Today I will be talking to you about three myths that cheerleaders and dancers tell themselves when they think about trying out for a college team and feel it is out of their reach.
So to start off… Why am I even talking about this?
Well as a former college coach myself and current high school coach, I have discovered that many of you talk yourself OUT of trying out for teams due to things you may have heard, see, or believe about college teams. Now don’t get me wrong, this can be a scary experience, but so is submitting that application to your dream school. I mean, how cool would it be for you to actually continue your love of cheer and dance at the next level! Performing in front of thousands of people at a game and getting to compete at the national level for your University.
Sounds pretty awesome right!
Ok, then what is holding you back… I know the myths that
Only big schools have the GOOD teams
You have to have the BIG tricks or skills to even make the team
I will NOT have enough time to commit to the team
I’m here to tell you that all of these things are just NOT true. Don’t believe me, well let me break it down for you.
Myth 1: Only BIG schools have GOOD teams
Have you heard of Stephen F. Austin Dance Team, in Nacogdoches, Texas or the University of West Georgia Cheerleaders in Carrollton, Georgia? I know you know of Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, I mean they did an entire Nexflix series documenting their journey. These are small schools in a small town doing big things in the world of cheer and dance. Take time to look at your current school choices and see if they have a team. One thing to remember is that not all teams are under athletics. Take a look at Student Activities, Club Teams, etc. to see if one exists.
Myth 2: You have to have the BIG tricks and skills to make the team
Each team will have its own unique requirements for making their team. Some do require you to have a tumbling to make the team, however this may be as minimal as a back-handspring or none at all. On the dancer side, handsprings and aerials are only required for a few teams but not all teams. Remember each team wants and needs different things to have a successful year and may have that very thing they are looking for. Again you will have to research the teams you are interested in to find out exactly what they want!
Myth 3: I will NOT have enough time to commit to the team
I hear this one the most. College life and high school life are so very very very different. For example, in high school, most students go to school from 7:00-3:00 everyday not including before or after school practice, homework, and work. This makes for a very long and exhausting day, week, and month. In college, on average a student only takes about 12-16 hours a semester. This could look like a schedule of 2-3 classes everyday. This could be from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM. Team practice and workouts will only take up about an additional 1-2 hours extra every other day. That leaves 9 hours of free time to fill with whatever other activities, job, homework, Greek life, etc. that you want! Doesn’t that sound great. The bonus is that some college teams out there also get to use athletic tutors to assist with homework as well. Even better!
At this point I hope your stress level has come down and I helped easy your mind about college tryouts. Let me know in the comments below what other things you have heard or believe that have caused you to question or decided that a college team may not be for you? I would love to hear.
Well that is all I have for today. If you want to learn more from The Spirit Academy and have a step by step guide to help you tryout for your upcoming college tryout, then make sure you join my email list to receive my weekly tips, tricks, and secrets.
See you next time.
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