Duncan Middle School cheer tryouts are just around the corner. In fact, they are coming up this week.
High school pom and cheer tryouts took place at the start of March. But the middle school’s cheer tryouts were always planned to take place sometime after Spring Break. DMS cheer tryouts will be Thursday at Duncan Middle School.
“I have to do them after high school tryouts,” DMS cheer coach Christy Clark said. “Everything is bad. The tension is high, and the absolute worst part is getting judges. I think it would be cool to have Mrs. (Brenda) Hurley be a co- cheer coach with me.”
Cheer tryouts are on, and it doesn’t take long following tryouts for those who tried out to find out if they made the team.
Although cheer is a sport that goes on throughout the year, many of the participants also play other sports while involved in cheer. During the fall sports, Clark loses several cheerleaders to volleyball, softball and cross country. In the winter, some move to basketball.
The cheerleaders are most active during football and basketball seasons. And because many of the cheerleaders are active in other sport, mandatory practice is usually on Wednesday, despite practices also being on other days of the week, too.
Although the middle school cheer tryouts are coming up, several eighth-graders found out they made the high school team, following those tryouts. Rhylan Whitener was one of those students.
“I’m very excited that I made the cheer team,” Whitener said. “I found out the Thursday before Spring Break. We went out to La Fiesta. We went back to the gym, and I saw my number on a whiteboard.
“We won’t practice until June, but camp is June 1.”
In addition to cheering at sporting events, high school cheerleaders also participate in competitions.
