What does it take to make the team???

Audition season is upon us and there is so much excitement and nerves being thrown around!  Girls are making the decisions whether they wish to audition or not!  Wondering if they have what it takes to make the team...

What does it take to make the team?  This is an excellent question.  A question that even the average girl may ask when watching these dynamic young women on the sideline or center court.  Please excuse me when I say "average" because usually the not so average girl auditions for a dance/cheer team.  It is what it is. 

Let's take a look at the average girl:

*She's cute
*A bit conservative
*Enjoy coffee shops and Barnes & Nobles.
*Grew up playing the violin
*Is in Grad School
*Volunteers at the local shelter
*She's quiet
*Hasn't ever had a boyfriend or been to a lounge/club
*Drives a Lime colored Bug
*Everyone love her


Now let's take a look at the "not so average" girl:

*She loves to stay up late w/ her girls exchanging fashion tips
*She has spent years of dance studio training and her best friends are all from those studios
*She is in college or working a full-time job but at night doing promotions at a nightclub
*She is in a sorority or in the "popular" crowd
*She has been a serial dater or is in a VERY serious relationship
*She has as many "haters" as Kim Kardashian
*She is, in her own mind, considered a socialite

So I think you get the point.  Please don't get it twisted though; that "average girl" does come around ever so often wanting to be a part of that game entertainment to spice up her life a little.  And more often then not, she makes the team.  The "not so average girl" is the one who pretty much always shows up and in most cases----does not make the team. 

Which leads to me to: What DOES it take to make the team?

We have all watched, if you are reading this blog, that wonderful Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Reality series, "Making The Team."  So, for some of us, we have had an inside peek to one of the nation's most challenging audition processes.

For one, the girl auditioning must remember that every team, every choreographer, director and judging panel is different.  They do not all look for the same prototype.

So for number one!

1) Do your research!
Research that team.  We are living in an age that the internet HAS everything.  Go to youtube and search that team. Nine chances out of ten, there is performance footage.  Go to the team's website.  Learn the current team.  See pictures/video from last year's audition.  Never walk in blind.

2) Discipline!
It's a job! As oh so glamorous as it looks---and sometimes it can be but in actuality; it's work.   Get yourself on a routine.  A schedule.  Eating right.  Hitting the gym.  Practicing makeup and styling techniques.  Take extra dance classes.

3) Determination!
Most girls that make these teams are extremely goal-oriented and focused.  If you are all over the place mentally, emotionally or anything else; this is not for you.  Many of these girls have tried out more then a few times before they make their respective teams.  They don't give up!  Passion does not give up!

4) Patience!
The ability to wait....and wait...and wait some more.  What do I mean by this?  Those long grueling audition procedures, picking up those routines, finally getting to finals after a month to 2 month process and you still don't know what is going on.  You are finally at training camp and you COULD still be cut but won't know what is going on each time you show up!  It's a mental challenge.  Are you up for it?

5) Positivity!
Are you a team player? Do you have showmanship?  You better during this process!

6) The "IT" factor!
This is the most important element because this is all of the above PLUS the skill.  I don't even place skill on this list only because---Surprise, Surprise---skill is important but not the most deciding element.  You need to know HOW to dance but picking up a routine that was taught to you in 20 minutes with such perfection is not always the determining factor. 
This includes; appearance, presentation, execution of choreography, spirit, showmanship, determination, marketing ability!

So here you go girls---That is what it takes to make the team! Those 6 elements!!! Now you need to determine if you are up for that challenge.  This is only the audition; then there is getting on the team and maintaining that image and that discipline!

Yup, a girl's job is just never done, is it?

It's a fascinating, exciting time.  Make new friends and enjoy the process!

"If you Got It; Go Get It"

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