High School Tryout Results

[SMacho]

Hi everyone - I’m curious how people post their tryout results. Currently, we do a letter to each girl but I’m interested in what other coaches are doing. It’s never a fun process!

Thanks!

 

[Adrirocks]

Hi everyone - I’m curious how people post their tryout results. Currently, we do a letter to each girl but I’m interested in what other coaches are doing. It’s never a fun process!

Thanks!

Obligatory Not a coach.... but for rec they had the older girls deliver a note to our house with our team name which felt really special. For high school our coach just posted the numbers of the girls who made it on a piece of paper outside our school main office a couple hours after tryouts. I do prefer a more private notice like a letter or a list that they can check alone just to mitigate any hurt.

 

[ErinS]

My niece’s high school team—-try out numbers were posted onto the school athletic website. Everyone made a team...but rising juniors made jv...everyone is going to get an explanation email of what they need to work on and why they made what they made



Middle school where I work—-kids got a letter with an explanation


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

It should be delivered face-to-face.

However, tradition would dictate that in cheer there are a variety of ways.

I personally feel the posting of the numbers is brutal. Imagine being that child who is walking up to the list in the middle of all her celebrating peers only to find her number isn’t posted. That’s a traumatizing event at a vulnerable age, and coaches should be ashamed of themselves for not doing the right thing and having the guts to do the conversation in person. Even if it’s a big group of people who aren’t going to make the team, they can be told privately in a group.

 

[blyndreamalum]

Ours used to be brutal, round everyone up in the gym and read everything off at once to everyone. Never realized how horrible it was until I was the girl who had been on varsity junior year and was then the victim of an outgoing coach making sure her little sister and her friends all made varsity and I had no team senior year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I once posted numbers.

Then we went to a list of numbers emailed. We then moved to sending an email to each person.

Either congratulatory and including first team meeting info.

Or a "thanks for coming out" type email for those not selected with some info about sideline/JV tryouts, gyms they can go to and take classes, etc.

Email is nice because you can open it wherever. As opposed to what was all the girls crowded around a list anxiously searching. I wanted kids home or at least off school property to get results.

My 9th grade school tryout result one year = names over the PA during a dismissal announcement before the bell. Ew. They did this with other results like Homecoming Court, Elections, etc. and I was never a fan. I remember a girl in one of my classes once being super sad over a class officer type election and it was awkward.

 

[blyndreamalum]

I also judge tryouts occasionally and this year I was judging a middle school/ high school that is strictly sideline. They were posting results on a poster on the door and we requested that they waited until we were done with all judging before doing so. They had decided to cut two middle school girls even though only eight tried out due to teacher evaluations. We had just started judging the high school when we could suddenly hear girls crying out in the hall, yep they didn’t listen to us and had posted the middle school results and we were listening to middle schoolers cry. It also led to the AD having to interrupt us a few times because parents were angry.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CheerBank]

Hi everyone - I’m curious how people post their tryout results. Currently, we do a letter to each girl but I’m interested in what other coaches are doing. It’s never a fun process!

Thanks!

Cp's school called them in one at a time at the end of tryouts and handed them a paper with their name on it and the team they made circled (JV or Varsity). Not sure how they handled the kids who were cut.

 

[Nikki Moore]

CPs school just posts numbers on their website...boring..
I guess if your number wasn’t listed, that’s the only way you know?

 

[haybale]

My first year as a head coach I called in those who didn't make it and explained that there wasn't a spot for them this year and what not, and then called in those who did and congratulated them and gave them all the info needed for meetings and practice. I did 2-3 groups of each so it wasn't easy for the kids to figure out. That was to me was awful. That's how the old coach kind of did it when I was her assistant, except she would have all girls who tried out in the room and tell those who didn't make it in front of everyone, so I tried to be a little nicer I guess. My second year we posted the numbers after everyone was finished trying out. That went better, I really only had one upset girl who had cheered her freshmen and sophomore years but didn't finish the season due to her mom pulling her out for grades, which was a factor in her not making it but she also wasn't up to par with my varsity girls. This past tryouts for the new season we did letters. THAT WAS HORRIBLE! We told them to not open them until they were out of the front gates. I had 2 girls who cheered their sophomore year on JV and Junior year on Varsity but I didn't put them on for senior year. The attitudes were terrible and the skills didn't make up for it AT ALL. Needless to say they became upset, had parents texting me, calling me, threatening to come to the school if I wouldn't talk to them (I had said in all letters that the coaching staff would be available to answer questions after a certain time) The two moms ended up coming to the school, followed us to our cars after being asked to leave by administration, and caused quite a headache for about a week after tryouts. They were at the school everyday complaining and demanding to have their daughters put on the team and to have me fired. I had one text me nonstop telling me I was out of line and I should be ashamed of myself, and my personal favorite "God doesn't like ugly". It was a mess. Thankfully they got over it and I haven't heard anything. If I stay in the area and coach again at this school I'll probably go back to posting the numbers after tryouts. The letters were the worst idea that I've had, they might work out in a different area but where I coach it clearly didn't.

 

[CheerItFullOut]

My first year as a head coach I called in those who didn't make it and explained that there wasn't a spot for them this year and what not, and then called in those who did and congratulated them and gave them all the info needed for meetings and practice. I did 2-3 groups of each so it wasn't easy for the kids to figure out. That was to me was awful. That's how the old coach kind of did it when I was her assistant, except she would have all girls who tried out in the room and tell those who didn't make it in front of everyone, so I tried to be a little nicer I guess. My second year we posted the numbers after everyone was finished trying out. That went better, I really only had one upset girl who had cheered her freshmen and sophomore years but didn't finish the season due to her mom pulling her out for grades, which was a factor in her not making it but she also wasn't up to par with my varsity girls. This past tryouts for the new season we did letters. THAT WAS HORRIBLE! We told them to not open them until they were out of the front gates. I had 2 girls who cheered their sophomore year on JV and Junior year on Varsity but I didn't put them on for senior year. The attitudes were terrible and the skills didn't make up for it AT ALL. Needless to say they became upset, had parents texting me, calling me, threatening to come to the school if I wouldn't talk to them (I had said in all letters that the coaching staff would be available to answer questions after a certain time) The two moms ended up coming to the school, followed us to our cars after being asked to leave by administration, and caused quite a headache for about a week after tryouts. They were at the school everyday complaining and demanding to have their daughters put on the team and to have me fired. I had one text me nonstop telling me I was out of line and I should be ashamed of myself, and my personal favorite "God doesn't like ugly". It was a mess. Thankfully they got over it and I haven't heard anything. If I stay in the area and coach again at this school I'll probably go back to posting the numbers after tryouts. The letters were the worst idea that I've had, they might work out in a different area but where I coach it clearly didn't.

Omg! God doesn’t like ugly?!?? This year we had a VERY difficult tryout ... and had 2 Varsity members not make it back and didn’t have one single JR Varsity Cheerleader move up due to new talent coming in...(a lot of local All star moved to HS and we got a few soccer/Volleyball players) it was a circus... I used to feel really bad for kids and I try to be as sensitive as possible but at the same time... this is life disappointment and sometimes you’re not going to get something you want and or work for. Your response to that... is everything.
I crack up because some of the kids that don’t make it flood their social media with anger tweets for about a week or two then “block” all the program social media... for a month semi freeze out current squad members socially then attempt to tryout again the next year?!?!
I had one girl this season who tried out that did not make it for two years... REALLY struggled but after every tryout shook our hands and asked what she could do to get better thanked us for the opportunity and moved on. This year she came back with a vengeance... made it. she’s the 3rd kid to to this. More kids should learn from this formula of behavior. They will win in life!!! To me, it doesn’t matter how you deliver who made it- there’s no GREAT way to tell these kids they aren’t making the squad. Nothing makes it “easier” on THEM... maybe you... but not them.

 

[haybale]

Omg! God doesn’t like ugly?!?? This year we had a VERY difficult tryout ... and had 2 Varsity members not make it back and didn’t have one single JR Varsity Cheerleader move up due to new talent coming in...(a lot of local All star moved to HS and we got a few soccer/Volleyball players) it was a circus... I used to feel really bad for kids and I try to be as sensitive as possible but at the same time... this is life disappointment and sometimes you’re not going to get something you want and or work for. Your response to that... is everything.
I crack up because some of the kids that don’t make it flood their social media with anger tweets for about a week or two then “block” all the program social media... for a month semi freeze out current squad members socially then attempt to tryout again the next year?!?!
I had one girl this season who tried out that did not make it for two years... REALLY struggled but after every tryout shook our hands and asked what she could do to get better thanked us for the opportunity and moved on. This year she came back with a vengeance... made it. she’s the 3rd kid to to this. More kids should learn from this formula of behavior. They will win in life!!! To me, it doesn’t matter how you deliver who made it- there’s no GREAT way to tell these kids they aren’t making the squad. Nothing makes it “easier” on THEM... maybe you... but not them.

It was really the craziest (and I hate to say this but seriously the ghettoest) thing I've ever encountered. It was almost as if they proved my point of the bad attitudes and exactly where they come from. It was a mess. What kills me is that we aren't even a competitive school. I had two girls who could tumble and we don't do competitions for that reason. I don't want to take them somewhere that they won't be competitive. It's strictly sideline and most kids really tryout to get that uniform. Most girls coming in have never cheered at all.

I love when those kids who keep coming back take what you said to work and and MAKE IT! I'd take that over a bad attitude any day.

 

[Elle B]

I should think the best thing is to put the numbers up on a website at midnight on a Saturday morning. That gives everyone two days to process their disappointment before the school opens on Monday.

 

[cheer25mom]

We post a list on the Coach's page on the school website. We do tryouts on a Friday afternoon and post Friday evening. It gives the girls a couple of days to process.

A lot of schools around here do letters handed out after tryouts with a yes or no and a place to meet if you made the team.

 

[ScottyB]

First name, last initial on the website several hours later.

Not a fan of the list of numbers on a door. Or posted to social media; if you post it atleast make it something nice and use their names.

Then we follow up the next day with a welcome email to athletes and parents about our new season onboarding process.