Before emailing the coach with questions please read the following in great detail. The information presented is subject to change. All candidates are expected to accept the coach's decision as final and binding.
Schedule
Tryouts for the 2008 - 2009 Cheerleading Teams to cheer for basketball, volleyball and competition will be held May 3, 2008. The tryouts will be in John Kresse arena located within the F. Mitchell Johnson Physical Education Center from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. with a lunch break from 12-12:45. It is suggested that you get to the tryout 15 to 30 minutes early to warm up and get taped if needed. If you are unable to attend please consider the DVD/Video file submission option.
DVD / Video file
If you can not attend you may send in a DVD/Video file. In addition to potentially making the team by videotape, we may have to add or replace people for various reasons. Your DVD/Video file will serve as a record of your abilities that we would not otherwise have. If submitting a DVD/Video file please see Evaluation Criteria below for what material might be important to demonstrate on the videotape. All DVD/Video files become the property of College of Charleston Cheerleading.
All DVD/Videofiles must arrive by Wednesday, April 30th.
Send to:
College of Charleston Cheerleading
66 George St.
Charleston, SC 29424
Eligibility
Students currently enrolled at the College of Charleston AND prospective students (including high school seniors) who have made the commitment to attend the College of Charleston during the 2008 - 2009 school year are eligible to try out for College of Charleston Cheerleading.
Commitment
Please take the time to familiarize yourself with an example of our guidelines. These guidelines may be modified for the coming year. Cheerleading is a 15 hr per week commitment from August through April. As such it is a major commitment of non-academic time and at this time we are only offering limited scholarships. Any student with Greek responsibilities, job internships, student teaching, or school/work-related internships should check their schedule closely for conflicts. Married students, students with children, and students with significant part time or full time employment should carefully consider the amount of time it takes to be a College of Charleston Cheerleader. This is not to discourage you, but to make you aware of our program requirements so you can make the right decision for us and for yourself.
You must be available to report by August 13th. Once the semester starts, our practices are usually 2 to 2.5 hours at least twice a week and games, pep rallies, and other commitments scheduled throughout. Again, attendance is mandatory. Squad runs and workouts are required. Please remember you are making a 15 hr per week commitment to College of Charleston Cheerleading from August through April.
Tryouts
College of Charleston Cheerleading is a demanding, intense, physical activity requiring upper and lower body strength and aerobic conditioning. You must be in good physical condition and be height/weight proportionate. We don't have minimum/maximum height or weight requirements. Males and females are equally eligible to tryout. Before trying out, please take the time to familiarize yourself with an example of our guidelines. These guidelines may be modified for the coming year.
Athletic Department policies mandate that before a cheerleader may be formally accepted onto either squad she/he must pass a sports physical conducted by the University's Athletic Training Department.
Women may tryout for any position on the team, however, you must accept the appointment you are given and be willing to be moved if necessary. Clearly, women with co-ed partners are required to be flyers and must be committed to flying in partner stunts and basket tosses, and middle basing and flying in pyramids. Women who tryout for the All-Girl groups may tryout as a base, flyer, or both, but must be willing to fill the role to which they are assigned.
In general the goal of the tryouts will be to have candidates demonstrate their cheerleading talents, including tumbling, stunting, cheers, dance, etc.
Evaluation Criteria / What to put on the video
(Not listed in any particular order of importance or weight. Criteria for men emphasizes basing responsibilities.)
? Ability to loudly project your voice in an expressive manner
? Balance (L & R heel stretches, L & R scorpions, L & R heel scales, L & R heel rams, L & R heel arabesques, L & R Bow & Arrow, handstands, etc.)
? Dancing ability
? Jumping (toe touch, pike, L & R herky, L & R front hurdler, combinations, etc.)
? Jump-tumble and tumble-jump combinations
? Stunting (base or flyer)
? Strong, precise motions
? Tumbling (standing and line tumbling, front, back, and twisting tumbling, aerials, etc.)
? Vertical jumping ability
Specific Tumbling and Stunting Requirements
Standing tumbling is required for all female participants. This includes a standing handspring, standing tuck, and any variation of the tuck. Males are not required to have standing tumbling ability but will be expected to acquire the skills before the start of basketball season or competing. If you are submitting a DVD/Videofile you should take the opportunity to show us the extent of your abilities. If you can do it, show it. The more difficult the skill you can demonstrate the more credit you will earn in that category. All tumbling on video should be unedited from 2 counts before the skill through a clean completion of the skill. Candidates must be comfortable enough with any tumbling or partner stunt skill they attempt to perform on a basketball floor without a spotter, however there will be a 2 ?” foam mat to give candidates the opportunity to show more advances skills. Attempting a skill you cannot do well or that scares the audience should not be attempted. While a person could potentially make the squad without advanced tumbling or partner stunting skills they would have to be exceptional in other aspects of their evaluation (as presented above) to make up for what is missing and be willing to learn to tumble and partner stunt beyond their current abilities.
Material
If you are submitting a video you should also perform material such as a cheer, chants, and fight song/dance. Before, during, and after performances you are encouraged to incorporate appropriate cheerleading athletic skills.
Dress
During the video you should wear a t-shirt, shorts, socks, and athletic/cheer shoes. Hair must be secured away from the face at all times. To ensure your safety no jewelry should be worn at any time. This includes watches, rings, necklaces, and body piercings such as ear rings, navel rings, eyebrow rings, tongue studs, etc.
Forms
To tryout you must have
? a filled out Acceptance of Guidelines Form
? a completely filled out Pre-participation Form if you are a current student-athlete
? a completely filled out Tryout Form if you are trying out for the first time. If the candidate is under 18 he/she must have their parent/guardian sign these forms
? a copy of a complete, recent (no earlier than Jan 1, 2008) College Sports physical, signed by a physician.
? an UNSIGNED Liability Release Form. This will only be signed with the head cheerleading coach present, so anyone not physically attending tryouts will need to bring an unsigned copy to the first event they attend.
? a letter of acceptance to the College of Charleston or a copy of your Fall (or Summer) 2008 registration
? your insurance card, or a photocopy of the front and back of the your Insurance Card
? $15 in cash or check made out to College of Charleston Cheerleading for cheerleaders attending tryouts, $20 for cheerleaders sending a DVD/videofile
All candidates are expected to accept the coach's decision as final and binding.
