Middle School Cheerleaders

Making the middle school cheerleaders squad has been the dream of many young women. From Buffy to High School Musical, the ideal of the cheerleader has become an icon of American culture. It ranges from the honor of being a Pro Bowl cheerleader all the way down to just cheering on the junior high basketball team. Underneath all the dance moves, colorful uniforms, the shaking pom pons and the loud cheers from the sideline there lies a lot of work, commitment and pressure. These young women learn to be not just cheerleaders, but role models and leaders in their community.

Behind the Scenes with Middle school Cheerleaders

The work it takes to be a middle school cheerleader is intense. It's not just the after-school practices, or the athletic events where attendence is required. The cheerleading squad also plans pep rallies before games, and decorates the hallways and team lockers. They may be asked to march in parades or perform at local community events. There are also the demands of cheer camp every summer.

Some schools reduce the number of games or practices required for students who are involved in more extracurricular activities than just the squad, but it is certainly a major commitment. Sometimes the cheerleaders have to work year-round. Fundraising, for example, may have them selling candy or other goods to pay for uniforms, shoes and sometimes to help less-privileged members make it to cheerleading clinics and camps.

How Middle School Cheerleaders are Selected

Almost all middle schools require that their students on the cheer squad maintain at least a C average in order to even try out for the team. A good record in terms of school behavior is also usually necessary, since these young women will be expected to be peer leaders as well as team supporters. The standard of behavior the cheerleaders are held to is usually no less – and sometimes much higher – than the athletes on the teams.

Cheer Clinics

When the call goes out for new candidates to become middle school cheerleaders, usually a "cheer clinic" is planned. These intense training sessions typically last three to five days. It is the girls' first real introduction to the skills necessary to be a good cheerleader. This includes not just great enthusiasm and spirit, but also the ability to move in synch with the other members and how to project their voices with the cheers. Moves like jumps and splits are taught, along with the sense of presence and the way a cheerleader presents herself in both appearance and manner to spur on a crowd.

Judges and Tryouts

Professional members of the UCA and other cheer organizations usually judge these tryouts. Parents and classmates are usually excluded, both to focus the aspiring cheerleaders attention and also to take a bit more pressure off of them.

Finally, after several grueling days the cheerleaders will be evaluated on their performance of several different cheer skill sets:

• Group and individual cheers (for vocal projection and quality)
• Jumps, splits, and other stunts
• Dance routines (either individually or with their teammates)
• Spiriting (maintaining an energetic and positive attitude throughout)

It's not only their own prowess they'll be judged on. How they deal with adversity, mistakes, and people with more or less talent than them will all be taken into account by the judges. Judges are not just looking for good cheerleaders, they're looking for good members of a team.

Making the Team

Sometimes there are only a few spots on a squad available, and there are almost always disappointed cheerleader hopefuls. They can usually get put on a reserve list to replace any injured or absent cheerleaders through the school year. They've still got the skills from the clinic, even if they didn't make the squad. And there is always high school, college and beyond. Cheerleading can take any young woman far.

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