TCU Cheer Tryouts and Clinics
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TCU CHEERLEADERS
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TCU Cheer clinics are optional but highly recommended as the best way to prepare for tryouts. These clinics provide a valuable opportunity to train and engage with the coaches and current cheer members. During these sessions, you'll learn various technical elements and spirit raising techniques directly from our coaches and cheer members, offering a firsthand understanding of elite collegiate cheerleading and our tryout process. All clinics are for high school and college students offering group and partner stunting with our All-Girl and Coed teams. Top girls can attend both All-Girl and Coed session portions with limited spots offered.
Sunday, October 19
*Time: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
*Location: Schollmaier Basketball Practice Complex
*Cost: $100
*Spectator Pass: $10
Participant Registration: Register Here
Spectator Registration: Register Here
Spring Clinics Dates TBA
*Attire (all clinics): To help us observe each participant and streamline the clinic, please wear the appropriate color based on your classification, paired with black bottoms and cheer shoes
- Underclassmen – White top and black shorts
- High School Juniors – Black top and black shorts
- High School Seniors/College Students – Purple top and black shorts
OPEN PRACTICES
Both the All Girl and Coed Open Practices are exclusively for high school juniors and college students to gain an inside look into our individual teams and practices. Experience is not required and is free of charge to participants. Participants will get to practice with the current All-Girl and Coed teams, gain instruction in group (all girl) and partner (coed) stunting, learn about the perks and perspective of being a TCU Cheerleader, and answer any questions with the team and coaches. Registration is required.
Male Prospective Open Practices
These Open Practices are exclusively for high school juniors+ to get an inside look into our Coed Cheerleading Team! Experience is not required and is free of charge to current TCU students with proof of TCU ID. Participants will get to practice with the current coed cheerleaders, instruction and participation in coed stunting, insight into the Coed perks and perspective, and answer any questions with the team and coaches. Registration is required.
Date: April 2026
Location: Schollmaier Arena
IMPORTANT: The Online Tryout Application (Link will open 1 month prior to tryout) must be submitted no later than April TBA. Faxed, e-mailed, mailed, or forms brought in person will not be accepted. This is how you will register for the tryout (found under "Important Links" on this page).
No videos will be accepted for the tryout as all candidates are required to be seen by our judging panel in person.
CHEER TRYOUT PROCESS
Tryouts will be an evaluation process during which cuts will be made throughout each day until approximately 20-22 All-Girl and 14-16 Coed candidates are selected. Candidates will be evaluated based on their elite skills, strong work ethic, public speaking, performance quality, and overall ambassadorship.
*Tentative Tryout Breakdown TBD*
Female attire: Black Shorts/spandex (fliers must wear spandex) and Black sports bra (no cleavage). No writing/advertisement on clothing other than TCU paraphernalia. Hair half up or in a ponytail with a bow (Sides pulled back, no hair around face, no bangs, no ponytails, clean with no stray pieces, must not fall out). Game day makeup. Athletic/Cheer Shoes.
Male attire: Clean cut hair style; facial hair groomed. Black Athletic T-shirt and black gym shorts. No writing/advertisement on clothing other than TCU paraphernalia. Athletic/Cheer Shoes.
July/August – Work Weeks
The teams will re-gather prior to the start of school. The focus of this time is to revisit old and learn new skills, but mainly prep for all season game sideline stunts and chants, as well as the pre-game routine. If final changes to team placement and positions are needed, they will be made based on the person's ability to maintain their performance level as well as their ability to work with their peers and coaches.
TCU Cheer encompasses well rounded individuals of both good character and gameday spirit. Due to their high visibility within our community, we are looking for those that best represent the University in a positive way. We are also looking for those that exude strong leadership qualities, confidence, strong work ethic, willingness to try new things, good response to correction, positivity, respect for everyone, and ability to engage an audience. How well you work with our coaches, each other, and receive correction will be highly considered at tryouts. In support of TCU athletic games and other appearances, commitment to a full year of participation is absolutely mandatory. Our active year begins in April with tryouts and meets again the beginning of August for work weeks in prep for the Fall season. Games begin the first weekend in September and the season finishes up the following April. The TCU cheerleaders support Horned Frog athletics by cheering at volleyball, basketball, and football games. In addition, they facilitate pep rallies and special appearances, including community service activities, alumni events, civic events, and charitable events in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Tumbling: A clean consistent standing back tuck and running handspring tuck is required to make the team. Additional higher level standing and running tumbling will elevate our cheer program’s ability to perform more elite skills at games. You will be asked to perform tumbling on the basketball wood court in addition to a cheer mat/turf field (ie tucks with poms). Most females on the current team have additional standing tumbling (standing back handspring tuck, layout, full), as well as several running full twists, and/or specialty passes. The males range from no running tumbling to specialty passes; however, some have standing back tucks. Jumps are not performed.
Stunts: Local cheer gyms and college squads are good resources for private coed and all-girl collegiate stunt lessons. The minimum for Coed is a toss hands, while most have a toss extension working up to a lib/stretch/cupie. All-Girl performs the following: full up, round off up, back hand spring up, hand n hand, low to high full around, high to high full around all with clean dismounts. All-Girl also focuses on single basing skills to allow for maximum crowd engagement when traveling with smaller squads. Being able to stunt with multiple stunt partners/groups is a necessity. When we are choosing teams, we consider who is easy to work with and can be used in different positions/groups – this shows us that you know proper technique and can work well with anyone. We also consider if candidates can easily make corrections. At tryouts we ask that you stunt with the group (All-Girl/Coed) you marked having the MOST experience on your application, however may be asked to move around.
We do not have a weight or height restriction as size ranges fluctuate from year to year, however candidates must possess sufficient physical fitness and proper training to execute all required skills.
Our clinics are helpful to gain an inside perspective on elite training, tryouts, and what it’s like to be a TCU Cheerleader. It is also a good opportunity to attend one of our games to see TCU Cheer in action, as well as follow us on all our social media platforms. All portions of tryouts are closed to the public. All candidates must be present at all parts of the tryouts, and no videos will be accepted for the tryouts as all candidates are required to be seen by our judging panel in-person. The purpose of the tryout is to choose the best all-around representatives for TCU Cheer and Athletics.
Application to Tryout
All participants must be full time TCU students, an incoming transfer student, or an incoming first year with proof of acceptance to TCU. Current students must be enrolled in 12+ hours to be eligible. Any applicants on the admissions wait list can still tryout and if selected for a roster spot, will have pending membership until full acceptance into the university is offered.
The Online Tryout Application will open in April TBA. Faxed, e-mailed, mailed, or forms brought in person will not be accepted. Submit your application here.
IMPORTANT: The following items are requested along with your online application and must be e-mailed directly to Spirit Director, Brittani McLaurin, B.MCLAURIN@tcu.edu. You will not be permitted to tryout without the following items submitted:
- Proof of Grades* / TCU Acceptance Letter
- Completed Spirit Tryout Physical Exam Form. Download here.
- Signed Medical Consent Form. If you are under 18, this form MUST be signed by a parent or legal guardian to audition. Download here.
- Copy of your Health Insurance Card (front & back)
- Tryout Fee: $75. No other forms of payment will be accepted.
- Coach Recommendation Letter
** First Year or Transfer Students must be in the process of admission to TCU prior to tryouts. Please visit www.admission.tcu.edu for more information. In addition, we ask that you provide your status of admission to the University with a copy of your letter of acceptance or correspondence showing that you are on the waitlist.
**** Coach Recommendation Letter MUST be sent to a current coach and e-mailed from the participant’s coach directly to Spirit Director, Brittani McLaurin, B.MCLAURIN@tcu.edu.
● Applicants must provide complete insurance information to participate in audition. Squad members must maintain insurance all year to be an active team member.
● No videos will be accepted for TCU Cheer Tryouts. All applicants must tryout in person.
