High School Open Or Closed Tryouts Which Do You Prefer?

[dance_extreme_94]

I've notice that many high schools especially ones with prestigious cheerleading programs and large ones often holds open tryouts. Meaning that the entire process including the actual tryout it's self can be watched/viewed by the public. I was wondering how you felt about this?

I personally dislike it. I feel like that the tryout process should be done confidently and unless the candidate says something to their peers no one should know who tried out for what
. Around here no other sports team has a public tryout so why must Cheerleading? I cannot even imagine the embarrassment a person must feel to have their number not get called out in front of everyone who doesn't make the team. That's just my intake on it. I also feel like that judges may have some biased in them when choosing members of the team as they might decide to listen to the crowd and their excitement for each group rather than choosing the groups who actually has the skills and grades to be a scholastic cheerleader

 

[AScheer]

College was my first experience with an open tryout. It was a big deal there and a ton of non-cheer related people would come out and watch. At first I thought it was the scariest thing in the world! After my first time I became to love it.

When I started coaching school my first 2 tryouts were open (unlike college, it was pretty much just parents and some siblings.) Since then they have been closed at the request of the athletes. I had more than a few kids breakdown in tears on the floor when it came to the part they do individually. These were talented returners that I knew have been cheering in front of crowds for years. When talking with them, as a group they said that the tryout pressure with their mom in the room made it extra stressful. So now tryouts are closed, but I've kept the clinic week open.

 

[Cheer Dad]

Even with an open tryout do they really announce the team right there and then? I've only ever known team selection announcements to be done by posting a list or other notification after everyone has left.


**insert sarcasm font here**

 

[dance_extreme_94]

Even with an open tryout do they really announce the team right there and then? I've only ever known team selection announcements to be done by posting a list or other notification after everyone has left.


**insert sarcasm font here**

Some schools actually call out the team right then and there with everyone in the room. I've seen some like that on YouTube.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

We are closed.

I do not see the point in opening them right now.

I already have to manage the tryout, clinics, etc. Add in selling tickets, spectators, etc. and I would lose it. No more things.

 

[Cheer Dad]

Some schools actually call out the team right then and there with everyone in the room. I've seen some like that on YouTube.

Wow, never heard of that in our area.


**insert sarcasm font here**

 

[purplecheer]

I would prefer closed because it would be a bit nerve wracking having to do it open.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I go to church with a girl who danced professionally with a well-known pro sports team.

She says that every single tryout was open to the public.

I get it. You perform for the public so the tryout is public.

At the same time, I (like others have said) have had kids with years of cheer experience cry or bust on their tumbling

Yes, they will eventually perform for the public but honestly, the stakes are higher for a tryout than cheering for a game. So I keep them closed.

Also, I share scoresheets, but the last thing I need is a mom being IN the tryout and arguing down a judge over something.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

Our's are not open to the public, but everyone trying out is in the room. I do that with confidence because I go by the score sheets with no shady business.

 

[cheermommaRN]

I couldn't even imagine if they had open tryouts in Texas. Every SM for miles would be planted in that gym.
Yesterday cp decided to binge watch Cheerleader Nation and could not get over the open tryout!

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Our's are not open to the public, but everyone trying out is in the room. I do that with confidence because I go by the score sheets with no shady business.

True for us as well.

Are there people who only have ONE candidate in the room at a time? (This works fine for smaller tryouts, but if we did, we'd seriously be there all night.)

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

True for us as well.

Are there people who only have ONE candidate in the room at a time? (This works fine for smaller tryouts, but if we did, we'd seriously be there all night.)

Oh yea, one of our local schools marches 60-something kids through one by one like cattle

 

[Cheerfun2]

Cp's school did 3 at a time. It was her first year for middle school tryouts, and it didn't bother her as AS gets them *very* used to tryouts! She did say that she preferred all-star tryouts where they are all there together in the gym. She felt like school tryouts were more adversarial (for lack of a better word) than AS. She made it, but really prefers trying out in front of all the other athletes.

I think allowing parents to view tryouts is horrid! Seriously, I am a parent, and while I would be mildly curious to see the process...I can see nothing good coming from opening them up. I think having parents there makes it more nerve-wracking for many athletes, and frankly I think these kids deserve a bit of privacy to tryout away from the prying eyes of all those SMs. Seriously, if my kid busts her full...I don't want all those biddies clucking, "oh my, poor Cheerfun2's cp...did you see her fall. Bless her heart." Yeah, no thanks!

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^^Everything you posted in your last paragraph is why we don't do it!

Re: all star v. HS.

I think what makes the HS tryout atmosphere so different is that you're dealing with your peers from school whom you have to see every day should you not make it.

You also tend to know with all star that it is more of an evaluation and that teams are being formed based on talent. That and even if it isn't the team you want, you will likely make something.

With school, you're dealing with a set number of spots. Everyone is immediately seen as competition once we start talking about "15 girls for 12 spots."

Think about Dallas Cowboys Cheer tryouts. There are 600 ladies. They call it audition. As soon as you know that they're only taking 36, you start to see people in the room adversarially.

Your gym never says, "well we're only taking 40 girls total in Level 4."

 

[BuegeSmalls]

In HS we did a closed tryout. There were three girls in a tryout group that went in and got judged at the same time. My first two(?) years they just read the list out loud to the people that stayed, not sure what they did to those who left? My lay two years they called us in the room one by one and told us what team we made. Now they give letters at the end of the night.

College is kind of like a closed open tryout? Closed to the public but we tryout in front of all the candidates. They email letters to everyone saying if they made it or not.


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