MY TOP 5 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL TRYOUT

With the craziness of competition season, it is easy to find yourself skimping on your daily workouts…

THAT ENDS NOW!

1. KEEP YOUR BODY IN TIP TOP SHAPE

As an athlete it is very important to keep your body in tip top shape all through out the year. So pump up the jams and get to work on your favorite workout. Some of my personal picks are the CHEERFIT Bootcamp DVD and the IG LIVE Tuesday Workout Parties on Instagram.

Anything that works for you personally to get you in the frame of mind to push a little harder is what you need!

2. TREAT YOUR BODY RIGHT!

Nutrition plays a big part in helping you feel energized. Fuel your body with fruits and veggies and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! All of the extra workouts and practices take a toll on your body and in addition to exercising and eating right you should also make sure you get enough sleep.

Tryouts can be very stressful and your body needs its rest in order to perform your best!

3. CONFIDENCE IS KEY

Confidence plays a huge part in your success as a cheerleader. For me, this has been the biggest obstacle to overcome. I have been battling a mental block on and off for a little over a year now. I just couldn’t understand why my mind wasn’t allowing me to throw skills I had for years and was really hard on myself. I know now that I am often my own biggest enemy and the only person holding me back. Once I realized this I found it so much easier to relax and just do my thing. I am throwing my skills again, but I think some days will always be harder than others.

For anyone struggling through a mental block I just want to let you know that you’ve got this, once you believe in yourself the

SKY IS THE LIMIT!

4. ALWAYS GO THE EXTRA MILE

Show your coaches that you are putting in FULL EFFORT. If you are struggling with a specific skill this is especially important. It is important to regularly attend tumble class, but with tryouts approaching it’s never a bad idea to go to a few extra tumble classes, set up a few privates, or go to open gym. Most gyms also provide clinics before tryouts, these really help me out! They give you a feel of what your coaches are looking for and usually a run down of how tryout day will go and give you a chance to clean up your skills. I went to all of the clinics my gym offered last year and found that it helped ease my nerves before the big day.

When your coaches see that you are trying your very hardest to nail your skills they will be MORE willing to HELP YOU!

5. TRUST YOUR COACHES

Your coaches know what you are capable of. Trust them, even if you may not be placed on the team of your dreams. Our coaches always have our best interest at heart! There are a lot of different factors that go into making a successful team, not just tumbling and stunting skills. A coaches job is to give their team the best chance they can have at winning throughout the season and they will put you in a team that you WILL EXCEL ON!

Belle Fabian

I am sixteen years old and live in Charlotte, North Carolina. I am going on my seventh year as a competitive cheerleader and cheer at Cheer Extreme Charlotte.