College Becoming A College Cheerleader

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Ok so I’ve been going through my academics and my college list, and my top choices are probably going to be SEC or similar schools with good cheer teams. Do I have no chance cheering in college if I only apply to colleges with strong cheer programs?

At this point I think I need to be focusing on how to either improve my chances of making the team or other ways to still be a cheerleader without being on the college team.
 
Ok so I’ve been going through my academics and my college list, and my top choices are probably going to be SEC or similar schools with good cheer teams. Do I have no chance cheering in college if I only apply to colleges with strong cheer programs?

At this point I think I need to be focusing on how to either improve my chances of making the team or other ways to still be a cheerleader without being on the college team.

Open teams at nearby all-star gyms is an option.

But you said you want to be a sideline cheerleader and not a competition cheerleader? You said you have good tumbling but not game day skills? I'm just reading conflicting discussion within your posts, so I don't even know if you know what exactly you're looking for? Can I ask why? Why do you want to cheer in college?
 
Open teams at nearby all-star gyms is an option.

But you said you want to be a sideline cheerleader and not a competition cheerleader? You said you have good tumbling but not game day skills? I'm just reading conflicting discussion within your posts, so I don't even know if you know what exactly you're looking for? Can I ask why? Why do you want to cheer in college?
You’re right. I would like to be a competition cheerleader too but I guess what I care more about is being a sideline cheerleader. I want to cheer in college because I’ve loved my experience cheering in high school and I want to continue it. My tumbling isn’t the best in the world but it’s definitely not bad. I don’t have a full but I have everything up to it and can probably get my full by next year when I try out for college cheer. I’m pretty quiet and shy which is why my game day skills aren’t very good, but I still like cheering at games.

Sorry it’s so confusing.
 
You’re right. I would like to be a competition cheerleader too but I guess what I care more about is being a sideline cheerleader. I want to cheer in college because I’ve loved my experience cheering in high school and I want to continue it. My tumbling isn’t the best in the world but it’s definitely not bad. I don’t have a full but I have everything up to it and can probably get my full by next year when I try out for college cheer. I’m pretty quiet and shy which is why my game day skills aren’t very good, but I still like cheering at games.

Sorry it’s so confusing.

My best advice for you is to visit and get into schools before you worry too much about cheering at a school. Based on your post you are a rising senior and you said that you haven't visited any schools yet. The allure of an SEC school is compelling and all but there are lots of things that come along with being at an SEC school. Expenses, class sizes, distance from home, campus activities and more should be a factor far before cheer should be. Summer is the time to do these visits and if you want to cheer I would suggest before you go on visits to email the coaches of schools that you are considering and see if you can talk to them.

I am more introverted and shy by nature but you are going to have to get over that if you want to cheer in college especially at an SEC school where game days are a full day event. Even at powerhouse schools like University of Kentucky I can guarantee that even the best stunter and tumbler in the world will not make the team if they don't have excellent game day skills. I am at a D1 school on a sideline only squad. A typical football game day at my small school involves: mingling with alumni, visiting our tailgaters, participating in activities with our kids program and cheering in front of thousands of people. If a school in the middle of rural western Kentucky has this much going on during game day I can only imagine what goes on at schools like Alabama or Duke. If you can't be spirited, yell and turn it on game day wise for try-outs and for games then your tumbling and stunting abilities will not matter and you probably won't make most college cheer teams.

No one on these boards can tell you if you will make a college team as there are many different requirements for even the teams in the SEC and there are cases where having the requirements and then some might not get you on the team. These boards will best help you much much more after you have visited and chosen schools you actually want to attend and have decided to try out for.
 
Thanks! The reason I’m so interested in SEC schools and others like those are because those schools would give me the most financial aid and be the cheapest for me, easy for me to get into, are in the south which I want, and I want to go to a big school with good sports, whether or not I’m cheering. I didn’t pick them because they had good cheer teams.
 
Most SEC schools are extremely competitive when it comes to making their spirit program - you need the entire package of the strongest tumbling and stunting combined with extremely good game day skills. Mississippi State and Arkansas seem to have easier minimum tumbling requirements than most but I think Arkansas only has a coed team. You can go to each University's website and almost all will give you what minimum requirements are needed for their team.
I can't stress enough how important it is to pick the best school that fits your financial and academic needs before you consider anything else.
 
If I were only considering financial and academic requirements, my most obvious choices would be SEC schools. They’d all be cheaper than my in state schools for me. Cheer is what’s complicating it because I know I don’t have the requirements to cheer at those schools.
 
If I were only considering financial and academic requirements, my most obvious choices would be SEC schools. They’d all be cheaper than my in state schools for me. Cheer is what’s complicating it because I know I don’t have the requirements to cheer at those schools.

I would reach out to each school. Most have their requirements listed on their sites. If they don’t, you can always ask the coach. Some require you attend clinics in the fall/spring prior to tryouts where you’ll learn some of the tryout material.


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I would reach out to each school. Most have their requirements listed on their sites. If they don’t, you can always ask the coach. Some require you attend clinics in the fall/spring prior to tryouts where you’ll learn some of the tryout material.


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When you say reach out to each school do you mean just go on each schools website and do what you said or do you mean actually contact the coaches from each of the schools?
 
You could contact the coaches. Our head coach is very receptive to inquiries. Often for recruits they attend a football game or two and are down on the sidelines with the cheerleaders to get a true view of what happens during GameDay. Going to clinics is also very helpful. Even if it is at a school that is not on your short list. It will give you a good idea of what skills are required and the coaches prep the kids of what it is like to cheer in college. My other daughter has been to a couple of clinics even though she prob won’t cheer at that school. She is interested in USC that has coed and all girl. All girl competes ar NCA. FSU is on her short list too. The only team that competes there is club team.
 
When you say reach out to each school do you mean just go on each schools website and do what you said or do you mean actually contact the coaches from each of the schools?
A lot of the schools will list what they are looking for at the very minimum on their websites (typically in their tryout packets). Game Day skills in the south are very important. Reach out to the coaches by email and see what they say. Clinics are a fantastic recommendation because not only do they give you a chance to see what the team is about and looking for (and if you see it as a good fit) but it also gives them a chance to make that additional connection with you. Some schools you can’t even attend tryouts without having done a clinic or at the very least touch base with the head coach.
 
Thanks so much for all of the advice! If I were to contact a coach directly, what exactly should I ask or say to them?

And I know it’s just about your personality but is there anything I can do to improve my game day skills?
 
Thanks so much for all of the advice! If I were to contact a coach directly, what exactly should I ask or say to them?

And I know it’s just about your personality but is there anything I can do to improve my game day skills?

Do you email teachers in school?

Same idea - be professional. Get to the point. Proof Read. dn't tlk lyke ur txting.

State who you are. And why you are reaching out. And ask if there are clinics, next steps you can take.

Leave contact information - and maybe follow up with a phone call 4/5 days later.
 
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When you say reach out to each school do you mean just go on each schools website and do what you said or do you mean actually contact the coaches from each of the schools?

I would start by checking the websites. Some will have the requirements listed for tryouts. If it’s not listed then I would contact the coach listed on the website.


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