FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What if I can't do gymnastics?
Gymnastics are a great skill to have in cheerleading but they are NOT a necessity. Gymnastics skills can be taught in cheerleading and it's a great way to learn those skills for free! No gym fees required! The same goes for flexibility, jumping, cheering, confidence and many, many other skills!
What if my friends don't join?
Having friends on the team is a lot of fun. If you think your friends could be interested, have them join with you! Maybe you never realized they have thought about cheering too! If not, you will definitely meet new friends and gain relationships in cheerleading that you might not have otherwise had. Ask an old cheerleader and they will surely tell you that they had friends they would have never met otherwise thanks to cheerleading. But don't worry, your old friends will still be there for you as well and if they play another sport, you will have even more in common since you with both have athletics!
What about my grades & school?
Research shows that with athletics:
What if I play another sport in the same season (i.e. basketball and/or volleyball)?
Athletes who play volleyball (fall) will still be able to participate in winter cheer and those who play basketball (winter) will still be able to participate in fall cheer. No other sport interferes with the cheerleading season (i.e. spring sports) but you are encouraged to attend camp with the cheer team NO MATTER WHICH season you are cheering. If you are CUT from your sport and the Skill Development Tryout dates have already passed, YOU ARE STILL ELIGIBLE to participate in the Skill Development Tryout at a later date. Arrange this with the coach and don't be afraid to try cheerleading if your first sport didn't work out for you! You may find you were MEANT for CHEER!
What if my parents are worried about me joining cheer?
If you're parents are concerned about you joining cheerleading for any reason (i.e. costs, safety, etc.), please have them contact a member of the coaching staff to talk about their concerns. If concerns are related to costs, we have fundraising solutions to help cover fees. If concerns are related to safety - Kingsford only hires TRAINED coaches who have been through numerous safety conference sessions and training events.
Are there things I can do on my own to make me a better cheerleader?
Cheer requires strength, athleticism and flexibility. Anything that helps improve these skills will help you become a better cheerleader. Stretching daily is a great way to be sure the skills involved in cheer are reachable. You can 'Google' great stretches and exercises for fitness. At tryouts you will learn the essential stretches to help you obtain a walkover, handspring or heel stretch. There are also lists of athletic guidelines that the program thinks would be helpful to you (given out at tryouts and listed on the website). Summertime is a super great time to improve on the skills needed to be an excellent cheerleader.
I always enjoyed the cheer clinics as a kid, what makes high school cheer different/mature?
Weren't the cheer clinics a lot of fun? Cheer, dance, stunts, tumbling, GREAT FRIENDS...all of the things that made the cheer clinics so much fun are even MORE prevalent in high school cheer. And not only that but YOU get to be that role model that you looked up to as a kid in the clinic. Cheerleading has all of what you remember about cheer clinics and much much more.
What if I am not sure I want to join and how will I know if it is right for me?
If you think you might be interested in cheer but haven't shared those thoughts with anyone or aren't sure how everybody will react, you really owe it to yourself to investigate the sport. Have you ever watched an ESPN cheer competition? Do you love the cheerleaders at football, basketball or baseball games? If you are not sure you want to join, the only solution is to give it a try! Come to a tryout! Talk to a coach! You will never know if you don't take that first step. The only regret you will have is the time you wasted not trying cheer sooner!
Do I have to participate in a fundraiser?
Fundraisers help the cheer program to afford things that are helpful to keep it a first class organization. They also help YOU pay for essential cheer supplies & training like uniforms and camp. Although fundraising isn't mandatory, those who choose not to participate will have to pay a 'buy out' fee. Some people would prefer this method over fundraising and each scheduled fundraiser will include a 'buy out' fee.
What kind of time and other commitments are involved and how flexible is it?
Cheer does involve both commitments to the program and time commitments. Although football/fall cheer does have fewer practices per week and games, both seasons require a dedication to the program. In Kingsford Cheer, you are part of a 'cheer family' and since cheer as a sport requires ALL members in order to complete formations, stunts and the like, you are fully expected to attend all practices, games and competitions (SEE RULES). Fall cheer does not include competitions and only includes a handful of home games (not including playoffs). Practices are held approximately three times a week (on non game weeks) during the fall cheer season. Winter season requires practice every single day there is not a game or competition and involves cheering approximately ten basketball games and eight to ten cheer competitions.
What if I am still unsure?
Email the coach: [email protected] to talk about it. Just say you are 'thinking about it' but really aren't sure. We can talk about the advantages and disadvantages or any other questions you may have. What's the only reason the coach could actually care THIS MUCH and have all this information available to you? Because she KNOWS how much you will LOVE this program and doesn't want you to regret never trying!
Gymnastics are a great skill to have in cheerleading but they are NOT a necessity. Gymnastics skills can be taught in cheerleading and it's a great way to learn those skills for free! No gym fees required! The same goes for flexibility, jumping, cheering, confidence and many, many other skills!
What if my friends don't join?
Having friends on the team is a lot of fun. If you think your friends could be interested, have them join with you! Maybe you never realized they have thought about cheering too! If not, you will definitely meet new friends and gain relationships in cheerleading that you might not have otherwise had. Ask an old cheerleader and they will surely tell you that they had friends they would have never met otherwise thanks to cheerleading. But don't worry, your old friends will still be there for you as well and if they play another sport, you will have even more in common since you with both have athletics!
What about my grades & school?
Research shows that with athletics:
- Participants in school activities generally have higher grade point averages, lower dropout rates, better daily attendance and fewer discipline problems than do non-participating students.
- Participants in school athletics generally have higher grade point averages and lower rates of tobacco and alcohol use in their seasons of competition than out.
- Students who participate in two sports generally have higher grade point averages than those who participate in one; those who participate in three sports generally have higher grade point averages than those who participate in two.
- Participants in school activities feel better about schools and about education.
What if I play another sport in the same season (i.e. basketball and/or volleyball)?
Athletes who play volleyball (fall) will still be able to participate in winter cheer and those who play basketball (winter) will still be able to participate in fall cheer. No other sport interferes with the cheerleading season (i.e. spring sports) but you are encouraged to attend camp with the cheer team NO MATTER WHICH season you are cheering. If you are CUT from your sport and the Skill Development Tryout dates have already passed, YOU ARE STILL ELIGIBLE to participate in the Skill Development Tryout at a later date. Arrange this with the coach and don't be afraid to try cheerleading if your first sport didn't work out for you! You may find you were MEANT for CHEER!
What if my parents are worried about me joining cheer?
If you're parents are concerned about you joining cheerleading for any reason (i.e. costs, safety, etc.), please have them contact a member of the coaching staff to talk about their concerns. If concerns are related to costs, we have fundraising solutions to help cover fees. If concerns are related to safety - Kingsford only hires TRAINED coaches who have been through numerous safety conference sessions and training events.
Are there things I can do on my own to make me a better cheerleader?
Cheer requires strength, athleticism and flexibility. Anything that helps improve these skills will help you become a better cheerleader. Stretching daily is a great way to be sure the skills involved in cheer are reachable. You can 'Google' great stretches and exercises for fitness. At tryouts you will learn the essential stretches to help you obtain a walkover, handspring or heel stretch. There are also lists of athletic guidelines that the program thinks would be helpful to you (given out at tryouts and listed on the website). Summertime is a super great time to improve on the skills needed to be an excellent cheerleader.
I always enjoyed the cheer clinics as a kid, what makes high school cheer different/mature?
Weren't the cheer clinics a lot of fun? Cheer, dance, stunts, tumbling, GREAT FRIENDS...all of the things that made the cheer clinics so much fun are even MORE prevalent in high school cheer. And not only that but YOU get to be that role model that you looked up to as a kid in the clinic. Cheerleading has all of what you remember about cheer clinics and much much more.
What if I am not sure I want to join and how will I know if it is right for me?
If you think you might be interested in cheer but haven't shared those thoughts with anyone or aren't sure how everybody will react, you really owe it to yourself to investigate the sport. Have you ever watched an ESPN cheer competition? Do you love the cheerleaders at football, basketball or baseball games? If you are not sure you want to join, the only solution is to give it a try! Come to a tryout! Talk to a coach! You will never know if you don't take that first step. The only regret you will have is the time you wasted not trying cheer sooner!
Do I have to participate in a fundraiser?
Fundraisers help the cheer program to afford things that are helpful to keep it a first class organization. They also help YOU pay for essential cheer supplies & training like uniforms and camp. Although fundraising isn't mandatory, those who choose not to participate will have to pay a 'buy out' fee. Some people would prefer this method over fundraising and each scheduled fundraiser will include a 'buy out' fee.
What kind of time and other commitments are involved and how flexible is it?
Cheer does involve both commitments to the program and time commitments. Although football/fall cheer does have fewer practices per week and games, both seasons require a dedication to the program. In Kingsford Cheer, you are part of a 'cheer family' and since cheer as a sport requires ALL members in order to complete formations, stunts and the like, you are fully expected to attend all practices, games and competitions (SEE RULES). Fall cheer does not include competitions and only includes a handful of home games (not including playoffs). Practices are held approximately three times a week (on non game weeks) during the fall cheer season. Winter season requires practice every single day there is not a game or competition and involves cheering approximately ten basketball games and eight to ten cheer competitions.
What if I am still unsure?
Email the coach: [email protected] to talk about it. Just say you are 'thinking about it' but really aren't sure. We can talk about the advantages and disadvantages or any other questions you may have. What's the only reason the coach could actually care THIS MUCH and have all this information available to you? Because she KNOWS how much you will LOVE this program and doesn't want you to regret never trying!