All-Star How Competetive Are College Cheer Try Outs Getting?

[ScottyB]

A recruiting fair at a large allstar competition would do a lot more! cough cough NCA or CHEERSPORt cough cough

Having recruitment clinics during the summer is a good way for colleges to see athletes. But college fairs at major allstar competitions are a good way for the athletes to find out a college exists.

I'm trying! I bring it up often! We'll get there eventually

 

[King]

I'm trying! I bring it up often! We'll get there eventually

The hard part is the college fair 'itself' will not make money. Maybe later athletes will pay money to attend but in reality this is a loss leader. It grows the entire college cheer environment by increasing the number of athletes interested which in turn allows gyms to sell the idea that you can 'start here go anywhere' (via gymnastics).

BTW if competition was going to do this any senior age athlete would be allowed to use one of their college visit days instead of an unexcused absence. Talk about Win WIN!

 

[level5diva]

In reference to the post about a girl with level 4 skills making it over girls with level 5 skills, Is it wrong to assume that worlds level 5 cheerleaders coming from top gyms like Cheer Ahletics, Top Gun, CEA, etc. have strong motions or the potential to easily get strong motions?

I was a CEA worlds athlete cut for my motions. Kind of annoying because if I learned how to stunt and tumble the way I do, pretty sure I can learn to squeeze my arms tighter in a Hi-V, but apparently not...

 

[BuegeSmalls]

I was a CEA worlds athlete cut for my motions. Kind of annoying because if I learned how to stunt and tumble the way I do, pretty sure I can learn to squeeze my arms tighter in a Hi-V, but apparently not...

IMO, I feel like they probably didn't want to spend time teaching you the "basics" because they expect people to come in with those types of things (motions, etc) down 100%. Yes, it might be easier to teach someone at a higher skill level how to do something easy as tight motions but the coaches would rather spend time teaching a level 4 (or whatever) athlete harder skills than have to worry about what their motions will look like come game time. Just my opinion.

 

[cheernerd5678]

IMO, I feel like they probably didn't want to spend time teaching you the "basics" because they expect people to come in with those types of things (motions, etc) down 100%. Yes, it might be easier to teach someone at a higher skill level how to do something easy as tight motions but the coaches would rather spend time teaching a level 4 (or whatever) athlete harder skills than have to worry about what their motions will look like come game time. Just my opinion.

I agree. Even to high school cheer I feel like people should come in with game day ready motions, because they're really not difficult. That's the easy part of cheer... I've see. Girls come in with great tumbling and even though they're corrected, they don't fix their motions bc they feel like they're too valuable to the team or motions aren't important. Not saying it's the case for everyone, but I can see a college coach experiencing several of these cases, getting fed up, and saying "okay I'm done, if they don't come in with good enough motions they can't make the team on skill alone."

 

[Cheeranswers]

can't we just say who we're talking about and avoid confusion.. i thought at the beginning we were talking about sierra who was on panthers, but i don't see anything about her making osu so now I'm confused..

 

[BuegeSmalls]

can't we just say who we're talking about and avoid confusion.. i thought at the beginning we were talking about sierra who was on panthers, but i don't see anything about her making osu so now I'm confused..

BP

 

[Cheeranswers]

BP

on panthers?

 

[gofriars610]

on panthers?

Yep

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

IMO, I feel like they probably didn't want to spend time teaching you the "basics" because they expect people to come in with those types of things (motions, etc) down 100%. Yes, it might be easier to teach someone at a higher skill level how to do something easy as tight motions but the coaches would rather spend time teaching a level 4 (or whatever) athlete harder skills than have to worry about what their motions will look like come game time. Just my opinion.

I keep going back to the talent pool but when you're talking about a tryout, that has a lot to do with who makes it.

If the talent pool has solid to awesome motions and is amazing with other requirements, a coach is not going to go out of his/her way to add someone for whom motions are going to be an issue, because motions are Cheer 101 (whether or not you have ever done school cheer, a high V is still something that everyone knows.) And everyone in pool is great with them. No need to relax your criteria.

On the other hand, if the pool is AMAZING with tumbling and stunts but 90% of them are in need of Gameday Jesus, he/she is going to accept that he/she is going to have to work with what they have, take on the awesome stunters and tumblers, and DEVELOP the gameday skills.

All of that to say, tryout results depend a lot on what other candidates are doing.

 

[King]

IMO, I feel like they probably didn't want to spend time teaching you the "basics" because they expect people to come in with those types of things (motions, etc) down 100%. Yes, it might be easier to teach someone at a higher skill level how to do something easy as tight motions but the coaches would rather spend time teaching a level 4 (or whatever) athlete harder skills than have to worry about what their motions will look like come game time. Just my opinion.

I think you hit the nail on the head. I honestly just don't get that thinking. Especially since a lot of these schools will add big boys who put up the girls who's motions are TERRIBLE but can stunt. Like the old school lib grip I think it is just old tradition's that are inefficient but because it has been around forever that is what people think is the best way.

Each college should setup two levels of teams (for us it is Gold and White). Gold should travel and be your premier squad and have the best skills and motions. If an athlete is lacking in skill or motions they are on white. Don't limit each team so it 'has' to be large coed. Take your best athletes and build the best teams. The product you put on the field / court will look a ton better. This also gives a way to develop motions. We have a gymnast coming in who has gorgeous tumbling and no idea on motions. Now we have a way to develop motions on a lower level team so she is good for next year, a way to reward people who come in from allstar, and can develop a good competition program. A good competition program attracts better athletes which makes for a better product on the field. As you can see it is cyclical and builds on itself.

 

[King]

I keep going back to the talent pool but when you're talking about a tryout, that has a lot to do with who makes it.

If the talent pool has solid to awesome motions and is amazing with other requirements, a coach is not going to go out of his/her way to add someone for whom motions are going to be an issue, because motions are Cheer 101 (whether or not you have ever done school cheer, a high V is still something that everyone knows.) And everyone in pool is great with them. No need to relax your criteria.

On the other hand, if the pool is AMAZING with tumbling and stunts but 90% of them are in need of Gameday Jesus, he/she is going to accept that he/she is going to have to work with what they have, take on the awesome stunters and tumblers, and DEVELOP the gameday skills.

All of that to say, tryout results depend a lot on what other candidates are doing.

Very true. You take a combo of athletes to fit your needs. if you have 50 tryout with standing doubles and cannot motion and 50 tryout with just a standing tuck but rocking gameday motions you will probably take a mix to produce the best program.

 

[Lazydaisytoo]

It is in NCA / CHEERSPORT's best interest to give this away for free. No one would be selling anything (or shouldn't be) so it shouldn't be a conflict of interest in that way. Colleges have to pay their own way. And in the end it would create a bigger market at the top (college) which creates more interest in allstar (at the bottom). NCA is at capacity but CHEERSPORT can get WAY bigger. Having a college fair in the place they used to have their coaches room (because that space sits unused) would be smart.

I'm not saying that it wouldn't be smart. I'm just saying that's not the way EPs operate. Having looked into the vendor end myself, spaces run from $800 at smaller 2 day comps to thousands for bigger ones. Even "informational booths" such as hospitals who are selling NOTHING are expected to pay hundreds. For some reason I have Jessie J in my head now. It's all about the money, money, money...

At one comp we regularly attend, the local college cheerleaders do an exhibition performance. Even they didn't get a free booth. I noticed that they left flyers strategically placed on the lunch tables though. I guess they're higher level, as their minimum tumbling requirement stated on the flyer was standing full.

 

[King]

I'm not saying that it wouldn't be smart. I'm just saying that's not the way EPs operate. Having looked into the vendor end myself, spaces run from $800 at smaller 2 day comps to thousands for bigger ones. Even "informational booths" such as hospitals who are selling NOTHING are expected to pay hundreds. For some reason I have Jessie J in my head now. It's all about the money, money, money...

At one comp we regularly attend, the local college cheerleaders do an exhibition performance. Even they didn't get a free booth. I noticed that they left flyers strategically placed on the lunch tables though. I guess they're higher level, as their minimum tumbling requirement stated on the flyer was standing full.

Haha. I love those ideas. If you set the requirement, the standing fulls will come! </sarcasm>

 

[Lazydaisytoo]

Haha. I love those ideas. If you set the requirement, the standing fulls will come! </sarcasm>

Well, if you don't ask, you don't get. And from what I saw, they all had them. Maybe they weren't graduating many off the team, and wanted to bring any new athletes in at the current level?

But back to my original point. The EP brought the team in to perform for the wow factor, but didn't even give them a recruiting booth. Maybe their guerrilla marketing tactics worked out, though.