All-Star The Ultimate Guide To Preparing For Tryouts.

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Oh, @Just-a-Mom you must live in my head!

Additional tryout related point, particularly if you're new to the program:

We're not in the business of giving kids and parents what they want. We're in the business of making teams that are going to be best for the kids, level appropriate, etc.

You can tell me til you're blue in the face that "Suzie can only fly. That's all she's ever done."

If we've been through evals, and there are 6 or 7 kids on her level/age group with amazing technique and she's just okay, she may be headed for basing.

It's important to be OPEN to a variety of situations. If you insist on your kid flying and she's not the strongest on her eval, you're going to be upset.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Also, are you NEW TO ALL STARS?

Take everything that happened during POP WARNER/REC/YOUTH FOOTBALL CHEER and ERASE IT from your mind.

If I had a dollar for every:

"Oh she was point flyer in Pop Warner last year! She's a definite flyer."
"She was center dancer last year in the halftime routine."
"Her Pop Warner coach made her BHS last pass."

I'd be super rich.

PW flyer in a prep doesn't make you the center flyer on Y2. Two different skill levels.

Not to mention you have no idea how many "last passes on Pop Warner" end up making me want to reach for my inhaler during tumbling because they were taught awful technique and are headed for a concussion.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

You can tell me til you're blue in the face that "Suzie can only fly. That's all she's ever done."

Oh gosh can you imagine if life worked this way? Technically all I've ever done is retail and waitressing! I'd like to think I can do more than that...


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[lovely.lily]

For tryouts I tend to go by the motto; present, practice and perform.
You want to present a good front, both in appearance and attitude.
Practice because that's all tryouts really are, you practicing your skills. (This is especially true for returning athletes.)
And lastly perform; putting it all together and them adding some fierce on top.

Also, are you NEW TO ALL STARS?
If I had a dollar for every:

"Oh she was point flyer in Pop Warner last year! She's a definite flyer."
"She was center dancer last year in the halftime routine."
"Her Pop Warner coach made her BHS last pass."

This right here makes me dread tryout season. Not to mention the parent's whom are like, "If my kid isn't made a flyer, we'll go someplace else," or my personal favorite from last season. "My kid can't base, she's got a medical condition that affects her back." Well honey, if basing is going to hurt her, do you think flying is going to be any better?

 

[BuegeSmalls]

As a high school coach, I tell my girls to always look ready to be under the lights, even at tryouts. Call me crazy, I don't care. I told them for games and events they had to be wearing blush, mascara, and something on their lips. They were told upfront if I didn't think they had enough makeup on, I would teach them how to do it. It ended up working out great because their confidence from practices went up threefold when they went to games and events feeling like they looked the part. For some of my freshmen girls, it was really the first time they had worn makeup (private grade schools don't allow makeup around here) and it was a learning experience for them.

I think I really enjoy makeup too much, seeing as how I carry it with me at all times. Seeing me at practice and in school though, you wouldn't guess it though.

I believe in my heart, the better you look, the better you feel. The better you feel, the better you do.



ETA this picture of some of my girls event ready. I don't think I'm going overboard by mandating this much makeup.

Top right corner it looks like her head is on fire. Lol I know it's just the fire in the background though. I like their make up natural and simple, pretty!


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[CheerMomNTx]

Sooo my CP needs to remind all the coaches she is a flyer; I need to go ahead and give the coaches, the receptionist and any other staff memeber of the gym, the breakdown of all of the skills that she has; CP needs to wear her hair slicked back with an SOT poof, sparkly bow, tons of makeup to make her look like she is 18 and gobs of red lipstick! Got it!!!! We are ready!!! I will wear a matching sparkly bow for extra luck!!!

 

[Cheermom1969]

Sooo my CP needs to remind all the coaches she is a flyer; I need to go ahead and give the coaches, the receptionist and any other staff memeber of the gym, the breakdown of all of the skills that she has; CP needs to wear her hair slicked back with an SOT poof, sparkly bow, tons of makeup to make her look like she is 18 and gobs of red lipstick! Got it!!!! We are ready!!! I will wear a matching sparkly bow for extra luck!!!

Well, duh, it goes without saying that YOU will also be wearing a bow! All the moms do!

 

[SarahS]

Also, are you NEW TO ALL STARS?

Take everything that happened during POP WARNER/REC/YOUTH FOOTBALL CHEER and ERASE IT from your mind.

If I had a dollar for every:

"Oh she was point flyer in Pop Warner last year! She's a definite flyer."
"She was center dancer last year in the halftime routine."
"Her Pop Warner coach made her BHS last pass."

I'd be super rich.

PW flyer in a prep doesn't make you the center flyer on Y2. Two different skill levels.

Not to mention you have no idea how many "last passes on Pop Warner" end up making me want to reach for my inhaler during tumbling because they were taught awful technique and are headed for a concussion.

This makes me sad. I totally understand that you're coming from a place of experience, its just that I like to think that I'm preparing my rec kids for bigger and better things, and in doing so I recognize the incredible importance of teaching them proper technique now. Perfection before progression. My kids don't work BHS without a perfected back walkover (and not like one perfect BWO but many repeat perfectly performed skills) and front walkovers. I have kids learn all positions in stunts so that they understand that no one is ever JUST a flyer. I hope that if my kids end up in the all star world they're not told to forget everything I've taught them... Because I try really hard to make sure I'm teaching them proper technique and progressions from day one.

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[yooolizzi]

This makes me sad. I totally understand that you're coming from a place of experience, its just that I like to think that I'm preparing my rec kids for bigger and better things, and in doing so I recognize the incredible importance of teaching them proper technique now. Perfection before progression. My kids don't work BHS without a perfected back walkover (and not like one perfect BWO but many repeat perfectly performed skills) and front walkovers. I have kids learn all positions in stunts so that they understand that no one is ever JUST a flyer. I hope that if my kids end up in the all star world they're not told to forget everything I've taught them... Because I try really hard to make sure I'm teaching them proper technique and progressions from day one.

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You really are one in a million.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

This makes me sad. I totally understand that you're coming from a place of experience, its just that I like to think that I'm preparing my rec kids for bigger and better things, and in doing so I recognize the incredible importance of teaching them proper technique now. Perfection before progression. My kids don't work BHS without a perfected back walkover (and not like one perfect BWO but many repeat perfectly performed skills) and front walkovers. I have kids learn all positions in stunts so that they understand that no one is ever JUST a flyer. I hope that if my kids end up in the all star world they're not told to forget everything I've taught them... Because I try really hard to make sure I'm teaching them proper technique and progressions from day one.

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You are truly the unicorn of rec coaches, honey. You don't count.

I volunteered with rec previously (as a favor to my niece and her team) and you really would seriously not believe some of the technique that kids are taught (by people who have no clue what they're doing.)

Ex: if a kid was taught for an entire year to just whip her head back in a BHS, I NEED her to forget that because it's wrong.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

"My kid can't base, she's got a medical condition that affects her back." Well honey, if basing is going to hurt her, do you think flying is going to be any better?

My response: Well you're in luck because if you're basing correctly, you're using your legs, hun. No problem!

But really. If flying is easier on bodies/backs, tell that to my (now almost 9 years out of college) body. I still creak and crack every now and then.

 

[AngelsMum24]

The best flyer to me, and the best flyer to parents are not necessarily the same kid. Especially when the best flyer to the parents are their own kids.

Someone can campaign all they want, but it's never worked on me. I (and any good coach) do not make decisions on emotion.

I am also a coach, but have two other coaches to contend with as well. We are not always on the same page. I know which flyer of the two examples above my bases don't want in their group. To me, that also says a lot.

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[AngelsMum24]

Could it be a size issue where the younger kid is too small to base?




Pretending to be a parent since 1993

She could front and/or tumble.

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[AngelsMum24]

She could front and/or tumble. We have enough currently for three stunt groups. But when they all go up together, two beautiful and one very awkward. It shows. That is why I think up until team placements all the kids should be trying different positions.

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[NJ Coach]

I am also a coach, but have two other coaches to contend with as well. We are not always on the same page. I know which flyer of the two examples above my bases don't want in their group. To me, that also says a lot.

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Do all 3 coaches have equal say? Or is one a head coach and the other 2 booty't? There's nothing wrong with having people go in an out until a final decision is made.