How, What, and When of Cheerleading

If you have grown up with cheerleading or cheerleaders, you know the sport can be HIGHLY addicting.  For most girls once they try it they are hooked for life.  There are a few that out grow it quickly, but for those that do not I have listed the Options for cheerleading by age.  Also included is the cost and the time commitment expectation.  It is not a complete or an exact list, but will give you an idea of what you can look forward too.

Youth Cheer

Pop Warner and Recreational Leagues

Ages: 5-16 years

Practice Times: 2-3 times per week plus games or competitions

Time Commitment: 4-5 months (August to November or December)

Cost: approximately $120 for registrations, plus uniforms and travel expenses.

Youth cheerleaders typically are assigned to a youth football team.  They follow the team around to their games and most are offered a local competition toward the end of the season.  The older girls may have an opportunity to cheer at a Regional and/or a National Competition.  The time commitment is a little shorter if you are worried about burnout, but the training and coaching is not always intense.

All Star Cheerleading

Cheer and Gymnastics Gyms

Ages 3-18 years (and older)

Practice Times: 2-3 times per week plus Saturday competitions and other events.  No Games.

Time Commitment: approximately 10 months. Tryouts start in May, competitions start in September and run through April.

Cost: Varies by Gym.  Registration Fee, Monthly Class Fees, Uniform Fee, Travel and Competition Fees.

All Star cheerleading is not like traditional cheerleading.  It basically runs year around.  There are no games to cheer at, but the teams practice 2-3 times a week and focus on jumps, tumbling, stunting and routine work.  They perform and local events and travel to 1-2 day competitions on weekends.  The coaching and training is intense and the commitment is big to include practices, performances and fundraisers.

High School Cheer

Games, Competitions, School Functions, and Community Involvement

Ages: 13-18 years - Freshman to Senior Year of High School.

Practice Times: 4-5 times per week plus games, competitions and events

Time Commitment: 8-9 months (Tryouts in May. Practice and games from July to February)

Cost: Varies by school but can be from  $350 to $1000 for uniforms, spirit packs, and competitions.

High school cheer is the most traditional type of cheer.  Sideline cheerleaders perform  at games and assemblies.  Many cheer squads are also attending competitions and events throughout the year.  The commitment is big.  Lots of time spent at the school.  There is also a grade requirement and you may be asked to take outside classes for tumbling and dance.

College Cheer

Games, Competitions, School Functions, and Community Involvement

Ages: 18+ years - Freshman to Senior Year of College.

Practice Times: 3-4 times per week plus games, competitions and events

Time Commitment: Year around.  Tryouts are usually in April or May and Events, games and competitions run all year.

Cost: Varies by school but can be from  $0 to $500 for uniforms, travel, and competitions.

Collegiate cheer is a very large commitment with many benefits.  Some schools offer scholarships to cheerleaders and access to gyms, trainers, tutoring, etc.  While busy, collegiate cheerleaders learn valuable time management skills and get to travel.  Making the team is very competitive and the requirements often include elite stunts and tumbling skills.  Typically it is easier to make the team as a guy, but the work-load is the same.

Professional Cheerleading

Professional Sports Teams (Games and Community Events)

Ages: 18+ years

Practice Times: 2-3 times per week plus games and community events

Time Commitment: Year around.  Tryouts are usually in April or May and Events, games and competitions run all year.

Cost: Usually you are paid to be on these teams.  The pay is minimal, $50-100 per game.

Pro Cheer is one of the most elite squads you can join.  The tryouts are incredibly competitive and can last a few weeks.  Pro Cheerleaders are typically more dance related and less like traditional cheerleaders.  They must have a dance background or have taken dance classes.  The opportunities for Pro Cheerleaders are endless!  Many companies support our military and travel all over the world to entertain.  There are a lot of community performances and the coveted cheerleader calendar.

If you are interested in any of these cheerleading options, you should be able to do an online search to see what is available in your area.  Check around and make sure that you are working with a good organization. 

Good Luck!

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CW3

Making the Grade

One of the more important reasons for attending high school is to gain an education and become a contributing member or society.  Unfortunately, for many students, the biggest reason for attending high school is to participate in athletics and to socialize with friends. 

In the district I coach in, we have a rule that says all athletes must carry a 2.0 grade point average (GPA).  The grades get checked before tryouts and then every three weeks they are checked again.  Once they make a team, they are not allowed to have any grades that are F’s.   On my team, I run a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ rule.  If they show up on the grade list three times in a season, they are removed from the team.  This grade requirement is what keeps the majority of my cheerleaders in school.  They love their sport so much, they have learned what they need to do to keep participating.

In team sports when you lose a player to grades or injury, you usually have someone else on your bench to replace them.  In cheerleading, we utilize all participants in every routine.  When we lose a cheerleader, we have to rearrange all the routines, reconfigure formations, re-learn stunt sequences and transitions.  Sometimes we can pull JV cheerleaders up to Varsity to fill positions, but not very often.

When I first started to coach I was constantly losing 3-4 cheerleaders each season to low grades. Once they were removed from the team, they very rarely have the grades to come back.  I took a look at the kids that I was losing and what was causing them to not have the good grades.  Most of them were smart kids but they lacked time management.  So I decided to restructure my practices and add time during the week for study halls.  One to two times a week I added time after school where they all came in and worked on their homework.  They were allowed to listen to music and sit with friends, but they had to be working on something school related.  The first season that I did this I didn’t lost ANY cheerleaders from JV or Varsity.  The next couple of years I lost a few from JV but still none from Varsity.  The Varsity cheerleaders liked the mandatory study halls because it gave them time to finish homework, make up tests, and catch up.  I did still lose a few JV Cheerleaders, but this was mostly freshman and mostly because they were still adjusting to the social, education, newness of high school. 

Many of the Varsity cheerleaders started getting grades that were good enough to start thinking about cheering in college.  They realized that with some time management and understanding that they opened up opportunities that they did not realized they had before.  I went from having one cheerleader make it at the college level to three cheerleaders just one year after I started requiring study halls. 

In any sport, in any school you are going to have kids that struggle with grades.  Make it a team effort to stay eligible.  Show them the rewards of getting good grades and the doors that will open to them if they put as much effort in school as they do athletics.  Bring in athletes from colleges or even higher to talk to them and help motivate.  In our world, education must come first.

CHEERS!

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CW3