APK Cheer tryouts were held in the North Campus cheer room. From May 7th-9th aspiring cheerleaders met up to practice a complex dance, chant, and three sideline cheers. The tryout material was sent out online weeks prior. This gave the candidates time to prepare the material before showing up. The coaches clarified that the pre-tryout period was to clean up material rather than start from scratch. As one of those candidates, I got a first hand glimpse of the tryout experience.
Dance
- The tryout dance was to the song “Toxic” by Britney Spears
- It was a six-eight-count routine that matched the song’s fast tempo
For the dance, cheerleaders were expected to master the motions, and counts, and deliver facial expressions throughout. The dance was the best part of the tryout experience. All cheerleaders were able to show their full potential through the routine. Varsity cheerleader, Hannah Cribbs, shared that she loved the tryout dance and found it the best choreographed so far. She emphasized that the dance was “really fun this year and the moves are fast.” Hannah clarified that she practiced the dance at home to ensure she got it down.
Chant
- Slightly longer than a sideline cheer, a chant is a choreographed routine where candidates showcase sharp motions, projected voices, and maximum school spirit.
From my experience, the chant was the most difficult piece of tryout material. The moves alone were simple, but combining them initially felt pretty awkward. When preparing, many of the girls had issues with which foot to step out on, throwing off many others (including myself).
Sideline Cheers
- These are short chants meant to hype the crowd at football games. Sideline cheers are the pillar of Apopka cheer. At tryouts, three sideline cheers were taught.
Veteran cheerleaders had a much easier time with this material since the cheers were done at previous games. Incoming cheerleaders, however, had to learn the three cheers from scratch. Despite being new to them, the sideline cheers are simple and quick to learn. The cheers were the smoothest material for the entire tryout, and it seemed that most enjoyed showcasing what they learned.
Jumps
- Jumps are all about technique. The jumps required for tryouts were a pike, toe touch, right or left hurdler, and a double jump.
To ace the jumping techniques, stretching is an absolute must. Jumps require flexibility and control, both of which a good stretch is helpful.
Stunting
- Stunts are done for both football games and competitive cheer. Stunts consist of 4 cheerleaders. A flyer, a side base, a main base, and a backspot.
- Stunting is by far the most complex and adaptive part of cheerleading. Depending on your stunt group, you can perform a range of tricks to raise school spirit and impress judges.
To make either of the AHS competition teams, stunting was required. While some practiced the tryout material, others were called back to practice stunting with different girls to see who would be the best fit for a certain stunt.
After Tryouts
I got into contact with Pablo, a new varsity male cheerleader who was ecstatic about being a new addition to Apopka cheer. He shared, “Since I’m the only guy there, it’s kind of awkward since everyone knows each other… Although, I’ve made some friendships and hopefully we can become closer on the team.” Pablo also made the competition team. He is confident with his volume and ability to get the crowd engaged. Despite this, Pablo wishes to work on his strength since he holds the backspot position. The back spot is responsible for handling the back half of the stunt and is a main source of strength.
The Blue and White congratulates all the new members of the Apopka Cheer Squad.
