Westminster Owls Cheerleading Tryout Information

UPDATE: Tryouts for the Fall 2023 season will be held on August 9th, 10th, and 11th. Attendance for all three days of tryouts is mandatory. Stay on the lookout for summer OTA's (open gyms), clinics, and conditioning. 

If your athlete is interested in being added to an athlete-only SportsYou where updates will be sent out, please download the SportsYou app and use the code QTDG3B2Y to join. This group sends out all updated information on the upcoming season. 

Please make sure to register on the FamilyID website BEFORE the start of tryouts and OTA's. The FamilyID link can be found here! All athletes must be registered with a current physical in order to participate.  

Summer OTA Schedule 

All OTA's (organized team activities) will take place in the upper balcony gym from 4:30pm - 6:00pm. Although they are NOT mandatory, and athletes do not need to stay for the entire time, we highly encourage all athletes to attend as many as possible and stay for full time so that they get the most out of their time. OTA's are the best time to work on skills before tryouts right in our own gym where we hold tryouts and practices while getting to know the other athletes and coaching staff. Per state and county policies, coaches are NOT allowed to actively coach returning athletes. OTA's can be used to practice tumbling skills on dead mat or the air track, stunting, technique, jumps, motions, and conditioning. Be sure to have a completed registration on FamilyID before attending OTA's. 

Our coaches' word of advice: Use OTA's to your full advantage!! Bring a friend, come with a group, or come by yourself but be sure to put yourself out there to practice your own skills and gain confidence before the season starts!

OTA Dates: 

June 14

June 21 

June 28 

July 12 

July 19 

July 26 

August 4

August 7

August 8

Check out our Tryout Information page for skill expectations. All athletes must wear the following colors for all three days of tryouts: 

Freshmen and Sophomores: white

Juniors and Seniors: black

All athletes must be present for the entire tryout period for all three days. On the third and final day of tryouts, team placements will be finalized. Team placements are based on the scores that everyone is judged on. Athletes are judged on their tumbling, stunting, jumps, cheers, and coach-ability and are scored accordingly to what they perform at tryouts (not at home in the backyard, at tumbling class or on previous teams). All tryout expectations can be found here. 

No athlete is guaranteed a spot on either team (upperclassmen are not eligible for JV). An athlete may or may not be placed on a team. There is no guarantee that a team will take alternates or field a game team. There is also no guarantee that athletes will be choreographed in the competition routines, and their team placement can be changed at any time throughout the season. This all depends on what the teams' needs are at that point in time. 

After tryouts have finished the 24-hour rule will be strictly enforced. This means that no athlete OR parent will be allowed to contact the coaching staff regarding their team placement. If the athlete would like further discussion on their placement, the athlete and the athlete only may contact the coaching staff for a meeting to be set up at a time convenient for all. 

Tryout Expectations:

 Before tryouts being make sure you have been registered on FamilyID with a current physical and all associated information. If interested, please bring the captains application with you on the first day of tryouts.

All athletes will be evaluated and scored on the following with team specific expectations listed below:

• Stunts: difficulty, execution, strength, technique

  • Flyers will be required to pull at least 3 body positions on the ground AND in an extended single leg position

• Tumbling: difficulty, execution, technique for standing, running and jump tumbling *all skills must be performed without a spotter*

• Jumps: execution, difficulty, technique

• Cheer: voice projection, motion knowledge, ability to pick up on choreography, motion technique and sharpness

• Attitude: are you enjoying yourself, smiling and have a positive attitude, helping others, asking for help when needed.

Please remember that throwing a certain tumbling WILL NOT guarantee your placement on one particular team; it is vital to be a well-rounded athlete for BOTH teams.

I.E. Throwing a tuck WILL NOT guarantee your spot on varsity, throwing a handspring WILL NOT guarantee your spot on JV. NO SPOTS ARE RESERVED OR GUARANTEED FOR ANYBODY.

Acceptable Clothing: Make sure that you are wearing the color specific to your class!!

• T-shirts only that are appropriately sized

• Tank tops are acceptable if the straps are AT LEAST 1’ thick and NOT spaghetti
• Soffe type cotton cheer shorts WITH spandex
• Leggings
• Proper cheer shoes with socks
• Any appropriate athletic braces
• Hair to be in a ponytail and out of your face, and must not become a distraction or safety hazard. 

Not Acceptable Clothing: you may be asked to change or leave if you have the following

• Spaghetti Strap tank tops
• Exposed stomach or spandex that is ill-fitting
• Slippery athletic shorts, basketball shorts
• Street shoes
  
• ANY jewelry

Absolutely no jewelry may be worn to any cheer tryout, practice, game, competition, or any other event. This includes new piercings, belly button rings, earrings, cartilage piercings, tongue rings, necklaces, bracelets, watches, friendship bracelets, hair ties, etc.

Fingernails should be kept short for the duration of the season. Nails should not go past the pads of the fingers at any time. No polish may be worn, not even clear polish.

If you are questioning whether or not something fits into the acceptable category, don't wear it.

Continued disregard for dress code policies may lead to removal from the team and will result in point deductions at tryouts.

From NFHS Spirit Rules:
Jewelry – Spirit coaches are expected to follow the rules written for the safety of all participants of cheerleading and dance. The spirit rules regarding jewelry (2-2-1 and 3-1-2) apply to all spirit activities, which include both practices and performance events. It is the coach’s responsibility to teach and enforce this rule before it becomes an issue. Recent fashion trends have coaches and participants questioning this simple ruling with unnecessary challenges. With the exception of religious and medical medals, examples of jewelry include, but are not limited to: necklaces, bracelets, rings, all facial and body piercings (includes spacers and fishing line), wrist bands, corsages, and hair ties on wrists. This rule is consistent with rules concerning jewelry in the NFHS rule books for other athletic activities. “No jewelry” means NO JEWELRY.

JV

• Stunting:

  • Extended level single leg with flyer pulling at least 3 body positions and performing an advanced dismount (twist down, waterfall, superman)

  • Switch ups to an extended single leg

  • Half-up to extended single leg

  • Full up to extended two legs

  • Various dismounts from extended positions (waterfall, twist down, superman)

• Basket tosses:

  • Toe touch and pike arch

  • Single twist

  • Kick twist

• Tumbling:

  • Standing and running single and series back handsprings

  • Toe touch back handspring

Varsity

• Stunting:

  • Performing ALL stunts at the extended level single leg level with flyers pulling AT LEAST 4 body positions and performing various dismounts from an extended single leg (waterfalls, supermans, twist downs and their multiple variations)

  • Switch ups to both right and left leg to an extended single leg as well as turning variations to both legs

  • Tick tocks to both the right and left legs to an extended single leg as well as turning variations to both legs

  • Full ups to an extended single leg as well as 1½ ups to an extended position

• Basket Tosses:

  • Kick twist

  • Hitch kick twist

  • Kick kick twist

• Tumbling:

  • Standing and running tucks. This is to include round-off tuck, round-off handspring tucks, and power hurdle handspring tucks. 

  • Specialty passes including:

    • Cartwheel tucks

    • Multiple handspring series to tucks/layouts/fulls

    • Toe touch tuck

    • Round off tuck AND round off handspring tuck/layout/full

    • Front walkover and punch front (front tuck) through to tuck/layout/full