Topic
Tryouts and teams
Making the team, not making it, what to say either way.
49 pieces
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Longer read · Choir · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
The All-State Choir Audition Prep Checklist
Scales, sight-reading, and one piece sung cold in front of a judge. Here's the actual prep list, not the vague version.
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Longer read · Theater · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Landing the lead in college or top community theater: the real odds
The math gets harder at this level, and the reasons a director says no stop having anything to do with talent alone.
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Longer read · Dance · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Company Placement and Team Tryouts: The Real Odds
One studio, forty dancers, and one small team. Here is what the director is actually scoring.
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Longer read · Band · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Drum major and section leader: the real odds
One podium, a handful of section leader spots, and a decision directors make on more than talent.
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Longer read · Choir · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Making All-State Choir as a Senior: The Real Odds
One state, a few dozen slots per voice part, and a senior who has been building toward this since ninth grade. Read the math before audition week.
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Longer read · Ballet · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Trainee and second-company placement: the real odds
A trainee program is not a company. A second company is not a guarantee. Here is the math nobody says out loud at pointe shoe fittings.
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Longer read · Cheerleading · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Varsity cheer tryouts: the real odds
Judges aren't scoring school spirit. They're scoring three things, and a smile isn't one of them.
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Crew · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Varsity Crew Boat Selection: The Real Odds and How Seat Racing Works
Eight seats in the fast boat, forty kids in the boathouse, and a system that settles the argument on the water instead of in a meeting.
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Longer read · Cross country · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Varsity Cross Country: The Real Odds and How the Scoring Squad Works
Almost nobody gets cut from this team. Making the scoring seven is a different story.
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Longer read · Lacrosse — Girls · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Varsity Girls Lacrosse Tryouts: The Real Odds and What Gets Cut
Twenty-five jerseys, a program that's grown fast, and a coach deciding who plays and who watches.
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Longer read · Soccer · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Varsity Soccer Tryouts: The Real Odds and How the Starting XI Gets Set
Soccer cuts. That's different from a lot of fall sports, and it changes how tryout week should feel in your house.
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Longer read · Softball · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Varsity Softball Tryouts: The Real Odds and How the Pitching Circle Works
Fifteen jerseys, one circle, and a coach who already knows which arm she trusts. Read the math before tryout week.
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Longer read · Swimming · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Varsity Swim Team: The Real Odds and How the Lineup Actually Works
Almost nobody gets cut from high school swimming. The real competition starts after the roster is set.
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Longer read · Tennis · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Varsity Tennis: The Real Odds and How the Ladder Actually Works
Six singles spots, three doubles teams, and a coach who already has a rough order before the first challenge match is played.
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Volleyball · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Varsity Volleyball Tryouts: The Real Odds and How the Starting Six Gets Set
Ten to fourteen jerseys, one tryout week, and a coach who already knows who can pass. Read the roster math before tryout week.
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Longer read · Stunt and tumbling · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
What a STUNT recruiting video should actually show
A coach building a roster from scratch doesn't need a highlight reel. She needs to see exactly what your kid can do, labeled, in under five minutes.
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Cheerleading · age 13–14 · Jul 4, 2026
Cheer Placement Week: Why Tryouts Look Different for This Sport
There's no cut list taped to a door. There's a spreadsheet nobody sees until Friday, built from four different stations your kid rotated through all week.
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Jul 4, 2026
It's July. Here's When Fall Tryout Prep Actually Starts
The tryout is in August. The email about it showed up on July 2nd, and we almost missed it under a pile of camp forms.
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age 13–14 · May 13, 2026
August first. The pre-season week
Tryouts in days. School in two weeks. The week to get the kid right without overdoing any of it.
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Longer read · Ballet · age 13–14 · May 12, 2026
The summer intensive audition: what an audition video actually needs
Summer intensives at major schools require an audition video. Here is what they look for and how to film one that does not embarrass your kid.
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Longer read · Ballet · age 13–14 · May 12, 2026
The audition season for year-round ballet programs
Some pre-professional kids transition to a year-round residential program in middle or high school. Here is what the audition season looks like and how to decide if it is the right move.
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Longer read · Band · age 13–14 · May 12, 2026
Honor band audition season: how to actually prepare
All-county, all-state, all-region. The fall honor band auditions are when the next year's leaders get picked. Here is what the process looks like and how to help your kid through it.
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Longer read · Choir · age 13–14 · May 12, 2026
All-state choir audition prep: what the panel actually listens for
An all-state audition is sight-reading, scales, and a prepared piece. The kids who make it learned a few specific things. Here is what they are.
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Softball · age 15+ · Jun 10, 2026
Cut From Varsity Softball as a Junior: Now What
The junior-year cut is the one with no JV safety net. The four real options, and the one move that makes all of them worse.