Cheerleading tryout application

Cheerleading tryout release form

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University's nationally-ranked cheerleading program will hold tryouts for the 2011-12 coed and all-girl squads the weekend of May 6-8 on the SRU campus.

The weekend starts with an optional Coed Stunt Clinic from 4-6:30 p.m. Friday, May 6, in the Robert N. Aebersold Student Recreation Center. Cost of the clinic is $40.

While the stunt clinic is not a mandatory part of the tryouts, participants will learn basic stunts up to advanced stunts that will be beneficial during tryouts for the coed team, Rock cheerleading coach Gemma Fotia said.

Coed and all-girl team tryouts will be held Saturday, May 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Student Recreation Center. Fee for the tryouts is $20. That fee will be waived for anyone who participates in the stunt clinic.

Please make all checks payable to "Slippery Rock University Cheerleading."

All-girl team tryouts will continue from 6:30-8:30 p.m. May 7 and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, May 8, in the Grasstex area of Morrow Field House.

All participants must print out, complete and mail the Cheerleader Application Form and Release Form (see links above) to Fotia. Participants under 18 years of age will also need the signature of a parent or guardian in order to participate in the tryouts.

Upon receipt of the application and release forms, Fotia will forward to all participants further information on the tryouts.

Skills that will be evaluated at the tryouts include:

Females trying out for the Coed Team
• Interview/questionnaire
• Cheer taught at the tryout
• Tumbling
• Standing back handspring (required skill)
• Standing back tuck
• Standing back handspring tuck
• Tumbling pass (most elite pass you can perform without a spot)
• Stunting (“This portion is based on potential rather than on what you can perform,” Fotia said, “because I understand that a lot of girls have never coed stunted."

Males trying for the Coed Team:
• Participants are asked to contact Fotia for a list of skills that will be evaluated.

All-Girl Team:
• Interview/Questionairre
• Cheer taught at the tryout
• Dance taught at the tryout
• Tumbling
• Standing Back Handspring (required skill)
• Standing Back Tuck
• Standing Back Handspring Tuck
• Tumbling Pass (most elite pass you can perform without a spot)
• Stunts. Participants “will tryout for a specific position, either a base, top or back-spot,” Fotia said, “and may tryout for more than one position.”

For further information, contact Fotia at gemma.fotia@sru.edu.