Mizzou Cheer is part of the Mizzou Spirit Squads, along with the Golden Girls dance team and Truman the Tiger. Tryouts have two rounds: a recruitment video first, then in-person finals at the Hearnes Center in Columbia for those invited. As of September 29, 2026, Mizzou hadn’t posted information for the next cycle, so the details below come from Mizzou’s official 2026 Recruitment Video and Tryout Packet documents.
Round 1: Recruitment Video
Submit your video through Mizzou’s Google Form. For 2026 the deadline was March 1, and invitations went out by April 1. Requirements:
- One video, no longer than two minutes. You can edit several clips together.
- Introduction: your first and last name, age or year in school, and where you’re from, including your high school, college or all-star gym.
- Tumbling: your best running and standing tumbling, plus a standing back tuck, all on a dead mat or grass. You can add spring floor tumbling as extra. Tumbling is required for women.
- Stunting: your best skills. Elite entries and dismounts are encouraged. Bases should show strength, control and speed; flyers should show control, body awareness and body positions.
Round 2: Final Tryouts
Finals are held in person at the Hearnes Center and are closed to everyone except candidates. In 2026 the schedule was:
- Open gyms (not required but highly recommended): May 3 and May 7.
- Friday, May 8: check-in 9:30 a.m.; sessions from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, May 9: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Attire: Mizzou athletic wear (shirt, shorts and shoes). Women may wear a tank top or sports bra. Clothes should fit well, not baggy, and jewelry should be removed. Mizzou recommends collegiate hair and makeup.
The Tryout Packet
If you’re invited to finals, you submit a packet by April 27 (mail is preferred) to Coach Cynthia Metz. It includes:
- The completed application.
- A copy of your admission letter to Mizzou.
- A letter of recommendation.
- A recent picture.
- A $50 processing fee, by cash or check to Mizzou Cheerleading.
Once your packet is in, you’re added to a tryout GroupMe with the video content to learn.
Medical packet
A separate medical packet, with all supporting medical documents combined into one PDF, goes to the team’s athletic trainer by the same April 27 deadline. It includes sickle cell results, which Mizzou warns “can take up to a week for processing.” Submissions that don’t follow the instructions are ineligible.
If You Make the Team
The 2026 packet listed these required summer commitments:
- Practices June 4–7 and June 25–29.
- A camp work week July 24–28.
- NCA College Camp at Mizzou, July 29–31.
How to Prepare
- Keep your video to two minutes of your best skills. Put a clean standing tuck on a dead mat or grass early in it.
- Order your sickle cell test early so it’s back before the April deadline.
- Go to the open gyms. They’re your chance to meet the staff and learn the material before finals.
- Stunting: see our guides on flying and basing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Mizzou cheer tryouts work? You submit a recruitment video (March 1 in 2026). Invited candidates then attend in-person finals at the Hearnes Center in May.
Do men need to tumble? Mizzou says tumbling is required for women. It doesn’t state a men’s tumbling requirement.
How much does it cost? The 2026 packet listed a $50 processing fee.
Who is the coach? Coach Cynthia Metz (metzch@missouri.edu).
Related Resources
- SEC Cheer Tryout Guides
- University of Arkansas Cheerleading Tryout Guide
- College Cheerleading Tryout Guides Directory
Sources: University of Missouri Athletics, 2026 Recruitment Video Tryout Information, 2026 Tryout Packet and Spirit Squads. Last checked September 29, 2026.
