Next year’s cheerleading squad will be determined Thursday after school at tryouts starting at 4:30 p.m. in the gym.

“School district mandates cheer tryout be held on the Thursday before Spring Break,” cheer coach Kandy Stevens said. “We have four professional judges at tryouts, and we drop the lowest score. Coaches have no input on the selection process.”

Those who have been to the mandatory clinics this week will be participating and vying for their spot on the cheer team based on several criteria.

“Candidates are evaluated in 5 categories: tumbling, jumps, cheer, chant and dance,” Stevens said. “Within these 5 categories judges look at technique, voice projection, rhythm/timing, showmanship, and knowledge of material.”

Sophomore Caitlyn Schroeder, captain of the JV cheer team, will be participating in tryouts this year as well, and remembers when she first tried out and has advice for those younger than her.

“I usually get very quiet and just try to cope with my nerves by myself which usually works,” Schroeder said. “Try and not stress about it because the judges are people too. They are nice even though they may seem intimidating; their ultimate job is to find the best people to be on the team.”

The process is well worth it according to junior Peyton Leonard.

“One of my favorite memories of cheer would definitely be the time that our coach surprised us with a snow cone truck after one of our summer practices,” Leonard said. “We were working really hard that day, and after a long day of practicing we got to relax and bond as a team, eating snow cones and making memories.”