High School High School Tryouts

[Official OWECheer]

I refuse to split the two, and we still have some of that. Our crowd-leading ability is a work in progress for sure. Hopefully we are doing some things this year to improve that aspect.

I agree. Kids need to be required to do both on a team in order to be well-rounded.

 

[CoachTamara]

Please don't think I'm super into allowing everyone to join sideline-I'm not. California passing the law has put us in a horrible position. If I want my kids to practice, they will have to do something. If it's a sport, it's cheating before the date. If it's a club, they can potentially practice all year and attend camp. To be a club, I must allow all people interested to join.
This is why I'm trying to start this discussion-this is a really crazy time for us and really changes cheer. I want to punch everyone that made it a sport.

I think you can teach a lot of sideline skills, but that's going to take up a lot of time. Plus, the commitment level is much different. The positives are that maybe those kids I cut that were turned off could be on sideline and realize the work they need to put in to make the team next season. When you cut, I think the mentality is usually "well they suck, they cut me" and they look for another sport to try.

I have been begging for other coaches to talk to me about how they are going to face this, and I haven't heard a thing. I cannot be the only coach looking beyond this season.

 

[Official OWECheer]

Please don't think I'm super into allowing everyone to join sideline-I'm not. California passing the law has put us in a horrible position. If I want my kids to practice, they will have to do something. If it's a sport, it's cheating before the date. If it's a club, they can potentially practice all year and attend camp. To be a club, I must allow all people interested to join.
This is why I'm trying to start this discussion-this is a really crazy time for us and really changes cheer. I want to punch everyone that made it a sport.

I think you can teach a lot of sideline skills, but that's going to take up a lot of time. Plus, the commitment level is much different. The positives are that maybe those kids I cut that were turned off could be on sideline and realize the work they need to put in to make the team next season. When you cut, I think the mentality is usually "well they suck, they cut me" and they look for another sport to try.

I have been begging for other coaches to talk to me about how they are going to face this, and I haven't heard a thing. I cannot be the only coach looking beyond this season.

I feel so bad for you guys. Why couldn't they designate cheer as a sport activity like Kentucky does?

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

I feel so bad for you guys. Why couldn't they designate cheer as a sport activity like Kentucky does?

The law won't hold up in court if someone challenges it. The Supreme Court has ruled over and over and over again: cheerleading does not meet the definition of sport for title IX purposes. This will only last until the first good case comes up and makes it to SCOTUS.

 

[Official OWECheer]

The law won't hold up in court if someone challenges it. The Supreme Court has ruled over and over and over again: cheerleading does not meet the definition of sport for title IX purposes. This will only last until the first good case comes up and makes it to SCOTUS.

The weird thing is that this could be excellent news for some states and devastating news for others.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

The weird thing is that this could be excellent news for some states and devastating news for others.

There's nothing good about referring to cheerleading as a sport.

STUNT, ok, sure, that's what it was designed to be.

Cheerleading, no.

 

[Official OWECheer]

There's nothing good about referring to cheerleading as a sport.

STUNT, ok, sure, that's what it was designed to be.

Cheerleading, no.

When everything finally does get overturned, I'll feel bad for the teams that aren't financially self-sustaining. Relying on the school is dangerous.

 

[Alexx]

Cheer at my school was a sport. In the summer we had non mandatory practices, but they made it very clear at the parent meeting before tryouts that if you were in town, you were expected to be there. Camp was mandatory and could not be missed. There were two tryouts per year, one for football and the other for basketball/competition. This way if you were only interested in doing one that was possible, but 99% of people did both. Fortunately the school I went to is very supporting of cheer. We had a full 7 panel mat, and the school provided uniforms and warm ups from the athletic booster fund. I think that having a school that backs cheer makes all the difference. We were held to the same standards as any sports team by the school, but the coach held us to higher standards. What they do obviously worked since they placed 2nd at state this year and have gone to state every year since the school was built except for one.

ETA: In Illinois teams can have non mandatory practices all summer, but theres a no contact week where no teams can practice with a coach, but if the team wants to get together on their own and run drills or condition, they can.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I can't say that I have lost sight of game day skills, but I definitely put them in perspective in terms of balancing sideline and competition skills.

I have had a really strong all around pool of kids lately, so you need to be perfect on crowdleading these days to make the team, because a good number of the kids (especially returners) score high. So you need the points.

However, if we were to ever have a not-as-strong pool, and and I have to choose between strong in skills and strong in crowdleading, I'm probably picking skills.

Given a good cheerleader with no tumbling and a girl with tumbling and stunting skills but ZERO gamely skills, I'm taking the girl with the tumbling and stunting. I can TEACH HER to lead the crowd. I cannot take this other girl from zero to competing in one season.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

Cheer at my school was a sport. In the summer we had non mandatory practices, but they made it very clear at the parent meeting before tryouts that if you were in town, you were expected to be there. Camp was mandatory and could not be missed. There were two tryouts per year, one for football and the other for basketball/competition. This way if you were only interested in doing one that was possible, but 99% of people did both. Fortunately the school I went to is very supporting of cheer. We had a full 7 panel mat, and the school provided uniforms and warm ups from the athletic booster fund. I think that having a school that backs cheer makes all the difference. We were held to the same standards as any sports team by the school, but the coach held us to higher standards. What they do obviously worked since they placed 2nd at state this year and have gone to state every year since the school was built except for one.

ETA: In Illinois teams can have non mandatory practices all summer, but theres a no contact week where no teams can practice with a coach, but if the team wants to get together on their own and run drills or condition, they can.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but cheerleading in your school still wasn't a sport. It may have been given the same benefits as the other athletic teams, but the Supreme Court has ruled multiple times that cheerleading can not be counted as a sport, and cheerleaders cannot be counted as athletes for title IX purposes.

Personally, I hope that the SCOTUS never changes their stance on the issue. The trickle down effect would likely mean that coed cheerleading would cease to exist. Just like there are no boys allowed in STUNT.

ETA: our athletic director and principal are very supportive as well. The AD often refers to us in the group "all of our sports teams." I appreciate the equality for my athletes, but we still aren't a sport, and I'm fine with that. I don't need a special title to feel valuable.

 

[CoachTamara]

Cheer as a sport: :wham:

I DON'T WANT TO BE A SPORT.

 

[Alexx]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but cheerleading in your school still wasn't a sport. It may have been given the same benefits as the other athletic teams, but the Supreme Court has ruled multiple times that cheerleading can not be counted as a sport, and cheerleaders cannot be counted as athletes for title IX purposes.

Personally, I hope that the SCOTUS never changes their stance on the issue. The trickle down effect would likely mean that coed cheerleading would cease to exist. Just like there are no boys allowed in STUNT.

ETA: our athletic director and principal are very supportive as well. The AD often refers to us in the group "all of our sports teams." I appreciate the equality for my athletes, but we still aren't a sport, and I'm fine with that. I don't need a special title to feel valuable.

The state of Illinois considers competitive cheer a sport. Its apart of the IHSA which is the sports organization for Illinois. If you go to IHSA.org, it is listed under female sports.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

I can't say that I have lost sight of game day skills, but I definitely put them in perspective in terms of balancing sideline and competition skills.

I have had a really strong all around pool of kids lately, so you need to be perfect on crowdleading these days to make the team, because a good number of the kids (especially returners) score high. So you need the points.

However, if we were to ever have a not-as-strong pool, and and I have to choose between strong in skills and strong in crowdleading, I'm probably picking skills.

Given a good cheerleader with no tumbling and a girl with tumbling and stunting skills but ZERO gamely skills, I'm taking the girl with the tumbling and stunting. I can TEACH HER to lead the crowd. I cannot take this other girl from zero to competing in one season.

It's funny, I feel just the opposite, my strength is in getting skills out of kids. Had a girl try out last year with a BHS who is going to try out this year with a layout. Is she a special kind of athlete? Sure, but almost every kid will be trying out with a new skill. That part isn't my issue.

My issue is that, as a guy who played sports my whole life, I understood the games I was cheering. I instinctually knew when the big moments were occurring, and how to manipulate a crowd with that knowledge. Coaching all girls, who could give a rip about anything except the outcome of the contest, it's hard to convey what came naturally to me in a teachable format.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

The state of Illinois considers competitive cheer a sport. Its apart of the IHSA which is the sports organization for Illinois. If you go to IHSA.org, it is listed under female sports.

See, they've already done it: competitive cheerleading is listed as a female sport. Spirit is listed as a "special coed activity." So basically, Illinois has taken males out of competitive cheer. Kentucky did it right. Cheerleading can be called a sports activity or what have you, but it should never be labeled as a sport,

ETA: I still wonder if what IL has done would hold up under a Supreme Court ruling if someone pushed the issue that far.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

It's funny, I feel just the opposite, my strength is in getting skills out of kids. Had a girl try out last year with a BHS who is going to try out this year with a layout. Is she a special kind of athlete? Sure, but almost every kid will be trying out with a new skill. That part isn't my issue.

I think that coachability plays a big part in this as well (looking for that quality in kids!)