r/Cheerleading

I’m a rec level youth coach for my daughter’s squad. We cheer for my oldest son’s 12U team. While I do enjoy some of what I’m doing I really am struggling with attendance and I’m wondering if I’m expecting too much as this is my first year and I’m used to football and wrestling where you just don’t miss. We come from a big football town and everyone knows playoffs at least week 1 are a foregone conclusion. At the level we cheer for it may be these kids last games and they have played their hearts out.
Of the 18 girls on my squad 1 quit prior to our last game and another said she was unable to do playoffs. Since I posted our first playoff game another 4 have said they will not attend. My assistant coach and her daughter have dropped as well. Leaving me with 12 girls and no other adult. Obviously there’s nothing I can do but I’m really upset for the girls like my daughter who love cheer but are constantly having to learn new positions because the attendance is inconsistent. The other coaches say it is because they are football siblings which they are but they love being on the field and this isn’t something just to keep them occupied. My assistant wants to reduce practice to one hour a week and I won’t even respond to the request because it is ludicrous.
This is not only a problem for my squad and it seems like a lot of the coaches are just complacent to it. We sign an agreement at the start of the season that says attendance is mandatory however no one seems to take it seriously. Sorry not sure what I’m looking for outside of solidarity. I just needed to vent.

Just venting.

Our schools have to hold separate tryouts for basketball cheer.

We have a brand new JV coach at the high school who asked me (junior high coach) for feedback on the girls who tried out. This isn’t new - the girls also have to get teacher endorsements and they know the coaches and former coaches talk to each other.

I had some very strong feedback this year about a few athletes who look good on paper but were nothing but drama. Poor attendance, iffy grades, catty demeanors, constant appearance/uniform infractions. The new coach heard as much from not only me, but from the other high school coaches who had two of the girls on football cheer all summer. They were gritting their teeth the whole time. And I was biting my tongue because I gave this feedback to THEM, too. 😅

Lo and behold, this new coach took these girls. And because she only took ten girls total, there were some good, coachable, non-dramatic athletes cut.

I know it’s her choice. I know her decision needs to be respected. I will tow the line and defend her at school.

But boy is she about to have an exciting season. She got starstruck looking at those tryout tumbling skills (which two girls refuse to do outside of their all star gym… despite promising every coach since 6th grade that they’ll get “brave” enough) and filled in the rest with tall backspots and tiny fliers. She could have saved herself so much frustration heeding everyone’s warnings. She gives off vibes like she’s trying to prove herself or make her mark. No one was trying to tell her what to do. She asked us our advice, we gave it, she ignored it.

Just venting. I feel for the good girls who got cut and for the good girls still stuck on the team with the dramatic bunch. I’m pretty sure between attendance, grades, and attitude, everyone believed there’d be a shakeup.

Why are we coaches like this? Sigh.