TO:  Administrators and Dance/Pom/Sideline Cheer Coaches

FROM:  Toni Hill

Many schools have requested that the MSHSAA office review its interpretation of eligibility for spring tryouts for the following year’s dance/pom and cheer teams. In previous years, only currently enrolled students attending a school were permitted to participate in tryouts during the academic year. The only exception to this was for 8th-grade students enrolled in a direct feeder junior high school that is managed and funded by the high school’s district or system.

After thorough discussion, the MSHSAA office is providing updated guidance on eligibility for spring dance/pom and cheer tryouts for the upcoming school year. In addition to the students previously eligible, a student may now also participate in spring tryouts if:

• The student is enrolled in courses in the school for the 2025-2026 school year.

All students who are eligible to tryout are covered under the school's MSHSAA catastrophic insurance.