Yes! Arcola Cheer is open to everyone. We welcome all Arcola student-athletes who are interested in cheerleading to try out and be part of the team!

✅ What to Bring:

• Water bottle (filled)

✅ What to Wear:

• Black shorts

• White shirt 

• White low-cut/no-show socks

• Cheer bow (preferably green, white, or black)

• White cheer shoes (No platforms, AF1, slippers, bare-foot, socks, etc.)

• Hair secured & pulled back off of face

🚫 What NOT to Wear/Bring:

• NO jewelry (This includes earrings, rings, bracelets, toe rings, watches—everything must be removed!)

• Long socks 

• Phone (please keep your phone in your bag)

Following these guidelines ensures safety, professionalism, and team spirit! 📣

📅 Season Timeline:

• Tryouts/Team Meeting: May - June 2025

• Camp: August 20-August 21

• First Practice: August 

• Last practice: February 🍀

Note: Actual end date depends on the Boys’ & girls’ basketball schedules and potential cheer competitions.

Arcola Cheer is one season that spans two athletic seasons—fall and winter. There is no separate winter tryout.

Arcola Cheer Commitment: Our cheer season runs for 6-7 months of the school year — and it’s a big commitment! While cheer is an incredibly fun and rewarding sport, it also requires dedication, teamwork, and time.

If you’ve never cheered before, the time commitment can feel like a bit of a culture shock at first — and that’s okay! We just want to be honest and transparent, because cheer is a team-dependent sport.

When one athlete is absent, it impacts the entire team. When multiple athletes miss practices over the course of a week, it can seriously slow down our progress. We want everyone to have fun, build new skills, and make amazing memories — but that only happens when the whole team shows up for each other.

So, if you’re ready to commit, cheer might just be your new favorite thing!

Show up for yourself, show up for your team, and let’s make this season unforgettable!

Arcola Cheer’s primary focus is supporting our student-athletes at home football 🏈 and basketball 🏀 games while building teamwork, sportsmanship, and strong cheer fundamentals.

Competition is a possibility — but not a guarantee.

In order to consider competing, the team must consistently meet expectations like:

✅ Strong attendance

✅ Meeting deadlines

✅ Showing good sportsmanship

✅ Maintaining good academic standing

If the team is dedicated, prepared, and ready, we’ll discuss the option of competing together.

Please note: The sideline team and competition team rosters may not be the same. Competing is a privilege earned through consistent effort, positive attitude, and commitment (including attendance) — and may extend the season if the opportunity arises!

Our practice schedule varies based on team goals, achievements, and the season. A schedule is provided in advance to help plan appointments accordingly. We encourage full T.E.A.M. participation at every practice because Together Everyone Achieves More! (example schedule below)

Fall (Football Season):
📅 Monday - Friday, 3:05 - 5:15 PM
🏈 Games: Tuesdays (Schedule will be posted when available)

Winter (Basketball & Competition Season):
📅 Monday - Friday, 3:05 - 5:00 PM -5:30 PM
🏀 Games: Typically twice a week, sometimes three times

End of Practice Expectations:
Practice ends at the scheduled time! All athletes are responsible for cleaning up - this includes putting away mats, signs, poms and anything else used during practice. No one may leave until all equipment is stored and the gym is in better condition than when we arrived!

⏳ Example: Practice is scheduled 3:05 - 5:15 PM

• Athletes arrive at 2:55 PM to roll out mats and set up equipment

• Practice starts promptly at 3:05 PM

• Practice ends at 5:15 PM; mats rolled up & stored; all equipment put away (approx 7-10 minutes)

• Athletes are dismissed from the gym and exit the building shortly after

This process teaches time management, teamwork, and responsibility. As the season progresses, athletes work together to clean up faster—it’s impressive to watch! Thank you for your support! 📣

🚗Pick-Up Location:
Athletes should be picked up in front of Arcola Middle School (main office entrance). For safety reasons, please park in a designated spot rather than idling along the curb. Athletes will walk to your car.

Our practice schedule is structured around the team’s overall extracurricular commitments. While it’s great to explore different sports in middle school, missing cheer practice for another practice or activity is not acceptable and will be marked as an unexcused absence.

Arcola Cheer runs concurrently with other fall and winter sports such as:
🏑 Field Hockey | 🏈 Football | 🏃‍♂️ Cross-Country | 🎾 Tennis | ⚽ Soccer | 🤼 Wrestling | 🏀 Basketball

Participating in two Arcola sports during the same season is not possible due to overlapping practice times.

‼️Note: If you try out for cheer and plan to participate in a winter sport, please inform your coaches as soon as possible. Early communication allows for better team planning! 

If you're unsure or have questions, please reach out—we’re happy to help! 😁

📣 Didn’t make your first-choice sport?
If you were cut from another sport, please contact Coach Jenn as soon as possible! In past years, we’ve offered a “Second Chance Tryout” for students in this situation! 

⚠️ Important:
Arcola Cheer plans to hold tryouts in May. A "Second Chance" tryout will only occur if the roster has 10 athletes or fewer. If held, it will be position-specific (e.g., bases, backs, flyers, tumblers)! 

Try out—you won’t regret it! 😊