One of the most difficult sections of a cheerleading tryout is the spirit entrance. It’s not something a person is accustomed to doing normally. A cheerleading candidate is expected to cheer without a crowd, move from side to side while smiling, yelling, jumping, kicking and tumbling. That’s a LOT of things to coordinate. It MUST be practiced or it will for sure feel strange and uncomfortable. Here are the DO's and DON'TS of spiriting.

NO SPLITS PLEASE

First and foremost…do NOT drop into the splits mid tryout entrance. It’s awkward, it stops the motion of everything and quite frankly you could pull something and never get up. This type of spirit entrance reminds us of old school Marcia Brady back on the Brady Bunch. It might have worked in the 70’s but don’t try it now! DO...work on your flexibility - because good flexibility means higher jumps!

FAILED TUMBLING

Don’t attempt tumbling skills that you can’t do consistently. It is stressful for everyone involved to watch someone doing a tumbling skill unsuccessfully. At the end of the tryout the only thing the judges will remember is the dive you took to your face. Less is more when it comes to tumbling during your spirit entrance. DO the tumbling that you can do safely and confidently!

KEEP YOUR CATCH PHRASES LIGHT AND UPBEAT

When you are cheering for your team avoid using overly violent phrases to show your support for your team. Phrases like, “Make ‘em’ bleed” or “Kill ‘em” are overly graphic and leave the judges wondering if you’re truly a team player. DO mix your phrases up and have a variety of phrases to choose from. For example:

Let's Go Bobcats - Black and Gold - All the way to state - Go Fight Win - We're Number 1 - AHS - Take it to the top!

CRASH AND BURN

Don’t tumble onto someone else. Watch your surroundings. If you’re required to spirit in with other cheer candidates make sure to practice your pathways so that no one ends up in a tumbling collision. DO practice tumbling in with other people to ensure no big bloopers. 

IS SHE TRYING TO DO A LEAP? 

Avoid doing jumps or high kicks while you are in sideways motion. Quite often you will see cheer candidates spiriting in and instead of stopping their lateral movement they try to jump as they are traveling sideways. This is very difficult to do and ultimately looks strange and a bit uncoordinated. DO spirit in, pause, and then do your jumps or kicks in one spot and then continue with your movement after the skills are completed.

SAY NO TO SPIRIT FINGERS

Don’t JUST do spirit fingers…Jump! Tumble! Yell! Kick!  Make it interesting. DO use your arms and hands to show spirit but DO more than just wiggle your fingers!

IS THERE AN OWL IN HERE?

“Wooooooo Woooooooo Wooooooooo!”  Please don’t yell “woo”. Come up with some catchy phrases to yell as you spirit in that are easy to remember and pertain to your team. DO yell actual words.