A misconception that causes cheerleaders and dancers like you to deter you from trying out for a team is that you believe that you have to have ALL the skills and all the tricks to make the team. This is just not true….
Not every person on a college team is the MOST talented! Talent comes in different forms. Someone on the team has to be the team’s cheerleader/motivator or the mother hen who corals the team together and holds them accountable.
Every single person on a team has a special bonus Talent or ROLE that may or may not be seen with the naked eye. Think about your own team or friend group.
Name the one who is the motherly figure, the crazy goof ball that , the super social one that knows like EVERYONE no matter where you go. See even in a small group each person has a part they play amongst the whole.
A team is a collection of different puzzle pieces that fit together to make a picture. Each piece has its unique ridges, bumps, and groves that are completely different from the other pieces. No piece is exactly like another, however they all fit snug as a bug in their rightful place amongst the group.
Have you ever tried to force a piece that doesn’t go? It just does not snap together the right way or with ease.
I ask you… what is YOUR role on your current team, and what special aspect will you bring to your NEW team?
What is your unique unseen talent that you bring to the table?
Let’s first define TALENT: according to Webster's English dictionary, talent is defined as a natural aptitude or skill.
Nowhere does it say ‘has the best jump, can run the fastest, or can do 1,000 pirouettes.
Each of us have talents that are unseen and these unseen talents are the ones that coaches are looking for at tryouts, but sometimes have the most difficulty finding. This skills are your
Interpersonal skills, also known as people skills, soft skills, or emotional intelligence. They are related to the way you communicate and interact with others.
Physical talent and skills are things you can work on, however a coach needs more than that….
Are you a hard worker, Are you reliable, Do you pick up material quickly and can help others?
Do you make friends easily and are able to speak to anyone in the room?
Do you have that motherly/father instinct to help others who struggle?
Teams and Coaches NEED people that know how to use their unique unseen skill like you. Sometimes in the process of tryouts we, even coaches, get so caught up in the SKILLS SKILLS SKILLS of it all that we forget sometimes that the character of a person can speak louder than skill.
These unseen skills are called interpersonal skills and they are very important to any team or group. These skills are what make YOU special and unique.
So we need to find out which of these skills belong to you, so you can use it to your advantage during tryout season, to become irresistible to a coach. Your goal is to make them feel like they must have you on their team outside of the physical skills that are listed on the tryout requirement sheet?
Step 1: Make a list of all your special interpersonal talents (unseen). Be super honest with yourself when making this list. Make sure you write down things that you KNOW you currently have, NOT the things that you hope or wish you had. Think about compliments that you constantly get from others about you.
Or take a personality test. I suggest this one right here.
Step 2: Categorize them into Five columns
Communication/Listening- talk to anyone , public speaking
Empathy - understand and share feelings of another
Leadership - leading a group, motivation
Positive Attitude - motivator, teams cheerleader
Teamwork - team player, pulls the group together, good follower
Which list is longer? That is the category that you will bring to the table.
Now that you have found that special talent that makes you special and grow it larger than life for your future coach to notice. While you are at a clinic, tryouts, and or college visit you MUST make sure you are not just focusing on the skill that you can bring to the team, but the character that you will bring to the team. Remember, they have seniors that are leaving the program, and they are on the hunt for the best person to fill their shoes not only in skill, but also in character.
Who you are on the inside can/will outweigh your skill. Most coaches will agree that they can teach anyone the advanced skills to be on their team, however it is far more difficult to teach someone a strong moral character.
You could be that person they are looking for. So make sure you are leading with your heart FIRST!
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