Tryouts Are Closer Than You Think

Tryouts are closer than you think—and if parents don’t trust your team placements, the day after tryouts can turn into emails, angry calls, and families threatening to quit. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down how to build trust in your placement decisions before tryouts even happen by tightening your systems and educating parents early.


Dan shares how his gym went from dreading team announcement day to having only a handful of post-placement conversations—by clarifying expectations, creating a skills rubric (low/medium/high range), and changing the tryout process so coaches evaluate athletes over time instead of a quick snapshot.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

Create a clear tumbling + execution rubric so parents understand what “level-ready” really means

Use level evaluations + 2–3 weeks of level practices to place teams with more confidence and accuracy

Educate families on stunting roles, team needs, and why placements aren’t only about tumbling

Reduce entitlement and confusion by explaining your methodology upfront

Protect your time by preventing placement blowups before they start

If you’re a cheer gym owner, director, or coach, this episode gives you a practical placement system that builds parent buy-in, improves team quality, and makes tryout season calmer for everyone.