High School Competitive And Sideline Teams (tryout Result Questions)

[MDCheer09]

Sooo, yesterday was the first day of tryouts for the HS team I coach. I am happy to say that we have over 50 girls trying out! However, because of the competitions we attend, we will probably take 20 on Varsity and 15 on JV.

My co-coach and I took everyone who tried out last year, and ended up with 25 on Varsity and 14 on JV. This year we want to be a bit more selective and have minimum tumbling requirements for each team. We expect to have full team tumbling on Varsity, and majority on JV.

My question is: We want to make 2 competition teams (JV and Varsity competition) and have everyone who doesn't make a competition team be apart of the sideline teams. Girls who make competition are also required to be on their respective level sideline team. Essentially we will have:

JV Sideline
JV Competition/Sideline

Varsity Sideline
Varsity Competition/Sideline

This ensures that everyone who tries out makes a team, but those who are exceptionally good represent us at our state and regional competitions.

Has anyone ever done this? When do your sideline girls practice? Do they come in less than the competition girls? Do you choreograph them in the routine (in the back) and have them practice the routine with the girls, even though they most likely won't compete?

Advice is needed!

#toomanygirlsattryouts

 

[Fierce_Elite]

I think what you have is a grate idea. I have no experience in coaching but want to. If I'm ever lucky enough to coach HS cheer, I would probably do the same thing.

However, if it's just you and a co-coach, that's way too much stress and expectation. In my opinion, I say at least two other coaches is needed to have this idea be fully successful.

I think girls who do not at least have a cartwheel and round off for the JV team, should be cut. Varsity girls should have exceptional tumbling skills for high school team. So that would mean the highest amount of tumbling skills that's allowed for your level. Anyone else who doesn't have it, should be cut.


I completely understand you want every girl to have cheerleading experience, but if you're a competitive team, and you want to have a chance at winning, you can't just have any and everyone.

I think having one sideline cheer team all together, will be a better success. If not, you're just going to have to cut. In my opinion, there is no way you can make over 50 girls some how make a squad. It's just going to be stressful and a big mess. Especially with only two coaches.

Please tell me if I didn't answer your question correctly, but in my honest opinion, having that many teams is just too much for only two coaches.

 

[GForce]

I think that's a great idea if you want to try to not make so many cuts. My high school we only did varsity and JV and then we cheered sideline and competition.

One year we did do a
freshman sideline, JV sideline and then those teams combined to make a JV Competition team and then the Varsity team cheer varsity and competed. Just another option to think about, or something like that could be good too!

 

[omgitssydthekid]

We typically had 25 on Varisty and of those 25, 20 were on the competition team. I think there was usually about 16 on JV and of the 16, 12 competed. All of JV and Varsity cheered sideline for our respective "levels" but JV also cheered for Varsity home football games. For basketball roughly 75% of the team (for varsity, I don't know about JV) cheered at each game and it rotated so we got a break every once in a while.

 

[Twinklestars]

Congrats on those numbers. It is a sign of a good program if more girls are trying out every year!

You might have the girls designate if they want to try out for sideline, competition, or both.

Then, you can divide on JV or Varsity depending on skill level.

I think that I girl can be an exceptional sideline cheerleader without tumbling. There is a game day presence that really transcends.

As the head coach/owner of my cps' tumbling gym likes to say, "You are cheerleaders-not tumble leaders, not dance leaders, not stunt leaders. You are there to yell cheers and lead the crowd." Of course, that only applies to sideline!

 

[cheerKT]

I think it's good idea to not make cuts. I am a former competition JV coach and we always had similar tryout numbers to what you posted here. Make your "cuts" on your sideline team, and give everyone the chance to cheer games. We only had a handful who did not make the competition team, so we gave all of them the title of "competition alternate". That way they knew they were still important to the team and were liable to be pulled in to compete at any point.

Giving everyone cheer experience, even on the sidelines, built the program and made it stronger for the future.

I would not have your sideline only girls come in to every practice. Designate one or two practices a week during the summer to learning game material and bring them in then. Then maybe drop it to a couple hours a week during hardcore competition season. I know personally we barely practiced game material at all during the fall, it was all pretty much knocked out over the summer. Fall practices were pretty much straight competition material (our comp season runs late Aug- late Nov)

I wouldn't choreograph them in the routine but if they happened to be there one practice when you were working routine material, great. They can watch, spot stunts or give feedback. They can act as an audience for your competition girls, I know mine ALWAYS performed better when someone was watching. Then they have a basic working knowledge of the routine and it will be an easier transition if you need one to step in for an injury.

 

[cheerKT]

Double post, but I agree with @Twinklestars. Have them specify what they want to try out for. But make it known that competition girls will automatically make the sideline team.

 

[MDCheer09]

We typically had 25 on Varisty and of those 25, 20 were on the competition team. I think there was usually about 16 on JV and of the 16, 12 competed. All of JV and Varsity cheered sideline for our respective "levels" but JV also cheered for Varsity home football games. For basketball roughly 75% of the team (for varsity, I don't know about JV) cheered at each game and it rotated so we got a break every once in a while.

@omgitssydthekid what did the girls who didn't make competition team do when the whole team wasn't doing something game related? Did they form their own stunt group and have placements in the back of the even though they wouldn't compete? Did they come in less days per week or only when you guys were practicing game stuff? I just don't know what to do with them! At the moment, it looks like about 18 girls will make a sideline only team...

 

[omgitssydthekid]

@omgitssydthekid what did the girls who didn't make competition team do when the whole team wasn't doing something game related? Did they form their own stunt group and have placements in the back of the even though they wouldn't compete? Did they come in less days per week or only when you guys were practicing game stuff? I just don't know what to do with them! At the moment, it looks like about 18 girls will make a sideline only team...

They were responsible for creating the cheer, words and motions, or our state/regionals routine. I know they were also involved with decorations and goody bags and whatnot also. A couple of the girls who didn't compete were injured but they all still had to be at every practice just in case (God forbid) something happened and they were needed as an alternate. Because that way, they already knew the routine.

 

[cheerKT]

@omgitssydthekid what did the girls who didn't make competition team do when the whole team wasn't doing something game related? Did they form their own stunt group and have placements in the back of the even though they wouldn't compete? Did they come in less days per week or only when you guys were practicing game stuff? I just don't know what to do with them! At the moment, it looks like about 18 girls will make a sideline only team...

18 combined on the JV and Varsity sideline? Or is that only Varsity?

 

[cheernerd5678]

@omgitssydthekid what did the girls who didn't make competition team do when the whole team wasn't doing something game related? Did they form their own stunt group and have placements in the back of the even though they wouldn't compete? Did they come in less days per week or only when you guys were practicing game stuff? I just don't know what to do with them! At the moment, it looks like about 18 girls will make a sideline only team...

Our sideline only people are alternates, and have spots in the routine. Not during stunts or tumbling but during everything else. They were choreographed in so that it wouldn't look weird when we take them out. That way when we perform at games they can participate, and they have knowledge of the routine so that they can step in if needed. Watching will give you a general idea but I feel like actually being in it helps more bc you have to know it. When we spend a practice stunting they spot around.

 

[Fierce_Elite]

I agree with cheernerd. It really does help in the long run too. Especially as competition season gets closer, and one of the girls get an injury, they can just step in. There is no need to prolong the routine or completely re-block pieces of the routine.

 

[MDCheer09]

18 combined on the JV and Varsity sideline? Or is that only Varsity?

@cheerKT 18 combined on JV and Varsity Sideline

 

[madisonkole]

In the past our school has always had 2 squads (JV & Varsity) where everyone competed. This year I found my self with a large number of kids that were 11th & 12th grade, so only eligible for varsity. In addition there were many talented 9th and 10th graders.
During tryouts we announced that there would be 3 squads, JV sideline, Varsity sideline and Varsity competition. JV sideline would be 9th and 10th graders, Varsity sideline would be 11th and 12th and Varsity competition would be open to all grade levels. The top ten raw scores would be placed on a preliminary roster for the competitive squad, and any others who want to make the squad would have to attend a stunt evaluation at a later date. This way we were able to put together a squad with working stunt groups.
Overall I am confident in my decision as I could not justify cutting a hardworking senior to put a talented 9th grader on a varsity sideline. I think the kids who don't compete are less stressed and have time for other activities since our practices are dramatically reduced (sideline practices once a week and attends one game. They also have optional tumbling for one hour twice a week). The competitive squad also have to attend sideline practices, as they are required to cheer games no matter what, and two one hour practices before the tumbling (which is mandatory for them).

I am very interested to hear what other schools are doing, it sounds like a few schools are beginning to have similar concepts regarding squad placement, especially in our state, New York, where cheer is becoming an official sport for Winter season!

 

[Fierce_Elite]

In the past our school has always had 2 squads (JV & Varsity) where everyone competed. This year I found my self with a large number of kids that were 11th & 12th grade, so only eligible for varsity. In addition there were many talented 9th and 10th graders.
During tryouts we announced that there would be 3 squads, JV sideline, Varsity sideline and Varsity competition. JV sideline would be 9th and 10th graders, Varsity sideline would be 11th and 12th and Varsity competition would be open to all grade levels. The top ten raw scores would be placed on a preliminary roster for the competitive squad, and any others who want to make the squad would have to attend a stunt evaluation at a later date. This way we were able to put together a squad with working stunt groups.
Overall I am confident in my decision as I could not justify cutting a hardworking senior to put a talented 9th grader on a varsity sideline. I think the kids who don't compete are less stressed and have time for other activities since our practices are dramatically reduced (sideline practices once a week and attends one game. They also have optional tumbling for one hour twice a week). The competitive squad also have to attend sideline practices, as they are required to cheer games no matter what, and two one hour practices before the tumbling (which is mandatory for them).

I am very interested to hear what other schools are doing, it sounds like a few schools are beginning to have similar concepts regarding squad placement, especially in our state, New York, where cheer is becoming an official sport for Winter season!

I love that idea. You are giving me so many good ideas for when I become a coach. I love you and the original poster of this thread idea. Its just before, I couldn't really see that working with only two coaches and so many teams. But I now changed my mind seeing how you worded it better.