JD Cheer Tryouts: March 2018

Thank you for your interest in trying out for the JDCHS Cheerleading Team 2018-2019. Please make sure your application is turned in by Friday, March 16, 2018 by 11:00am with the following requirements satisfied:

_____Completed application

_____Signed student/parent agreement

_____Copy of your last quarter or semester grades

Tryout clinics are on March 20, 21, and 22 from 5:30 to 8:00pm in the JDCHS auxiliary gym. Candidates will be taught a cheer, chant, and dance on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday the candidates will review and practice all they have learned. Tryout procedures will be explained on Thursday.

Attire for tryouts is as follows:

White t-shirt or tank top (no spaghetti straps, exposed bra straps, or large logos)
Navy blue or black shorts (no basketball shorts, no rolled shorts, no large logos)
Cheer/athletic shoes and socks
Hair secured in a ponytail
No jewelry
Candidates may wear any appropriate athletic clothing on clinic days. Please make sure to secure hair in a pony and do not wear jewelry.

At home, work on the following: cheer, chant, dance, flexibility, left/right kicks, jumps (toe touches, hurdlers, pikes) and most of all practice smiling and having fun!!

Tryouts are on Friday, March 23, 2018 from 5:30pm until finished. Tryouts are closed. All candidates must stay until the end of tryouts, just in case the judges recall any candidate.

Judging will consist of, but is not limited to, the following:

Entrance and Appearance (5 points): Spirit, rally / neatness, poise, smile
Standing Tumbling (10 points): form, gracefulness, athleticism (see below)
Running Tumbling (10 points)
Hardwood Tumbling (5 points)
Jumps (10 points): form, height, extension (see below)
Chant (5 points): motions, sharpness, timing, voice
Cheer (15 points): motions, sharpness, timing, voice
Dance (20 points): movements, timing, gracefulness, enthusiasm
Grades (10 points): GPA X 2 = score. A GPA of 3.0-3.5 will be awarded 1 extra point. A GPA of 3.6-4.0 will be awarded 2 extra points
Essay & Interview (10 points) Interviews will be held during the tryout clinics

Running Tumbling:

Running Cartwheel / Round-off ~ 1 – 2 points

Running Front Walkover ~ 1 -2 points
Running Round-off Back Handspring ~ 3 – 4 points
Running Round-off Back Handsprings (multiple) ~ 4 – 5 points

Running Round-off Tuck ~ 6 – 7 points

Running Round–off Back Handspring Tuck/X-out ~ 7 – 8 points
Running Round-off Back Handspring Layout/Step-out/Full ~ 9 – 10 points

Standing Tumbling:

Somersault ~ 1 point

Standing Cartwheel / Round-off ~ 1 – 2 points

Standing Front or Back Walkover ~ 1 – 2 points

Standing Back Handspring ~ 3 – 4 points

Standing Toe Touch Back Handspring ~ 4 – 5 points

Standing Multiple Back Handsprings ~ 5 – 6 points

Standing Tuck ~ 7 – 8 points

Standing Jumps to Tuck ~ 9 – 10 points

Hardwood Tumbling:

Standing Handspring ~ 1 – 2 points

Running Round-off Handspring ~ 2 – 3 points

Running Round-off Tuck ~ 3 - 4 points

Running Handspring tuck ~ 4 - 5 points

Standing Tuck ~ 5 points

Jumps:

3 jumps / Toe touch, pike, and hurdler

Cleanliness, height, and form ~1 – 10 points

Posting of the new JDCHS Cheerleading Team 2018 – 2019 will appear on jdcheertryouts.blogspot.com by 12:00pm on Saturday, March 24.

GOOD LUCK!!!

2018/2019 JDCHS Cheer Coaching Staff

JDCHS Cheer Program Director /Head Coach

Tracie Tatum

Competition Team Coach

Mackenzie Smith

Competition Team Choreographer/Coach

Isabelle Tatum

Non-Competitive Team Coach

Kara Angelos

Non-Competitive Team Assistant Coach

Kenadee Lund

Support Coach

Felicia Frakes

Remember, success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

So practice, practice, practice!!!

Practice Week

1) This is the time to make friends, while working hard. Be sure not to seclude yourself from the rest of the candidates. They may be your team mates soon.

2) Be confident in yourself. You may not think you are the best cheerleader on the court, but that is not all that counts. Sportsmanship and a great attitude go further than you may think.

3) Don't worry if you can't do all of the skills taught. Judges and coaches look for the potential in a candidate as well.

4) Be open to trying new things. Coaches want good all-around cheerleaders.

The Day of Tryouts

1) Be sure to get a good night sleep. You want to have all the energy possible for the judges.

2) Wear clothes that fit. Oversized shirts make it hard to see motions. Make sure you are comfortable in what you wear. Nothing is worse than watching someone tug at clothing in the middle of a cheer.

The Actual Tryout

1) Before you are called to perform take three deep breaths. Say, "I know I can do this."

2) Enter the floor with as much enthusiasm as possible. The judges want to know you can perform, even when not doing a routine.

3) Smile! This is very important in cheerleading. Make it look natural. A judge wants to know you are actually having fun, not throwing on a plastered smile.

4) Use a loud clear voice. Do not sing or chop your words. The words should be sharp and clear. Go – Fight - Win should sound like three separate words.

5) Use expression in your voice. Sounding like a robot is not going to cut it at many tryouts. A monotone voice is not pleasing to the audience or judges.

6) If you are not sure what the judges are asking you to do, then say so. A simple "Can you please explain that again?" is usually fine. Judges want you to do the best you can.

7) If you make a mistake move on. Do not giggle, fuss, or get embarrassed. It is okay to make mistakes. Everyone does it. It is how you handle it that counts. Judges want to know that a mistake does not rattle you. What judges, or other cheerleaders see, the average viewer will not see unless a scene is made. Plus, sometimes judges may not even pick up on a mistake.

8) If the judges ask you to do a skill over again, it does not mean that it was bad. Sometimes a judge misses something, or was not sure if what they saw was correct. Do not take this as a bad sign.

9) If you feel you did not do a jump (or do any skill) the best you could, or really messed it up, it is okay to ask for another attempt. Judges know that not everything is hit perfectly. Normally they will allow a re-try. *Note: This does not mean all judges allow re-tries.

10) Leave with a smile on your face. You are not any worse off by trying out. Whether you make it or not, you should feel good about trying. If you did not tryout, you would not be on the team anyway.

Follow These Tips to Perfect Toe Touches

Keep your head up and your back straight.
Don't reach for your feet. Instead try to bring your legs up to your hands.
You don't actually want to touch your toes. Your hands should be about where the arch of your foot is.
Point your toes.
Snap your legs down with as much force as you brought them up.
Land with a slight bend in you knees.
Work on building up the strength in your arms, shoulders, abs and legs.
Work on all aspects of the jump: prep, lift, execution and landing.
Practice, practice, practice.