A lot of cheerleaders, getting ready to end their Freshman or Sophomore year in high school, sometimes believe that they need to wait until they are a senior to start thinking about cheering in college. This is not true!
In fact, I have lists of players that I've been tracking three years out. Recruiting is a never ending task for college coaches, and we know that we need to begin scouting young cheerleaders now before our competition begins recruiting that cheerleader.
Scouting and tracking the progress of a cheerleader during the cheerleader's first few seasons in high school gives me a better opportunity to evaluate that cheerleader's growth, both athletically and academically.
This early contact with a college coach gives the HS cheerleader an opportunity to really get to know a coach over a long period of time, as well as having the opportunity to carefully consider all of the positives and negatives about the school, the program and other decision-making factors.
Freshman and sophomore high school cheerleaders who are interested in college cheerleading should:
• Make contact with as many coaches as possible. Since you might not be a varsity cheerleader yet, most college coaches won't even know you exist. That isn't to say that they would not be interested in you early in your high school career, but they need to find out why they need to keep their eye out for you.
• Be open to different opportunities. College cheerleading scholarships are very competitive, and you need to be open to every opportunity that presents itself no matter how big or how small the school is.
• Focus on academics, as well as athletics. Good grades matter, and now is the time to set a good foundation for the next few years in high school. The time to make sure you are on track to successfully complete all of the NCAA academic requirements that are needed if you want to play college athletics is at the beginning of your high school career, not at the end. Athletically, make sure you master the fundamentals. Coaches will want to see good mechanics and form.
• Be persistent. If you want a college coach to take you seriously, they need to know that you are interested in playing college athletics at their university. I look forward to receiving emails updating me on athletic and academic progress of high school recruits.
