With the school year ending, cheer tryouts have started. On March 16th-18th, 2026, the Lakeside High School cheer team hosted tryouts for the 2026-2027 season. About 50 people have applied to try out for the two teams. The teams were announced on March 19th and about 35 girls and boys made it with only 2 days to learn the try out material.
Coach A, who is the assistant coach and head JV coach, has a very leveled expectation for this season. “I look for those who stand out, those who learn fast, sharp movements, and those who are coachable.” She describes these characteristics as an important thing to make sure you can be considered for the team. This year there were a lot of new students who tried out for this upcoming season. Coach A looks forward to “Working with a new set of students, exploring skills, making memories, and working with new people–as we add another coach to the program.”
Every coach has goals for their team to make sure they improve or add additional things to the program. Coach A’s, “main goal for the season is to show the growth in the program as it goes into my 5th and last year. Each year trying to out do the last and make it more exciting for others to try out next year.” While being off for the summer before the season actually starts the coaches encourage the athletes to “condition their bodies to stay fit during the summer, eat right, and stay hydrated. While working on shake drills and motions to help their performance.”
Kimora Rhodes (11th grade) main goal is to improve on her jumps, which are a big part of cheerleading that shows your excitement and school spirit. She wants more original cheers, and more traditional cheers for the upcoming football season. She’s also excited for the fun activities that are planned this year for the team.
The coaches have a very important role to make sure their athletes are performing well and staying healthy. As for the athletes themselves they need to hold to those standards, so they can work together with the team and make sure their own performance is up to par. Kimora tried out for varsity since last year she made varsity. “This upcoming season I feel is going to be very exciting because I will be a senior and I feel all the girls on the team are very sweet and contribute a lot to the team.” says Kimora. It is also important to make sure that you have a bond with your teammates so there won’t be any problems and you can work with them just fine.
On the final day of tryouts, you perform in front of 5-6 judges that are selected by the coaches and score each cheerleader on their performance and their final score determines if they get on the team. As a human being it can be very nervous for people since some may have stage fright or just the quietness in the gym where you can hear a pen drop. “Some emotions that were going through my mind during tryouts were nerves and excitement.” Which is expected.
As for Kimora, being a senior next year, you can always encourage underclassmen or upperclassmen that are new to the team. “Continue smiling even when you mess up, always have fun, and be confident in what you are doing.” is Kimora’s inspiring words for those. Kimora’s biggest motivation to try out was “Being with some of my friends cheering for their last year.”
Everyone is very excited to see how this season is going to turn out. Cheerleaders make sure they show spirit, being loud, and encouraging others no matter what they do.
