Expert: Pamela Enders - 5/11/2010

Question
i am a rising sophmore and last year as a freshman i was on varsity. i am trying out for varsity and jv this year. there is alot more competetion this year and im nervous. tryouts are this saturday. our coach will not be judging so the judges dont know the potental i have. tryouts are all day and we will find out the same day if we made it. i want to be on varsity sooo bad. i havent be practicing sense the season ended. but all week ive been stretching. my jumps arent terrible and ive been doing ab work outs to get stronger. i think the main thing is confidence but i just cant find any. please please help!

Answer
Dear Caroline,

Thanks for writing!

It’s good that you’re stretching and practicing.  Don’t over-do on the abs work – you don’t want to go to tryouts with a sore tummy!

Remember, judges look for a variety of skills plus they look at attitude and personality. Also, your coach probably has the final say even if she isn’t there! If your coach saw potential in you that’s good news.  The fact that you got on a varsity team when you were a freshman is also good news.


I’d recommend that you create a list of things you CAN control and things you CANNOT control and focus your attention on things you CAN control.

For example, some things you CAN control:
Your attitude (friendly, open, enthusiastic, engaged, etc.); your focus; the way you interact with others (judges want good team-mates); execution of your skills; the way you manage possible mistakes (no pouting or sulking!).

Things you CANNOT control:
Who else is trying out; what their skill levels are; what positions need to be filled, etc.  

It really is important to not waste your time fretting about what you cannot control, ok?

Since time is short, I would encourage you to try 2 different visualizations that are designed to help you feel more confident.  The first one helps you to reconnect to the self confidence you experienced when you were cheering last season. The second one is for you to connect with someone you respect and admire as a cheerleader.

For both of these visualizations, it’s important to come up with a power word or phrase   that helps you to feel the way you WANT to feel during tryouts. Maybe it’s the word “confident” or “right on” or whatever you choose.  Once you have your pwer ord chosen, here is what to do:


Visualization # 1

Find a quiet place and close your eyes
Exhale slowly, as slowly as you can at least 5 times
With each out-breath, tell yourself that you are relaxing more and more
Now, with your mind’s eye, see yourself in a cheer situation
See yourself performing with enthusiasm and confidence
See yourself executing skills with precision and focus
See yourself having fun
Really see yourself with all the details you can
When the scene is clear to you, assign a “power word” or “power phrase” to it
Now say the power word to yourself as you “watch” yourself performing
Repeat the power word over and over to strengthen the connection

At the time of the audition, while you are waiting, exhale slowly a few times to calm down (if you are exceptionally nervous) and say your power word to yourself.  When you are called to perform, use your power word to connect to your confident self!

Visualization #2

Find a quiet place and close your eyes
Exhale slowly, as slowly as you can at least 5 times
With each out-breath, tell yourself that you are relaxing more and more
Now, with your mind’s eye, see someone you respect and admire in a cheer situation
Notice every detail of this athlete such as
  How she or he looks, moves, behaves, etc.
Now imagine how that cheerleader “feels” as he or she performs well
Now imagine how you might feel if you were that person
Now imagine that you are becoming like that person
Now imagine that you have become that person, with all of his or her confident attributes.
Assign a power word to this experience and repeat several times.

At the time of the audition, while you are waiting, exhale slowly a few times to calm down (if you are exceptionally nervous) and say your power word to yourself.  When you are called to perform, use your power word to connect to your confident self!

I have a feeling that you  will do very well this Saturday.  Good luck to you and let me know how you do!

Also – if you’re interested, I have a special training program called The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Tryouts! which is a 2-CD audio program with a 50 page workbook.  There is a digital (downloadable) version as well.  It can be found here: http://confidentcheerleading.com/competitions/Tryouts.html

And – please check out my blog which has tons of info on the mental game of cheerleading including lots of stuff on tryouts.  http://www.confidentcheerleadingblog.com

Warm regards,

Dr. Pam

Pamela Enders, Ph.D.
The Mental Game of Cheerleading
http://www.confidentcheerleadingblog.com