So you didn’t get placed on the team you wanted… now what?
Although you may feel sad, discouraged, jealous and frustrated, there are steps you can take to better yourself and help identify the positives of the situation.
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1. Ask for specific feedback
In order to know exactly what you need to improve on to make the team next season, ask your coaches about your strengths and weaknesses.
Don’t always assume you know your strong and weak points – coaches may be able to recognize weak areas that you were unaware of, and may also identify areas you never knew you were strong in.
With this information, you’ll know specifically what to focus on for the upcoming season.
2. Set a timeline of goals
Make a plan for a set amount of time (ideally at least a couple months) and identify goals you want to achieve in the end.
For example, if you didn’t make a team because your back handspring was inconsistent, pick a date in which you want to achieve a consistent handspring by.
Let’s say it’s 3 months from now – you would break down that main goal of a consistent back handspring into smaller goals to achieve along the way.
They could be goals like doing it on the trampoline consistently after 2 weeks, doing 100 repetitions every day focusing on technique, doing full-body conditioning 4x a week, practicing mental exercises for 10 minutes every day to overcome mental blocks, etc.
Setting smaller goals to reach along the way will give you confidence and keep you on track to achieve your main end goal.
3. Make a list of the positives
Although it can be super disappointing, not making your dream team isn’t the end of the world.
There are positives in all situations, you just need to be willing to identify them.
Write down a list of every good thing that comes with being on the team you ended up making (or good things that come with not being on a cheer team this season).
Here are some examples of potential positives:
- A chance to make new friends
- A chance to be a leader for your team (if you made the same team as last year)
- Having extra time to learn harder skills without the pressure of getting them for competition
- Not having to spend money on more expensive uniforms, practice wear, travel competitions, etc.
- Having more free time throughout the season to focus on school, work or other hobbies
It may also help to write down the negatives of being on the team you originally wished for.
For example, if you made the team you wanted, you may have less time for school and friends, end up spending more money throughout the season, have a more inconvenient practice schedule, and more.
We hope you enjoyed these tips from The Cheer Kin! Comment below if there’s anything else you would like to know about this topic.
Want to get more tips about tryouts, teams, coaching, fullouts, etc? Click here to view our other articles full of tips!
Cover photo from Snapped by Becca Clark