Expert: Kiki Quach - 3/29/2007

Question
I'm a first time cheerleader trying out for my high school squad, any tips to help me stand out? I know I have to smile, work hard ,stay positive and practice my jumps. But is there anything else I can do to be sure I make it?

Answer
Hey.
You got the main points and that's a really good way to start out. It's also good to encourage others. If you see someone else struggling, then you can be like "Come on. Don't give up. You're almost done." Or something like "That was really good. Keep up the good work." People with great attitudes that work well with others are huge for cheer squads because no one wants people on a cheer squad who hate eachother.

Another thing that sometimes gets the attention of the coaches is when you are trying out, you want to add a little attitude. You don't just want to be super preppy, but a lot of cheerleaders have their sort of "signature" thing that they can bring. I had a type of "You need to cheer with us and I'm demanding it. No is not an option." sort of thing where I'd make the crowd get into it. Then another one of my squad members had a "Texas" attitude with all the smiles, but also with the "You know I'm hot and you know you want me" sort of attitude. I know that if you're a bit original, you can stand out really well. This is exactly how my friend got onto the squad. Her Texas attitude.

You can't hold back. When you're trying out, when you sort of shy away and you don't yell loud, they'll know and then they think "Oh, well maybe she'll be the same way in front of the crowd... Or even worse".

I hope I made sense and I hope I helped.
If you need to ask anything else or need me to clarify some things, just ask.

Love always, Kiki Quach