University of Houston cheer is one of the Spirit of Houston Spirit Teams, alongside the Cougar Dolls dance team and the mascots, Shasta and Sasha. Tryouts are by invitation. You earn an invitation with proof of admission, a skills video and a coaches’ interview. This guide follows the official Spirit Teams page on uh.edu and the 2025 Cheer Tryouts Information Sheet. As of October 1, 2026, UH hadn’t posted cheer tryout dates for the next cycle. The video deadline on its page is still blank.

What the Team Does

UH cheerleaders attend all home and away football games, men’s and women’s basketball games and tournaments, and volleyball, baseball and softball games. UH says the team typically makes 175+ appearances a year, including games, pep rallies and community events. Houston competes in the Big 12 Conference.

Eligibility

• You must be a full-time student at the University of Houston main campus.
• Incoming freshmen and transfer students must show proof of acceptance to UH before tryouts.
• Tryouts are by invite only. Every non-returning applicant completes three steps to be eligible for an invitation: proof of acceptance, a skills requirement video and a coaches’ interview.

The Skills Video

Send a link to an unlisted YouTube video to cheer@uh.edu by the posted deadline. UH says the skills in your video don’t have to match the tryout requirements, so show the best you have.

• Standing tumbling: three standing back tucks with no cuts in the video, two standing back handsprings into your highest skill, a toe back and a cartwheel back.
• Running tumbling: two different passes of at least three skills each, ending in your best skill (for example, round-off back handspring back handspring layout).
• All-girl stunting: three stunt variations that include at least a full up, a full down and a body position such as a heel stretch or arabesque.
• Coed stunting: three stunts that show partner-stunting proficiency, such as full ups, full downs, arabesques and heel stretches.

Tryout Skill Requirements

Tumbling. Standing: two standing back handsprings to a layout, and a toe back. Any standing pass to a full is preferred. Running: a specialty pass to a layout. A round-off back handspring full or more is preferred.

All-girl stunting. A full up with a full down. Spinning variations, inversions and double downs are preferred.

Coed stunting, women. Walk-in to hands, toss hands and a full down from a heel stretch. A toss extension, toss target, full up and a double down from a body position are preferred.

Coed stunting, men. Walk-in to hands and toss hands. A toss extension, toss target and full up are preferred.

The Most Recent Dated Timeline (2025)

The latest dated schedule UH has published is from the 2025 cycle, for the 2025-26 team:

• Video submission due April 25, 2025, at 11:59 PM.
• Proof of acceptance due May 11, 2025.
• Interviews May 12–14, 2025.
• Tryouts May 16–17, 2025.
• First practice and uniform sizing May 18, 2025.

That sheet also said a “Clinic Fast Pass” exempted an athlete from the video requirement. Use the 2025 dates only as a guide to timing. Watch UH Cheer’s social media for the next deadlines, as UH advises.

Contact

The Spirit Teams page lists SyaSya Thompson as Assistant Cheer Coach and doesn’t name a head coach. Send all cheer questions to cheer@uh.edu. The Spirit of Houston is on Instagram at @spiritofhouston.

Frequently Asked Questions

When are Houston cheer tryouts? No date is posted for the next cycle. In 2025, videos were due April 25 and tryouts were May 16–17.

Can incoming freshmen try out? Yes, with proof of acceptance to the UH main campus before tryouts.

Do I need a video? Yes. Non-returning applicants need a skills video to be invited. The 2025 sheet allowed a Clinic Fast Pass in its place.

Related Resources

• University of Texas at Austin Cheerleading Tryout Guide
• University of Cincinnati Cheerleading Tryout Guide
• Texas Tech Cheerleading Tryout Guide
• College Cheerleading Tryout Guides Directory

Sources: University of Houston Athletics, UHCougars.com; University of Houston, Spirit of Houston Spirit Teams; UH Bands and Spirit Groups (linked from UHCougars.com), Cheer and the 2025 Cheer Tryouts Information Sheet (PDF). Last checked October 1, 2026.