Cheer/Pom Tryout Information

Hello Spiritline Candidates,

Thank you for your interest in trying out for our Spiritline. The Hillcrest Spiritline has placed multiple times in the State Cheer and Pom competition and our DVUSD regional competition. 

Spiritline at Hillcrest is a cut sport and tryouts are required.  All of the students who make Spiritline cheer for Wrestling Matches and Basketball games.   In addition, the students who make Spirtline are required to participate in at least one of our competition teams (Cheer and or Pom).  Students who exhibit good cheer and dance skills are selected for both competition teams. The competition team a Spiritline member is selected for is determined by the coach based on feedback from the tryout judges.   Cheer competes at State and Regionals and pom will perform at State.    If there is no schedule conflict with dance competitions, the pom team will also perform at Regionals. 

Students tryout in groups of two or three in front of an independent judging panel.  Judges do not work at Hillcrest Middle school and are selected to judge only if they have a background in cheer or dance. 

The information below is the tryout material for the 2025/2026 school year.

Material to be judged during try-outs:

1 Performance Cheer, 1 Sideline Dance, Jumps (toe jump, herkie, pike jump) (See links below)

Gymnastics (Back Handspring, Back Tuck, Back Walkover, Round off), A La Seconde Turns, Ariel (front or side), Stretches - Scale, Heal Stretch (both sides)

*note – Back handspring and back tuck can be running or standing.

 Girls can make the team if they do not have all of the skills judged at tryouts but are encouraged to continue to work to develop or acquire these skills to better position them to make cheer or pom in high school.  Girls are also encourage to stay in their tumbling or dance classes outside of school to continue to develop. 

Jumps

Toe Touch - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIDVsb5pXsA

Pike Jump - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKj-HLcOnZw

Herkie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScbO3HMqGSc&feature=fvwrel

 

Cheer-  Back and Front - Video has both views - https://youtu.be/cLmuWEZpIPM

Words to the Cheer

 

Hillcrest Falcons

Above all the rest

Red

Black

White

 

Fight Falcons Fight

F

I

G

H

T

Fight Falcons Fight 

 

Lets Go Red

(Clap Clap) 

Red

 

Lets Go Black 

(Clap Clap)

Black

 

Lets Go White

(Clap Clap) 

White

 

Fight Falcons Fight

 

Tryout Dance - (This dance has been broken down into three parts.  Learn each part with counts then start practicing with music) 

 

3 Parts with Counts

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/tX4FRkH_tus

Part 2 - https://youtu.be/0ad5ofQy640

Part 3 - https://youtu.be/n0hex81_CJQ

 

Whole Dance with Music -  https://youtu.be/OQ45Njdwrk8

 

A La Seconde Turns (up to four will be judged)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H9tMzSHqFs&feature=youtu.be

 

Stretches (Scale and Heal Stretch) - https://youtu.be/dpVhuOhuZY0

 

This is the tryout rubric the judges will be using to evaluate your audition. 

 

Full tryout packet -https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vlFNHU0R9a8ZXA15Se9OnjF0H00NcZQpB52cfTb0sb8/edit?usp=sharing