dance technique (dance skill and rhythm), jumps (height, flexibility, technique) and gymnastics skills (difficulty, technique). There is a maximum of 100 points and each category is assigned a maximum number based on what the sponsor has decided is more important for their squad. For schools who don't require tumbling as a prerequisite to be on the squad, that category may be assigned 5 points. For those who use teacher recommendations, it will also be given a point value and be included in the final score. When each candidate has finished the tryout process, there will be a time for the judges to tally the scores and rank the candidates from top to bottom. Some schools have open tryouts and some have closed tryouts. Sponsors decide how they are going to inform the candidate of their selection to the squad. Some post the names of the new squad members on the gym door, some make the formal announcement of the new squad at the tryouts and some call or email the candidate. Next up is summer camp and learning new cheers, chants, dances and stunts for the next football and basketball season. Some schools hire individuals not associated with the school to "coach" the squad for camp and upcoming competitions. Peggy Whaley is the OU Spirit Camps Director. She a former high school and college cheerleader and has also been a cheer sponsor at the high school and college level.