Belleville East Football Cheerleading 
2022-2023 TRYOUT INFORMATION

Students:
Make sure to fill out the online registration form. As well as the separate cheerleading application.
School: https://secure.blueoctane.net/forms/H2XOIN2P23MG 
Application: https://forms.gle/cf7b3c4yhNnt1Z8P9

Parents:
Feel free to email Coach Guilford with any questions you may have prior to the clinic dates.
	Coach Guilford: zguilford@bths201.org

 

Tryout Information
Dress Code:
During the clinics and the tryouts we ask that you wear the following items.  Failure to do so will result in a deduction of points, and most importantly, shows that you do not follow directions properly.
✓	Top:  Plain black t-shirt (minimal writing only on your shirt).  NO tank tops.
✓	Bottom:  Black shorts.
✓	Shoes and socks:  Cheer shoes or other tennis shoes.  White low cut ankle socks.
✓	Jewelry:  NO jewelry is allowed.
✓	Bow: Always a great touch!
✓	Nails:  NO nail polish or long fingernails.
Clinic Dates:
You MUST attend the clinic dates.  The clinic and tryout will take place in Belleville East’s Gym Annex.
Clinic: Monday, May 23rd and Wednesday, May 25th 4:00-5:30PM
Tryout Dates: 
Tryouts will take place on Friday, May 27th at 4:00-5:30PM
Team Numbers & Final Team Announcement:
We will take as many as 20 and as few as 12. 
The final team will be announced on our instagram on Saturday, May 28th at Noon.  
If you have questions regarding your child’s score, we ask that you kindly wait 24 hours before contacting the coaches and do so in an appropriate manner.  We are happy to inform you on the scores they received with a brief description of why he or she did or did not make the team.  Sadly, we cannot take everyone that tries out for the squad, but we encourage you to work hard and tryout next year!
Parent Meeting: 
Parent Meeting and Team Introduction will be held on TBD

GOOD LUCK!!! 

Questions and Answers
1.  What will I be judged on?
A point system will be used to determine the final teams.  A panel of experienced judges, including the coaches, will score each candidate.  You will be judged on the following criteria:
✓	Cheerleader Skills:
o	Appearance: Are you wearing a bow? Are you in the correct attire with the correct shoes?
o	Jumps:  We are looking for flexibility and height.  Don’t forget to point your toes and watch your arm placement!
o	Motions:  Do you have sharp, clean motions?  Really “pop” your motions rather than “place” them.
o	Memorization:  Do you remember the cheers and dance?
o	Tumbling Skills:  Tumbling is NOT required to make the Football squad, but it is encouraged. 
o	Voice and Spirit:  Are you loud?  Do you know the words?  Are you enthusiastic and smiling?
o	Flyers: You will be judged on body positions. (Heel stretch, scorpion, etc.)

✓	Student-Athlete Requirements:
o	Grades:  Do you care about your academics?  Do you have D’s and F’s or A’s and B’s?  Make sure you turn in your grade printout! It is your responsibility to print out your grades and turn them in.
o	Tardies/Attendance: Are you able to attend practices on time? Do you prioritize being on time to school and practice? This is a very important attribute as Belleville East Cheerleader. You are a student first and represent the team. This means being tardy is unacceptable.

✓	Overall Behavior Standards:
o	Ability to Follow Directions:  Did you follow the “Tryout Dress Code” and turn in the required information (recommendations, grades)?
o	Attitude:  Besides the teacher recommendations, we will be looking for individuals that show a positive attitude during the process.  If you are bad-mouthing another candidate, displaying signs of disrespect towards other candidates, and/or showing an unwillingness to participate or do what is asked of you, these behaviors will be noted and taken into consideration during the final team selection.
o	Discipline:  Past negative behaviors, attendance records, and disciplinary infractions will be noted.
We are looking for individuals that are hard workers and coachable.  Good grades and positive attitudes are of the utmost importance!  This is a TEAM sport, and we want students that get along well with others and work hard to achieve both personal and team goals.   Tumbling skills, length on the team, and cheerleading background, while important, are not going to matter if the cheerleader’s attitude, discipline, and grades are unacceptable.  As the quote goes, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

2.  If I make the team, what are the costs?  Note: these costs are an estimate based on past seasons.
Each Year							One Time Cost
Shoes	(about $45)						
Practice Clothes (about $40)					Bodysuit/ Bloomers ($15-$20)
								Warm-up	(about $190)		
	
Athletic Fee ($60)
Fundraisers 					
Popcorn 	Restaurant Nights	
★	Certain fundraisers are in place to help offset the overall cost you owe for the season. If you put maximum effort into those fundraises, you can do this sport at minimum cost. 

*Clarification- Any additional money left in a girls personal account at the end of the season can not be refunded.  If your cheerleader has a credit and does not try out again or does not make the team, the money stays in the Belleville East Cheer account.  This is a district rule.  If your cheerleader has a credit and they make the team next year, that money will not roll over. Once you have fundraised to cover your cost, anything extra you make will go into the cheer account. 
★	We are very flexible and willing to work with you in whatever needs you may have.  We understand how costly this sport can be and we try to keep the costs to minimum where we can. A payment plan is something we can workout if that is what suits you best. 
3.  What are some important dates and fun events to keep in mind?
✓	Season Dates:  Our season runs from August-October .  Prior to our season, we will be practicing twice a week. Saturday practices will be scheduled depending on if additional practice time is needed. 
✓	Summer Practices:  We will hold practices twice a week.
✓	Team Bonding throughout the Season: I plan to make an effort to create as many team bonding events as we can! Bonding with your team, especially in our sport, is very important!