Team placement for our Elite teams will be held on SUNDAY, AUGUST 28th.
All of our elite athletes need to go through team placements each year. So we will need to see ALL athletes that were on level 5-8 teams last year, as well as any athletes from level 4 and below who would like to be considered for elite teams.
What will we be looking for?
All athletes will perform the try-out dance, jumps (pike, toe touch and hurdler) and their best standing and running tumbling. Athletes wanting to be considered as fliers should be prepared to show their heel stretch, scorpion, scale and bow and arrow. Please note that all standing and running tumbling MUST be performed on the foam cheer floor (not on the air mat or air trak) and WILL NOT be spotted.
For a list of tumbling difficulty, please click HERE.
Try-out Schedule:
3pm-4pm: ALL ATHLETES: tryout dance taught
4pm-5pm: Tryouts, athletes in grades 9-12
5pm-6pm: Tryouts, athletes in grades 7-8
6pm-7pm: Tryouts, athletes in grades 6 and below
Try-out cost:
It will be $13 to try out. If you are placed on a level 5 or 6 team, classes are then $13 a week, plus a one-time $7 registration fee. All athletes must have a waiver on file at the NE office. Please note: YOU MUST BE CURRENT IN YOUR CLASS PAYMENTS BEFORE YOU WILL BE PLACED ON A TEAM.
IF YOU WERE ON A NE TEAM LAST YEAR, you will also need to fill out a team placement form before you can try out. It can be printed from the following page: TEAM PLACEMENT FORM
Eeeek! I need to work on my tumbling before tryouts. What do I do?
We will be holding "skills practices" to help athletes brush up on their tumbling. You may come to these free of charge if you plan on trying out. PLEASE NOTE: YOU MUST HAVE A WAIVER ON FILE TO TUMBLE. Practices will be held Wednesdays, 8/10, 8/17, and 8/24 from 5:30-6:30pm. WE MAY BE ADDING ADDITIONAL TUMBLING TIMES WHICH WILL BE POSTED ON OUR FACEBOOK SITE (link on home page). Current team members: we will NOT be holding normal team practices until try-outs on 8/28.
NEW: WE WILL ALSO BE HOLDING SOME SPECIAL TUMBLING CLASSES BEFORE PLACEMENTS. These are more structured and give our athletes more 1-on-1 instructional time. They will be held Mondays, 8/15 and 8/22 with 2 sessions, either 5:30-6:30 or 6:30-7:30. The cost for these classes is $5 per class, and they are open to anyone trying out for one of our elite teams.
What team will I make?
No athlete is EVER guaranteed a spot on any team. We build teams that we believe will be successful in their level, along with providing our athletes the best opportunities to progress. That being said, we carefully consider skills, attitude, work ethic and commitment in placing athletes on teams.
Within the Young Champions program, competition is getting increasingly tough. Therefore it is vital for us to start out with the strongest teams we can, rather than hoping athletes will get skills over the course of the year. That being said, it takes a number of different skills to make a team. Just like a football team made up of the ONLY the very best quarterbacks would be likely unsuccessful due to the size and blocking ability they lack, a cheerleading team that bases everything on ONE characteristic will likely be unsuccessful also.
1. Attitude
We often say that attitude is everything and we mean that wholeheartedly. Particularly for returning athletes, your attitude every single time you step into the gym is the single most important factor we use to determine the team on which you are placed. This includes dedication to the team, work ethic, and “coachability.”
2. Recommended Tumbling skills
Every athlete on the team will not have the following skills, however, they are a good indicator of where an athlete will be placed. Because these divisions are becoming more and more competitive, we will not be relying on athletes that “almost” have a skill. The majority of the team will have the following skills. While you may be placed on a team that is higher than your tumbling skill level, it certainly should not be expected. Athletes that are placed above their tumbling level will demonstrate exceptional ability in other area(s).
3. Stunting Ability
For our returning athletes, this has been demonstrated throughout the season. We may ask athletes to perform certain stunts as necessary for our assessment.
4. Dance ability
5. Jumps
6. Performance skills
In general, to "size up" what team you will be on, you can look at the chart below. These are not absolutes, and there will be people placed on teams that do not have the requirements listed. However, you should not expect to make a team for which you do not meet the requirements.
| Standing Tumbling | Jumps | Fliers | Bases/Backs | Running Tumbling | |
| D5 | Back walkover/Back handspring | Good form, likely lacking height | Pull all body positions, good cradle technique, willingness to learn | Good technique on benches/bench level libs, willingness to learn | Strong round-off, R/O back handspring |
| D6 | Back handspring/toe touch back handspring | Good form, likely lacking height | Pull all body positions, good cradle technique, full downs | Good technique on bench level stunts, baskets, cradles | R/O back handspring |
| D7 | Double toe touch back handspring | Good form, good height | Pull all body positions with good flexibility, full down out of extended 1 leg | Good technique on extended stunts, cradles, excellent basket technique | R/O Back tuck |
| D8 | Standing back tuck | Exceptional form, above level height | Pull all body positions with excellent flexibility, double down out of extended 1 leg | Good technique on extended stunts, cradles, excellent basket technique | R/O Layout/full |
RESULTS
Results and team practice info will be posted HERE by 8am on Monday, September 5th. Practices will start September 11th.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to email Coach Jami at Jami@nileselite.com