What to Do When You Don't Make the Team
So you’ve given all your best to be part of a dance team. After all those months of eating right, working out, polishing your communication skills, and joining dance classes, you’ve been rejected. What do you do?
When faced with failure, people have two choices: (1) Try again (2) Move on and pursue a different path. But if becoming a professional cheerleader is your ultimate dream and at this point in time you’re devastated, I share with you 5 helpful tips.
Tips to Deal With Failure, Learn, and Grow
1. Feel your emotions.
I’m not here to tell you that you should ignore your feelings, forget what happened, and move on, on the day you didn’t make it. Fighting your emotions stops the healing process. Don’t judge yourself for crying and maybe getting jealous of others who made the team. Let it all out until you feel lighter. Most importantly, try to grasp the message that is revealed by your emotions.
2. Identify factors you think that kept you from winning.
Failure is an opportunity to learn and part of the learning process is understanding why things didn’t work out. Think you could have started preparing earlier? Was it because you forgot the choreography? Did you stutter during the interviews? Danced in a very awkward way? Focus on improving those weak points the next time you prepare for next year’s auditions. While you identify them, also keep in mind that there are way too many candidates BUT limited spots. Don’t blame your loss on poor performance or incompetence alone; sometimes the reason is that it isn’t your time yet.
3. Thank yourself and do something fun.
Don’t let the experience get the very best of you. Even if you didn’t make it this year, appreciate yourself for your hard work! Recall all the great sacrifices you made… the hours you put in… Isn’t it amazing that you were able to do these things for a dream? This means one thing: You are capable of transformation. Now, congratulate yourself. Take a vacation! Go to the salon. Do something that makes you feel rewarded.
4. Get inspiration from the right people.
One of the persons you should listen to when you didn’t make it is a current or former professional cheerleader. Try to get in touch with someone who has been there. She’ll be able to inspire you with words of wisdom, advice and tips on how to improve. If you’re unable to do this, at least read and watch self-improvement books and videos - or take advice from a fitness, health, dance coach, or anyone you know with a positive mindset.
5. Audition for multiple teams (not just one) next year.
Create more winning opportunities next year by not limiting yourself to one dance team. If a team doesn’t notice you, another can. Truth is, there are so many sports dance teams to consider - even locally. And most of the time, joining smaller and local teams really helps polish your dance skills until such time you’re more prepared and ready to join an NBA or NFL dance team. Opportunities big and small are around you. These can be stepping stones!
Final Thoughts
Change your definition of failure. Don’t make such a big deal out of it to the point that it stalls your personal growth. Learn from the experience, thank yourself for the lessons you learned, and strive to win. Remember: Very successful women are those who failed many, many times but never gave up.
Can you picture yourself dancing under the bright lights alongside gorgeous cheerleaders, cheering for the NFL or NBA?
If you dream of joining a professional dance team audition but have no idea on how to get started, my book entitled Professional Cheerleading Audition Secrets: How To Become an Arena Cheerleader for NFL®, NBA®, and Other Pro Cheer Teams will guide you every step of the way.
I decided to write this book to help you discover the best tips and advice on staying fit and beautiful, adopting the right mindset, maintaining your image, and more - based on my 20+ years of experience in the professional cheerleading industry.
Grab your own copy of my book by clicking the text or image below:
