A cheer tryout score sheet turns opinions into numbers you can defend. The template below scores every athlete out of 100 points across eight categories, with the point values weighted so the skills that matter most to your team carry the most weight. Copy it, adjust the weights for your level, hand it to three or more judges, and total the sheets. When a parent asks why their athlete did not make the team, you point at the sheet instead of arguing.
Here is the full template, what each category means, how to weight and total it, and how to adapt it for school, middle school and all-star tryouts.
The cheer tryout score sheet template
Each category is scored on its point value, where a candidate earns the full points for mastery and partial points for partial skill. The weights below are a balanced default for a school competition squad. Move the points toward tumbling and stunting for an all-star or advanced team, and toward motions and spirit for a younger or sideline squad.
| Category | Points | What judges look for |
|---|---|---|
| Motions & sharpness | 15 | Clean, tight, precise arm placements; snap and control |
| Jumps | 15 | Height, toe-touch or pike form, pointed toes, controlled landing |
| Tumbling | 20 | Standing and running skills, technique, level of difficulty, safety |
| Stunting | 15 | Ability as base, flyer or backspot; body control and technique |
| Cheer / chant | 10 | Voice projection, timing, knowing the words, crowd command |
| Dance | 10 | Rhythm, memory of choreography, energy, execution |
| Showmanship & spirit | 10 | Facials, confidence, performance quality, presence |
| Coachability & attitude | 5 | Focus, effort, response to correction, teamwork |
| Total | 100 | Sum of all categories, per judge |
Give each judge their own copy, plus a row per athlete. The athlete's final score is the average of the judges' totals, so every candidate is measured on the same 100-point scale.
What each category is really measuring
The categories exist so judges score the same thing rather than a general impression. Motions and sharpness reward the precise, snapping placements that read from the back of a gym. Jumps are scored on height and form, not just landing them. Tumbling and stunting carry the most points on an advanced sheet because they carry the most difficulty and the most risk, so technique and safety count as much as the skill itself. Cheer and dance test performance and memory under pressure. Showmanship captures the facials and confidence that separate two athletes with identical skills. Coachability is small but it is the tiebreaker that most head coaches quietly care about.
How to weight and total the sheet fairly
The weighting is where a score sheet becomes fair or unfair, so decide it before tryouts and publish it. A few rules keep it clean:
- Set weights to your priorities. If tumbling wins competitions for your team, give it the most points. The template is a starting point, not a rule.
- Use at least three judges. An odd number avoids ties, and independent scoring smooths out one harsh or generous judge.
- Score independently. Judges do not confer during tryouts. They score their own sheet, then you combine.
- Drop outliers on large panels. With five judges, some programs drop the highest and lowest score and average the middle three.
- Publish the rubric in advance. Every candidate should see the categories and points before they try out. Nothing on the sheet should be a surprise.
- Keep every sheet. Saved scores are how you explain a result line by line if it is ever questioned.
For the full process around the sheet, from building the rubric to running the judge panel and publishing results, see the guide on how to run cheerleading tryouts.
Adapting the template by program
| Program | Shift the weight toward | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary / youth | Motions, spirit, coachability | Skills are still forming; reward attitude and fundamentals |
| Middle school | Motions, jumps, basic tumbling | Balanced sheet; tumbling matters but is not yet advanced |
| High school competition | Tumbling, stunting, jumps | Difficulty wins on the mat; the default template fits here |
| All-star | Tumbling, stunting, level-specific skills | Place athletes by USASF level; difficulty and technique dominate |
For all-star placement in particular, the score sheet works best next to a record of what each athlete can already do against cheer level requirements, so you are placing athletes by verified skills rather than a single day's tryout. When you are ready to run the whole thing on numbers instead of paper, digital cheer tryout score sheets total the judges automatically and rank results live.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on a cheer tryout score sheet?
List the categories you are judging, the points possible for each, and space for each judge to score independently. Standard categories are motions and sharpness, jumps, tumbling, stunting, cheer or chant, dance, showmanship and coachability. Assign points so the important skills carry the most weight, and total to a fixed number like 100 so athletes are comparable.
How do you score cheer tryouts fairly?
Use a written rubric every candidate sees in advance, have at least three judges score independently without conferring, and average or drop-and-average rather than letting one judge decide. Score by number, not gut, publish the point values before tryouts, and keep every sheet so a result can be explained line by line.
How many judges should score a cheer tryout?
Three to five. An odd number avoids ties, and multiple independent judges smooth out any single judge being harsh or generous. With five, some programs drop the highest and lowest score and average the middle three to remove outliers. Fewer than three is hard to defend.
Should cheer tryouts be anonymous or by name?
Many programs assign each athlete a number and have judges score by number rather than name to reduce bias. It will not be fully anonymous, since judges can see who is performing, but scoring to a number keeps the sheet focused on the skills and makes the totals easier to defend later.