AboutJames Expertise I can answer questions on the following subjects. Coed partner stunts at any level, group pyramids, all levels of male motions and beginning levels of female motions. I can also give out general tips for tryouts. I cannot answer questions on tumbling or choreography.
Experience I have worked at multiple all-star gyms teaching stunt clinics and classes and have cheered on a collegeiate squad for the past 3 years.
Education/Credentials I am the current male captain of my collegiate squad.
Question Okay i am 5"6 110 and a sophomore in high-school. I'm on a level 5 competitive team and also my school cheer-team. I am a flyer on both teams and i was wondering if i am too tall to be a collage flyer. I would like to go to LSU, OU or TCU. I have my double full, standing full and a double down from any air-skill. Will the cheer coaches cut me because of my height or do i still have a chance of flying in collage?
Answer That honestly is going to depend on a number of factors. Needless to say your skill level will help, but the big part will be competition. I have to admit I'm not familiar with those 3 universities cheerleading programs on a personal level so it never hurts to go to their cheerleading websites and e-mail their coaches and ask. 110 at 5'6 is going to be very lean & thin so that is going to be at your advantage as well. Don't get too muscular and up the weight to fit your frame, that would help you obviously if your goal was to be a base on an all-girls squad but could obviously hurt you from flying. At my university we had a girl who was about 5'7 tryout not until she was a junior in college. This is a perfect example of what I mean by competition playing a huge part. She made the team and boastfully called herself the tallest female cheerleader in the universities history (which I think was true..lol). Anyways when it came time for tryouts for what would have been her senior year there was an influx of girls from JV (our team is structured as that varsity tryouts are in april and you have to be a full-time student to tryout so incoming freshman can only tryout for JV in September) whom were tiny, skilled, and trying out and even though she had obviously gotten better from having cheered a year she was cut and didn't get to cheer as a senior. I don't mean to discourage you, I can use myself as a male for a perfect example. I'm not built like a typical male cheerleader, I'm a big guy yes but im not muscular, my bodytype is to look "pudgy" for lack of a better term. I always had to not just be better than the typical lean/muscular guys I was trying out against but had to "wow" the judges next to them to make it every year. I would take the same attitude as you try out. Good luck.
