These days, cheerleading is a serious athletic endeavor. Cheerleading has evolved from a team of enthusiastic students who promoted school spirit to a dancing, tumbling troupe of athletes. On top of that, cheerleaders are also judged on their attitude, facial expressions, leadership abilities and teamwork skills. Making the squad in high school is a serious commitment, and involves a lot of practice and training, but if you follow these tips, you can go to tryouts knowing your stuff and having an edge on the competition.
Instructions
1. Watch your school's cheerleaders. Pay attention to the skills and abilities they possess. Pay attention to the routines they perform and the ways they assist each other. Notice the facial expressions, posture and attitude of the cheerleaders. This is what you will be expected to do and the level at which you will be expected to perform. Make notes.
2. Take lessons to address any weakness in your skill set. For example, if your cheerleaders tumble a lot, you can learn many basic tumbling moves in a summer gymnastics course. Also consider dance lessons to enhance those skills, or exercise classes to improve endurance and flexibility.
3. Spend time practicing in front of a mirror. Practice smiling and maintaining a positive facial expression for a long period. Watch your posture, and the rigidity or fluidity of your movements. Smiling, posture and confidence are more important than you think, and can often be the difference between making the squad and not.
4. Befriend some cheerleaders, and ask them to show you the routines. This is like job training and can be extremely valuable to learning the nuances of the squad, and the coach's style and expectations.
5. Hire a cheer coach. If you are trying to get onto a squad that is one of the most elite in the country, a cheer coach can get you into shape, teach you the necessary skills and even help you choreograph your audition. For most high schools, this is not necessary, but for some, it can provide a crucial advantage.
Tags: cheer coach, facial expressions, Watch your, will expected