Spring vs fall clinics: eight college dancers in green raise green LED pom poms in a dark field house as adults watch

Spring vs. Fall Cheer and Dance Clinics: Planning the Clinic Calendar

For college and high school spirit coaches planning the year: what fall prep and recruitment clinics do, what spring tryout clinics do, real dates from college programs, and the lights-down finale that works in both seasons.

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For spirit coaches planning the clinic year: fall clinics recruit, spring clinics feed tryouts, and both close best on a lights-down finale. Our LED pom poms change your whole team’s color by one remote, so prospects see game night in your gym. Team pricing is $120 a pair on 10+ pairs.

When should a program host fall and spring clinics?

Spring vs fall clinics: eight college dancers in green raise green LED pom poms in a dark field house as adults watch

Fall clinics recruit; spring clinics feed tryouts. College programs run both, and the dates follow their recruiting calendars:

  • Fall: Texas Tech’s pom squad held advanced training clinics on October 18 and November 1, 2026, for high school dancers in the classes of 2027, 2028 and 2029, at $110 each. November 1 is also the first day its coaches could make offers to the Class of 2027 (source: Texas Tech Pom Squad).
  • Winter: Arizona Cheer’s 2027 recruiting weekend runs February 12 and 13, 2027 (source: University of Arizona Cheer clinics).
  • Spring: Texas Cheer, Pom and Mascot ran tryout clinics on February 15 and March 1, 2026, after its January date was rescheduled for weather (source: Texas Cheer, Pom and Mascot Camp). UConn’s college prep and recruitment clinic was April 19, 2026 (source: UConn Spirit college prep clinic).

Either way, end the clinic on your team, lights down, showing prospects what game night looks like. Our LED pom poms make that finale work in a gym.

Fall and spring clinics side by side

Question Fall prep and recruitment clinics Spring tryout clinics
Who comes Juniors, seniors and current college students looking at programs Seniors, college students and transfers about to try out
What they want To get seen by coaches and learn your style Your tryout material and how the process works
What the program wants Names on the recruiting list before offers go out Prepared athletes at tryouts
When it runs October and November, in football season February to April, before spring tryouts
How to close it A lights-down finale, then a home night game A lights-down showcase for families

The finale is the one line that does not change. Plan it once, with the same poms, and run it at every clinic on the calendar.

Fall clinics are recruiting events

Fall clinic posts from college programs follow a clear pattern. The dates land in early November and go up weeks ahead with a “mark your calendars” post. A Division I program may split the day into a coed stunt session and a separate college-prep and recruitment session, priced per session with a lower price for both, open to high school juniors and seniors plus current college students. Registration is online only, with a deadline and no walk-ups.

The timing follows the recruiting calendar. Dance prospects send recruiting videos by September 1, the early universal date (source: Carolina Dance Team recruitment), and Texas Tech’s pom coaches evaluate from September through January (source: Texas Tech Pom Squad). A fall clinic is where coaches put a face to a video. It also falls in football season, so the strongest close is a night game: give participants seats for the lights-down moment and let your team’s poms do the recruiting.

Winter weekends tie the clinic to a game

Fall clinic halftime: eight cheerleaders in navy hold glowing orange LED pom poms at center court before a dark crowd

Arizona Cheer’s Future Spirit of Arizona Weekend shows the full format. Friday, February 12, 2027 is a campus and athletics experience in the morning, with tours, a team Q&A and staff presentations, then a college cheer and partner stunt clinic from 5:30 to 9 p.m. On Saturday, participants attend the team’s pre-game warmup and halftime performance at a women’s basketball game. The $150 fee covers the clinic sessions, a t-shirt and a game ticket, registration runs to January 22, and registering does not guarantee a spot (source: University of Arizona Cheer clinics).

Basketball season is the easiest place to stage the moment prospects remember. Arenas go dark for intros and timeouts, and a squad switching color together on one count reads from every seat.

Spring clinics feed tryouts

Spring clinics teach the tryout. Texas billed its cheer, pom and mascot tryout clinics as a chance to learn the program’s traditions, skills and game-day style with the coaches and current squad (source: Texas Cheer, Pom and Mascot Camp). UConn’s April college prep clinic, at $100, is open to juniors, seniors, college students and transfers, and may give select seniors and college students a Fast Pass to the second round of tryouts (source: UConn Spirit college prep clinic). Arizona posts a spring tryout prep clinic too, typically in mid-April (source: University of Arizona Cheer clinics), and Texas Tech Cheer’s 2027–28 skills videos are due April 20, 2027, with invitation-only tryouts May 14 to 16 (source: Texas Tech Spirit Program tryouts).

Families will look for each clinic’s posted dress code and material; UConn, for example, encourages navy and white athletic clothes and sneakers. Point them to your own page. The lit gear stays with your team. For the prospect side, see cheer tryout tips for clinic season.

What does a lights-down clinic finale need?

  • A room you can darken. Confirm who controls the gym lights and agree on the cue.
  • Your team’s poms, charged. Each pom runs 3 to 4 hours per charge, and white and rainbow drain faster, so charge the night before.
  • One remote, one coach. Every pair switches together, so one person runs the color plan.
  • A 60- to 90-second routine. Team colors first, one switch on the count, then back.
  • Bows to match. If your squad wears our light-up cheer bows, set each bow’s color with its button before the finale (see light-up cheer bows for teams).
  • A camera. Film it wide. That clip is your next clinic’s announcement.

For staffing, registration and the full run of show, see how to run a cheer clinic.

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Budget the poms once for every clinic

The same set works in both seasons and every game night between. The full metallic streamers work as a regular pom in daylight, and each pom is 7 oz and rechargeable. Team pricing is $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs:

Group Pairs Cost at the team rate
High school squad 12 $1,440
College dance team 18 $2,160
College cheer squad 24 $2,880
Cheer and dance together 36 $4,320

Email info@neoncowboys.com or DM us with your roster, colors and your first clinic date. Send us your date and we will tell you plainly what fits. For the full series, start with our guide to college cheer and dance clinics.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between fall and spring cheer clinics?

Fall clinics recruit: juniors, seniors and college students get seen by coaches before offers and video deadlines. Spring clinics prepare athletes for that program’s tryouts.

When do college fall clinics usually run?

October and November. Texas Tech’s pom squad held fall clinics on October 18 and November 1, 2026.

When do spring tryout clinics run?

Mostly February to April. Texas ran tryout clinics in February and March 2026, and UConn ran its college prep clinic on April 19, 2026.

How should a program end a clinic?

With a lights-down finale: your team performing for the prospects, every pom switching color together on one count. Film it for your next announcement.

What should families check before a clinic?

The program’s own clinic page: eligibility, fee, deadline, dress code and what to bring. Many clinics fill early and take no walk-ups.

What do LED pom poms cost for a clinic program?

$120 a pair on 10 or more pairs, so an 18-member dance team is $2,160. One remote runs every pair.

See also: college cheer and dance clinics, how to run a cheer clinic, cheer tryout tips for clinic season and dance team tryouts.

Sources: Texas Tech Pom Squad, Texas Tech Spirit Program tryouts, University of Arizona Cheer clinics, Texas Cheer, Pom and Mascot Camp, UConn Spirit college prep clinic, Carolina Dance Team recruitment.

Texas Tech University, the University of Arizona, the University of Texas at Austin, UConn and the University of South Carolina are named here as facts only. None is affiliated with Neon Cowboys.

Questions: info@neoncowboys.com.

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