University of Kansas Cheerleading

KU Cheerleading Tryouts

Tryouts for the 2012-13 squad will be May 6 & 7, 2012. The tryout registration packet should be available here in February.

For help improving your skills for tryouts, see the Clinics page, and sign up to receive email updates on our tryouts and clinics.

Our Squads

Spring tryouts typically fill all the spots on our squads (ie, we don't usually have a Fall tryout). We'll take approximately 15 coed couples and a few extra guys. Each squad member cheers:

  • all home football games
  • about 1/2 of the home men's basketball games
  • about 1/3 of the women's basketball games
  • a few women's volleyball games

Travel to away football games and post-season basketball tournaments is usually limited to 3 couples per trip. In the fall, we select 9 guys and 7 ladies (plus 2 alternates) to compete at UCA nationals in Disneyworld in mid-January if we win at least a partial paid bid.

Selection Criteria

Candidates are selected based on a variety of factors. We consider more than just current skill level; we consider potential, squad partnering, physical fitness, work ethic, and attitude. For specific "requirements," it's hard to estimate what is needed to make the squad since we take the best 14 couples that show up, but listed below is what we look for. Because we partner everyone at games and we do lots of all-squad stunts, coed stunting ability or potential for it is very important. Also note that all returning squad members must try out every year.

Ladies: In general, we're looking for the "whole package." An ideal candidate will be in great shape, present themselves well on the court, cheer with energy and enthusiasm, be easy to stunt with or show good potential, have at least a standing tuck (though some make the team with only a back handspring), and we hope to see non-spring fulls but many girls make the team with less if their other scores are high.

Guys: In general, we really like to see guys who have at least toss stunts and can tumble (standing tuck and pass fulls), but we take many guys who are stronger in one area and weaker in the other. We may also take guys who have little to no cheer experience if they show potential by being strong and athletic.

Our Typical Tryout Format

Prelims and Semis

Everyone will be asked to perform the tumbling skills listed below and you'll be judged on how well you perform each. I don't expect people to have ALL of these skills so don't let the list scare you, but it will show me exactly what tumbling you can and can't do and how well you do each. All tumbling will be performed on non-spring mats.

  • standing back handspring
  • standing back tuck
  • standing back handspring back tuck
  • standing bhs full
  • standing full
  • roundoff bhs series
  • ro bhs tuck, layout, or full
  • ro bhs whip bhs
  • ro bhs full bhs full
  • ro arabian stepout ro bhs
  • ro bhs 1.5xfull stepout ro bhs

You'll have two attempts at a fairly basic stunt and, in semis, two more advanced stunts with one of several partners provided at tryouts. The stunts will not be announced until tryouts, but the stunts I'll choose from are listed below:

  • Toss chair
  • Toss shoulders
  • Toss hands while the girl holds a sign in her hands
  • Toss hands to extension, liberty, heel-stretch, arabesque, cupie, or left cupie.
  • Walk-up to hands, extension, liberty, heel-stretch, arabesque, cupie, or left cupie.
  • Toss extension, liberty, heel-stretch, arabesque, cupie, or left cupie.
  • Full-up to extension, liberty, heel-stretch, arabesque, cupie, or left cupie.
  • Single or double-twisting cradle from heel-stretch or arabesque.

Ladies' stunts will be judged on technique, toss height, and on how easy the guy stunter felt it was for them to hit the stunt. Guys will be judged on solidness and technique. Once everyone is finished with their tumbling and stunt, we'll break and announce the finalists.

Finals prep

First, finalists will attempt a fairly simple stunt with every other finalist of the opposite gender, then they'll interview, practice the fight song, take photos, and prepare an optional stunt (with no transitions) for finals.

Finals

Finalists check in and warm up, then perform the following:

  1. Tumbling pass
  2. Fight Song
  3. Optional stunt (no transitions)
  4. Chant with standing bhs, tuck, or full incorporated

Tryout Advice

Here are some tips on preparing for tryouts:

  • Tryouts aren't a safe environment for learning new skills, so I only provide enough time at tryouts for people to warm up their current skills. At the tryout, throw what you know!
  • Be in the best shape of your life!
  • My advice to most guys, especially high school guys, is to lift weights and eat well to gain as much strength as you can. It will make stunting easier and make you more valuable in pyramids and baskets. The exercises I have our guys emphasize is standing dumbbell military press, squats, and power cleans.
  • For ladies, I recommend you coed stunt as much as possible either through private lessons or at a cheer open gym in your area. There's no substitute for air time.
  • If at all possible, stunt with a variety of partners: good, bad, big, and small. This will improve your overall technique. Girls especially need to be careful not to stunt with only one guy, and also make sure to really learn proper technique and not unknowingly let the guy do all the work. Don't try to skip ahead to the elite stunts even if a guy is able to throw you through them — make sure you first learn how to hold yourself tight and centered without balancing; learn a powerful toss, walkups, twisting cradles, etc. Our tryout format tests girls' overall stunt technique and experience, so prepare accordingly.

What to Wear at Tryouts

Example of proper tryout attire. At both days of tryouts, ladies should wear a sports bra, athletic shorts or spandex, athletic shoes, no jewelry, and your hair should be pulled back out of your face. Men should wear a plain T-shirt, athletic shorts, and athletic shoes. Note that these requirements are for safety reasons, and also note that some of your score in finals is "Overall Image," so it's in your best interest to look game-ready.

Questions?

If you have any questions about tryouts or KU Cheerleading, check the Recruits page. If you can't find the answer there, email me at Corey@KUcheer.com. Thanks!