What do middle school cheerleading coaches expect at tryouts?
Every school is different, so the best way to find out for sure is to ask the cheer coach, or someone who tried out last year. But here’s a list of things that most cheerleaders need to know, so you can start working on them… Jumps: There are three main jumps in cheerleading – the toe touch, pike jump, and front hurdler. You can search the web to see what they look like, but it’s important to learn them correctly. The judges will be looking at your form, not just how high you can jump. Sign up for a cheer class or clinic, or take a couple private lessons, so you can learn the proper technique from an expert. Then go home and practice, practice, practice! Tumbling: Most schools don’t require tumbling skills, but the girls who can tumble will score higher. So start RIGHT NOW with some tumbling classes (not gymnastics), and keep them up until tryouts. You may be able to learn a back handspring by tryout time – and that will help your score a lot. The more often you go, the faster you’ll
