The Ultimate Guide to High School Cheerleading Tryouts for Coaches

How to Run Cheer Tryouts as a Coach

Cheer Tryouts are an exciting time in the season. You get to meet all of the new athletes while your returning athletes are looking forward to a new season. I have ran tryouts for six years as a head coach, and I learn something new every year. I’ve put together a list of tips and advice to help you run your tryouts.

Check out my Editable Cheerleading Tryout Score Sheets and Packet.

Step 1: Cheerleading Pre-Season Planning

Before you plan your cheerleading tryouts for your high school cheerleading team, you should have a plan for your season. You will feel confident at cheer tryouts by being prepared to present information for the season to new athletes and their families.

1. Create a communication plan
2. Meet with your administration
3. Meet with your assistant cheer coaches
4. Create a schedule and calendar
5. Understand the payment process with your school’s bookkeeper/booster club
6. Meet with your uniform representative and finalize uniform package
7. Register for cheer camp
8. Set up fundraisers

Check out my post where I talk about Cheerleading Pre-Season Planning before Cheer Tryouts

Step 2: Prep & Print Paper Work

1. Create a Cheer Information Packet for the Mandatory Parent Meeting

In the this packet, outline the time commitment, expectations, financial commitments, and fundraising opportunities. This is the packet you will give to families at the Mandatory Parent Meeting. The more information, the better!

Include in your Cheer Information Packet:

• Cost of Cheer
• Fundraisers
• Summer Practice Schedule
• Cheer Camps
• School Year Practices
• Additional choreography dates
• Football Schedule
• Basketball Schedule
• Competition Schedule
• Expectations such as grade eligibility, attendance policy, jewelry policy

2. Create a Payment Schedule

Decide how you will collect the funds for cheer. Does your school cover the cost? If cheerleaders cover the cost, I recommend breaking the total cost into a payment plan. Write out the payment plan including due dates, amount due, and method of payment.

3. Create a Calendar for Cheerleaders

Create a calendar for the entire season including practices, games, rallies, fundraisers, competitions, etc. Give this calendar to your cheer team at the New Team Meeting

4. Create a Cheerleading Contract

This is so important! Outline the rules and expectations of your team. Include an attendance policy. You will go over these rules during your Mandatory Parent Information Meeting & your New Team Meeting. Have your cheerleaders and their parent sign this contract right after you announce the team.

I have an editable cheerleading contract in my editable tryout packet.

5. Create a Tryout Out Sign In Sheet

Have all athletes and their parent sign in at the Mandatory Parent Meeting. Include space for the athlete’s name, parent name, phone number or email.

6. Create a Cheerleading Application

Create a Cheerleading Application to gather important information about the athletes trying out for the cheer team. This can include their name, age, grade, contact information, parent name and contact information, etc.

7. Create a Tryout Score Sheet

Create a tryout score sheet with a scoring rubric. I recommend having a section for each element of tryouts. For example, if the athletes will perform jumps, a cheer, a dance, and tumbling during their tryout, then have those 4 separate sections for scoring.

Step 3: Cheerleading Tryouts Setup

1. Reserve Facilities

How many days of tryouts do you plan for? We plan a Mandatory Parent Meeting, two Tryout Clinic Practices, and one Tryout Evaluation. I recommend giving yourself extra time during your Tryout Evaluation. Reserve these facilities with your administration. Here is a sample of our tryout schedule:

• Monday 5:00-5:30 Mandatory Parent Meeting
• Monday 5:30-7:30 Tryout Clinic 1
• Tuesday 5:30-7:30 Tryout Clinic 2
• Wednesday 5:00-8:00 Tryout Evaluations
• Wednesday 8:30 Team Announcement & New Team Meeting

2. Reach out to Cheer Tryout Judges

Reach out to judges you trust. These can be fellow cheer coaches, coaches of other cheer teams, teachers, etc.

I recommend compensating your judges for their time. Ask your booster club if you can pay them for their time or give them a gift card with a Thank You card.

3. Decide Material to Teach

Decide what you are planning to teach the athletes. You can teach them a cheer, a dance, a band dance, and jumps.

4. Contact Graduating Seniors to Teach at Tryouts

If you have graduating seniors, you can invite them teach the tryout material. This allows for coaches to monitor tryouts and is a great opportunity for graduating seniors to take on a leadership role.

Make sure your leading seniors are role models for your new team. They should come in matching practice clothes, hair in a clean pony tail, no jewelry. Emphasize this to your seniors. 

Meet with them to ensure they know the material they are going to teach. It is important for them to have a professional presence to set the tone for your new team. 

Step 4: Spread the Word!

1. Create a Cheerleading Tryouts Flyer

Create an informative, printable flyer that include your contact information, all dates, times, location and requirements for tryouts. Distribute the flyer to the high school and middle schools and ask schools to include tryout information in their announcements.

2. Create a graphic to share on social media

If you have social media accounts for your cheer team, share social media graphics several times leading up to tryouts to help spread the news.

Step 5: Cheerleading Tryouts

1. Mandatory Parent Information Meeting

This is one of the most important events of your season! This meeting sets the tone for your team. Dress professionally and coordinate with your assistant coaches. Have a Sign In Sheet so that athletes and parents sign in with their name and contact information. 

Introduce coaching staff

Introduce yourself and your staff and explain your background as it relates to coaching cheer. Talk about the cheer program, the accomplishments, and the goals.

Hand out Cheer Information Packet & the Cheerleading Application

Give athletes a Cheerleading Tryout Application to gather important information. I give this application to athletes on the end of the first day of clinics and require them to bring it back before Tryout Evaluations. I have a cheerleading application ready to go in my editable tryout packet.

Check out my post all about the Mandatory Parent Meeting for High School Cheer Tryouts

2. Clinics

During these days, you or your graduating senior cheerleaders will teach the athletes a cheer, dance, and band dance. Go over technique for jumps. I recommend doing a ‘mock tryout’ and have your graduating seniors demonstrate a tryout. This helps the athletes feel more prepared for what to expect. 

Give them extra time to practice. We allow them to take a video of the routines so they can go home and practice.

Check out my post all about High School Cheer Tryouts and Evaluation

3. Tryout Evaluation

Create a schedule of time for each athlete trying out to help you and your judges stick to that schedule. We have athletes try out one at a time, but do what works best for you. There are a couple of different score sheets options in my editable tryout packet.

We announce the team that same day so that we can hold the new team meeting right after. 

4. New Team Meeting

Yay, congratulations! Take a picture of your new team. This is when you give your new team important paperwork to prep them for season. Here’s what to give your team:

• Cheerleading contract (have them sign and return it to you that day)
• Calendar for the entire season
• Fundraising information
• Communication plan – however you plan to communicate with your team. (Google classroom, GroupMe code, etc.)

I have a fully editable packet that includes all of this done for you! And you can customize it to meet your needs. 

Click here for the Editable Cheer Tryout Packet & Score Sheets

If you are looking to download this checklist and print it, click here.

What is your best cheer tryout tips? What other questions do you have for tryouts? Comment down below!