Cheerleading Program Information
Cheerleading Program
Large Coed Team
1981, 1983, 1993 UCA Division 1A LARGE COED NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
2024 PROGRAM GAMEDAY NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Team members on (USA CHEER) UNITED STATES NATIONAL TEAM
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022
1980, 2001, 2019 UCA Division 1A Large Coed National Runner Up
The Ohio State University Cheer Team is the official Cheer Team under the Ohio State Athletic Department. Our team is a part of The Spirit Program which consists of the Ohio State University Cheer Team, Dance Team, and Brutus Buckeye. Serving as a fundamental part of Ohio State, the teams promote Buckeye Spirit at a multitude of athletic events including Football, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, and Women’s Volleyball. In addition, the team plays an integral role in the Ohio State Community by performing at pep rallies, parades, and other University-related events on campus and throughout the city of Columbus. The Ohio State Cheer Team also competes annually in our own disciplines on the national level at the UCA Collegiate National Championship in Orlando, FL.
We are an official Varsity Sport at OSU, and our team is a Large Coed Team comprised of 12 males and 12 females. We do not offer any group or all-female stunts spots.
The team has access to all the resources that Ohio State has to offer to all Varsity student athletes including:
- Dedicated Strength & Conditioning Coaches
- Dedicated Nutritionist
- Dedicated Athletic Trainer
- Access to Sports Psychologist
- Priority Scheduling
- Free tutoring and printing
- Access to Athlete Dining Hall and Fuel Zone (healthy snacks for pre and post workout)
- Nike Sponsorship
- Alumni Association
Being a member of the cheer team requires an intense commitment, around 20 hours per week, and runs from the end of July- April with a training week in June. See below for a high-level breakdown for our season:
SUMMER:
- 6 Day Practice Week (June)
- Pre-Camp Practices (report end of July)
- College Camp (early August)
- Pre-School Practices (early August until the start of classes)
FALL:
- Practices 3-4x per week
- Lifting 2x per week
- Home Football Games
- Select Home Women’s Volleyball Games
- Away Football Games (team members rotate)
- Home Men’s and Women’s Basketball Games (team members rotate)
- Nationals Practices (Winter Break)
SPRING:
- Practices 3-4x per week
- Lifting 3x per week
- Open gyms for current team members
- UCA Collegiate National Championship (January)
- Home Men’s Basketball Games + select Women’s Basketball Games
- B1G 10 Conference and NCAA Basketball Tournament Travel (Spring Break)
If you are interested in being a member of our team in the future, please visit our Recruiting page for more information! Go Bucks!
Team Selection Process
Note: We do not have a typical tryout and team members are selcted through a recruitment process. Below you will find the steps that makeup our selection process.
STEP 1: MEET
Meet us in person (where and when possible)! We love to meet prospective team members on campus at our clinics, at competitions, or at recruiting events nationally. We have a few different types of clinics throughout the year. We highly recommend attending some of the following cliics to be able to meet and interact with the the coaching staff and train with the current team:
- Summer Coed Stunt and College Prep Clinics: July + August
- Fall Coed Stunt and College Prep Clinic : October
- Winter Coed Stunt and College Prep Clinic: February
- Spring Coed Stunt and College Prep Clinic: April
- *Specialized Skill Clinics as offered
STEP 2: EVALUATE
Follow us on social media for the latest on the recruiting events we will be hosting and attending! We post all up to date information regarding on-campus clinics as well as national competitions, combines and events that we will be attending here.
- Instagram: @ohiostatecheerteam
- X (twitter): @OSU_spiritsquad
- Facebook: The Ohio State University Cheerleaders
STEP 3: SELECT
Complete a recruiting questionnaire form with video by September 15 of your senior year of high school (or interested college transfer student-athletes) to allow the coaching staff to get to know you as a person and as a student-athlete! We review these submissions on a rolling basis. *All recruit questionnaires must have a video to be considered. Not all questionnaire highlight videos will receive a response. (more details below)
Please submit videos no earlier than spring semester of your sophomore year in High School.
STEP 4: OFFERS
Offers will be extended on a rolling basis
General Timeline
Freshman Year:
- Prospect attends clinics and/or national events/combines
Sophomore Year:
- Prospect attends clinics and/or national events/combines
- Prospect emails coaching staff with program interest! Relevant updates (such as competition videos or notice of trips to campus) are welcome.
- March 1 of Sophomore year – September 15 of Senior Year: Prospect records skills video and completes recruiting questionnaire
Junior Year
- Prospect attends clinics and/ or national events/ combines
- Prospect emails coaching staff with program interest! Relevant updates (such as competition videos or notice of trips to campus) are welcome.
- March 1 of Sophomore year – September 15 of Senior Year: Prospect records skills video and completes recruiting questionnaire
Senior Year
- Prospect attends clinics and/ or national events/ combines
- Prospect emails coaching staff with program interest! Relevant updates (such as competition videos or notice of trips to campus) are welcome.
- March 1 of Sophomore year – September 15 of Senior Year: Prospect records skills video and completes recruiting questionnaire
- Fall: Prospect applies to The Ohio State University prior to November 1 for early action decission
- Winter: Coaching staff begins to extend offers for positions on The Ohio State University Cheer Team on a rolling basis based on the current team needs.
There is an opportunity to send one required highlight video on the recruiting questionnaire. Please review the requirements below.
Recruiting Video Submission: This video has 3 segments, please submit them in this order:
1. Introduction
2. Technical Skills- standing tumbling, running tumbling, coed partner stunts
3. Gameday
In total, the recruit questionnaire highlight video should be no longer than 7 minutes in length.
SEGMENT 1: Introduction (No more than 3 minutes in length)
- Name
- Hometown
- Answer the below questions:
- Why do you want to attend The Ohio State University?
- Why would you like to be a part of the cheer team?
- Why would you be an ideal candidate?
- What is your best/ proudest athletic memory as a competitor?
- What is an area where you struggle athletically?
- What do you want to pursue academically?
SEGMENT 2: Technical Skills (Not all selected team members will have every skill listed)
- Standing Tumbling- Please show skills on a NON SPRING FLOOR
- standing tuck (no step)
- standing backhandspring back tuck (no step)
- standing backhandspring backhandspring tuck/ layout/ full (prefer no steps)
- standing backhanspring layout/ full
- standing fulls
- Running tumbling – Please show skills on a NON SPRING FLOOR
- roundoff handspring series (prefer power hurdle roundoff over two-step or running into)
- roundoff handspring tuck (prefer power hurdle over 2 step or running into)
- roundoff handspring layout (prefer power hurdle over 2 step or running into)
- roundoff handspring full (prefer power hurdle over 2 step or running into)
- any other elite passes (whip to full/ Arabian to full/ full through to full/ kick full/ etc.)
- Coed Partner Stunts Please show your best single base coed partner stunting skills. You do not have to show every skill listed below but show skills from each category (they are listed as a guide)
- “Hands” stunts
- hands libs/ stretches/ arabesques/ cupies
- Walk-in stunts
- Toss stunts
- libs/ stretches/ arabesques/ cupies (can show left and right)
- Spinning stunts
- fullups/ hands full arounds/ high to high full arounds/ low to high full arounds/ double ups
- Flipping stunts
- roundoff ups/ front handspring ups/ backhandspring up variations/ rewinds/ hand in hand variations/ one arm rewinds/ etc.
- *Add spin(s) when able to flipping stunts
SEGMENT 3: Gameday
- Show some footage of you performing alone or with team showcasing your presence, motion sharpness, motion placement, and level of energy and enthusiasm leading the crowd.
Note: These videos do not need to be professionally edited, but do need to be PUBLIC or UNLISTED YouTube Links in order for our coaching staff to be able to view them (please test your link before including it on the questionnaire).
Besides a strong technical background and a mature quality of movement, we look for well rounded individuals. We search for those who are able to conduct themselves professionally (our team members frequently engage in conversations with many alumni, university employees, donors, and fans) and have strong academic success! Our team culture and family atmosphere are vital to the team’s success, therefore a team oriented individual is also important.
The most important thing to make sure you do is communicate! Meet and stay connected to the coaching staff and continue to update us on the application process. We strongly recommend coming to clinics and reaching out via email as it is a great way to meet the coaching staff while also getting to train with other prospects and current members of the team. If you are serious about coming to Ohio State, share that with us! We highly value transparency and communication both in the recruiting process and on our team.The most important thing to make sure you do is communicate! Meet and stay connected to the coaching staff and continue to update us on the application process. We strongly recommend coming to clinics and reaching out via email as it is a great way to meet the coaching staff while also getting to train with other prospects and current members of the team. If you are serious about coming to Ohio State, share that with us! We highly value transparency and communication both in the recruiting process and on our team.
Go Bucks
Ben Schreiber
Head Cheerleading Coach
Schreiber.72@osu.edu
