High School High School Tryouts

[Alexx]

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,

Illinois has co-ed teams though that compete if you look. They aren't limiting males from competing at all. Its currently one of the toughest divisions in the state.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

Illinois has co-ed teams though that compete if you look. They aren't limiting males from competing at all. Its currently one of the toughest divisions in the state.

Then how do they call it a female sport?

That's laughable

 

[Official OWECheer]

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.

Absolutely. School support is everything. There were lots of schools at which sport rulings hardly changed anything because the cheer program was already well provided for.

I don't like cheer being ruled a female sport. We don't fit into any particular box.

 

[Alexx]

Then how do they call it a female sport?

That's laughable

First off, its not laughable at all. Second, it's probably because there are no other co-ed sports that are listed by the IHSA. If they listed competitive cheerleading under male sports as well, it would seem as if there are all male teams, which there is not. Either way, your argument that it cannot be ruled a sport is invalid because in Illinois, it obviously is one.

 

[Alexx]

Absolutely. School support is everything. There were lots of schools at which sport rulings hardly changed anything because the cheer program was already well provided for.

Cheer in my area is so huge that if a school didn't support the team, they would probably be laughed at. However, the standards of support obviously vary from school to school based on what they can afford. The other high school in my town always joked that the school I went to was the rich school aka we just had a lot of the larger home subdivisions in our zone. However since we're under the same athletic director (I believe. Thats how it was before I graduated.) they get the same amount of support we do.

 

[Official OWECheer]

Cheer in my area is so huge that if a school didn't support the team, they would probably be laughed at. However, the standards of support obviously vary from school to school based on what they can afford. The other high school in my town always joked that the school I went to was the rich school aka we just had a lot of the larger home subdivisions in our zone. However since we're under the same athletic director (I believe. Thats how it was before I graduated.) they get the same amount of support we do.

I love the cheer culture in Illinois. That sounds awesome.

 

[luv2cheer92]

First off, its not laughable at all. Second, it's probably because there are no other co-ed sports that are listed by the IHSA. If they listed competitive cheerleading under male sports as well, it would seem as if there are all male teams, which there is not. Either way, your argument that it cannot be ruled a sport is invalid because in Illinois, it obviously is one.

School cheer there seems very similar to how it is in Virginia. Competitive cheer is also a sport here, coed teams are allowed to compete. Though they do compete against all-girl teams, there are no separate divisions. Virginia doesn't seem to have all these restrictions that other states do in regards to it being a sport. There aren't any restrictions on competing with school/all star at the same time. No rules regarding doing sideline/competition at the same time, just about everybody does both at the same time. Competitive cheer is a fall sport, so this could impact the sideline cheer in a positive way in that sideline can practice in the window where competitive cheer is allowed to start (usually the first week of August), then competitions end first week of November and sideline continues through basketball season. Cheer has been a sport in Virginia for a long time (like at least 10-15 years) I wish more states were set up like this, because it hasn't really seemed to have a negative impact on it at all. The only negative I can think of is that you can't leave the state, so no NCA/UCA Nationals.

 

[Alexx]

School cheer there seems very similar to how it is in Virginia. Competitive cheer is also a sport here, coed teams are allowed to compete. Though they do compete against all-girl teams, there are no separate divisions. Virginia doesn't seem to have all these restrictions that other states do in regards to it being a sport. There aren't any restrictions on competing with school/all star at the same time. No rules regarding doing sideline/competition at the same time, just about everybody does both at the same time. Competitive cheer is a fall sport, so this could impact the sideline cheer in a positive way in that sideline can practice in the window where competitive cheer is allowed to start (usually the first week of August), then competitions end first week of November and sideline continues through basketball season. Cheer has been a sport in Virginia for a long time (like at least 10-15 years) I wish more states were set up like this, because it hasn't really seemed to have a negative impact on it at all. The only negative I can think of is that you can't leave the state, so no NCA/UCA Nationals.

I just can't imagine how strong teams in Illinois would be if we could do both. I know many quit all star to do school once they hit high school age. Not being able to leave the state kind of sucks as well. I know teams would dominate UCA/NCA. Our competitive season runs November through February, with my old school starting competitions in early December.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I just can't imagine how strong teams in Illinois would be if we could do both. I know many quit all star to do school once they hit high school age. Not being able to leave the state kind of sucks as well. I know teams would dominate UCA/NCA. Our competitive season runs November through February, with my old school starting competitions in early December.

I would LOVE to see an NCA or UCA with (example) Lockport, Joliet West, etc.

 

[Official OWECheer]

Illinois teams would cause earth-shattering change at NCA. The top Texas teams would be shaking in their boots.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Illinois teams would cause earth-shattering change at NCA. The top Texas teams would be shaking in their boots.

I'm biased, but I feel the same about some VA teams.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I'm biased, but I feel the same about some VA teams.

Indeed!

I'd love to see VA, IL, and GA schools compete at UCA/NCA. That would really shake some things up and make them interesting.

 

[Official OWECheer]

I'm biased, but I feel the same about some VA teams.

Not to mention GA teams! I wish we had one official Nationals that every state could attend.

 

[LittleMissA17]

I remember Carl Sandburg used to dominate at NCA. Is it a newer rule that Illinois can't leave the state?

 

[Alexx]

I remember Carl Sandburg used to dominate at NCA. Is it a newer rule that Illinois can't leave the state?

Most likely when cheer became a sport is when it became a rule.