High School Tryout Season

[CheerBank]

Large high schools or small high schools, a kid who is talented enough to play varsity in middle school should be allowed to do so.

Our district - which has about 700-something in each grade - will pull up an exceptional athlete for varsity (not JV) from the middle school. Truly exceptional. But never for cheer.

 

[ErinS]

How can she cheer JV when she is going into 7th grade? She doesn't have to attend the high school that she cheers for? Our middle school cheer teams are grounded so even girls with just sideline rec experience tend to avoid them.

Cheerleading is a sport in SC. Competitive cheer isn't offered at her middle school so she can compete at the high school level. It's along the lines of no middle school soccer (tennis, baseball etc), you play for the high school. In the past they've had a 7th grader on varsity, but for whatever reason this year they're just letting 7th grade try out for JV

Although some schools (in this state, not this school district ) have competitive middle schools and 7th and 8th graders on varsity. I don't remember why or how because I haven't coached for a SCHSL school in years.

And no it has nothing to do with the size of school. Her middle has 1000 kids and the high school has around 1500

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[mncheerqueen]

Do you have small high schools? Our local high schools have about 2000 kids in grades 9-12 (our middle schools have about 1000-1200 kids grades 6-8). So there are enough kids to field just about any type of team. I'm just wondering why a school would need to dip into the middle school population to form teams.

I think it's interesting to hear how other school districts operate. I'm always telling my kids 'just b/c we do things a certain way here, doesn't mean that the rest of the world does the same thing.

Our high school isn't too small. We have two high schools in one town and both have about 1500+ students. In our case there seems to be a lot of middle school talent which is the main reason for kids spilling over into the high school teams for cheer.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

We've been a team for almost a month.

This is one of the strongest tumbling teams I've had in awhile.

As far as stunting, all rookies seem to be catching on quite well (the JV to Varsity jump is about the equivalent of going from AS Level 2 to 3 or 4-ish.)


I have great kids for the most part. I can tell you that I think we may have a team dynamics/personality issue brewing.

We also have some emerging know-it-alls who have a lot to learn. Ex: A new flyer who came up from JV and also cheers all star Senior 3.

She knows everything.
She has done everything.
She has won everything.
She has totally done these before with her all star team.
She thinks you should do ______ because that's how her all star coach said do it.

I actually told her "Honey I know you have done everything but can you please let me coach today?" because she had interrupted me 3 times in 30 min.

Sorry. I was hot. I was trying to give directions. I need to go to timeout.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

Cheerleading is a sport in SC. Competitive cheer isn't offered at her middle school so she can compete at the high school level. It's along the lines of no middle school soccer (tennis, baseball etc), you play for the high school. In the past they've had a 7th grader on varsity, but for whatever reason this year they're just letting 7th grade try out for JV

Although some schools (in this state, not this school district ) have competitive middle schools and 7th and 8th graders on varsity. I don't remember why or how because I haven't coached for a SCHSL school in years.

And no it has nothing to do with the size of school. Her middle has 1000 kids and the high school has around 1500

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm not sure if this is a NFHS rule or a KHSAA rule, but in Kentucky we have stopped allowing 7th graders on varsity across the board. I'm not necessarily a fan, but it's done. No 8th graders on varsity in football and soccer.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

We've been a team for almost a month.

This is one of the strongest tumbling teams I've had in awhile.

As far as stunting, all rookies seem to be catching on quite well (the JV to Varsity jump is about the equivalent of going from AS Level 2 to 3 or 4-ish.)


I have great kids for the most part. I can tell you that I think we may have a team dynamics/personality issue brewing.

We also have some emerging know-it-alls who have a lot to learn. Ex: A new flyer who came up from JV and also cheers all star Senior 3.

She knows everything.
She has done everything.
She has won everything.
She has totally done these before with her all star team.
She thinks you should do ______ because that's how her all star coach said do it.

I actually told her "Honey I know you have done everything but can you please let me coach today?" because she had interrupted me 3 times in 30 min.

Sorry. I was hot. I was trying to give directions. I need to go to timeout.

I've had that issue in the past. I came out with "well next time you're at all stars tell your coach To come by here and I'll be happy to show them how to do it correctly."

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

She is actually correct sometimes, but she needs to stop talking.

Because I can see it in her teammates' eyes that they'd strangle her if they knew they wouldn't do life in prison.

Ex: Kelly who has been cheering since age 5 and was on a Restricted 5 team last year knows to keep her knee straight in her arabesque. You don't have to tell her. 3 times.

 

[CheerBank]

She is actually correct sometimes, but she needs to stop talking.

Because I can see it in her teammates' eyes that they'd strangle her if they knew they wouldn't do life in prison.

Ex: Kelly who has been cheering since age 5 and was on a Restricted 5 team last year knows to keep her knee straight in her arabesque. You don't have to tell her. 3 times.

Mine had the opposite experience. Her coach would ask her to help the girls try skills they were not anywhere near ready to. She would politely decline because as a backspot she feared for her life (and her face).

 

[ErinS]

I'm not sure if this is a NFHS rule or a KHSAA rule, but in Kentucky we have stopped allowing 7th graders on varsity across the board. I'm not necessarily a fan, but it's done. No 8th graders on varsity in football and soccer.

I know for sure a middle schooler could never make varsity football....I feel like it had something to do with contact vs non contact sports. I honestly can't recall any of the rules anymore.

I'm a middle school librarian and I know some of our kids were on varsity baseball and track....but none on varsity soccer

For cheer having 7th grade on varsity I'm conflicted. On one hand as a former coach I feel like the best should be on the best team. On the other hand I'm like "an 11 yr old on a team with an 18yr old cheering for 11th and 12th grade boys ? Naw. ". When it comes to games and stuff I can't possibly see the point of 7th graders participating at a Friday night game with kids that aren't their peers. But strictly from a competitive cheer aspect I feel otherwise

Now I don't have any doubt that my niece will be one of the strongest, if not the strongest tumbler tomorrow at JV try outs (jumps and motions are still trash ), and I find comfort in knowing at least 10 other 7th graders will be on the team if she makes it....and knowing that her mom can't afford all star anymore it'd be a disservice to my niece to make her stomp and shake and do cartwheel splits. with the middle school team

I see both sides of the discussion I guess

 

[coacha]

I'm not sure if this is a NFHS rule or a KHSAA rule, but in Kentucky we have stopped allowing 7th graders on varsity across the board. I'm not necessarily a fan, but it's done. No 8th graders on varsity in football and soccer.

Pa (and NJ) does not allow 7/8 graders on high school sports teams (JV or Varsity) (9th graders can play down). In NJ, that doesn't apply to cheerleading because they aren't under NJSIAA rule as they aren't considered a sport. Here in Pa, it's even so far that some schools report being told they can't even combine practices with their MS and HS teams. (Although my AD hasn't said anything to me.)

 

[SparkleSpankies]

We've been a team for almost a month.

This is one of the strongest tumbling teams I've had in awhile.

As far as stunting, all rookies seem to be catching on quite well (the JV to Varsity jump is about the equivalent of going from AS Level 2 to 3 or 4-ish.)


I have great kids for the most part. I can tell you that I think we may have a team dynamics/personality issue brewing.

We also have some emerging know-it-alls who have a lot to learn. Ex: A new flyer who came up from JV and also cheers all star Senior 3.

She knows everything.
She has done everything.
She has won everything.
She has totally done these before with her all star team.
She thinks you should do ______ because that's how her all star coach said do it.

I actually told her "Honey I know you have done everything but can you please let me coach today?" because she had interrupted me 3 times in 30 min.

Sorry. I was hot. I was trying to give directions. I need to go to timeout.

These are the "Coach hates me kids"... sooooo hard to work with and almost impossible to coach. They tend to bring the team down. Breathe.. you can do it.

 

[alpaca]

JV try outs (jumps and motions are still trash ), and I find comfort in knowing at least 10 other 7th graders will be on the team if she makes it.

Since this system is so different from the one where I live I have another question. If potentially ten 7th graders will be on JV cheer, what size is the team?

 

[ErinS]

Since this system is so different from the one where I live I have another question. If potentially ten 7th graders will be on JV cheer, what size is the team?

They already have 13 girls from the April try out (probably 8th,9th and 10th graders)

They compete with 24. They may take alternates. Last year I think there was around 27


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[AScheer]

We are 3 weeks in at this point.

Varsity is talented. Tumbling is our strength. Stunting is strong, but good lord our jumps suck lol! Our biggest thing for them is coming together. They're cliquey. Not in mean way, but more in a they're all a little serious/shy and staying in their comfort zone way. Coming together as a team will be a process for them I think.

JV is also talented. We are short flyers though, so our dilemma right now is setting that 4th group. We have taught a base and a back to fly, the only issue is that we now have 2 bigger flyers and only 1 group with the strength to lift both. They are the opposite of varsity. We have all the outgoing hams on this team, they're a lot of fun and are already gelling as team.

 

[EWalsh1029]

I've my very first issue with a "finsta" post from a returning athlete, and we haven't even had tryouts yet! She is complaining (with vulgar language & violence) about choreography dates falling on her birthday (which they have every year she's been in the program - what does she expect?). Oy vey