Trying out for school or organizational cheerleading can start your career in the art of cheering. To put your best foot forward, it's important that you wear clothes to the tryout that allow judges and squad members to see the way your body moves. Clothing should also be comfortable and easy to move in. Checking with the cheer coach ahead of time will alert you to the types of clothing that are acceptable at tryouts to help get you noticed and on the squad.
Top
Depending on the organization's dress code, wear a slim-fitting tank top or crop top to tryouts. This allows the judges to clearly see the lines of your body and the way that you move during dance, tumbling and stunting. Wearing tops that are comfortable and loose may allow you to move freely, but they could hide your body. Male cheerleaders can wear athletic shirts and tank tops. It may be impressive to choose tops in the organization's colors to show your enthusiasm and team spirit. You don't need to wear a uniform unless you're picked for the team.
Bottoms
Wear bottoms that allow you to move freely, since you'll be demonstrating your dance and gymnastics skills during tryouts. The best type of bottoms are cheer shorts, which are shorter than regular exercise shorts. They'll slow your legs and make them look longer as you perform kicks and other dance moves. Pants may be acceptable if they fit close to the body. Remember that you'll be performing moves that require you to be in various positions, so choose bottoms that you're comfortable in and that cover your body from all angles.
Footwear
Choose a pair of clean, white cross trainers for cheering. Unless you're on a special cheer squad, such as the drill team or a tumbling team, you don't need to purchase special dance shoes. Still, the shoes you wear should be supportive and shouldn't be distracting to the judges. Nondescript cross-trainers are the ideal multipurpose shoes. If you're accepted onto the squad, you may notice that some of the members wear special cheer shoes, which aren't necessary for tryouts.
Appearance
As a cheerleader, you act as the face and spirit of an organization. The judges, coaches and existing squad members are looking for prospective members who will represent the squad and the school in a positive manner. For this reason, you should prepare to attend tryouts looking neat and clean. Your hair should be pulled back and out of your face, and you should remove body piercings other than simple stud earrings. Put your best foot forward to prove that you can represent the organization in an effective and tactful way.
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