Social Distancing Leads Spirit Teams to Innovation of Online Tryouts

When fans return to Neyland Stadium and when "Rocky Top" is heard again in Thompson-Boling Arena, Tennessee's Spirit teams will be ready with a new crop of talent to lead the crowds.

But the selection process for that new talent has been modified due to current circumstances.

Tryouts for UT's mascots and cheer and dance teams are traditionally held on campus annually in April. However, with social distancing guidelines in place and many states dealing with "safer at home" orders, program staff realized the need to innovate a new way of choosing next year's teams.

"We began talking about contingency plans in early March when it became evident that holding tryouts in person was likely not going to be possible," Tennessee dance coach Kelley Tafazzoli said. "We put our heads together and came up with the next best solution by utilizing technology and social media."

Rather than attending in-person tryouts, during which participants receive instruction to learn skills and routines that are then evaluated by coaches, the virtual format allows for participants to submit video demonstrations of their skills. Additionally, current Spirit team members have utilized YouTube to post instructional videos of routines that participants should learn, record at home and then post to YouTube or Vimeo as an audition video for coaches to evaluate.

"It was important to us that we create a fair process that also honors social distancing requirements," Tafazzoli said. "We believe this accomplishes both of those objectives and will allow us to move forward, preparing for the return of athletics to Rocky Top."

The first video and application to tryout is due on Sunday, April 5 at 11 p.m. ET. On Thursday, April 9, participants that displayed collegiate level skill for each team will be invited to submit a second video for evaluation. The final video evaluation will be a live interview via Zoom for the coaches to interact with potential team members virtually. Invitations will then be extended to attend the first in-person practices, whenever that may be, where the teams will be finalized.

Tennessee Spirit recently experienced one of the best years in program history, with the dance team claiming its sixth national championship, the cheer team capturing its first national title and the Smokey mascot team placing sixth in the nation.

For more information about online tryouts and to register, visit www.tennesseespiritcamps.com.

University of Tennessee Athletics

Social Distancing Leads Spirit Teams to Innovation of Online Tryouts

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