Practiced cheerleaders make their routines appear effortless, a spontaneous expression of enthusiasm for their team. In fact, cheerleading requires extraordinary physical talent as well as commitment to personal development and to teamwide expectations. If you're thinking of cheering, first familiarize yourself with the expectations of your local teams so you can prepare for tryouts appropriately. Then go a step further and ask current participants or coaches about the regular team practice schedule and the expectations of participants throughout the season.
Physical Strength
Cheerleading requires significant upper and lower body strength to perform the many gymnastic feats included in cheer routines. The specific requirements to qualify for a cheerleading team vary from one group to the next. In some cases, applicants must demonstrate their strength by performing specific stunts, such as standing back handsprings or specific jumps. In other cases, participants may join a team without significant physical strength, simply by demonstrating ability or willingness to participate in physically demanding practices on a regular basis.
Physical Flexibility and Coordination
In addition to muscular strength, cheerleaders typically need to demonstrate above average flexibility and coordination to perform the routines. Standard flexibility stunts may include splits, straddles and toe touches. Hip flexibility and shoulder flexibility are particularly useful for performing various cheer movements such as pike jumps or high-energy dance routines. Physical coordination is regularly included among tryout criteria for new cheerleaders; it may be measured through a quantifiable test such as a dance routine or it may be gauged subjectively as the applicant's overall poise and balance. At more advanced levels, coaches also include an "x factor" such as overall physical appearance or confidence in their judging criteria for prospective cheerleaders.
Endurance and Dedication
In some cases, cheerleading teams put less emphasis on their applicants' accomplishments and place more value on willingness to train regularly and develop cheerleading skill. Practices are typically intensive, aimed at developing exceptional physical strength, flexibility and coordination or poise. At the collegiate Division I level, cheerleaders regularly train for a few hours per day, several days a week. The practice routine may include strength training and plyometric exercises as well as routine rehearsal.
Additional Criteria
Beyond physical fitness and dedication, additional criteria for cheerleaders vary widely depending on the type of team, whether it's pee-wee cheering after school or collegiate cheerleading at nationally televised games. For school-based cheerleading squads, participants usually need to demonstrate strong academic performance by keeping their grades above a certain level. Team coaches may also set up behavioral rules for team members or institute an attendance policy.
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