All-American Tryout Tips

The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and hard work is happening! Your team has had a great couple of days at UCA camp. You’re learning new skills to bring home, you are bonding with teammates and other campers, and making memories to last a lifetime! Now, the time has come to have the opportunity to become an All-American at camp. Here are some tips and tricks to help you prepare and stand out to the judges!

Tip #1. Pay attention! Every camper must learn the All-American cheer and the Rally Routine to perform at All-American tryouts. It is extremely important to pay attention to the correct motion placement and counts to ensure that you’re performing the correct material during your tryout. Ask the UCA staff any questions about material to make sure it is correct, sharp, and tight!

Tip #2. Go for it! The first step to trying out is signing up and doing it. It’s okay to be nervous but remember- if you don’t try out because you are scared that you won’t make it, you still won’t make it by being a spectator. So, give it a try and you may become the next All-American!

Tip #3. Practice, practice, practice! It can be very nerve wracking standing in front of your peers and performing something that you just learned so, the more you practice the easier it will be! Practice so that you don’t feel nervous. Ask your teammates, your coaches, other campers, and especially UCA staff members to watch and help you perfect the material. They will be happy to!

Tip #4. Lead the crowd! Cheerleading is all about leading the crowd and All-American tryouts are no different. Be confident in your ability to draw the attention of fans and get them involved. Use callbacks and filler words to lead the crowd as well as engaging body language. Be the loudest in the group! Judges will notice this and love it!

Tip #5. Tight, tight, tight! We all know the importance of having sharp, crisp, and clean motions and it doesn’t stop at All-American tryouts. Judges are looking for candidates who hit their motions fast and in the right place. It is important to not flow from one motion to the other but to make each motion distinct and separate from the last!

Tip #6. A jump has three parts! Everyone loves to see an extended jump, but judges are impressed with a clean jump all around. This means that motion placement is tight and in the right place for the approach. The jump itself is flexible and with pointed toes. And the landing is clean and solid, with no extra movement! So, always remember that the approach, the jump, and the landing are all key parts to a good jump.

Tip #7. Have fun! Judges love candidates who wave, smile, and clap for other candidates. The more fun you have, the better because judges want All-Americans who will represent UCA in a positive way at All-American events! Also, it is important to make a memory that will last a life time because nothing is more important than the memories that you take home from camp.

All-American tryouts are the opportunity of a lifetime. Take advantage of it! Have fun and make new friends because it is these things that matter most at camp. All of these tips are tools to put you a step above the rest and to help you grow as a cheerleader, as a teammate and as a leader! Have so much fun at camp and good luck!