How to Rock Cheer Tryouts as a Coach Oh, cheerleading tryouts! What an exciting time in the season. You get to meet all of the new athletes while your returning athletes are looking forward to a new season. I have ran tryouts for six years as a head coach, and I learn something new every year. I've put together a list of tips and advice to help you run your tryouts. If you're looking for an editable packet with everything you need, check out my packet ! I use this for my high school cheer tryouts. BEFORE TRYOUTS Meet with your Administration Your administration will have guidelines for your squad. For example, our athletes trying out are required to bring a copy of their physical.  I have listed several steps below, be sure to get approval from your admin along the way of planning tryouts.  Meet with your Assistant Coaches Have a meeting with your assistants to map out a plan for the year. Align on your vision for coaching by creating a cheerleading contract. Create a calendar...

Choose the Best Cheer Captains for your Team Choosing cheer captains for your team is one of the most important decisions of your season. Your captains serve as a liaison between the coaches and the cheerleaders. It is so important to have a strong working relationship with the athletes you choose to be captain of your team.  In this post I share ideas for choosing captains for your team. I always recommend getting approval from your administration on your captain selection process to ensure you have their support.  Click Here to purchase an editable packet I created to streamline your Cheer Captain Application and Selection. Cheer Captain Qualities Below I have listed some of the most important qualities for a captain, which qualities would you add or change? Reflect on your values as a coach and write them down. Keep these values in mind as you choose captains. Dependable It goes without saying that you need to be able to rely on your captains. You should be able to delegate...

How to Prep for Cheer Camp as a Cheer Coach Our cheer team attends an overnight UCA Cheer Camp every summer. We keep coming back because it is our cheerleaders' favorite memory of the season. Cheer Camp is the best place for your team to bond, make memories, and build skills of endurance. 1. Plan Team Bonding There are so many ways to have your team bond. Camp is busy so I recommend planning the games ahead of time and choosing games with minimal materials. Check out my post here for Cheer Camp Bonding Ideas You can have your seniors plan bonding, just make sure so that all bonding is appropriate, positive, and encouraging! 2. Prepare Lineups & Stunt Groups Ahead of Time Plan out a cheer lineup and dance lineup ahead of time. Place your team in these lineups at practice before you head to camp and tell them to remember  This will save you so much valuable time at camp! You won't need to spend time placing a lineup, reteaching roll offs and ripples.  Base your lineups off o...