High School cheerleading try outs

[snowball22]

Does anyone know if it is required that the girls must be able to do back flips? I know four of dd's friends who are basically dancers not gymnists who are trying out for high school cheerleading. The girls are all quite confident that they are going to make the squad even without being able to do a back flip. I just don't want to see these girls get hurt if they don't make the squad

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

it all depends on the squad! i was a HS cheerleader and even captain withut ever tumbling once!! i was pretty small then, so i was always the one being tossed in the air anyways

 

[bananiem]

Depends on the squad and what they're looking for at try-outs. Sometimes it's only some girls that do the back flips.
Most schools around here have cheer squads AND dance lines.

 

[tinkerbell1967]

Yes, it depends on the school. Some of the girls on my DD's squad can do the flip and other can't. We have seen some in the past that can do the gynastics part of the tryouts but then are not so good at the cheers and the movements.

 

[ntburns22]

I didn't do HS cheer but my sister did. For her normally at tryouts there was 1 tumbling move they wanted them to do at tryouts. They worked on it all week as well as the dance and cheer. They were years that girls that couldn't tumble still get on the squad because it was only a percentage of thier overall score. Good Luck

 

[cats mom]

Definitely depends on the school.

My DD just had try-outs last week.

A round-off back handspring AND a back tuck was a requirement to even be considered for the varsity squad.

There were a few girls who made JV without stong tumbling skills, but not many. Like Michelle said, mostly tiny girls who were potential flyers.

But the spiritline at her school is very competitive.

They also have seperate try-outs for Pom. That would be more for the girls with strong dance skills but no tumbling.

 

[lillygator]

I would say it depends on the school. In hs we were required to "tumble" not necessarily each squad member be able to do the same but still had to do some. In college, definitley had to be able to do a standing back tuck.

 

[bananiem]

I give the girls credit for trying. At least they won't be 40 and saying to themselves "I wish I'd at least tried out." My self-esteem at that age was pretty low. My flute teacher tried to get me to audition for All State Band. I was too scared. Now I look back and think I probably would have made it.

 

[lbgraves]

I watched most of the Cheerleader Nation with my kids mainly because I was curious to see how hard it was for them now. I was on a JV squad in 6th grade and we didn't do alot of tumbling at all. I was amazed at what those kids have to do in high school now. I guess it depends on how much the school completes.

 

[wvjovifan]

At our local HS, requirements get tougher each year because the competition gets tougher at regionals and states. When my youngest DD cheered Varsity, a roundoff backhandspring was the minimum requirement, other tumbling got you more points, but without the backhandspring, you were not going to be on the competition squad (only 13 could actually compete even though there might be 20 on the team). Needless to say, from the time they were 8 or 9, we spent hours at the gymnastics classes along with cheerleading practice. I don't miss it now that she is out of school!!!

 

[MorganLeFey]

Our high school has a junior varsity cheerleading squad, a varsity squad, and a dance team.

try outs for dance team are very competitive. the team competes at Disneyworld and Myrtle Beach as well as locally.


the j.v. cheerleading squad -- try outs are somewhat competitive, but anyone who can cheer and dance will likely make the team. but since the varisty team is also the competition team, and competes in Flordia every winter, tumbling skills are required.

older dd is a member of the j.v. squad, she's a flyer, and has been back up for the competition fliers. she's hoping to move up to varisty next year.

younger dd is on the middle school cheerleading squad -- that doesn't involve stunts or tumbling. she also takes several dance classes. she's not sure whether she's going out for dance team or cheerleading when she gets to high school.

 

[missypie]

At our kids' school, absolutely! For any of the teams (cheerleader, dance, etc.) there is a week long "try out camp" that is several hours after school every day, where they teach them a routine, etc. They know EXACTLY what they will be expected to do.

About three years ago there was a big uproar...the cheerleaders used to have to be able to do any 8 of 10 listed things...they changed it to where they have to be able to do all ten. There is one particular trick (maybe a standing back tuck?) that few people can do, so that started eliminating a lot of the girls.

 

[Mimi Q]

My older DD took gymnastics for years, so she can do a lot of tumbling but at high school try-outs this year they were not permitted to do any tumbling at all. It all depends on the school.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

DD#1 just made freshman cheerleader for next year. She has never taken a gymnastics class, and is in her 11th year of dance. They are offering a special gymnastics class for cheerleaders and she is now going to that and learning a roundoff and handspring. All they can do is tumbling runs. Most schools in our league do not allow "stunts". As for "flying", she does not have a flyer body--she is 5'7", 130 lbs., a size 2 jeans but a 36C chest! She'd be on the bottom of any pyramid for sure.
I don't regret her dancing all of these years and not doing gymnastics. She wants to be in musicals so it makes a lot more sense.
Robin M.

 

[Stacerita]

Like most have stated, it would depend on the squad/school. I was a cheerleader from the time I was 10 years old till I was well into college. I coached for many years, and even did judging at tryouts and competitions. I can tell you, when I tried out for all my squads, tumbling was never done by me. It just wasn't a requirement. In my senior year though, the school did pay for us to have a tumbling coach and we all learned to do in competition. But still, only a few actually did them during the routine. I never expected any one of the girls who I coached to tumble, but if they did, I worked that into the routine. And I wasn't overly harsh when judging girls who didn't tumble either. It just depended on what the squad/school was looking for.

Your DD friends would be told at the first tryout meeting what the requirements are. They will be told what routines they need to do, what grade point they need to have, if they need to sign anything up front, and if they need to tumble. All that would be told to them at the first meeting. If they can't meet those requirements, then they shouldn't try out. Tumbling will benefit them, but they may be able to make it on the ability to just do the routine. But they should be told by the advisor ahead of time.

 

[rbuzzotta]

My DD's hs team just completed their tryouts for next season. Once you make the team............you are on it for the rest of your student career unless you choose to quit or have to leave for bad grades or other reasons.

This coming season, the coach has stated that anywhere from 2-6 girls may not compete but can still be on the squad. They can only compete with 20 and the majority of them tumble. The only girls that did not make the team were those that did not tumble with the exception of one!!

My DD has been cheering for many years. Tumbling is only 10 points out of 100 but is very much an important part of the routine!! It is very impressive to have team tumbling and especially team standing back tucks at the hs level. Allstar cheering is totally different and the requirements much stricter than hs to make a good team.

I wish your DD's friends the best of luck!!!

 

[Mimi Q]

Did they make the squad?

 

[MorganLeFey]

well, congrats are in order...older dd made the varsity squad, younger dd made the JV squad.

 

[Sleeping~Beauty]

I agree with everyone, that it depends on the school.

I was the Varsity Cheerleading Captain, and I had years of dancing school.

It wasn't a priority to do backflips, but we had to be able to do splits, cartwheels, round-offs, jumps and and other basics. I actually learned how to do the flip.

Some of the squad was more gymnastics based, some was more dance based. So it really worked out and we were able to do many fun things in our routines.

 

[Mimi Q]

well, congrats are in order...older dd made the varsity squad, younger dd made the JV squad.

Congrats to both your DDs.